Client Vs Designer - advice needed.

[spark]

Ok so I am designing a site for a beautician.. who has some awful ideas!

For the design she sent me a colour scheme, some images and text that she wanted to used (and pretty much told me exactly how she wanted them all used).
I wasn't to gone on the images or colour scheme.. so I tried to guide her in different directions, but she still wanted to see her ideas in a mock up.
So. I designed 3 mockups, 1 where I followed her instructions and 2 of my own ideas, in my opinion the one where I followed her instructions looks hideous (its the pink and grey one, sample1.jpeg) but she told me she 'absolutely loves it!' that it was exactly what she wanted..

While I love it when a client is happy with a design.. I really dont want to do this design, I think it looks awful! Any ideas on what I should do? Anyone have advice on approaching a client about an issue like this?

Attached are the 3 mockups..



sample2.jpg

sample3.jpg

sample1.jpg

[jkinz]

#1 is the best of all of them, but could use more detail work.

In regards to approaching her about it, send her some of her competitor's sites, stuff like that. My guess is they will have a very simply very updated/modern look. Suggest to her that the site will directly reflect the quality of her business in the eyes of potential customers who visit the site. Also politely remind her that there is a reason she hired you to do the design work.

It is extremely tricky in this situation so you have to be delicate about it. If all else fails, do the design, but don't keep it in your portfolio.

[D856C]

You can't win ...unless you print out all the versions, submit them to the beautician's customers, and she sees they prefer some other design. Provided you present all as neutrally as possible and it's clear you're not doing anything to skew what people say or influence their choice, you have some chance.

Mostly you've already lost this, but there's always a chance.

It's difficult to know in this instance, but mostly these sort of problems start early -- at the designer's web site. My guess is you took yourself out of contention by positioning yourself as taking design dictation, not a collaborative consulting process.

Portfolio with thumbnails only? Explaining exactly zero method, competitor context, and no user? You've set yourself up for this.

You can't tell clients their ideas are awful, but you can show them. That requires an uncharacteristic feat for a designer -- bringing in the user.

[Cwilk]

There's always a way to make what a client wants 'pretty' but it's up to you to figure out how to do it and sell them on it. Sometimes clients just want ugly and you have to accept it and cash your paycheck from that project and make sure you don't put it in your portfolio. Unfortunately it happens all the time.

[Archibald]

Yes, there should be a very good combination between the client and the designer, it is the responsibility of the designer to make a design that should full fill all the requirements of the clients...

[jkinz]

Yes, there should be a very good combination between the client and the designer, it is the responsibility of the designer to make a design that should full fill all the requirements of the clients...

That doesn't even answer the question.