Thanks - I was agreeing with you though.
In all honesty, most of the times I've gone away and "done" my own thing, it hasn't gone as well as I'd have hoped. I tend to 'get there' in the end but it's usually after a lot of too-and-frowing with revisions which sucks the life out of both parties.
Happily, I have more projects that have gone well than those that have gone awry but I'm man enough to admit that sometimes I have screwed up and should have asked for more input from the client. However, sometimes the client just doesn't have any idea about what they'd like until they see something and unfortunately, unless they're going to pay for multiple revisions, they're going to settle for what they get (either a design concept, or a template). That's just the price you pay for a bespoke design.
I no longer do work for a fixed fee on that basis, because design IS subjective. If a client doesn't like a design I've done they still need to pay for my time. If they bring relevant, useful ideas to guide me down a suitable route (and save time!) then so much the better for everyones sake.
I *MUCH* prefer client input, in fact - I need it.
