Ok, so this one is a bit of a contentious issue, and if not clearly understood, can cause some friction between client and creative.
Revert, by its original definition means to “return” or “go back to” but has, in recent years, garnered the definition of “reply”.
In the context of advertising and design a certain number of “reverts” may be allocated to a particular project, giving the client the opportunity to “reply” with changes on their work without incurring additional costs.
It is important when working on a project to clearly define this little clause to ensure that both parties understand the parameters.
For the client
- Reverts allow you to make changes on your project to ensure that you get a final product that you are 100% happy with
- The company you are working with will have specified how many changes you are allocated for your specific project, so you should be aware of this upfront
- Read through the terms and conditions. If you have any questions regarding the company’s revert policy, ask
- It is your responsibility to go through the work (website, flyer, brochure etc) carefully and make a concise list of any changes/reverts that you would like made. If you missed that typo and signed off on the work- that’s on you
- Don’t send changes one by one in individual emails. This is incredibly frustrating and can lead to requested changes being missed. Each mail will also be treated as a single revert. So guess what, by mail 30 you are clocking up a nice hefty bill
- Make sure you have really thought about the changes you want to make and remember that often the creative has created something in a specific way for a specific reason. You hired experts for a reason so take guidance from them on what works best
- Remember that creatives are essentially selling their time. Making changes, no matter how simple you may think they are, take time. It is only fair that this time is charged for
- The revert policy is not there to sc@!w with you.
For the creatives
- Clients are entitled to their reverts. Don’t begrudge them this right
- Sometimes you may have missed the mark and need to eat some humble pie and make the changes. Guess what- you aren’t always right (shock, horror)
- It is up to you to ensure that your client understands your revert policy
- Stick to your guns. The revert policy is there to ensure that the project doesn’t completely run away with you. The last thing you want is to be sitting on revert 68, having spend 36 hours on a single page advert that has now cost you and your business money
- It is ok to query a revert. You more than likely studied for a couple of years and have done the hard graft to get to where you are today. So if you disagree with a revert, chat to your client. You want to walk away with a finished product that you and your client are happy with
- Get written approval and official sign-off on work.
We hope this helps clear things up a bit.
Here’s to awesome, creative work and good vibes (and coffee of course)!
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