In my experience, almost all design frustrations boil down to the same issue - the relationship between the client and the designer. 

Oftentimes, this tension arises from the relationship going sour sometime between the initial sale and the launch.  At best, this makes for a site neither party is happy with.  At worst, well, it can get ugly.  The problem with either of these outcomes is that the success of the project is directly connected to the equal investment of talent and knowledge by both parties.  If the designer's expertise is not trusted, the final product will inevitably suffer.  The same goes if the client's knowledge of their business objectives/users is undermined by the designer.  Sounds like a tightrope walk, doesn't it?  Well, here's some tips for navigating the relationship:

Define Roles

EvanWillhite.com is HERE!!  I am thrilled to announce the launch of my new online home.  Not only do I now have a place to house my seemingly-artistic endeavors, but I have a lovely location to chat with you about them!  And following in the grand tradition of all those who came before offering their web design knowledge freely through blogs, vlogs, tutorials, etc., I hope to now give back to that conversation in my own little way.  So without further ado, let's talk about the building of this site!

First off, this site was, as they say, hand-coded from the ground up.  No surprise for you seasoned designers out there, but there's nothing quite like blank templates/stylesheets to make you feel right at home (or give you complete designer's block).  But I will say, the tabula rasa didn't last long, because I knew I wanted to use a grid system and a CMS.

GRID/CMS