Client Red Flag Bingofor Designers
How many have you heard? Tap each one that sounds familiar.
Today’s board · 25 Oct
What is Client Red Flag Bingo?
Client Red Flag Bingo is a free BrieflyGo game for freelancers: a 5×5 board of the things difficult clients say — “it’ll be great for your portfolio”, “just one more small change”, “we’ll sign the contract later”. Tap the ones you’ve heard, get your score and a shareable card, and see a practical way to protect yourself from each flag. There’s a new board every day, drawn from over 50 client lines. No sign-up, nothing you tap is linked to you.
Glossary: what a “client red flag” is →Client red flags for designers, and what to do
General practices freelancers use — put them in your quote or contract before the project starts.
| Red flag | Practice | How to protect yourself |
|---|---|---|
| Can you make the logo bigger? | Revision limit | Set a number of revision rounds. Extra rounds are billed at a stated rate. |
| It’ll be great for your portfolio | Paid trial only | Offer a small paid starter package. If you do work free, cap it in writing. |
| Make it more… modern? | Written scope | List exactly what’s included — deliverables, formats, quantities — and what isn’t. |
| Love it. Now try it in red. | Revision limit | Set a number of revision rounds. Extra rounds are billed at a stated rate. |
| Can we see twenty more concepts? | Revision limit | Set a number of revision rounds. Extra rounds are billed at a stated rate. |
| Can’t you just do it in Canva? | Fixed fee | Your fee stands on its own — no discounts for promised future work, no exposure instead of pay. |
| Just one more small change | Revision limit | Count the rounds. Extras go on a change order. |
| We’re running a logo contest | Paid trial only | Contests are unpaid spec work. Offer a paid starter package instead. |
| Can I have the Illustrator file? | Source files priced | Source, working and RAW files are a separate line item. |
| Fill that empty white space | Revision limit | Set a number of revision rounds. Extra rounds are billed at a stated rate. |
| “Just make it pop” | Written scope | Ask for three reference examples. Define “done”. |
| Make it look like Apple’s | Written scope | List exactly what’s included — deliverables, formats, quantities — and what isn’t. |
| Blue, but not that blue | Revision limit | Set a number of revision rounds. Extra rounds are billed at a stated rate. |
| My nephew could do this cheaper | Tiered packages | Restate the scope and value — then let price shoppers go. |
| I sketched it, just clean it up | Fixed fee | Your fee stands on its own — no discounts for promised future work, no exposure instead of pay. |
| Feedback from five different bosses | One approver, set hours | One named approver. Feedback arrives consolidated. |
| Found this image on Google | Asset licensing | The client supplies licensed fonts, photos and music — or pays to license them. |
| I’ll know it when I see it | Written scope | Get the brief signed off, with approval checkpoints. |
| Copy’s coming. Design around it. | Client-delay clause | If feedback or content is late, the deadline moves by the same amount. |
| Can you remove the watermark? | Milestone billing | Bill in stages. Send watermarked or low-res proofs; final files go out on final payment. |
| Make it look expensive. Budget: $50. | Tiered packages | Cut scope, not your rate. Offer good, better and best options. |
| Wants all rights, pays half | IP transfer on payment | IP transfers on full payment. |
| Print deadline’s tomorrow, right? | Rush fee | Anything faster than your standard timeline carries a rush fee, agreed in writing. |
| Send the files, I’ll pay after | Milestone billing | Proofs first. Final files on payment. |
| Just a simple logo, nothing fancy | Written scope | List exactly what’s included — deliverables, formats, quantities — and what isn’t. |
| Copy our competitor exactly | Asset licensing | The client supplies licensed fonts, photos and music — or pays to license them. |
| Can you add more stuff? | Revision limit | Set a number of revision rounds. Extra rounds are billed at a stated rate. |
| My partner doesn’t love the green | One approver, set hours | Name one person who approves, and state your working hours and response time. |
| Just tweak it in Word | Source files priced | Source, working and RAW files are a separate line item. |
| Can the logo also be animated? | Change order | Every new request gets a short written quote before any work starts. |
| Here’s my 40-page mood board | Written scope | List exactly what’s included — deliverables, formats, quantities — and what isn’t. |
| Use all twelve brand colours | Written scope | List exactly what’s included — deliverables, formats, quantities — and what isn’t. |
| Comic Sans, but make it classy | Revision limit | Set a number of revision rounds. Extra rounds are billed at a stated rate. |
| Need it ASAP. Like, yesterday. | Rush fee | Rush fee, in writing, before you start. |
| Won’t name any budget | Tiered packages | Ask for a range, then send tiered options. |
| Changes the brief after approval | Change order | The approved brief is locked; changes go on a change order. |
| “That’s not what I asked for” | Written scope | Keep approvals in writing and quote them back. |
| Can you also do our socials? | Change order | Separate scope, separate quote. |
| Unlimited revisions included, right? | Revision limit | Strike “unlimited” and set a number of rounds. |
| We can pay you in exposure | Fixed fee | Quote your rate. Exposure is a bonus, never the fee. |
| Ghosts for weeks, then “URGENT” | Client-delay clause | A client-delay clause moves the deadline; keeping the old one costs a rush fee. |
| We’ll sign the contract later | Signed before you start | No signature, no start. |
| “Paying next week” — every week | Payment terms | Due dates, a late fee and a pause clause. |
| Make the font bigger. And smaller. | Revision limit | Set a number of revision rounds. Extra rounds are billed at a stated rate. |
| Can you make it go viral? | No guaranteed results | You deliver the work, not rankings, virality or conversions. Say so in writing. |
| We need it in every file format | Source files priced | Source, working and RAW files are a separate line item. |
| Can you match this Pinterest pic? | Asset licensing | The client supplies licensed fonts, photos and music — or pays to license them. |
| Can we see it on a billboard mockup? | Change order | Every new request gets a short written quote before any work starts. |
| Our CEO’s daughter likes purple | One approver, set hours | Name one person who approves, and state your working hours and response time. |
| Can you just change the colours? | Change order | Every new request gets a short written quote before any work starts. |
| Free business cards with the logo? | Change order | Every new request gets a short written quote before any work starts. |
| Can you do the website too? | Change order | Every new request gets a short written quote before any work starts. |
| Just a quick favicon | Written scope | List exactly what’s included — deliverables, formats, quantities — and what isn’t. |
Already signed with a red-flag client?
Check what your contract says about payment, revisions and rights — free, in about a minute.
Questions
What is a client red flag?
A sign early in a project that a client may cause trouble later: refusing a contract, pushing for free samples, haggling before you’ve quoted, vague briefs, or “we pay when we get paid”. One flag isn’t a verdict, but several together usually mean scope creep or late payment ahead.
How do I protect myself from difficult clients?
Most red flags are handled by a few habits put in writing: a clear scope, a set number of revision rounds, a deposit before you start, payment terms with a late fee, change orders for new requests, and rights that transfer only on full payment. Each square on the board links its own tip.
Is Client Red Flag Bingo free? Do I need an account?
Yes, it’s free and there’s no sign-up. Your board is kept in the link itself — there’s no account to tie it to. We only keep anonymous usage stats, like how often each square is tapped.
Which boards are there?
A general board for every freelancer, plus boards for designers, developers, writers and copywriters, and photographers and videographers. Each one has 24 squares and a free centre square.
Does the board change?
Yes. Every board draws its 24 squares from a larger pool of client lines, and there’s a new board every day — the same for everyone, so you can compare scores with friends. “New board” deals fresh lines from the same edition, and each edition (Agency, Cheap Client, Payment Nightmare, Worst of 2026 and the profession boards) has its own set. The classics show up on most boards.
How do I challenge a friend?
Finish a board and press “Challenge a freelancer”. Your friend gets the exact same board, sees your score, and when they finish, both scores appear side by side.
Is this legal advice?
No. The tips are general business practices freelancers use. For a contract with real money at stake, have it checked — you can run a free risk check on BrieflyGo or talk to a lawyer.
Just for fun. Tips are general business practices, not legal advice — for a contract with real money at stake, get it reviewed. Last updated .