I need clients who aren't nuts
Dear Senior (in-house) Designer who is clearly covering his ass,
I regret you would think I would use your FedEx number for anything other than returning this project. The implication is startling.
I'm sorry you feel that way after withholding materials, information, and stalling the project until you finally blamed the XML fiasco on me and my company. In over 23 years in the industry, I've never dealt with such unprofessionality and blame-laying from a senior designer and regret it's at such a prestigious university press. Telling me that you "don't have time" to deal with providing necessary information for the project was startling, to say the least. I didn't have the time to waste, either; CU Press isn't our only client, though you clearly treated us as if you were. We tried to provide a verifiable InDesign project using XML that didn't match codes provided in your design memo or coding list -- asking for verification was apparently the last straw on your back.
I regret that we had to keep asking for information; if it had been provided in the first place, we could have continued to give you clean ID files that had verifiable XML. As it was, your XML would never validate. We never dreamed you wanted invalid XML and sloppy ID files. Your XML Guy in-house told me this morning that that is what the compositors are supplying. That was quite a surprise and an eye-opener.
Apparently what you wanted was incompetence and sloppy InDesign XML. I cannot possibly apologize for trying to provide competence in its place.
You will receive the materials as I said, using your FedEx number for this project, and your supervisor will receive a separate letter with an invoice for a kill fee.
Regards,
NC Hanger
Windhaven
I regret you would think I would use your FedEx number for anything other than returning this project. The implication is startling.
I'm sorry you feel that way after withholding materials, information, and stalling the project until you finally blamed the XML fiasco on me and my company. In over 23 years in the industry, I've never dealt with such unprofessionality and blame-laying from a senior designer and regret it's at such a prestigious university press. Telling me that you "don't have time" to deal with providing necessary information for the project was startling, to say the least. I didn't have the time to waste, either; CU Press isn't our only client, though you clearly treated us as if you were. We tried to provide a verifiable InDesign project using XML that didn't match codes provided in your design memo or coding list -- asking for verification was apparently the last straw on your back.
I regret that we had to keep asking for information; if it had been provided in the first place, we could have continued to give you clean ID files that had verifiable XML. As it was, your XML would never validate. We never dreamed you wanted invalid XML and sloppy ID files. Your XML Guy in-house told me this morning that that is what the compositors are supplying. That was quite a surprise and an eye-opener.
Apparently what you wanted was incompetence and sloppy InDesign XML. I cannot possibly apologize for trying to provide competence in its place.
You will receive the materials as I said, using your FedEx number for this project, and your supervisor will receive a separate letter with an invoice for a kill fee.
Regards,
NC Hanger
Windhaven