So, this “50 of 15” thing. Yeah, that actually happened to me. It sounds a bit nuts, and trust me, it felt that way when I was going through it.
The Original Plan: Just a Few Things
It all kicked off pretty innocently. I picked up a small freelance gig. This guy, he wanted 15 custom icons for a new app he was building. “Simple, clean, quick stuff,” he kept saying. That was the line. I thought, okay, 15 icons, shouldn’t be too bad. I quoted him for exactly that, 15. Figured it’d be some straightforward work, easy money.
I got started, sketching out ideas, then moving to the computer. Got the first five done, sent them over for a look-see.
Things Start to Shift
He got back to me almost right away. Loved ’em. “These are awesome!” he said. Then came the ‘but’ – or rather, the ‘and’. “Hey, while you’re at it,” he goes, “could you maybe whip up a few variations? You know, like 5 more but a bit different, maybe a bolder style? And oh, we’ll need another 5 for the dark mode version of the app.”
So, I did the math. That’s my original 15, plus another 10. We’re at 25 now. Classic scope creep, right? But he was being pretty nice about it, and he’d paid for the first part fast, so I figured, okay, a bit more work, I can manage.
And Then Came the “50”
I powered through and got those 25 icons done. Sent them all off, feeling pretty good about wrapping it up. Then, an email lands in my inbox. The subject line was something like “AMAZING ICONS!” So I opened it, feeling pretty pleased. He starts off saying the team is buzzing, everyone loves the icons. Great.
Then he drops the bomb. “Listen,” the email went on, “we had a massive brainstorm. We realize we need a full, comprehensive set. We’re thinking around 50 total. And we’ll need different sizes for each one. You know, for the website, for print materials, a few for the app’s loading screen… you get the idea. Can we get those by, say, end of next week?”
Fifty. From an initial 15. My jaw just about hit the floor. And not just 50 icons, but all sorts of variations and sizes. It was a whole different project all of a sudden.
The Actual Grind
What was I supposed to do? I’d already put in a good chunk of work, delivered nearly half of this new, inflated number. I felt kinda stuck. So, I told him I’d see what I could do, took a deep breath, and just buckled down. That next week was a blur. Seriously.
- I was basically glued to my chair, pushing pixels around until 3 AM most nights.
- My design software, I swear, had so many layers open it looked like a digital lasagna.
- Coffee stopped being a treat and became essential fuel. Then more coffee.
- I’m pretty sure I started dreaming in hex codes and vector points.
Somehow, I managed to crank out all 50 of them. All the variations, all the sizes. Sent the whole package off with minutes to spare before his “deadline.” I was totally wiped out.
What I Learned (or Didn’t)
The client? Oh, he was over the moon. Thrilled. Paid the final invoice pretty quick, even left me a glowing review, which was something, I guess. But man, that whole “50 of 15” experience, it still sticks with me. It’s one of those stories.
It kind of reminds me of this one time, years ago, I decided to bake “a few” cookies for a local bake sale. Started with a simple chocolate chip recipe, you know, one batch. Then a neighbor asked, “Oh, can you make some gluten-free ones?” Then someone else chimed in, “What about some vegan options?” Before I knew it, my tiny kitchen looked like a commercial bakery, and I’d been up all night. Same energy, different stuff.
You’d think after something like that “50 of 15” deal, you’d learn to say “no” more, or to get super strict with contracts from the get-go. And sometimes I do! But sometimes, projects just have a life of their own, and you just find yourself swept up in it. You plan for 15, you end up delivering 50. That’s just how it goes sometimes, I suppose. It’s why I always tell folks now, get every single thing in writing, every little detail! And even then, just be ready for anything. You never know.