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Starting out as an AI engineer, no clients yet. Technical side I can handle — the getting-clients side, less so.
For people who landed their first one: how'd it actually happen? What worked, what didn't?
The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
Connect with clients, get discovered, and run your business 100% commission-free
Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
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One of my favorite client phrases is:
"We already have the design. We just need you to refine and finalize it."
Every time I hear that, I know I'm about to redesign the whole thing. 😅
If it isn't working, that's not polishing.
That's design!!
Sometimes it's even harder than starting from scratch because you're working around decisions that already exist.
And usually... it's an AI image they generated.
What's your "favorite" client phrase?
I agree! My favorite phrase is "we want to share a more specific visual direction that feels closer to the brand identity." and they proceed to edit the designs I made with AI
97% of website visitors leave before a human can follow up.
I just published the full case study on an autonomous sale engine I designed to replace the entire top-of-funnel sales motion. No human required.
Here's what made it hard to design:
→ Two completely different audiences. One needed to feel seen in real time. The other needed to feel in control at 11pm.
→ The machine had to feel legible not like a black box. That meant designing the Sandbox: a split-screen interface where you can change the AI's knowledge and watch it respond live, before a single real customer sees it.
→ Every screen had to prove ROI, not just look good.
This isn't a cool UI case study. It's about how design decisions directly affect whether an AI agent earns trust or loses it on first use.
Full case study on Contra 👇
Check it out
Incredible
Client Red flags, AI Edition
🚩 Comes with a full brief made entirely of AI-generated designs.
🚩 Wants a custom brand identity, but only if it looks exactly like the AI images they generated.
🚩 Runs every concept that you created (the professional designer) through AI for "design feedback."
Any AI-related red flags you'd add to the list?
Stating that running your work through AI would void the contract due to copyright infringement and theft feels like a great clause to add to case studies.
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