The 4 types.

I've written about this before, but I think that every so often it's worth repeating.

About 40 years ago I read a book by an Historian called James David Barber. The book was called, if memory serves "The Presidential Character," and it broke down Presidential personality types into four categories.

I think we can make similar classifications of clients, agencies, even people.

Barber's categories were these:

1. Active-Positive. Energetic people doing generally good things.
2. Active-Negative. Energetic people doing generally bad things.
3. Passive-Positive. Lazy people who do generally good things.
4. Passive-Negative. Lazy people who suck.

In the best of all possible worlds you can surround yourself with Active-Positives. You have clients who do a lot of work and think big and want to be noticed.

In the worst of all worlds you find yourself amid Active-Negatives. Clients who like to scream at people with a shrill ad of the week.

When you're looking for work, or when you're working with a client, try to find Active-Positives. Try to migrate your clients to that category.

If you can't, get paid a lot of money.

If they won't pay you, leave.