May in Jersey, love your avatar, yes I agree, people often get carried away about what they want, and when custom making, often the buyer thinks they know what they want but in reality they often do not have the knowledge the quilter has about colour relationships, which designs suit what etc or the vision to know how the end result will come together, that is when they say they don't like it or it turned out differently to what they expected!
I would much rather be known as the designer behind my own one off individual creations than some one who had a catalogue.
Just while on the subject of design and this is coming from an artists point of view, if you are serious about your own quilting designs IMHO, understanding colour and the principals of design realy give ones quilts an edge over those who struggle with this aspect. All of this can easily be understood by reading a few art books on colour theory and design from your local library. Some quilt books explain this also. I am finding that quilts are a lot like paintings, bringing everything together in a satisfactory conclusion executed with flair and technique.
Just my 2cents worth!
Gal