Clients don’t like your design. They think you should add a little more blue. Or that their logo isn’t the right size, because, you know, it’s “who we are”. Clients add their subjective point of view in the process of checking your work, which makes them use the terms “like”, “love”, “think”. While it’s nice to hear that someone loves your work, it’s also quite unbearable to hear the exact opposite. “I hate it” might be the worst sentence ever for a designer. Even if it’s no personnal matter, it attacks the very guts of every one of us. That’s why I always wondered if subjectivity has its toll in graphic design — shouldn’t the design aim be “being effective” and not being pretty?  

As a first response, I searched for a definition of graphic design. 
“Graphic design is the process and art of combining text and graphics and communicating an effective message in the design of logos, graphics, brochures, newsletters, posters, signs, and any other type of visual communication. Today’s graphic designers often use desktop publishing software and techniques to achieve their goals.”

Strangely enough, I never thought graphic design as a way to combine text and graphics. In my opinion, it’s really so much more than that: using cultural, visual and art references, as a way to solve a communication problem. Engineering a range of solutions to communicate effectively a message in a specific place and time. Using rationnal, yet aesthectic elements to speak to a targeted audience. 
That’s where there’s a problem. I soon discovered that clients are: 1/ not the target audience in question, 2/ think they are.
No matter how hard you try to explain this in every manner, clients always seem to think that a design should please themselves in order to please their targeted audience. That’s how a 50years old salesperson driving a car tells you about 20’s young workers using tranposrtations.
As I can understand that art should speak to the heart, I’m pretty sceptical about graphic design ability to make you feel that tremendous feeling in your inner-bits.  (I don’t speak about designer’s work for other designers. Those that titillate your eyes in a disgusting envy fashion). Graphic design should be a matter of problem solving and not a matter of subjectivity. 

I haven’t find an effective way to avoid this actually. Some tips I’ve tried :

Always try to avoid terms such as “do you like”, “do you love” when facing a client… Even if trying to include client’s pesonnal tastes in the design (you’re not that suicidal, I know that you won’t get through it if not), always try to rationnalize and explain your work.
Get some references, show them and insist.
Defend you work no matter what. If blue isn’t to be heard about, explain why.
Explain typefaces, fonts, grids, and colorschemes: you are the expert.
And if facing a really obsessed client, make him explain why he doesn’t think the design wont fill the creative brief more than “what don’t you like”. 

To be honest, this proves to be effective only with listening clients.  I’d be curious as which techniques do you use when facing a “I hate that” client?’