Graphic designers work really hard while preparing the ideal design for your brand. It takes hundreds of hours to brainstorm and doodle on the drawing board, to make something that will appeal to the clients. Hence, receiving feedback on that hard work becomes a huge part of the work they actually do. One of the most important aspects for an artist is to know that their work is exceptional and satisfactory. Even if the desired results are not achieved by a designer, it is essential to give some constructive criticism.
Designers Feedback of any sort helps with the growth of an artist. It gives them the experience of working with all types of clients which makes them better at what they do. It is safe to say that the quality of design feedback determines how good or bad the final result is. However, in some cases, the designers might become defensive while receiving constructive criticism. They take feedback as an insult to their artwork. Nevertheless, you should always give designers feedback and not worry about how they will react to it. As, how to react to feedback is their job. Giving feedback is good for the designers and the overall result of the project.
Let us discuss how to give proper designers feedback:
ASK QUESTIONS
For a fruitful collaboration, it is essential to have proper communication with your designer. Hence, for a successful design process, ask thoughtful questions to your designer. Instead of sending a list of error fixes and changes, it is better to open up the lines of communication by posting questions. This will induce further discussion and will help in the overall development of the design.
FOCUS ON ONE THING AT A TIME
Criticism, after criticism, after a criticism is never a good thing. It brings the morale down and is not a pleasant thing to hear. Hence, it is essential to provide one piece of advice at a time. When you provide multiple sources of criticism at one time, part of the information never gets propagated properly. Always remember to mix up the negatives with some positives to balance things out. This will ensure better progress in the final result of the design.
COMMUNICATE PROBLEMS, NOT SOLUTION
It is always better to be blunt in a situation where the design is not working out for you at all. Communicate where the problem is and discuss why the design is not clicking with you. By communicating the problem, you are actually providing the designer with more knowledge and information about the product which will assist them in finding better solutions to the specific problem. They are the professionals and simply providing them with a solution will end up limiting the true potential of the project.
KEEP THE FOCUS ON STRATEGIC GOALS
Different people perceive a specific design differently. It is a very subjective matter, hence, what looks good to your designer might not look satisfactory to you. Thus, it is extremely essential that you set a specific goal when it comes to designing. Any feedback or conversation from your end should then revolve around that basic idea/ goal. This will make the conversations and design feedback productive, ensuring that the overall design process is going in the right direction. Hence, while analyzing the design, you should consider the main objective behind it, instead of determining if you like it or not.
DIRECT FEEDBACK ON THE DESIGN, NOT THE DESIGNER
While giving feedback, make sure you are talking about the work of the designer and not their personality. It should not look like you are attacking them, there should be no hate for the artist at all. This will not just affect your relationship with the designer, but It will also impact the overall design.
USE EXAMPLES
If you are looking for a specific something, it is better to provide examples with the design feedback. This ensures that the necessary changes are being introduced and the design feedback process is fruitful.
CONSOLIDATE FEEDBACK
The success of a project depends upon how constructive the feedback is, and the outcome of proper feedback depends on how well it is propagated. Instead of providing the designer with feedback from various sources, compile all the thoughts into one and provide a singular entity that includes all the questions and desired changes. It is suggested to assign a team member with the feedback delivering role who can include the opinions from all the stakeholders and compile them into one. This will make the design feedback process simple and beneficial to the project.
DON’T FORGET TO SHARE THE GOOD
Receiving appreciation after devoting time and working hard on a project is extremely rewarding. Although feedback meetings are more about improvements, error fixes, and changes; it is satisfying to receive positive comments on several days of hard work. This gesture can be considered as a gentle “pat on the back”, which encourages the designers to work even harder for the clients. Not only does this gesture induce more growth to the project, but it also tells the designers what the clients like in their designs.
GIVE FEEDBACK REGULARLY
It is essential to provide design feedback regularly to the designers. This ensures that the designing process is working properly without any flaws. And it also gives an ample amount of time to the designers to make the required changes to the design. It is recommended to have weekly sessions with the designers to provide them with properly detailed designed feedback.
Hence, as discussed above, design feedback has a direct impact on the growth and success of a designing project. By implementing the tips discussed above, providing proper designers feedback becomes an easy and simple process. However, remember “The key to good design feedback is a balance of heart and mind. It does not matter if we are talking about designers or dog walkers, the same rules of feedback apply to any type of employee.”
In conclusion, a designer’s feedback is as much art as it is science. Like other forms of communications, it is not about what was said, but about how much of that was implemented. Constructive design feedback is more about asking questions and communicating rather than providing solutions.
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