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Design Critiques – Taking Criticism & Rolling With The Punches

by | Aug 28, 2014 | Articles, Design | 0 comments

Whether you’re fresh out of college, or you’re a 10 year veteran, eventually you’re going to run into some criticism of your work. Many designers, especially newer ones, have trouble accepting criticism for their work. There are some things to keep in mind when it comes to design critiques, which we will discuss in this post.

design critiques

It’s not Personal

Many designers consider themselves to be artists. While we’re artists at heart, it’s important to understand that our design work isn’t for ourselves. Our design projects are for the sole purpose of solving problems for our clients. Just because someone doesn’t like your work, it doesn’t mean that they don’t like you or think that you are any less of an artist.

Unfortunately, in the design field there is no room for an ego. You have to check your ego at the door each day, taking a practical approach to every design project that we handle. Design critiques are part of the job, and you’ll have to learn to accept them eventually. Otherwise, prepare to hang up your design career for good.

Keep Your Client’s Best Interests in Mind

Something that may help you when receiving critiques on your work, is to remember that you should have your client’s best interests in mind. Receiving criticism for your work doesn’t mean that you’re a bad designer, it may just mean that you didn’t come up with the best solution to solve the problem. You may need to take a different approach, solving the problem at hand in a more creative way.

It’s to Your Benefit, Too

Design critiques only make your work better. You’re going to encounter criticism everywhere you go, whether it’s from your clients, or it’s from their customers. It’s better for you to come up with a stronger solution for your client before it is mass-produced, instead of pushing something mediocre out there where you end up receiving mass negative criticism.

Communication

The problem with your design work, may not be the design at all. It may have been an example of poor communication between you and your client. On the other hand, it may not be your fault at all. Maybe the client had trouble communicating their business needs altogether. There’s only so much you can do with the information provided to you.

Keep in mind, though, that it is part of your job to communicate with your client to understand their goals and business needs so that you can solve the problems effectively. An isolated incidence might occur every once in a while, but if you are running into this problem more frequently, you may want to update and elaborate on the information you collect for your design briefs.

You Get What You Deserve

A lot of times, it is your fault that you’re receiving harsh critiques on your work. We are expected as designers to produce quality work for each and every client. If you don’t push yourself to create quality design work to the best of your abilities, your boss and your clients will definitely let you know about it. You should always strive to push the envelope and expand the boundaries of your own capabilities. That’s how you grow as a designer.

Conclusion

Design critiques are part of our profession. The ability to take criticism professionally and provide quality results is part of what makes us true professional graphic designers. Business owners are paying good money for our services. It’s important that they get what they pay for. Understanding how to take criticism properly will help you in the long run to produce better designs overall.

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