How to give feedback to a designer and get the result you need

For feedback to a designer to work, judge the layout against the task in the brief rather than your personal taste, describe the problem rather than a ready-made solution, and send all comments as one batch from one responsible person. A specific comment such as "the price gets lost against the photo, a customer won't notice it" gives a designer far more than "make it brighter". Below are principles, example phrasing and the mistakes that drag projects out.

Feedback is neither criticism nor a formality; it is a working tool. How a client phrases comments largely determines how long a project takes and how precisely the result hits the target. A good designer knows how to ask clarifying questions, but cannot read minds: if you do not understand what exactly bothers you, revisions will go in circles.

Why the quality of revisions matters more than the number of rounds

Clients often think the key is to keep as many revision rounds as possible. In practice, projects are sped up not by extra iterations but by clear comments. One well-considered batch of comments can replace three rounds of vague edits, after each of which the designer has to guess what was meant.

Vague feedback hurts both sides. The designer spends time on options nobody needs, the client gets frustrated because it is "still not right", and deadlines slip. Clear feedback, on the other hand, turns design into a collaboration where every iteration really moves closer to the result.

Principle 1. Judge against the task, not your taste

Before writing comments, reread the brief. Ask yourself:

• Does the layout solve the task it was made for: to sell, explain, build trust, stand out on the shelf?
• Will the target audience understand it, meaning your customers, not you?
• Does it match the positioning and visual identity?
• Does it work in real conditions: on a phone, from a distance, in poor lighting, at a small size?

"I don't like green" is taste. "Green is associated with a competitor who occupies the neighbouring shelf" is an argument a designer can work with. Taste matters too, especially for a business owner, but it is worth honestly separating it from the task and saying so: "this is my personal impression; I'm not sure it is critical".

Principle 2. Describe the problem, not the solution

The most common mistake is to jump straight to a solution: "make the font bigger", "add some red", "remove the picture". Sometimes this works, but more often the client treats the symptom rather than the cause. A designer knows more ways to solve a problem when they understand what it is.

Compare the phrasing:

• Instead of "make the logo bigger": "the logo gets lost when you look at the banner on a phone".
• Instead of "make it brighter": "the layout feels too strict for a children's product; it needs more lightness".
• Instead of "change the photo": "you can't see the product in the photo; people won't understand what we sell".
• Instead of "not right": "it lacks the premium feel we described in the brief".

If you still have an idea for a solution, offer it as an option: "maybe a larger logo would help, but it's your call". That leaves the designer room to find a better move.

Principle 3. One responsible person and one batch of revisions

When comments arrive from five people in different chats over a week, the designer receives contradictory instructions: the director wants it bigger, the marketer wants it more compact, sales wants a phone number added. The project stops until someone makes a decision.

A workable scheme looks like this:

1. one person inside the company is appointed to own the project;
2. they collect the views of all interested colleagues;
3. contradictions are resolved inside the company, not passed on to the designer;
4. the agency receives one consolidated document with comments;
5. after each call, agreements are confirmed in writing.

This approach is especially important in large organisations where several departments take part in approvals. We covered how project stages work overall in the design process step by step.

The best revision describes what does not work and why, rather than dictating how to fix it. Then the designer solves the problem instead of recolouring buttons.

How to structure your comments

A convenient template for a consolidated feedback document:

• What works. Always note what you like and what should be kept. Otherwise good decisions can be lost during refinement.
• What does not work and why. Specific areas of the layout and a description of the problem from the point of view of the task or audience.
• Questions. If something is unclear, such as why a particular typeface or composition was chosen, ask. Often there is a reason worth hearing.
• Priorities. Mark what is critical and what is "nice to have". This helps allocate effort.
• Factual corrections. Typos, wrong phone numbers, outdated prices, as a separate list; these are the easiest to fix.

It is convenient to leave comments directly on the layout, in a PDF, an online design editor or on screenshots with arrows. That removes confusion about which element is meant.

If the project is important, do not limit yourself to messages; discuss the layout in a short call or meeting. The designer can show the reasoning behind decisions, you can ask questions on the spot, and contentious points are settled in minutes rather than days of back-and-forth. After the meeting, still send a written summary: what was decided, what changes, who is responsible and by when.

Feedback at different stages

Each stage of a project calls for different comments:

• Strategy and moodboards. Discuss direction and mood, not details. This is the cheapest moment to say "that's not us".
• Concepts. Evaluate the idea and how it solves the task. There is no point spending effort on small things like line spacing; they will be refined later.
• Refinement. Details belong here: readability, proportions, information hierarchy, adaptations to different formats.
• Final files. Check facts, texts, phone numbers, legal information and compliance with the printer's or platform's requirements.

Going back to questions from earlier stages, for example doubting the concept at the final-file stage, is the most expensive form of feedback. If the doubt is genuinely serious, it is better to say so directly and discuss the impact on timelines.

Common client mistakes

• "Make it prettier", "add some wow", "it doesn't grab me", with no explanation of what is expected.
• Showing the layout to everyone, including relatives and friends, and forwarding every opinion to the designer.
• Sending revisions in pieces as they come to mind.
• Staying silent for weeks and then returning with a completely new vision.
• Judging a large-format layout on a small phone screen, or the other way round.
• Not saying what you like, and losing good elements during refinement.
• Reviewing a layout with placeholder text and empty photo boxes, then being surprised that it looks different with real content.
• Comparing the design with the work of major global brands without considering your own project's task, budget and audience.

What to do if you really dislike the result

Sometimes a concept misses expectations completely. In that case it is important not just to say "not right" but to go back to the causes. Perhaps the brief was imprecise, or expectations changed along the way, or you pictured something specific but did not show examples. An honest conversation about where the gap appeared is more useful than any number of spot fixes.

It helps to bring references, examples of work you like, with an explanation of what exactly appeals to you in them: the colour, the mood, the presentation. And check that the brief still reflects the task. If not, update it first; read how in how to write a design brief.

If you need a team that helps you structure feedback and runs the project through clear stages, Dasta Creative offers design support for regular tasks as well as one-off projects.