The Feedback Battle: Graphic Designer Versus Client

It’s feedback time — the sometimes scary reality we have to face as designers. The creation part is fun, but now arrives the sometimes dreaded moment where you have to actually show (basically, sell) your design to the client.

One of the biggest roadblocks to completing a successful design project can be communication. Are you able to explain your design decisions to the audience you are designing for (your client, teacher, boss, etc)? On the flip side, do you have a hard time receiving feedback from them? Is it clear and concise? Or it all over the place or like pulling teeth? Do you and the client sometimes struggle to understand each other or speak the same language for the sake of coming to some type of agreement on how to move forward?

Even if you make the most amazing designs, it may still be difficult to explain your design, give proper context to the color, imagery, and layout used, and then intake feedback from the client—especially if you’re new to the field. To make this part of the process more productive, you have to work smarter, not harder. There are many free and easy tools to help you communicate more efficiently and move the project along.

Before we get to a few tools you can use, first consider this when communicating your design concepts for feedback: