Giving Good Design Feedback

Anyone who has had to provide feedback to a design agency they’ve hired should read this piece.

First rule of design feedback: what you’re looking at is not art. It’s not even close. It’s a business tool in the making and should be looked at objectively like any other business tool you work with. The right question is not, “Do I like it?” but “Does this meet our goals?” If it’s blue, don’t ask yourself whether you like blue. Ask yourself if blue is going to help you sell sprockets.

If I had a dollar for every time a client said some variation of, “I don’t like…” when talking about a design, I’d probably be able to buy myself a Wraith in cash.

Bonus quote:

There is nothing less helpful than getting feedback in the form of a comp (whether committed in Photoshop, Powerpoint, or Word). Nothing. I mean it.

(Source: weblog.muledesign.com)