Make the Logo Bigger: How to Give Design Feedback
TLDR: 3 Takeaways from this Post:
You don’t have to like it to love it: Anchor feedback to the goal and the user, not personal preference.
Stay in your lane: Explain what isn’t working and why, instead of prescribing the solution.
Communicate: Share context, then step back and let the designer solve the problem.
Is the drawing achieving “shark”?
Before we talk about feedback, it’s worth clarifying something fundamental about the role of a designer.
Designers are not just here to operate design tools, push pixels or execute instructions. Designers think about the user, the context, and the goals of a project. They interpret requests and elevate the output using their knowledge of best practices, constraints, and tradeoffs.
When design feedback works well, it treats designers as problem-solvers, not order-takers.
I’ve sat through more design reviews than I can count. Because design is experienced by the audience, everyone who sees it naturally has an opinion about it. That’s human. But design isn’t just about aesthetic beauty or personal taste. Graphic and visual design are hardworking components of a marketing program. Designs carry messages, guide behavior, build trust, and support business goals. When feedback focuses only on what we like or don’t like, we miss the opportunity to use design strategically.
Design reviews go better, and marketing performs better, when feedback helps designers think instead of telling them what to do. That’s what the rest of this post is about.
Five Tips for Giving Design Feedback That’s Actually Useful
If you want better design work, the fastest way to get there isn’t having better opinions. It’s giving better feedback.
Designers take in a lot at once: input from multiple people, new information that didn’t make it into the brief, and feedback that’s often delivered live and in public. The way you frame your feedback matters more than you think.
1. Start with what you’re trying to achieve
Before commenting on how something looks, anchor yourself in the goal. What is this design supposed to do? What should the user understand, feel, or do next?
When feedback isn’t connected to a goal, it becomes about taste. And taste is hard to design against.
2. Say what’s not working and why
“I don’t like it” might be honest, but it’s not helpful. If something feels off, describe the problem you’re experiencing and why it matters.
For example: “I’m not sure where my eye should go first” or “This feels heavier than the moment calls for.” That gives the designer something real to solve.
3. Be clear about what’s a requirement versus a preference
If something truly has to be a certain way because of brand, legal, or technical constraints, say that plainly. If it’s just your preference, that’s okay too. Just don’t blur the line between the two.
Designers can work with constraints. What slows them down is guessing which comments are non-negotiable.
4. Provide context, not instructions
Your most valuable input isn’t telling a designer exactly what to change. It’s sharing context they may not have: audience insight, business priorities, edge cases, or new information that surfaced late.
That context allows designers to make better decisions than any single instruction ever could.
5. Then stop and let the designer do their job
Once you’ve shared the goal, the concern, and the context, resist the urge to prescribe the solution. Give the designer room to think.
If you focus on the “what” instead of the “why,” designers learn how to satisfy you. If you focus on the “why,” they learn how to solve the design problem.
Bonus Tip from a Designer:
Jacklyn Orange is a graphic designer based in Detroit, and she has this to offer:
“Clients may not fully understand the reasoning behind a design, so I’ve found it helpful to explain the how and why behind initial drafts. With experience, this becomes more intuitive, but even brief context can go a long way in helping clients better evaluate the work. This doesn’t always eliminate challenges, but it can open the door to more productive conversations—especially on complex or nuanced campaigns—so the designer and client can align on the shared goal.”
The Real Payoff
Better design feedback doesn’t just improve the work in front of you. It improves how your team collaborates and how your marketing performs.
When feedback is grounded in goals and context, designers produce stronger, more durable solutions. Reviews move faster. Fewer cycles are wasted chasing preferences. And design becomes a strategic asset instead of a subjective battleground.
If you want design that works, stop telling designers what to do. Tell them what you’re trying to accomplish and why it matters. Then trust them to get you there.
That’s how good design happens.
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