In education, there is a phenomenon we call the “honeymoon period.” It’s that time between the first day of class and the day the first graded assignment is returned to the students. That’s when all the fun ends. Prior to that day, I’m the eccentric, quirky professor. I’m the guy that makes English “interesting” and who is always up for a good class discussion. After that day, well … let’s just say some of the students are using more, um, colorful adjectives to describe me.

What those students – most students – have a hard time understanding is that the red ink on their essays and the resulting grade are not indictments of them as individuals, but constructive critiques of their work. The point of any course is to help the student improve a skill, not to build his or her ego (though, many believe this to be the case). The same paradigm extends to many different arenas, including business, where projects and reports are critiqued as a means of delivering the best product or service possible. And, as it is in the classroom, there are many individuals who view criticism of their work as somehow a judgment of them personally.

On the other side of the coin, people are often weary to critique another’s work for fear of hurting someone’s feelings or creating conflict. This is an unfortunate dynamic for how else can something – an essay, a project, a business plan – be improved upon if there is no one looking at the “thing” with a critical eye? The short answer is – it can’t.

In regards to design, constructive criticism is an integral part of the process and one that underscores the reciprocal nature of the relationship between designer and client. Designers aren’t miracle workers and they aren’t psychics (Miss Cleo was not a designer). The work of any designer hinges on the quality of information and feedback provided by the client. It’s true that a client hires or purchases the services of a designer, but the misconception is that the designer is simply working FOR the client. The reality is that a designer works WITH a client to design a identity. Clients have work to do as well – the lion’s share of which involves the client taking the time to provide constructive criticism throughout the branding process.

A good client should do the following:

• Maintain communication with the designer: Don’t fall off the planet in the middle of the design process. True, you have a life too, but at this point you need to focus a good bit of your attention on your design.
• Respond to questions from the designer with well-thought-out, detailed answers: No response to a designer should involve “yes” or “no.” Your responses need to have some meat to them. Furthermore, don’t give answers hastily. Don’t brush off or gloss over questions from your designer.
• Never be afraid to critique concepts or suggestions: You may worry about hurting your designers feelings by offering criticism, but the truth is you are going to really hurt their feelings (and really tick them off) if you wait until end of the process to say, “ I don’t think I like this.” Take care of problems or concerns early to ensure a final product that fits your wants and needs.
• Perhaps this is redundant, but … BE SPECIFIC: Don’t respond with, “I don’t like it.” Answers like that don’t say anything. What don’t you like? Color? Font? Direction? How can the designer make it better? What DO you like? (this question is a biggie – it can help steer the designer in the right direction).

There are certainly moments in life when one shouldn’t be a critic, but during the design process, a critical eye is more than warranted. The designer won’t know unless you tell her. So, get out your red pen and bleed on the page. In the end, a carefully-placed, well-developed critique will save you and your designer a lot of conflict.

Tyrie Smith is the copywriter and editor for Luxecetera. He has worked in journalism, public relations and marketing for 10 years. He is teribal prfsr. Dnt take his class! He will fail you for know reson!