Giving feedback to a designer seems simple enough, but there are certain things that can really change the course of a project from rough to smooth sailing. Here are three examples of not-great feedback… and how they could have been better.

FEEDBACK EXAMPLE 1:
We don’t like the graphic on page 2.

Try to be specific about what you do or don’t like, without being prescriptive.

TRY THIS INSTEAD:
For the graphic on page 2, we like the style and layout, but the icons for the three items don’t represent them well enough. Can you take another stab at it?

FEEDBACK EXAMPLE 2:
The page is looking too busy. Please move the blue box to the top, change the font size of the green callout, move the picture to the right, and switch all the text to be one column.

Never feel like you have to come up with the solution if something isn’t working. That’s my job—and I’m happy to do it.

TRY THIS INSTEAD:
The page is looking too busy. Can you find a way to make it look less cluttered? Let us know if we need to cut some copy.

FEEDBACK EXAMPLE 3:
We love it! (*secretly thinking: this isn’t what I expected at all and I’m not sure why we’re paying for it and we’ll never work with her again*)

Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear. Please don’t worry about hurting your designer’s feelings. Honest feedback is the only way to ensure that the project is a success.

TRY THIS INSTEAD:
This really isn’t what we expected at all. Can we schedule a call to talk over what isn’t working?

Other useful tips

If you’re working with a team, designate one person to communicate with your designer. Combine all of your edits and send them in one email. Not only is this easier for me, it also makes it less likely that there will be conflicting feedback or that something will fall through the cracks.
Don’t be afraid to ask why. Sometimes you might wonder about a choice I made. I guarantee there was a good reason for it!
Don’t like pink? It doesn’t really matter… If your target audience likes it, then that’s what we should use. Try to keep your personal preferences out of the design process.

Bonus: How to make comments in Adobe Acrobat

My preferred way to receive feedback is with comments in Acrobat. Here’s how.