- As a designer, I know that getting
the right feedback can
make or break a project.
So in this video, I'd
like to give you four tips
on how you can give better
feedback to your designer.
Don't be vague.
Be clear.
There's nothing worse than
getting vague feedback.
I just don't like it.
It's really not speaking to me.
Can you make it pop?
Can you make it classier?
One person's pop isn't
the same as another.
One person's classy is another's tacky.
You have to be more specific
when you're giving feedback.
For example, say you're
not sure about the colours.
Then say so.
Maybe give some suggestions of colours
that you think might work.
This then gives the
designer a clearer area
of where you think the
problem is with that design.
It doesn't mean that
they will use the colour
that you're suggesting,
but what it does do is
it opens up discussion about the project
and it lets you see if
you're both actually
on the same page when
it comes to the goals
of that project.
If you're not on the same wavelength
or on the same page, then something's been
miscommunicated somewhere.
So this gives you the opportunity
to bring your heads together again
and discuss where that
might have happened.
You just won't be able to enter
into those types of discussions
if you turn around and just say,
"No, I don't like it."
The next thing is to try not to direct.
You may be paying for the project,
but the designer has way
more experience than you
when it comes to designing logos.
Otherwise, you'd be
designing the logo yourself,
now wouldn't you?
If you try to direct the designer,
things can get a bit awkward.
They may feel that they're only there
so that you can get them to push a pencil
around a page or some pixels on a screen.
Now I've been in that
situation and it isn't great.
The designer feels undervalued
and also that you're not
listening to the advice
and expertise that they actually have
and can give to you.
Instead of directing
the designer to do this
and do that to try and fix
what you think is wrong,
ask them questions.
Ask them things like, "So why
have you chosen that colour?"
Or why are we using that font?
By doing that, the designer can then give
the reasonings back to you for using
the things that they have.
This may then alleviate some of the issues
that you thought the concept
had in the first place.
And by letting the designer
explain the reasoning,
it could completely make these problems
that you thought were
there, just disappear.
Next up, it's still a concept.
Remember in the early stages,
concepts are not finished
logo designs.
They're an entry path to what
will become the final logo.
Try not to dismiss a
concept entirely at hand
if you feel there are
positive aspects to it
as well as negative ones.
Dismissing a concept because it does have
a few negative aspects can
be quite short sighted.
Explain your feelings, both positive
and negative to the designer.
The designer will then
take on that feedback
when it comes to the revision
stages of that concept.
You'd be surprised how
much making one small
potential change to a
concept that you don't like
turns into something that you really like.
It could be a simple thing like changing
the font for the name of your business.
Or swapping out one colour for another.
It can have dramatic
effects to the overall look
which initially you
were ready to just throw
in the bin completely.
And last up for me is probably
one of the more important
things that I've learned over the years,
and that's to sleep on it.
When you're given a
concept design to review
by the designer, you'll have some instant
feelings about it.
It's just natural.
You might instantly hate it.
You might just have no feelings
or you might love it.
But I always suggest to all of my clients,
give it 24 hours or 48 hours.
Yes, we've gone over it, you know,
we've discussed it.
Here's the concept.
This is why I'm presenting it to you.
But then what I want you
to do is to close it away,
not look at it, and come back
to it 24, 48 hours later.
You'll have had time to
absorb the information
that the designer has given you
when they presented the concept to you.
And coming back at it fresh
will allow you to look
at that concept in a clear light,
one where you're not getting carried away
in the situation of having
this presented to you
out of the blue.
You'll have had time to have
it in the back of your head
and collect some thoughts
and ideas of your own.
We've all made quick decisions before
and then regretted them a few days later.
The same can happen when it comes
to your logo design.
You want to make sure
that you are giving clear
and concise answers and
applying to your designer
with good constructive feedback
and not ones which are entirely made up
of first emotional responses.
So if you follow those guidelines
on giving feedback to your designer,
you're probably going to end
up with a much better result
when it comes to the final logo.
It'll be more measured,
everyone's opinions
and feedback will be taken into account,
and it will all be built in
to the final logo design.
As usual, I hope you
found this video helpful.
If you have, give the video a thumbs up.
Subscribe to the channel
if you haven't already.
And until I see you next time,
stay creative folks.
