This man is right. Listen to him.
I’ve heard it said that not everybody thinks the same…
When someone who I am a huge fan of gets elected, or wins something, I (admittedly, naively) find it odd that someone might criticize such an amazing example of humanity. This person should be held in the highest regard, have their every word published for posterity, and nobody should ever doubt their dealings in any matter whatsoever.
Or something like that. But it’s a fact of life/business/art, that there are as many opinions as there are people expressing them.
Being able to handle criticism is an important skill for almost any business. When your business involves esthetic and is wrapped in opinion and taste, handling criticism is vital. So how are designers/business owners to handle criticism?
1. Gracefully.
Maybe there is some truth in it. Count to 10, take a step back, slowly put down that glass before you hurt someone and realise that the jerk may have a point. It is possible that your eyesight is failing, your education counts for nothing, you are in the wrong career and should leave it up to the professionals. Or perhaps that is just what you heard when the critic said “I’m not sure if that will work for us.” So your client doesn’t like your first draft – listen to feedback, draw up another one and do it better.
2. Happily.
Constructive criticism means that there is room for improvement and the client wants it done right. If you didn’t get any feedback at all, how do you know the client is cutting their losses and taking their business elsewhere, thanking their stars that they don’t have to deal with YOU again? You may have done everything right, but the client may have changed their mind.
3. Quietly.
‘Less is more’ is not just an adage to design by. Explaining away your every move can often come across as defensive, and the chances are that the client doesn’t want to hear your dissertation on why you thought 12pt Adobe Jensen Pro was the perfect font. Really, your excuses don’t matter – technical differences aside – unless you are asked for them. When people want to know why you did something, they will use a phrase like ‘why did you do that?’. Otherwise, shut up!
4. Objectively.
As a trained, fine artist and graphic designer, I know the difference between art and business. When you are designing for business, there has to be a return on investment. The design has to work, have a point, a target audience, a message and a goal. It’s not art! It may be incredibly creative, on the cutting edge of style and fashion and tip the design world on it’s ear, but if it’s not done for it’s own sake, it’s business, not art. Your depiction of Venus coming out of her shell in a pop art style may be interesting to you, but if it doesn’t fit the creative brief, drag it to the trash (either physically or electronically).
5. Respectfully.
Many designers find it more difficult to be their own client, because they know the possibilities are endless. You may not have time restraints, or a tight budget, so when you are designing for your own business, you can make a million changes and you only have yourself to blame. But when you aren’t the client, at least recognise who is paying the bills. Yes, you may have had a hundred better ideas for the layout of font choice, but at the end of the day, you are not the client. If the client makes some bad decisions (objectively bad) it is up to you to educate them to make the right decisions. But (yes this paragraph has a lot of buts) it still is not your funeral – so let go!
6. Professionally.
All the above points should point you in the direction of professionalism and vice versa. How you handle criticism has as much to do with your brand as everything else you do in business. It is what keeps the creative and constructive process moving and produces happy clients. And happy clients are what we all need. Or want to be.
*Photograph reproduced from here. Objections? Please contact NBurmanDesign.