CRITIQUE
Learn how to talk about design.
Critique isn't about deciding whether a design is "good" or "bad." It's about understanding whether the work communicates what it intends to communicate.
Learn how to present your ideas, ask useful questions, give constructive feedback, receive criticism, and evaluate design decisions using clear criteria.
Better conversations lead to better design.
The critique guide
A good critique is a structured conversation, not a verdict. Follow these steps whether you are presenting your own work or responding to someone else's.
The step-by-step guide
- 01
Set the stage
Before showing anything, state the brief: the problem, the audience, the constraints, and what stage the work is at. A sketch needs different feedback than a final comp. Tell the group what kind of input is useful right now.
- 02
Present the work, then be quiet
Show the work and explain your decisions briefly — what you chose and why. Then stop talking. Defending every choice as feedback arrives shuts the conversation down. Listen first; respond later.
- 03
Start with the goal, not the taste
Feedback should begin with the question: does it communicate what it intends to communicate? 'I don't like blue' is taste. 'The blue makes the warning feel calm' is critique. Anchor every comment to the objective.
- 04
Describe before you judge
Say what you see before saying what you think: 'My eye goes to the headline first, then the image, and I never reach the button.' Description is evidence; judgment without description is just opinion.
- 05
Ask questions instead of issuing orders
'What happens if the headline is smaller?' opens thinking; 'Make the headline smaller' closes it. Questions let the designer own the solution — and often reveal the reasoning behind a choice you were about to dismiss.
- 06
Be specific and actionable
Vague feedback ('make it pop') helps no one. Name the element, the problem, and the effect: 'The caption is the same size as the body text, so the hierarchy flattens.' Specific feedback can be tested; vague feedback can only be argued about.
- 07
Separate the work from the person
Critique the design, never the designer. 'This layout confuses the message' is fair; 'you always overcomplicate things' is not. The goal is a better piece of work, not a smaller colleague.
- 08
Close with decisions
End every critique with a summary: what is working, what needs to change, and what the next step is. The designer leaves with a list, not a fog. Write it down — memory edits feedback in your own favor.