What does effective design feedback look like?

J Kelley: Hello and welcome to the Smart Communications Podcast. This is J Kelley, they/them pronouns, senior account manager at Big Duck. And today we are going to ask the question: What does effective design feedback look like? It’s a question I know many of my own clients have asked while developing their organization’s visual identity, or when collaborating on collateral for their communications efforts. So I’m thrilled to be joined today by two of Big Duck’s incredible in-house designers to pull back the curtain and share some insight into what effective visual feedback can look like. First, let’s welcome Sandy Zimmerman, she/her pronouns, design director and worker-owner, who has been designing at Big Duck for over a decade, leading dozens of organizations through visual rebrands along the way. We’re also joined by Randi Gibson, graphic designer, he/him pronouns, who is the newest member of our design team, and someone I’ve already had the pleasure of working with on a number of collateral development projects. Welcome to the Smart Communications Podcast, designers.

Sandy Zimmerman: Thanks, J. Nice to be here.

J Kelley: Diving right in, what is one thing you wish every nonprofit staff member knew about giving effective visual design feedback? Let’s maybe start with you, Sandy.

Sandy Zimmerman: Yeah, so one thing I would note is some really evergreen guidance that we’ve given clients over the years, and that is to ground your feedback in naming the problem, rather than trying to identify the solution. So instead of saying something like, “I don’t like yellow,” you might say something like, “I find yellow to be too harsh, whereas we are striving to convey a comforting tone.” Or something like, you know, “An important message is getting lost on a layout,” versus “Something just feels off here.” So, in other words, you don’t need to know what that solution is yourself, but when you let us know what’s not working, then we can use our expertise to uncover creative solutions to solving it.

J Kelley: Absolutely. Such great advice. I’m thinking, too, of so many, so many projects I’ve worked on where we’re trying to decide on what is the specific color, right? I’m thinking of a client where we already sort of knew what the primary brand color was, but deciding the exact shade that we were going for did become a bit of a challenge because it sort of just felt like we were throwing reds at the wall to see what stuck, as opposed to getting that very clear and direct feedback to help point in a specific direction. So definitely, definitely very helpful. What about you, Randi? Anything to add to that?

Randi Gibson: Oh, definitely, and that would be that you don’t need to know the right design terminology or language to give great feedback. It’s really all about being thoughtful, collaborative, and clear. A great place to start is by naming what is working, and this really helps us to understand what’s resonating with you and gives us something solid to build off of. From there, be as specific as you can about what’s not landing. For example, instead of saying the dreaded words, “Make it pop,” a phrase that designers hear all throughout their career. And frankly, it’s pretty frustrating to see that as feedback. It’s a lot more helpful if you can explain what you mean by that, because “Make it pop” can refer to so many different things, depending on who’s seeing it. Maybe you want the colors to be brighter, you want more contrast, stronger typography, or just something that grabs attention more effectively. But that being said, the more clearly you can describe what’s off or what you’re hoping to see, or maybe even share a visual reference that aligns with what you’re envisioning, the easier it is for us to intentionally make decisions that gets closer to the right solution. Above all that, approach the feedback process as a creative partner, not just a client. Because when there’s mutual respect, open communication, and shared investment in the outcome of the project, that’s when we can really make the best work happen.

J Kelley: Absolutely. Now let’s talk about what needs to happen before diving into the first draft of visual content, right? We sort of started with this sort of general sort of feelings about feedback, but before we even get into developing content, whether it’s a new logo, your annual report design, or a new campaign concept, what pieces need to be in place and what decisions need to be made before a designer can actually get to work?

Sandy Zimmerman: Yeah, so we typically start off every project with a kickoff meeting. And at that meeting, in addition to covering strategic goals and contexts for the project, we’ll discuss creative expectations. So, for example like, what hopes or fears do you have for your project? Are we building off of something that your organization has already done and iterating? Are we throwing everything out and starting from scratch? Are there colors or elements of your current brand that you like or dislike? So you know, what are we building on, and what new ground needs to be covered? Sometimes, you know, particularly when we’re working on a brand, we’ll ask clients to do a homework assignment of bringing in logos or brands that they’re drawn to. And that can be a really helpful starting point, too, for us to kind of gauge your tastes in addition to the strategic goals we’re trying to achieve.

Sandy Zimmerman: And then following that kickoff meeting, we’ll write up a project brief and highlight what we heard. And this is a really great opportunity to make sure that we’re all on the same page, that, you know, you––the client––would review and sign off on before we actually get into the work. And then, in addition, at that kickoff meeting, we’ll also talk about how we should approach reaching consensus and probe into what your nonprofit’s philosophy on feedback is. So for example, you know, you’ll hear us keep talking about color because it’s a, it’s a contentious topic when it comes to design, but you know what, if we’re working on a logo and one person wants it to be blue and the other person is vying for purple. How do we plan to work through that? So our team has lots of tools and techniques for decision-making to help you figure that out. But you know, it’s really helpful or even essential to discuss those kinds of questions before we dive into the work.

J Kelley: Absolutely. And I think too, speaking from the account management perspective, especially, I cannot emphasize enough how important that groundwork is, not only just laying that groundwork, but then continually returning to that. And when I think of one of my more successful visual redesign projects I’ve been a part of with you, Sandy, I think what made it so successful was that, I mean, (1) We could continually return to this project brief. I often describe that as the North Star of our project, right? What’s, what are the metrics we’re using to measure the success of what we’re doing? Because it’s really easy, and I empathize with our clients when they’re like, “Wow, it’s been weeks. I’ve seen a bunch of logos. And then there’s all this other stuff going on in the world, and in my life, and at this organization that I work at. How could I possibly keep track of all of this?”

J Kelley: And that’s why having this kind of stuff outlined and in writing at the beginning is so helpful to return to, to remind ourselves what we’re actually trying to do here today. And same with, you know, it wouldn’t be a round three logo if you didn’t see two different people at the same organization giving contrasting feedback. And at that stage, we really got to know who, who do we move forward with here, right? What sort of stakeholder buy-in needs to happen here? And so the more that you map that out in advance, the smoother it will go. Now let’s get to the good stuff, right? We’ve laid this groundwork, and we’re now about to look at the first draft of visual content. When that’s happening, what feedback is the most supportive at the beginning of this design process?

Randi Gibson: In the early days of the process, we typically focus on big ideas and offering a wide range of solutions. And as we go forward, we sort of like narrow down and hone in on the right concept. This really makes it easiest for us to tackle those really fine-grain decisions later on. So it’s really helpful when clients bear in mind and try not to get hungover on the little details upfront. For example, if you really like the logo but you dislike the typeface, that is something we can and fully anticipate to come back to and rectify on a subsequent round. But in general, while it’s helpful to hear what’s not working, we really like to focus on what is, so we can build a strong foundation. And we also hope that you be honest with us and yourself when you’re feeling or if you’re feeling unsettled about the direction the project is taking. It’s better to have these conversations early on rather than at the end of the process.

J Kelley: Absolutely, Randi, the sooner the better. If we’re going in the wrong direction, please tell us. Now imagine we’re rounding third base here, right? So we’ve gotten this really great feedback about the direction the logo is taking, and now we’re really trying to hone in on what is the most effective feedback a nonprofit professional can give you as we near the end of the design process?

Sandy Zimmerman: Yeah, so I think here I’m going to reiterate a lot of what Randi just spoke to. So, you know, we’re at a stage where we’ve worked through lots of options. We’ve narrowed things down in collaboration with our clients, you know, choices have been made, and then we get to really start diving into perfecting all the details. So a lot of what Randi was just getting at, so, you know, in that earlier round, maybe the concept was there, but the execution was off. So here we’re going to, you know, really focus on execution and perfecting all the details. So that might be choosing between four different shades of blue or red, as J mentioned earlier. Ensuring if it’s collateral, ensuring that the information is presented in as crisp of a way as possible. Or, you know, if it’s a logo, like getting all the proportions just right. So you know, all that, all that good stuff. Like we, we love to get in there and, you know, get into that stage of, you know, really getting it just right. So we welcome feedback from our clients that help us get to that finished, polished state, and that’s what this stage of the process looks like. But, you know, occasionally, a big shift does need to be made at this stage. And, you know, if that happens, then it’s helpful to just acknowledge that and openly talk about how to move forward.

J Kelley: I think something that also I’ve seen come into this stage that I think Big Duck is particularly good at is introducing questions of accessibility in the design and how that comes into play. And so too, if you’re on the client side of things, that is also, I think, a great thing to keep in mind internally when you’re reviewing and as you’re aware of your own accessibility needs for your team and your audiences to make sure those are also met as well. And I’m thinking now of a project I’m working on. I mean, this is about written content, a tagline. So not necessarily a visual, but it is an organization that needs a tagline that even though the tagline will be in English, it needs to be able to be translated into Spanish easily, right? So there’s certain words that we might avoid that won’t, or concepts that might not translate as well into Spanish. So we’ll be actively avoiding those. So that’s also, I think, a great thing that starts to come into play. I can’t give a design example, because when I see the design accessibility, I’m like, “That looks so smart, y’all, I don’t know what decisions you’re making or how, but I am impressed.”

J Kelley: So thank you for all of this helpful insight, team. I think I know my clients will be very grateful because the next time I get asked this question, I can send them this podcast and be like, “We can share this with you: What helpful design feedback looks like.” And we’ve also got some great content for those of you listening who may want to go a little bit deeper into this topic of giving feedback. I will link this in the show notes. I, myself, have written both a blog and participated in a podcast to talk about consolidating feedback because, of course, we know we are describing what an ideal circumstance would be in terms of visual design feedback, but we don’t live in an ideal world. So I’ve got some great tips about how to consolidate and manage feedback from your team if you were the person tasked with doing that, if that is a helpful resource for you. So, to bring our conversation to a close, any final thoughts either of you wants to share about crafting effective visual design feedback for nonprofit creative projects?

Randi Gibson: Sure. I would say make sure your feedback is not just your personal likes and dislikes. Although we’re all human and there is a lot of room for preferences, individual voices, different perspectives, and all these things really do help bring projects to life and make them feel, I guess, lived in. But it’s very important to be aware when something is your opinion, an opinion you’re offering rather than an objective quality of the work that’s grounded in your organization’s strategy, and that’s something that will work and resonate with your audience.

J Kelley: Absolutely. I think the example I give clients all the time when I talk to them about this is that I hate the color blue. There’s nothing you will ever show me that is blue that I will like. And blue is sometimes the right solution for a client, right? And I think that the more you can be self-aware of that, the better.

Sandy Zimmerman: I have one least favorite piece of feedback that I’ve received over the years, and that is when clients say that something feels “dated”. I’ve really struggled with that piece of feedback because what feels dated to you might be very different than what feels dated to me. We might be looking in different places our, you know, kind of inspirations for design might be coming from different sources. We have different ideas of what’s, you know, what’s trendy or what’s old-fashioned. And those things change over time. So that’s where feedback like that we can come back to some of the concepts we talked about earlier, like thinking about our brand strategy and our goals or you know, as we’ve mentioned a couple times, like bringing in some examples of what does work for you and feels right for your organization, rather than just the words themselves sometimes can really help.

J Kelley: Absolutely. Well, here at Big Duck, we think, talk, and write a lot about developing brand strategies and identities for nonprofits. So you can visit bigduck.com/insights to gain access to more blogs and podcasts on all of these topics. And if you are wondering if Big Duck is a fit for your next visual project, maybe with Randi or Sandy being your designer, then you can reach out to us at [email protected]. Sandy and Randi, thanks again for being here. I know both our clients and our listeners will deeply appreciate your insights.