Ep. 57: How to Handle Feedback You Don't Agree With

Whether we're talking about the first mockup of a website page, an initial draft of an infographic design, or a rough draft of a blog post, we've all been there. 

We anticipate that our work will be positively received -- or at least we'll get a, "Yeah, we're moving in the right direction!" -- and are instead met with pushback.

"Eh. It's okay? Make the logo bigger. Make the font color 'pop' more, because I don't like the colors. I don't know what's wrong with the copy, but it doesn't feel right. I just don't like the direction you took."

Most of the time, we take this kind of constructive feedback in stride. Creating to fulfill the vision of others requires collaboration, back and forth, and the humble understanding that always takes the input of many to get a creative agency project across the finish line.

There are occasions, however, where -- not out of ego, but due to experience or sometimes simply our creative gut instinct -- we don't agree with the feedback we receive from clients. 

There's an artform to how you handle situations like these, since (a) you can’t blow up a client relationship just because you think a client might be wrong, and (b) sometimes… you’ll realize later, after they’ve pushed you to do something different, that they were right. Or they at least had a valid point that pushed you create something bigger and better.

It's a balancing act that we think not only creatives can relate to, but anyone in a client-facing position.