A vital part of the creative process, “feedback” refers to constructive input or critique coming from peers, mentors, clients, managers or colleagues regarding your work.

This could be on aspects like concept, execution, style or technical elements, but the overall goal is to help improve, refine, and develop your creative skills or the project.

Whether you’re studying, applying for jobs, or working freelance or in-house, feedback is everywhere. In your studies and career, here are some places you might come across it:

• As part of a class critique
• From tutors or mentors
• During a portfolio review
• During the job application or interview process
• At work, from managers or supervisors
• From a client (often in rounds)

As Ham the Illustrator puts it, feedback is “fuel for the creative engine”. Work is rarely produced in a vacuum, and many creatives describe how they simply couldn’t do their job without it.

Whether you’re improving your portfolio to secure a design job, receiving suggestions from your manager on how you can improve, or amending a design for a client, feedback shows you if you’re on the right track.

Although it might feel easier to continue without external opinions that are different than your own, effective feedback can encourage fresh perspectives, identify strengths and weaknesses, and help you identify areas for improvement.

Does the idea of someone critiquing your work and ideas make your heart beat faster? This feeling might be more involuntary than you think.

Studies have shown that feedback conversations can trigger a stress response in the brain that makes it almost impossible to focus on or make sense of any information. The same study also revealed that feedback chats caused the same heart rate spike as the most anxiety-inducing tasks, such as public speaking.

So, the next time you’re getting feedback, we recommend taking a deep breath and giving the following a go to stop the anxiety-induced spiral:

While it’s only human to feel defensive or frustrated, taking a beat before reacting to feedback will help manage the initial emotional reaction. The goal is to be able to understand the other person’s perspective and minimise misunderstanding.

Often, initial feedback may seem critical or unclear. But, by taking the time to listen before sharing what you think, you can consider what questions to ask while showing respect for the other person’s opinion, fostering better communication and trust in the relationship.

As a creative, you’re often receiving feedback on your ideas. It can be hard to avoid taking the feedback personally. However, separating yourself from the work you’re creating is one of the best techniques for effectively receiving feedback as a creative.

Remember, no matter how early or advanced in your career you are, it’s impossible for one person to know everything and there's always more to learn.

As illustrator James Neilson advises: “Don’t get too attached to ideas. If you really believe in an idea, there will always be another opportunity to execute it, whether that be for a different client or for something personal.”

If you’re feeling overwhelmed in the moment and want to ask for time to go away and consider the feedback, that’s completely fine! Especially if you’re in an environment like a performance review or client meeting, there shouldn’t be pressure to give an instant response.

Also, if you need to ask for more clarification on the feedback itself, that’s fine too! Whether they’re directed at a client or manager, why not try these open-ended and non-defensive questions:

• I’m interested in hearing more about your thoughts on this. Could you clarify what you mentioned earlier?
• Can you help me understand which aspects didn’t work for you?
• Could you point to a particular section or element where I could improve?
• If you were to suggest a different approach, what might it be?
• Do you have any examples of where something similar was done more effectively?

As well as asking for clarity, proactively asking for specific feedback can be a great way to normalise the process and make it less of a big deal.

Sheila Heen, author and certified feedback expert, suggests asking for ‘one thing’ you can change. For example, rather than asking your tutor, “How was my presentation?”, try asking something explicit, like: “What’s the one thing you think I can do to improve my presentation next time?”

With all this being said, not all feedback was created equal. Although we can’t always control how feedback is delivered to us, we can learn to recognise when the feedback we’re being given is more harmful than helpful.

Keep reading for tips on separating constructive from destructive feedback:

Constructive feedback is a form of criticism that encourages growth and improvement. It doesn’t mean only saying positive things, but rather, it’s presenting the critiques in a sensitive way.

It is generally easier to understand and accept constructive feedback than criticism, because it provides clear steps for improvement. The focus is on facts rather than opinions, offering solutions instead of merely highlighting problems, and approaching the situation with empathy rather than judgment.

Use the checklist below for how a feedback chat should be framed:

• Supportive tone: The tone should focus on growth and development, not just criticism
  
• Specific: It should provide clear, specific examples and suggestions for improvement
  
• Balanced: Strengths and weaknesses should be highlighted, offering a well-rounded perspective
  
• Actionable: It should offer practical advice or steps to help you make improvements
  
• Encouraging dialogue: There should be room for your opinion and discussion, allowing you to ask questions or get clarification
  
• Empathetic: Your feelings and perspective should be taken into account, creating a supportive atmosphere

On the flip side, destructive feedback is the kind you don’t want to be receiving. One study on feedback in the workplace showed that employees reacted to a negative interaction with their boss six times more strongly than they reacted to a positive one.

If anything feels familiar about the feedback below, it might be something to bring up with the person delivering it.

Below is a checklist for how feedback shouldn’t look:

• Critical: Feedback that lacks specifics or actionable advice, as this is unhelpful
• Personal attacks: Comments that focus on your character rather than your work
• Unbalanced: Feedback focusing only on negatives without acknowledging positives
• Overly emotional: Feedback delivered in a way that’s overly emotional or reactive (e.g. shouted)
• Ambiguous: Feedback that is unclear about what needs to change or how to improve. Designers may recognise this as the feedback of making something ‘pop’!
• Unwillingness to listen: If the person providing feedback is not open to discussion or questions
• Frequent criticism: If an individual consistently criticises or critiques you without recognition of achievements

Scenario: A student is presenting their design portfolio to a panel of professors and peers for a critique. The reviewer offers the following:

Example of constructive feedback: “Your portfolio has a strong variety of projects and showcases your versatility as a designer. I particularly liked how you used colour in your branding project – it really makes the brand stand out. To enhance your overall presentation, consider adding more context to each project. For example, you could briefly explain your design process or the challenges you faced. This would help viewers understand your thought process and decisions.”

Example of destructive feedback: “This portfolio is a mess. It looks unprofessional and doesn’t show any real skill. I can’t believe you thought this was good enough to present. You need to completely rethink your approach because it just isn’t working.”

Recognising types of feedback is all very well, but knowing how to deal with it is a challenge. Although the situation and context will impact how able it is to share your opinion, here are some suggestions for working with feedback from a client, a manager, or tutor.

As a freelancer fulfilling a brief for a client, receiving and responding to multiple rounds of feedback are often part of the day-to-day. These freelance creatives offer advice on how they deal with feedback that they feel is unfair or non-constructive:

🗣️ Talk it through to understand
“[Receiving feedback] is still really difficult. More often than not, it can be resolved by jumping on a call. Talk through the feedback to understand their position and explain where your ideas are coming from.” – James Neilson, illustrator

“Non-constructive feedback won’t help you develop. Ask questions to understand where the issue lies; what do you need to get clarity on to rectify the issue? It saves a lot of time when you get clients to explain what they want changed rather than trying to guess.” – Anna Gibson, graphic designer and art director

🕵️ Back up your ideas with evidence
“If the feedback comes from someone with limited industry knowledge or experience, I tend to provide them evidence that backs up my approach and explain why I believe it’s the right move. This could be industry data or anecdotal evidence based on previous experience.” – Marianne Olaleye, brand and content strategist

What about if the destructive feedback is coming from a manager or tutor? It can feel even harder to have the conversation with someone comparatively senior to you, but these steps might help diffuse the situation:

💭 Reflect on the feedback
See the above steps on stopping a feedback spiral. Take a step back and evaluate their feedback. Ask yourself if there’s any truth to it, even if it was delivered poorly.

📍 Choose the right time and place
Instead of addressing the issue in front of other people or in the heat of the moment, schedule a private meeting or find a time to chat one-on-one. This can create a more neutral atmosphere so everyone feels comfortable expressing their views.

🤗 Use “I” statements
When discussing the issue, try to avoid sounding accusatory. Focus on how the feedback impacted you and your experience of it. Try statements like:

• “I felt confused when the feedback was vague, and I’m not sure how to improve.”
• “I find it hard to understand how to apply your critique to my work.”

💬 Ask for clarification
If you feel the feedback is unclear or unhelpful, ask for clarification politely. This could be over email or in person. For example:

• “Could you give more specific examples or suggestions of how I can improve?”
• “I’m interested in understanding the reasoning behind that critique so I can work on it more effectively.”

The more feedback you receive and the more practice you get at responding to it, the easier it'll become. If you need reminding that one piece of feedback isn’t the be-all and end-all, brand and content strategist Marianne Olaleye recommends keeping a document with the positive feedback you’ve received from managers, colleagues or clients.

This is helpful when you need testimonials for your portfolio and when you need a quick confidence boost. Why not go back to your feedback document and read about how awesome you are?

Also, remember that feedback and the advice that comes with it are always subjective to some extent. Ultimately, only you will know what looks and feels right for you and your work.

Want to dig deeper into the world of feedback? Here are some articles, podcasts, TED Talks and more:

📚 Books

• Thanks for the feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well by Douglas Stone & Sheila Heen

🧑‍💻 Articles

• How to Respond to Negative Feedback at Work That You Disagree With by Kim Scott
• The Right Way to Process Feedback by Cameron Conaway
  

🎙️ Podcasts

• Squiggly Careers: How to Master the Art of Feedback
  

🎤 TED Talks

• Sheila Heen: How to use others’ feedback to learn and grow
• Joe Hirsch: The Joy of Getting Feedback

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Many thanks to Anna Gibson, James Neilson, Raj Dhunna, Ham the Illustrator and Marianne Olaleye for generously sharing their insights and recommendations.