🌟 Best of the Best: How to Handle Client Criticism

✍ Hey! Your baby is ugly!! As designers, we all dread that inevitable ego sucker punch of harsh client criticism. Our Indigo Design Winners prove that rough critiques don’t have to fire up your imposter syndrome or send you scurrying to get your drink on. This is the best of the best: dealing with negative feedback.

🌸 Gold in Mobile Games for Games Design winner Bryan Louis B. De Ocampo uses criticism as a stepping stone and never, ever sees it as a reflection of his worth. “I take criticism very seriously, but never personally,” he says. “I believe any criticism, good or bad, is good feedback that tells me where I can improve.”

🌸 Ruining Zhang took home Gold in Book Design for Graphic Design and advises taking scathing critiques in stride. “We can’t avoid harsh criticism because everyone has their own sense of aesthetics,” she says, adding that designers need to stand up for their work even in the face of stormy feedback.

🌸 Discovery of the Year Noni Devora sees client interactions as a fluid back-and-forth, and this conversational approach helps her navigate criticism like the pro she is. Devora asks specific follow-up questions to drill into the creative hiccup and get the project back on the rails.

🥇 Do you have a powerful design that’s above reproach? Let us give you the accolades and global recognition that you deserve!