As a graphic designer, we all have gone through the hard process of taking feedback, making revisions & changing the design. Well, revisions are obvious to come. Every client wants to get the best output for their project. From a designer’s point of view, our job is to transform a good project into an exceptional one, strengthening the client-designer relationship along the way. In this article I’ll try to provide you with a comprehensive guide to manage client revisions effectively, ensuring a smoother workflow and a more satisfying outcome for both parties.
Setting up Expectations Prior the Project
The foundation of a smooth revision process starts before the first draft is submitted. Actually, even before the project starts! A detailed brief that aligns your client’s vision & demand with your understanding can significantly reduce the scope and scale of revisions later on. It is important to have a clear communication about your work process, who’s going to be the main contact person from client’s end, how many free revisions you are providing and how much you are going to charge for each revision later on. This helps to manage the expectations and prevents any sort of misunderstandings.
Effective Communication is the Key
Once the project is underway, maintain an open & constructive communication with the client. During submission, explain your design process & thoughts behind the design. This will change the client’s total experience from just reviewing a design to having a proper service. Remember, your client might not be the best person to review graphical works. But you have to encourage your client to provide constructive feedback. This dialogue not only clarifies the path forward but can also reveal underlying concerns that might not have been addressed in the initial brief.
Organizing and Prioritizing Feedback
When feedback arrives, it’s essential to organize and categorize it effectively. This might involve compiling comments from various stakeholders into a single, prioritized list that can be tackled systematically. Prioritization should be based on the impact of each revision on the project’s goals, as well as the feasibility of implementing the changes within the given timeframe.
Implementing Revisions Efficiently
Once you have decided on what feedback you are prioritizing, the actual process of implementing revisions begins. You can save time & effort by focusing first on changes that have the broadest impact on the design. For example, your client has asked to change the background of your design. It is obvious that you have to figure out a different background first. Cause that is gonna impact the whole design. This not only ensures efficient use of time but also allows for more significant transformations before delivering the final output. Each round of revisions should bring the project closer to the final vision, with diminishing changes as the design is refined.
Balancing Client Needs with Professional Expertise
Of course your client does not know properly about the design process & efforts you put in it. Right? When you are getting feedback, those are mostly about what your client wants or how they want the design to be looked at. It is your duty as a designer to understand client needs & balance them with your professional expertise. Suggest them what options will work best for them & how you gonna help them reach their target goal. Be the hero of the story. This might involve educating clients on design principles or suggesting alternatives that achieve their goals in a more effective way.
Finalizing Revisions and Gaining Approval
As the project nears completion, gaining final approval becomes the focus. Ensuring that all stakeholders have had their say and are satisfied with the result is essential. Once approval is secured, it’s important to document the agreed-upon changes, providing a clear reference for any future projects or phases.
Every project, with its unique set of revisions, offers valuable lessons. Reflecting on what went well and what could be improved helps designers refine their process for managing feedback. Whether it’s improving communication strategies, adjusting how revisions are prioritized, or finding more efficient ways to implement changes, there’s always room for growth.