Seven lines of client feedback that knock you sideways, and how to stop them living rent-free in your head

No one likes to be criticised. But it can sting even worse when it comes from a client who doesn't understand the first thing about what you do. So if you ever see a group of designers, illustrators or art directors gather together, it won't be long before they start sharing horror stories of clients from hell.

Sometimes, though, getting client feedback off your chest isn't enough. It starts to bury itself, deep down in your brain. And it doesn't matter how successful you get in your career; it never quite goes away.

One thing that can help is to recognise it's not just you; thousands of your fellow creatives have probably had similar things said to them, for reasons that have more to do with the client than their actual work.

So we asked the Creative Boom community to share their client feedback horror stories, and there was no shortage of replies. You can view the full discussions on LinkedIn and our own creative network The Studio. In the meantime, we've selected seven of the most common types below, along with some practical ways to respond.

1. The pre-emptive threat

The feedback: Lee Davies, creative strategy director at Peter and Paul, was once told: "I just want you to be clear: if the final work ends up looking like what you've presented this week, I am going to be extremely unhappy."

What's behind it: This is not critique; this is fear cosplaying as authority. The client is nervous about their boss, their stakeholders, their own standing. Not you or your ideas.

How to respond Rather than getting defensive, be the bigger person. Stay calm and confident. They are being weak, so you have to be the strong one here. Try to find out who else needs to sign off, what they're worried that person will say, and how you can help ease their fears.

2. "Can you make it look less designed?"

The feedback: It's one of the most common "complaints" creatives shared with us: a client asking for the work to look less than professional, even though they hired a professional to make it!

What's behind it: As brand strategist Richard Davis puts it: "Often the problem isn't the design itself, but that the client hasn't yet found the words for the feeling or business concern underneath the feedback."

How to respond: There's usually an underlying fear which you'll need to draw out. Ask not what something "less designed" would look like, but what it would let them do that this version doesn't. For example, would it feel more approachable, seem cheaper, look less corporate? Questions like this will help uncover what they're really worried about (even if they don't know it themselves yet).

3. The Canva comparison

The feedback: "One thing that still haunts me," says graphic designer Max Mann, "is when a head of marketing said to me: 'It looks like I can do this in Canva, do it again'." Another common niggle is when clients mock up their own version in Canva first.

What's behind it: Clients typically take this approach because they have no idea what's involved in crafting a professional design (as opposed to slapping some text onto a template) and think they can do better.

How to respond: Bury that flash of anger, and save it for that pub conversation later. Remain calm and patient, and avoid the impulse to be patronising. Walk them through what the design process actually involves, and "show your working", as they used to say with maths homework at school.

For example, you might show them the options you rejected and why (which will soften the blow when you reject their Canva efforts), explain the demands of accessibility and the need for brand systems, and so on. Don't drown them in jargon, but convey how this stuff is more complicated than they think.

4. The phantom budget

The feedback: Marketing director Claire Mcdivitt describes a familiar trap. "The client says: 'We haven't got a budget in mind.' So you spend ages developing ideas, working out how to make them and putting together different options at different price points.

"Then they come back and say: 'They're all far too expensive.' Turns out there was a budget. You just had to design past it to find out."

What’s behind it: Why would clients withhold a budget? Surely it would save time and effort to declare it up front? It's sometimes out of embarrassment, sometimes out of caution… but often they just don't know what design costs, and don't want to tip their hand.

How to respond: Firmly ask for a figure upfront. If they say they don't know, share ballpark costs from comparable past projects, so they at least have an idea what they're getting into. Then keep pressing them to share an estimate before getting into creative work and wasting everybody's time.

5. "I'll know it when I see it"

The feedback: This phrase came up again and again in our discussions, and it's a real red flag. As creative coach Vicki Lovegrove recalls about one project, "Despite several changes in the brief, lots of visuals, the client never did 'see it'. We parted ways. Months later, I saw what had been done; it was just a word in Arial."

What's behind it: This phrase sounds confident, but in truth it's usually a sign of weakness. The client doesn't know what they want and is hoping your hard work will somehow, magically, help them find it.

How to respond: Rather than crafting a full concept, slow the process down and limit yourself to smaller, easier steps. You might, for instance, pull together a spread of references and ask the client to react to each one in a sentence or two. Once you've got a sense of the direction they want to go in, sketch something small and rough, and again check it against their reaction before you go further.

6. Feedback by committee

The feedback: Illustrator Kotryna Zukauskaite was once told about a picture of a tall building: "Some people at the office thought it looked a little phallic." Richard Lowes, creative director at Punch Hospitality, remembers this piece of feedback from the ex-chairman of a major football club: "My wife wants you to make the owl look more scary and angry. Yours is not scary or angry."

What's behind it: Feedback filtered through anonymous colleagues, partners or relatives is a way that clients can avoid making a decision themselves and also insulate themselves from criticism, because they're not really sharing their own opinion, just quoting others (who typically aren't in the room).

How to respond: Don't just take comments like this as read. Politely ask whether you can hear directly from whoever raised it. If that's not possible (it probably won't be), ask the person actually sitting in the room whether they agree, and why.

7. Damning with faint praise

The feedback: Christina Cooksey, founder of Ceiling Train, remembers one line above all others: "'Approved with disappointment.' Fifteen years later, and it haunts me to this day." Lukewarm 'approval' like this can be worse than total rejection, because there's no obvious way forward.

What's behind it: The client might have personal issues that they need to take out on someone else. The client may just be a bully who likes intimidating people. Or the client may just be weak, indecisive and sick of the whole process.

How to respond: It's tempting to just take the money and walk on. But if Christina is still bothered by it 15 years on, chances are you will be too. So schedule a proper meeting, and ask directly what would have made it an enthusiastic yes rather than a disappointed one. Make it clear you're not fishing for praise but looking for a way to improve in future.

You may unearth something that leads to a better understanding of the actual problem, and an easy fix. Or you may not… but at least you'll have done everything you can. And that in itself will probably help you sleep better at night.