How do I critique a sensitive person?
Hello,
I’m hoping you have thoughts to share on coping with a much less experienced designer who wants me to just say “That looks great, sweetie!" and give him a cookie. But my job is to art direct, sharing the benefit of my experience with him. If the type is ugly and impossible to read, there’s too much going on, and the skin tone of the models looks like they’ve been pickled, my aim is not to “hurt (his) feelings” or to “be competitive with” him and yet he accused me of both of those things and complained to our boss. (And to think, I had said only, “The type is very difficult to read, the message is lost.” I hadn’t even GOTTEN to the other problems before he was in a tizzy.
Possibly reaching out early in the morning like a drowning person frustrated with a team member,
Person McPerson
Hey Person McPerson!
Framing criticism is one of the hardest things to deal with at a job. I struggle to hold back comments when clients tell me to do things that are obviously wrong, or take my work and make it “ugly”. As far as an underling, in the beginning you do have to adapt to the style of criticism that he’s comfortable with to get anything done. The compliment sandwich is always good, where you start and end with something complimentary (“First, I want to say, thanks for asking my opinion so early in the process, I appreciate that you are looking at this as a collaborative effort”), then lay on the negativity, then end with something positive so he doesn’t feel like you just crushed his soul to a pulp (“Overall, I think you're definitely in the right direction, we just need to push it a bit more in these ways”). Not everyone requires the compliment sandwich, but some people freeze up when they’re only dealt negative criticism. If he’s not getting any encouragement at all, he may feel lost and overwhelmed.
If this person doesn’t seem to get what you’re communicating to him (he keeps making the same mistakes, even after encouraged to not make those particular mistakes), be more stern. Never be mean or make him think it’s hopeless though. Language like “It seems like you’re struggling with...” or “I feel like maybe I didn’t communicate this clearly enough yesterday” are much softer ways of saying that he’s fucking up. If you are truly at the end of your rope though, and need to tell him just how much he’s screwing up, do so. Just always remember that the criticism that you give should either make him explain his motivations (“Why did you choose to push the skin tone in this direction?”) or offer advice (“The skin is looking a bit pickled, have you tried...”) rather than just dropping a criticism bomb and walking away.
It sounds like questions might be the way to roll with this particular person (“What’s your motivation behind this particular typeface and typesetting?”). Making him explain his thoughts will help turn a crit into a conversation. If he freezes up or gets defensive, make it clear to him that it’s as important to be able to defend your work as it is to be able to create it, then tell him you’ll come back in a few minutes when he’s gathered his thoughts. You should also make it clear to him that next time he has an issue with you, he should bring it up with you before going above your head and telling your boss (respect the chain of command!).
Hopefully this helps!
J