Breeze through revisions: The ultimate guide to design revisions
“I’m not sure what I want, but I’ll know when I see it.”
“I know I said it was final, but I only have one quick revision.”
“Can we change it back? I prefer the previous version.”
Everyone dreads graphic design revisions, especially if you have been working on a design or campaign for a long time.
It can be even more discouraging when your client’s feedback seems to make no sense and it starts to feel like the revisions aren’t coming to an end.
Given that Deer Designer offers unlimited design requests and revisions, you can only imagine how many revisions we have to go through in a day!
In this article, we’ll go through the strategies we find effective in making the revision process smoother, how you can manage design disagreements, and the tools you can use to breeze through those revisions.
Establishing clear communication for the design revision process
You can’t build a house without a blueprint. The same goes for any design project.
I find that having clear communication methods helps ensure a successful collaboration with your client.
Make sure you are keeping up with the following methods of communication:
Calls, chats, and emails
A quick message can make a great difference! You can figure out project details and brainstorm during calls, clarify quick questions in chats, and receive assets and updates through emails.
You don’t have to reserve your questions and communications for when you have big concerns or updates.
Regular communication can help make sure everyone is on the same page.
Design progress updates
This is important to prevent any surprise plot twists later on!
Make sure your client is regularly updated about your progress, especially if it’s a project that goes on for a longer period of time.
It is best to get their opinions while you are still in the early stages, like the first draft of the project, instead of having to do a massive revision or restart from scratch.
Documentation of assets and revisions
Make sure to have important details about your project documented.
This can include the scope of your work, the estimated time you need to work on it, the number of client revisions agreed upon, the assets you can use for the project, and other important details.
This way, everyone can check if you are staying on track with your project.
This can also help with setting boundaries for your scope of work.
Setting up a framework to manage client revisions
Sending and receiving feedback should be less like pulling teeth and more like sharing a meal.
By setting up a defined feedback framework, you give your clients a guide on what they should be looking for, how they can effectively communicate any revisions they want, and how long they can expect these revisions to take.
Here are some things you should include in this framework:
Guidelines for design revisions
You can avoid having vague revisions, like your client saying, “I don’t like this design,” by having a form or canvas your clients can fill out for revisions.
This allows your client to provide all the information you need, such as descriptions, screenshots, a doodle, etc. of the things they want to revise.
This form can also include examples of the design revision process and how previous concerns were resolved.
Priority for revision requests
You can categorize feedback by priority, such as “urgent,” “important,” or “neither.”
You can even set custom categories, including the complexity of the project.
What’s important is to let the client know how soon they can expect these types of revisions to be done.
Flow of the revision process
Anyone who has worked in design knows that revisions tend to be a back-and-forth process. You may go through an unlimited number of revisions until the final output is approved by the client.
Make sure your feedback framework can flow smoothly through this process, regardless of the number of revisions.
Tools and platforms for design collaboration
Technology has gone a long way in helping designers and agencies organize assets, track workflow, and handle feedback.
Make sure you have these tools and platforms shared with your team and your clients for a smoother revision process:
Communication channels
Not everything can be communicated through emails. You need to have communication channels for instant messaging and video calls as well.
Depending on your needs, some common messaging platforms you can use include Slack, WhatsApp, and Google Meet.
Project management tools
This is where all the work gets done.
These tools help you organize your project assets, deadlines, and team.
This is where you and your clients can keep track of the progress of each project.
Some common options include Trello, Asana, Monday, and Notion.
Design collaboration platforms
This is where you and your clients can actively collaborate.
Everyone sees a shared canvas; your clients can provide feedback, and they can see you making the revisions in real time.
Some of these platforms include Figma, Canva, InVision, and Adobe XD.
File-sharing platforms
This is where the final product goes along with all the files and assets when they are finished or are ready for approval.
Google Drive and DropBox are popular file-sharing platforms that agencies use.
The best ways to manage disagreements
As design and aesthetics are subjective, we are bound to have different opinions from our clients.
It is important to remember that a client disliking your work doesn’t make you a failure. It is a matter of choice.
People just have different tastes, and revisions are done to make sure the clients who are paying for these designs get what they need and want.
Always listen to the client’s feedback first
Listen, and try to understand where your client is coming from.
Otherwise, they may feel like you are invalidating their feedback or that you don’t care about this project enough to collaborate.
Listening also helps you see any misunderstanding on your end, any client needs you missed, what parts of the design your client disliked, and what you can do about it.
Offer design suggestions
Collaboration is all about flexibility and compromise.
As you are working with someone else’s brand, you will have to ensure that the client is satisfied with your work instead of just focusing on your skills and design choices.
Sometimes you have to give a little to get a little.
Revisions are a constant part of the design process.
Instead of dreading them all the time, it helps to set up a process for you and your client to deal with them.
With the right strategy, tools, and mindset, you can foster positive client relationships while easily breezing through those revisions!
Tired of constantly handling endless revisions? Deer Designer delivers high-quality design work in a flash.
Let us handle all the design work and unlimited revisions for you!
