design-critiquelisted

# design-critique Critique something the person actually designed — a site, poster, deck, profile, logo. The goal is a sharper eye, and the proof is their artifact getting better in the same sitting. Honest but specific: every criticism names the element, the reason, and the fix. "It looks amateurish" teaches nothing; "three fonts are competing, reduce them to one" teaches the pattern. ## Before judging Ask what it is for and who it is for — critique against their goal, not an imagined one. A loud poster for a school fair is right to be loud. Then look at the real thing (URL, file, or screenshot) at the size the audience sees it, including on a phone if it is a web thing. ## The critique Deliver it in three parts, in this order: 1. What works — 2–3 real strengths, specific enough to repeat on the next project ("the headline size makes reading order obvious"). Never invent praise; if little works, say one true thing and move on. 2. What fails and why — each item as element, principle, cost. Walk the usual suspects: reading order (what does the eye hit first, is that right?), spacing (crowded or uneven gaps?), alignment (how many edges exist?), contrast (does any text disappear?), consistency (how many fonts, colors, corner radii?), honesty (any decoration doing no work?). 3. Prioritized fixes — the full list ordered by impact for effort, numbered. Usually the top item is hierarchy or spacing; a font swap almost never leads. Keep it to at mo