Critique: School vs. Workplace Etiquette

I think this has to do a lot with the general way the younger generations have been raised. You know... graduation ceremonies (complete with cap & gown) for first-graders, banning dodgeball from gym class, handing out awards for basically nothing at all to make sure ALL kids feel included and don't get their feelings hurt...

I'm a gen X'er, so I feel fortunate that I was raised before things really became so unbelievably hyper-sensitive to making sure peoples feelings NEVER get hurt.

You are very right. I think to be a successful designer in this field, you really DO need to develop a thick skin and not take your work personal. There's a fine line between giving professional design advice and just being a stubborn ass to your client because it puts your panties in a twist to add a starburst in the corner of an ad design.

It's a real pity, but I did read something about this new workforce generation coming out in AP news somewhere about how downright NEEDY some of the younger generation kids are.

unfortunately i think far too many people can't see the difference between critiquing a "design" vs critiquing the "designer."

and that's on both sides of the critique. critiquing a design is not and should not be personal. when critiquing someone else's design, you need to make sure that what you're saying is about the design and is constructive criticism. and when someone critiques your work, if they follow that guideline, then you need to be mature enough to accept constructive criticism.

i have worked for several "gruff" and direct people in my life. it never bothers me as long as they're criticism is about what i'm doing and not about me. i had a partner at a large firm i used to work for who was the definition of the word "broad." she was very direct, used "colorful" language, and was one of the first women partners in her field because she sued her way in (and was/is case law that is studied in law school). she used to upset people and many people were scared of her. i loved working with her. i love working for someone who always lets you know exactly where you stand. she told me more than once that the work i gave her was "shit." and i argued my side (and actually won some battles, probably because she respected the fact that i had belief in what i did and why i did it and stood up to her). but i always understood it was that she just didn't like the product i gave her, not that she didn't like me. she didn't mean *I* was shit, just that what i just handed her was (in her opinion).

anyway, the reality of it is people need to get over themselves on *both* sides of the critiques and stop taking the wrong things seriously.

and you're very right about the difference in how the three main generations in the workforce approach work and life. my company has been doing a lot of research on this and how to handle transitioning our company from the 50+ group that's leading now into the next two generations. it's been very interesting to hear the different approaches from each generation (and these are generalizations and stereotypes). i've been paying more attention to people in different generations now. being a cusper (btwn gen x and the baby boomers) i see some of the descriptions of both generations in my personality.

My first "real" salaried position as a designer was at Gannett News/USA Today. I worked for two weeks on a hand-illustrated piece that was to run in full-color as a Christmas False Front. It was a manger scene and I was pleased with what I developed.

I sent it up to the editor for his approval and went to lunch. When I came back, it was back on my desk, with notations in red grease pencil all over it. "Change this, omit that, move this here. etc"

Needless to say, I was horrified, but he didn't realize what I sent him was the original.

After all these years, the thing that still hurts the most is not the misunderstanding that resulted in the destruction of weeks of work, but that one of his notes was "Your Guardian Angel looks like Bon Jovi."

Thick skin indeed. :)

Just thought I'd share.

Although over the years I have developed a fairly thick skin, there are times that I become a little defensive of the work that I do for myself. The rest that I do for others I'm a lot less sensitive about. I learned early on in my career that you should love your work, but don't fall in love with it. Otherwise, you run the risk of having your ego and feelings trampled.

In regards to critiquing, I have to learn not to put too much of my own creative slant on pieces posted here. I need to remind myself to comment negatively or positively and stop there, not treat it like it's my own work going out the door and that everyone has their own unique way of designing.

Of the few pieces that I've posted here for critique I've appreciated the time and consideration each and every one of you took. Your comments helped me sail over those last-minute hurdles that were preventing my client and subsequent billing from moving forward.

And in regards to frankness vs boardroom politeness, I, along with the people I do work for, prefer the frank course. Too much time and money can be wasted beating around the GW Bush. Get it out there, get it done, get paid, move on to the next gig.

And have fun doing it all.

"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible."
— Frank Zappa

I agree - the frank way is such a relief.

I had one employer who would sit there and just go in circles with me over designs simply telling me "we're just not there yet." And then she'd micro-manage it and basically tell me put a red circle here, move that picture there... to a point where sometimes she'd completely take over the design. It drove me up the wall.

I was so relieved when I got a new job with a different employer who would just come in, throw a design on my desk and say. "This sucks." LOL. It might not have been "sensitive", but it sure got the point across. He was really good about making me own up to my job as a designer, as well... because when I'd ask him what I should change about it, he'd say. "YOU'RE the designer. Just change it or start over."

I think that guy was my very perfect teaching-ground for how to grow a thick skin. I definitely learned how to love my work but not be IN love with it.

Terry - that was a great post. You made me think about a particular editor I know. When working with editors, you REALLY need to have some thick skin!

A bow to you mara:)

my feelings are much the same as yours concerning newer generations being coddled. But there's hope... wazhizname on American Idol is competely honest, or at least sensationally rude. I never watch it, but the clips I've seen indicate that Simon doesn't hold punches... The way critique should be.

It does take a thick skin or at least some backbone. One of the things that bothers me on some of these critiques is that the artist almost never challeges the suggestions. Sometimes it's obvious why, but other times, the artist must have had a reason for doing it the way they did...Defend your decisions, challenge the nay-sayers! that critique with the lamp, and also the one with the cigarette were good ones because of that... and it forced us all to rethink things I think, all it takes is one person to look at something a little differntly from the rest, to have that one experience the others don't, to throw your own perspective into a spin.

It's funny that you chose critique as a topic... I began writing an article about critique yesterday thinking maybe I'd post it here. I wrote one a few years ago for a yahoo artists group that I belonged to, unfortunately I no longer have it and so now have to write entirely new.

I was glad to see that you like what I write in my posts, I always wonder if what I write is helpful, and now I know! ...My life is complete! LOL

I graduated within the last 5 years and i can kind of see where you are coming from. I was the girl in class who ripped everyone a new one. I rarely ever had much bad said about mine but, it would probably make me feel the whole "bashing the designer / rather than the design" as someone above mentioned (awesome point).
My husband will always be brutally honest with me and so I always go to him. Sometimes I disagree with what he's saying but I value his opinion because I know it's real and not sugar-coated.