Critiquing is an excellent opportunity for you to present your work to others, explain your ideas and solutions to people, and have other people challenge your ideas and also tell you where you are doing well. They should be a positive experience in your design process that helps you grow as a designer.
In class, this is what your finished critique will look like:
We simply print out your design progress and pass it around the class, and to the instructor, and we all write one area that is done well, and one area to improve. It is extremely helpful and efficient.
Here’s an example of two emails and one packaging design after an in-class peer and instructor critique:
Peer critique
Critique Feedback (2 options)
Explain your project to those critiquing you. Tell them what your project is and ask them to critique your message, audience, design, colors, type, layout, art/photos/video/sound, etc. Have them tell you a few areas you are doing well and a few areas you can improve.
- Face-2-face critique (In-class) (Preferred)
Print your work and have the class critique it. Once done, scan that and upload it to Blackboard. I’ll show you how to scan it to an email on the color printer in class.
If they give you verbal critiques, then record their comments into a Word document and upload it to the assignment area on Blackboard. - Social Media Critique
Post a screen capture of your design to your favorite social media account. Behance, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or others are perfect. Have at least 2–5 people critique it. Then copy and paste their comments into a Word document and upload it to the assignment area on Blackboard.
Best way to present your projects for peer critique
- Most projects (posters, web ads, brochures) — Make a JPEG, PDF, or screen capture
- Email in Mailchimp.com — Screen Capture (multiple if needed)
- Website — Screen Capture (multiple if needed)
- Video — Render video to a .mp4
Screen Capture
MAC — Command Shift 4, drag to select the area to capture
WINDOWS — Web-search it. There are differences depending on your version
Instructor Critique
IN-CLASS, FACE TO FACE (Preferred)
The best (and preferred) way to have me critique your work along with the in-class peer critiques.
IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT TO CLASS – Send me your file to critique. The best way will be to upload a screen capture or PDF of your project to the instructor critique assignments area of Blackboard.
This might not work for the email or website. For the email, just email me when you’re ready for critique and I’ll look at it on Mailchimp.com. Some projects might require you to email, like when your mailchimp.com email is done or email me a .zip file of your entire website. Try to upload to the assignment area of Blackboard first. If that won’t work simply email me directly.
I’ll get back to you in a day or two by posting my feedback directly into your Blackboard grade book or talking to you about it in class.
Best way to present your projects for instructor critique:
- Most projects (posters, web ads, brochures) — Make a JPEG, PDF, or screen capture and upload them to the assignment area in Blackboard
- Email in Mailchimp.com — Email me and I’ll look at it on our shared MailChimp.com account
- Website — make a .zip file of your entire website folder and upload it to the assignment area in Blackboard
- Video — Render video to a .mp4 and upload it to Blackboard
Make .zip file
MAC — Control-click folder and select Compress
WINDOWS — Right-click the folder, point to Send To, then click Compressed folder(zipped)
This works with most versions.
Screen Capture
MAC — Command Shift 4, drag to select the area to capture
WINDOWS — Web-search it. There are differences depending on your version