A Client's Checklist for Great Design: Essential Dos and Don'ts

As a client, you invest time and money into getting designs that represent your brand and achieve your goals. While you hire professionals for their expertise, understanding some core design principles can help you provide better feedback, evaluate proposals, and ultimately partner more effectively with your designer. Use this checklist to help you spot signs of great design (and potential red flags).

Dos

Know your audience

Ensure your designer takes the time to understand your target audience. Providing clear information about who they are, what they need, and what resonates with them is crucial for creating designs that connect effectively.

Define your goals

Clearly communicate what you want the design to achieve (e.g., drive sales, increase awareness, inform users). When your designer knows the specific goals, they can create visuals strategically designed to help you reach them.

Create a visual hierarchy

A great design guides the viewer's eye naturally. Look for a clear hierarchy where the most important information (like headlines, key benefits, or calls to action) stands out. Ask yourself: Is it immediately obvious what to read first and what the main takeaway is?

Use strong visuals

Visuals (photos, illustrations, icons) should be high-quality, relevant to your message, and consistent with your brand. Do the visuals enhance understanding and engagement, or do they feel generic or out of place?

Use typography effectively

Typography significantly impacts readability and brand perception. Check that the chosen fonts are easy to read (especially body text) and that the style aligns with your brand's personality. Is the text legible? Does the font style feel appropriate?

Use color strategically

Color evokes emotion and directs attention. Ensure the color palette aligns with your brand identity and is used thoughtfully to highlight key information or create a specific mood, rather than overwhelming the viewer. Does the color use support the message and brand?

Be Open to Creative Solutions Aligned with Goals

While fundamentals are key, don't dismiss creative approaches that genuinely support your goals just because they are unexpected. Discuss the rationale with your designer.

Get feedback

Provide clear, constructive feedback to your designer during the review stages. Explain why something isn't working for you (referencing goals or audience) rather than just saying you don't like it. This helps ensure the design stays on track.

Keep it simple. Often, less is more. Great design communicates clearly and avoids unnecessary clutter. Does the design feel focused and easy to understand, or is it trying to say too many things at once?

Don'ts

Don't overcrowd your design

Too much text or too many visual elements crammed together can overwhelm your audience and dilute your message. Look for designs that use white space effectively to give elements room to breathe.

Don't use too many fonts

Designs using too many different font styles can look chaotic and unprofessional. A good rule of thumb is usually sticking to 2-3 complementary fonts for consistency.

Don't use too many colors

Similar to fonts, too many competing colors can be distracting and undermine your brand identity. Look for a cohesive, well-defined color palette applied consistently.

Don't use clashing colors

Colors that clash visually can make the design jarring and unprofessional. Ensure the color combinations used are harmonious and enhance the overall aesthetic.

Don't use text that's too small to read

All text, especially important details or body copy, must be large enough to read comfortably across different devices. Check for readability – if you're straining, it's likely too small for your audience.

Don't use clichés

Generic stock photos (like puzzle pieces fitting together or handshakes) or overused visual metaphors can make your brand look unoriginal. Encourage your designer to find fresh, relevant visual solutions.

Don't neglect the basics. Even the most creative or 'rule-breaking' design should still adhere to basic principles of good composition, readability, and clarity to be effective. Ensure the design works fundamentally before judging its creative flair.

By keeping these dos and don'ts in mind, you'll be better equipped to discuss design work, understand your designer's choices, and ensure the final product truly meets your business needs and connects with your audience.