Design blogs often direct a lot of negativity toward projects of different kinds — especially within comment threads.

So, now and again I like to remind myself that it’s almost impossible to give a balanced critique of another designer’s work without knowing a few things:

  1. Details of the design brief
  2. The relationship between the client and the designer
  3. The relationship between decision-makers on the client side
  4. Just how hard the designer tried to sell a preferred yet unused option

Next time a studio completes a design project for a high profile client, my first thought will be one of congratulations for achieving consensus on a particular outcome, because getting the decision makers to agree is often a designer’s most difficult task.