This is not about being difficult or easy to work with. It is about giving feedback in a format that the designer can actually act on efficiently. Here is what works.
Annotated PDFs are the most efficient method
If the designer can send you a PDF proof, annotating it directly is the most useful format for feedback. The reasons are straightforward.
Annotations are attached to the specific location they refer to, so the designer does not have to interpret which part of a layout your comment applies to. Text comments can be copied and pasted directly into the artwork, which removes the risk of the designer misreading or retyping something incorrectly. And everything is documented in one file, so there is no risk of a comment getting lost between email threads.
For any project longer than one page, annotated PDFs become increasingly valuable over alternatives. Adobe Acrobat Reader has a free version that handles basic annotations.
Email works well for simpler feedback
For short, clear revisions on a single-page design, email is fast and practical. The key is to be specific and organised. Write the feedback as a numbered list rather than a paragraph. Each point should refer to a specific element and state clearly what needs to change.
"Can we make it feel more premium" is not actionable. "The headline typeface feels too light, can we try the semibold weight" is actionable.
If your revision involves replacing text, paste the new text exactly as it should appear. Do not paraphrase. Copy errors introduced in revision are avoidable and add unnecessary back-and-forth.
What does not work well
Verbal feedback on a phone call is useful for discussing direction, but not for communicating specific revisions. The chance of something being missed or misunderstood is high, and there is no record for either party to refer back to. If a call is useful for discussing general direction, follow it up with a written summary of what was agreed before the designer continues.
Photographs of printed pages with handwritten notes can work in a pinch, but they have the same problem: the designer has to retype everything, which increases the chance of errors, and handwriting is not always legible.
Consolidate your feedback before sending
The most disruptive thing for a design project is feedback that arrives in instalments. One email, then another email an hour later, then a message the next morning. Each new message risks reopening changes that were already being worked on, and creates confusion about which version of the feedback is current.
Before you send feedback, run it past anyone else who will have input. One consolidated round of feedback per revision cycle moves a project forward cleanly. Multiple partial rounds stall it.
Be specific about what is and is not working
Telling a designer something is not right is half the feedback. Telling them specifically what is not right and, where possible, what direction to go in is the full feedback. "The layout feels too busy" tells the designer there is a problem. "The layout feels too busy, the three columns on the right side are competing with the headline, can we simplify that section" tells them what to solve.
You do not need to know the solution. But the more specific you can be about what is not working, the better positioned the designer is to find the right answer.
How we handle revisions at Racer Creative
All of our project communication happens over email. Feedback is documented, responses are documented, and the agreed scope is always in writing. This means that at any point in a project, both sides know exactly what has been requested and what has been delivered. If you want to understand more about how we work before starting a project, get in touch.