Get client feedback you can act on
"Make it pop" is not feedback. How to ask so the answer is usable, how to record it so it does not come back, how to turn a message into a checklist, and how to run rounds that end.
Beginner4 min readUpdated 27 September 2026Studio · Review
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Ask questions that have answers
"What do you think?" invites taste. Questions tied to the brief invite decisions. Send the version with two or three of these, and no more:
- "Is every fact right: date, time, venue, price, spelling of names?" (The question that saves reprints.)
- "Does the headline say the one thing you wanted said?"
- "Would your audience recognise this as yours next to your last piece?"
- "Is there anything you would remove?" (Better than "add", because it makes designs better.)
- "Which of these two is closer?" when you are unsure yourself. Offer two concrete moves and let them pick.
Translate the vague ones
| They say | They usually mean | Ask or offer |
|---|---|---|
| Make it pop | More contrast, or a bigger focal point | "Bigger headline, or a stronger colour behind it? Here are both." |
| It feels busy | Too many elements at the same weight | Remove one thing and show it. Ask what they missed. |
| Can you make the logo bigger | The logo is not visible enough where it is | Move it to a quieter corner or add space around it first; size second. |
| I do not like the font | The tone is wrong, or it is hard to read at that size | Ask which: "too formal, too playful, or hard to read?" |
| Something is off | Alignment or spacing | Check the grid and the margins before asking anything. |
| Can we see more options | They have not decided what the piece is for | Go back to the brief, not forward to variations. |
One voice, one place
Five people replying separately produce contradictions you will be blamed for resolving. Ask the client to name one person who collects the team's comments and sends them together. Then put every comment where it belongs: pinned to the spot on the design, numbered, with the version it refers to. Feedback in a voice note or a phone call gets written down by you and sent back in one message: "As discussed: 1, 2, 3. Shout if I misheard."
Turn the reply into a checklist
Before you open the file, split the reply into single changes, one per line, numbered. Anything that is not a change (a compliment, a question, a maybe) goes at the bottom as a note. Do the numbered items, tick them, and send the next version with the same numbers: "v3: 1 done, 2 done, 3 we tried and it hid the date, so we did this instead." The client sees their words became work, and nobody re-argues round two in round three.
Rounds that end
- Put the number of rounds in the quote: two rounds of changes after v1 is the usual freelance shape.
- Give every version a status: Draft, Sent, Changes asked, Approved. Approval is a written status, not a feeling in a meeting.
- Changes to an approved version start a new version and, if they are more than a typo, a new round.
- Show the work in context (a poster on a wall, a post on a phone). Decisions come faster and calmer than from a flat rectangle on white.
How to do it in Voidcanvas
- On the job's Review tab, save a version with New version from the design (v1, v2, v3…). Write What changed in the version; the client sees it at the top of the review.
- In Feedback mode, click the image where the client pointed to drop a numbered pin and type what they said. Done turns a pin green when it is fixed.
- Paste the client's email or WhatsApp message into Client's reply and press Turn into a checklist. Studio splits it into one to-do per line, bullet or sentence and sets the version to Changes asked. Tick each to-do as you make the change.
- Send the round three ways: Send a review link (the client pins comments, replies and approves in their browser with no account; you need one, and everything is encrypted with a key that lives in the link), a Review pack PDF with one page per format and the pins numbered, or WhatsApp images with a footer naming the client, job, format, version and date.
- Set the version to Approved when they approve, and Compare any two versions with a slider when someone asks what changed. Mockups puts the current image on a wall, a phone or a tote before you send.
How many rounds of revisions should I offer?
Two rounds of changes after the first version is the usual freelance quote. Write it down before round one. Changes after approval are a new round or a new job.
What do I do with feedback from five different people?
Ask the client to name one person who collects and sends it together, and reply only to that person. Until then, put every comment on the version as a numbered pin so the contradictions are visible to everyone.
How do I say no to a change?
Try it, show it, and say what it cost: "We tried the bigger logo; it covered the date, so we gave it space instead. Both attached." A client who sees the trade-off usually chooses the better one.