This can happen, even with a fantastically talented creative. But how you offer your reaction will make a big difference in what happens next. So try not to give in to the urge of an automatic No.
Instead, start by asking a lot of questions, especially if we haven’t sufficiently explained our thinking. Try to understand what you are looking at more completely. Asking why we chose that particular photograph or those specific colours may help you see advantages to an approach that you might otherwise miss. Even if you hate the execution, you may very well fall in love with the intent.
Consider also that you might be responding negatively simply because you are surprised. The human brain is an expectation machine, which has evolved to make decision-making as easy as possible by confirming what we already know (or believe) and discounting what is new or unfamiliar. In other words, sometimes the best ideas take a little getting used to (see No. 36, “Be Open To Things You Didn’t Imagine”).
One way to handle immediate disappointment is to just be honest and say you’re not sure if it’s working for you, and then ask for time to think about it. Maybe you’ll feel differently the next day, after you separate your expectations from reality. Maybe you won’t – but you’ll have a clearer head with which to explain your issues.
Another tactic in the moment is to begin talking about some tiny aspect you like – a typographic choice, the pacing, anything. Ask yourself, or us, why you like that thing. Why does it speak to you? In addition to softening the blow, finding one area of agreement is a good first step on a journey forward.
Adapted from the book Dear Client: This Book Will Teach You How to Get What You Want from Creative People by Bonnie Siegler.
