Guide
How to run a design review
The internal review and the client review are different jobs. The team needs a critique that improves the work; the client needs a decision that keeps the project moving. Running them in the same thread blurs the feedback and exposes the studio's working notes.
Separate the two reviews
The internal review asks whether the work answers the brief. The client review asks whether the client accepts the work. The internal comments are working notes; the client comments are decisions and questions.
Keep the two lanes separate in the file. The client should see only the comments the studio chooses to share, and the studio should be able to discuss the work without the client reading every doubt.
Give the review a question
A review without a question becomes a tour of the file. Start with the decision: is the concept right, is the layout right, or is this ready for production? Each question has a different level of detail and a different reviewer.
Put the question at the top of the review link and repeat it in the email. The client should be able to answer it without reading the whole file.
Make comments actionable
A comment should say what is wrong and what would make it right. 'Make it pop' is not actionable; 'the headline is too small against the image, try the next size up' is.
Ask the reviewers to mark the severity: a correction, a preference or a question. The studio can then separate the must-fix from the nice-to-have.
Close with a decision
End the review with one of three outcomes: approved, changes required or back to concept. Record the owner and the date for each change, and send the next version date.
A review that ends with 'thanks, lots to think about' has not closed. The studio should ask for the decision before the deadline, not after the next version is built.
Questions
Who should be in a client design review?
The decision maker and the people whose input the decision maker needs. Keep the group small enough that someone can consolidate the feedback.
How many comments is too many?
There is no fixed number. If the comments are mostly preferences, the brief or the concept is not settled. Address the concept before the details.
Should the studio respond to every comment?
Respond to every comment that changes the work. A question can be answered in the thread; a correction should say what changed and where.
Sources
Reviewed November 3, 2026. Public pages can change; check the source before relying on a date or a price.