IN DESIGN, CRITICISM IS CRUCIAL, FOR WITHOUT DIFFERENCES IN OPINION AND EXPLORING OF OTHER

MINDS BEFORE CONCLUDING, IT IS DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE THE BEST PLAN.

RESEARCH BACKGROUND:

Upon getting tasked with drafting up a design for a building, the primary stage that each creator must
first complete is thought, this is when all the imaginative juices flow and so forth, these extraordinary
plans show up in one’s mind, so a creator must admit additional designers to offer their information on
the design in question. “If you dismiss anyone who doesn’t like what you do as a hater you are
potentially overlooking serious flaws in your work” (Voss, 2017) The creator may be working with others
in a professional or scholar level, nevertheless, they must refrain from being offended should
corrections be made, or additions are presented to them by observers, this process is what waters the
initial idea and molds it to perfection. The criticism may be self-imposed by means of researching other
works of similar field, before concluding on the design. Attending to different opinions on the design,
listening to others listing the pros and cons of your design will open your eyes to things you may have
not considered or known when you were designing, therefore, in design criticism is of the utmost
importance.

PROBLEM STATEMENT:

Many designers mistake constructive criticism for negative feedback and in turn become despondent
and defeated as they may take the feedback personally, some designers find it tiring to go back and start
from scratch or to refine their work, the best remedy to this incorrect response is to learn to listen and
observe those who are in the same field as we are, those who share the same sentiments in terms of
architecture and design as a whole and afford ourselves the opportunity to grow.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:

1. To evaluate where the fear of criticism in designers stems from.

2. To indicate the value for designers in considering alternate and/or opposing views in means of
research.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

1. Why is it a vital step to consider other designs, ideas and architectural methods when you are
forming your own work in design?
2. Does working without input from other designers yield a more responsive design or might that
be detrimental to a designer’s work.

HYPOTHESIS:

With respect to the research conducted in articles such as “Don’t hate on your critics” by John Voss, if
honest feedback or criticism is not provided in the design world, to each designer as they come up with
plans for domestic, recreational, commercial use etc. then the utmost quality design will not be achieved
to best suit the specifications.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY USED:

Literature review

RESEARCH MOTHOD USED:

Qualitative method

DATA TYPE USED:

Secondary data type

How will each of the above methods be applied?

Literature review will be utilized by extracting from already existing literature work to best understand
and conclude on the mindset of designers in terms of getting their work criticized. The reasoning of
designers will be similar and can then be analyzed and solved.
““If you dismiss anyone who doesn’t like what you do as a hater you are potentially overlooking serious
flaws in your work” (Voss, 2017), the following research paper is based but not limited to the quote, it
serves to argue the point that designers can work in solidarity, that criticism is negative and causes delay
and disturbance to the designer. The psychology behind the notion of ideation and refusal to allow
other designers to scrutinize one’s designs as a designer, is not commonly addressed or perhaps is not
exactly taken very seriously as the aim in the field of architecture is to produce work, satisfy the client
and move on to the next project. The issue however, with overlooking a matter so crucial is that
designers may fail to reach their full potential, they may be averse to growth and ultimately remain
mediocre or come up with designs that may be unrealistic when it comes to the construction stage. The
beauty in collaboration or simply being open to feedback is that one may become aware of their own
faults and correct those faults, so why is it that designers find criticism to be such a hard pill to swallow?
REFERENCES:

1. John Voss(2017) Don’t hate on your critics. Available at: https://medium.com/@heyjovo/dont-

hate-on-your-critics-b4aa0a46b2d5 (accessed 13/08/2022)
2. Anna Iurchenko(2021) How to deal with criticism when people hate your designs. Available at:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90650702/how-to-deal-with-criticism-when-people-hate-your-
designs (accessed 13/08/2022)
3. Roberto Blake(2015)What does constructive criticism for design look like. Available at:
https://creativepro.com/what-does-constructive-criticism-for-design-look-like/ (Accessed
13/08/2022)