Going from criticism to critique, this guide dips into the history and morphing of the modern critique. Learn how to give better presentations, feedback, and how to take advantage of all the learning and teaching moments.

1. Critiques
Become a better designer
and person

2. FROM CRITICISM
TO CRITIQUE
Historical Context FTW

3. MY CHILD COULD
DO THAT!
Which — I assumed was what
British Artist Jonathan
Richardson the Elder thought
as he was defining methods
to assess artwork.

4. THE SCORECARD
List of seven criteria
individuals could use to judge
the work of art.

5. “
Great News! Everyone is
talking about Art which
has caused the popularity
of art to rise.
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6. “
Bad News! Now
everyone is an art critic.
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7. A NEW
CHALLENGER
APPEARS!
Denis Diderot, who was a
prominent critic for the
popular Salon exhibitions.
Changed modern art criticism
forever.

8. “
Is a good critic one
who is right, or one
who makes an
interesting case?
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9. AN
INTERESTING
CASE
Separating opinion
from fact and
ushered in a new
way to discuss art
helped set the stage
for modern day art
criticism & critique.

10. Criticism vs
Critique
Deathmatch! JK, they are both
important, just different!

11. Criticism Is...
▹ Judgement
▹ Assessment
▹ Evaluation
▹ Opinion based
▹ Historically referenced
▹ Impressionistic
▹ Aesthetic grounded
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12. Critique Is...
▹ A Teaching Moment
▹ Process Based
▹ Exploratory Statements
▹ Why Statements
▹ A Learning Moment
▹ An Improvement Moment
▹ Featured Based
▹ Goal Based
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13. Critique Isn’t...
▹ I like statements
▹ I don’t like
▹ Judgement based
▹ Design Reviews (approval vs improvement)
▹ You statements
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14. THREE ROLES OF A
CRITIQUE

15. PRESENTER
The presenter is the designer(s)
who created the work. Their job is
to frame the problem and define
the goal(s) of the critique.

16. FACILITATOR
A Facilitator(s) job is to ensure a
successful critique by scheduling,
moderating, and note taking.

17. AUDIENCE
The Audience (small group ideal)
provides feedback by asking
probing questions and using
exploratory statements.

18. PRESENTING
YOUR WORK
AND RULING THE CRITIQUE

19. WHAT IS
THE GOAL
Before scheduling
any critique, ensure
you have thought
through the goal of
presenting the
designs and what
you want to get out
of the critique.

20. WHEN PRESENTING...
Be Prepared
Have your designs in
order & off-lined if WiFi
is ever an issue. Test
out conference room
equipment beforehand.
Double-check
everything.
Have A Schedule
Coordinate with the
Facilitator for an Email
an invite beforehand,
list topic(s), goals, and
who will be presenting
and facilitating. Don’t
forget to Timebox.
Frame Work State
Describe what you are
showing. Are you
showing early or late
work. What aspects,
what constraints, and
constructs you are
working within.
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Frame the Problem
Explain the problem,
discuss dependencies,
ensure everyone
understands and
agrees on the problem.
Frame the Why
In addition to
establishing & agreeing
on the problem, framing
why the problem is a
problem can help
establish the design
goals.
Frame the Feedback
Reiterate your goals of
the presentation and
specify the desire for
opportunities for
exploration around
those goals.

21. “
And remember…
listen, learn, & improve.
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22. FACILITATING
THE CRITIQUE
AND ENSURING SUCCESS

23. WHAT IS
THE GOAL
As a facilitator, your
goal ensure a
successful critique
in which goals are
met and clear
actionable goals are
established and
communicated to
the team.

24. WHEN FACILITATING...
Ensure Preparedness
Is there a schedule?
Was there an invite
sent out?
Where the right
people on it?
Are the goals and
topics defined?
Does the room work
for the critique?
Guide the Convo
Ensure the group
stays on topic and
focused on the goals
and wanted
outcomes.Watch the
time and know when
to redirect the
convo.Help engage all
the audience
members.
Take Notes
There will be lots of
activity and feedback
being given, ensure
those notes are
captured so action
can be taken.
Recording Audio is
always helpful as a
supplement to notes,
but should never be
the primary method.
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25. CRITIQUE AUDIENCE
ETIQUETTE
Pinky out, Sir Charles.

26. WHAT IS
THE GOAL
As an audience
member, your task is
to help ensure the
design is the best
solution to the problem
through complete
understanding of the
problem & effective
feedback.

27. WHEN IN THE AUDIENCE...
Understand the Problem
Is there a schedule?
Was there an invite sent
out?
Where the right people
on it?
Are the goals and topics
defined?
Does the room work for
the critique?
Reserve Opinions
Avoid “You”
statements and rather
discuss the work or
design. Also avoid “I
like” and “I dislike”
statements and
instead focus on
gaining insight and
understanding on the
purpose of the design.
Ask Questions
Asking probing
questions and utilize
exploratory
statements to offer
feedback on how the
design addresses the
problem.
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28. “
And remember…
The critique is a learning
and teaching moment.
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29. SHIT
So does shitty
critiques. Critiquing
is an art and not
everyone is perfect
all the time.
HAPPENS

30. How to Handle a Bad Critique
▹ Acknowledge the feedback
▹ Do not try to defend criticism
▹ Thank them and bucket that
feedback
Afterwards, decide if the feedback
has any validity to it and attempt to
approach it from a exploratory
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31. Resources
Information and inspiration was taken
from the following sites.
▹ TinyLabs
▹ IBM IBM2
▹ Medium Medium2
▹ CreativityShall
▹ Britannica Britannica2
▹ Wiki Wiki2
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