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Mar. 4th, 2026 02:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kradeelavsomething really funny about corporate design & approval chains is a 'i don't like iiiiiiiiiit / non answer' comment to a presented design could mean a lot of different things.
mostly not actually about the design itself.
a) sometimes the exec doesn't actually have a problem with the design (when you grill them on the details), they're just butt-hurt they weren't involved in the decision making process. (usually this answer comes from people very insecure about their position & know they're redundant and not mission critical). sometimes it's useful intentionally leaving in one mistake for them to hone in and pick on and be satisfied that They Had A Hand In The Shiny Thing. :p
b) sometimes the exec doesn't like you, period, even if the design is perfect, and that's their ass pull of an answer when they can't find specific things to critique. (mfw when a sales SVP was aggressively butthurt at me for ages about a previous vendor's poor installation quality even when we had already reassured him we had swapped over to a new and trusted vendor lul).
c) sometimes your better design does not fit Their Grand Vision and you have to wait until Their Vision crashes and burns into a fireball before politely presenting them with your option (again).
d) sometimes your better design got sniped by a contractor/consultant who's buddy-buddy with whoever funding the project. (currently emotionally handholding an in-house AD annoyed at this and (c). it sucks to experience. but it happens.)
e) complete radio silence can sometimes mean the exec is straight up too busy to answer / give the level of feedback quality that they want, which some designers interpret as a negative when it's actually not.
there's at least five other possibilities not about the design but it's really funny having all of these happen to me to the point when it's very obvious which one is happening.
it's a job i love but you really really do have to take your ego/"vision"" entirely out of it; the way i see it, any project involving money - i'm paid to be their pixel-pusher/very occasional consultant; the actual imaginative work happens off the clock.
mostly not actually about the design itself.
a) sometimes the exec doesn't actually have a problem with the design (when you grill them on the details), they're just butt-hurt they weren't involved in the decision making process. (usually this answer comes from people very insecure about their position & know they're redundant and not mission critical). sometimes it's useful intentionally leaving in one mistake for them to hone in and pick on and be satisfied that They Had A Hand In The Shiny Thing. :p
b) sometimes the exec doesn't like you, period, even if the design is perfect, and that's their ass pull of an answer when they can't find specific things to critique. (mfw when a sales SVP was aggressively butthurt at me for ages about a previous vendor's poor installation quality even when we had already reassured him we had swapped over to a new and trusted vendor lul).
c) sometimes your better design does not fit Their Grand Vision and you have to wait until Their Vision crashes and burns into a fireball before politely presenting them with your option (again).
d) sometimes your better design got sniped by a contractor/consultant who's buddy-buddy with whoever funding the project. (currently emotionally handholding an in-house AD annoyed at this and (c). it sucks to experience. but it happens.)
e) complete radio silence can sometimes mean the exec is straight up too busy to answer / give the level of feedback quality that they want, which some designers interpret as a negative when it's actually not.
there's at least five other possibilities not about the design but it's really funny having all of these happen to me to the point when it's very obvious which one is happening.
it's a job i love but you really really do have to take your ego/"vision"" entirely out of it; the way i see it, any project involving money - i'm paid to be their pixel-pusher/very occasional consultant; the actual imaginative work happens off the clock.
