TCUK 2012 presentation by Matt Pierce. This presentation is about how you can use design reviews to get better design. It lays out several ground rules, and then covers a few basics of design (CRAP). It is worth noting that with this presentation we did several exercises that involved participants practicing giving feedback.

1. It’s not you, it’s us
How design reviews can make you
better at visual design
Matt Pierce
m.pierce@techsmith.com

2. Where are we going?
“Hamster Wheel” symbol by Olivier Guin, from thenounproject.com collection

3. Activity

5. Point out Details

6. Ask Questions

7. Give Reasons

8. Be Clear

9. 2 People
review

10. Not About them (Or You)

12. Point out Details
2 People review
Ask Questions
Not About them
(Or You)
Give Reasons
Help them Ship
Be Clear

13. Revise based on feedback

14. Contrast
R
epetition
epetition
epetition
Proximity
Alignment

15. Size
Elimination

18. Revise based on feedback

19. Resources!
• Clean Up Your Mess: A Guide to Visual Design for Everyone
http://www.visualmess.com/index.html
• The Noun Project collects, organizes and adds to the highly recognizable
symbols that form the world's visual language, so we may share them in a fun
and meaningful way. http://thenounproject.com
• Practical Guidelines for Visual Design
http://www.educ.kent.edu/community/vlo/guidlines/index.html (It’s not the
prettiest site, but concepts are good)
• Learning to design PowerPoints like a badass
http://www.slideshare.net/ginabainesholder/learning-to-design-powerpoints-
like-a-badass
• Design Criticism and the Creative Process
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/design-criticism-creative-process/
• Fonts http://www.dafont.com/
• Blah, Blah, Blah & Back of the Napkin http://www.danroam.com/

20. From the Noun Project:
• “Cursor” P.J. Onori,
• “Question” Henry Ryder
• “Person” Antonis Makriyannis
• “Brain” Arjun Adamson
• “Alert” Dima Yagnyuk
• “Box” Martin Karachorov
• “Bomb” 42
• “Ruler” Zbigniew Flakus
• “Robot” Kenneth Appiah
• “Sasquatch” Mike Wirth