Stop battling your clients: How embracing criticism leads to brilliant creative
Feedback—especially the kind that makes you reconsider everything—can be one of the toughest parts of the creative process. Yet, mastering how to handle feedback effectively is often what distinguishes good work from truly great campaigns.
In this insightful article, Max Arkell, Client Partner & Head of Account Management at Dark Horses, draws on his extensive experience navigating complex client-agency relationships to explore why feedback, even when frustrating, isn’t the enemy. Instead, Max reveals how turning criticism into collaboration can unlock creative excellence and build stronger, more trusting partnerships.
“We showed it to the wider team, and they have thoughts”
“Can we make the logo bigger?”
“But how does this fit into a Gen Z audience?”
Any feedback like this can be an absolute gut punch
You’ve spent late nights refining, shaping, finessing, and then you’re met with the feedback that just makes you want to give it all up. A team once told me how when they share their work, even in an internal review, it’s as if they’re pouring their soul out for all to bear…so please keep that in mind when feeding back. That’s always stuck with me, and I think of it more so when a client also gives their thoughts.
But here’s the thing: feedback, even when frustrating, isn’t the enemy. It’s the bridge to getting somewhere better.
Adland is filled with its share of flat-white sipping, pontificating experts. The ones who ‘get it.’ And let’s be honest, sometimes we do. But the truth is, the client knows their business better than we ever will. Their criticism, their tweaks, their pushback – it all comes from a fundamental place: wanting to get to the best possible outcome. And isn’t that what we want too?
The problem often starts when we see client feedback as a battle rather than a conversation. Too often, the creative process is framed as “us vs. them.” We want to push boundaries; they want to play it safe. But ask yourself, in most cases, is this actually true? You’ll probably find it isn’t.
Unless of course you just have one of those clients who doesn’t give good feedback. Some of it is knee-jerk, some of it is misinformed, and some of it is just plain nonsense. But dismissing it outright means missing the real insight underneath. A client saying, “I don’t like it” isn’t helpful, but it’s an invitation. Why don’t they like it? What’s making them hesitate? Digging into those moments – turning frustration into curiosity – is where the magic happens.
But the best relationships – the ones that create iconic, effective work – are built on trust. Trust that we, as client partners and creatives alike, are fighting for something great, and trust that the client’s input isn’t about ego, but about excellence. Trust isn’t built overnight – it’s earned, project by project, conversation by conversation. The best client-agency relationships feel less like a transaction and more like a partnership, where both sides respect each other’s expertise.
That starts with honesty. Agencies need to be upfront about what’s possible, what’s effective, and what’s just creative self-indulgence. Clients, on the other hand, need to be transparent about their challenges, ambitions, and internal pressures. There’s always something going on behind the scenes so when both parties operate with that level of openness, the work benefits – and so does the working relationship.
But let’s also be honest – sometimes, feedback hurts because it exposes the holes. That amazing idea you presented? Maybe it wasn’t as amazing as you thought. Maybe it was too indulgent, too niche, or just didn’t answer the problem the brand’s so desperately trying to solve. It’s easy to fall in love with our own thinking, to believe we’ve cracked the code, but great work isn’t just about what we like – it’s about what resonates. A client’s discomfort can be a sign that we’re not quite there yet, and as much as we might resist it, that’s valuable.
And then there’s the flip side: the clients who push us further than we ever would have gone alone. The ones who ask the tough questions, challenge the safe option, and demand something better. The best work often comes from this creative tension, where both sides refuse to settle. Look at the most celebrated campaigns, the ones that define an era of advertising and become a reference for the rest of us – they weren’t born from a passive approval process. They came from rigorous debate, from iteration after iteration, from two sides equally invested in making something exceptional.
So next time feedback lands in your inbox and your stomach tightens, take a deep breath. Even if they are fixating on the logo and you want to punch your screen, read it again. Find the common ground. Find the bridge. Because the work will always be better when it’s built together.