A writing piece on types of criticism and how to best give them in a way the creator can best receive without discouragement.
Knowing what type of criticism you as a creator are seeking and properly clarifying ensures that you can receive in the ways that work best for you :>
Here are some types of criticism:
Criticism that focuses on acknowledging the creator's strengths and/or positive aspects of the work such as:
☘ Admiring lineart / coloring / shading / lighting / proportions / character designs / backgrounds / etc.
☘ Complimenting prose / vocabulary / narrative arcs / character development / descriptions / worldbuilding / etc.
☘ Validating flow / movement / style / footwork / etc.
☘ Affirming instrumentation / beat / melody / flow / etc.
☘ Admire stitching / patterns
☘ Appreciate voice direction / delivery / cadence / etc.
( Feel free to share other aspects of one's work to be complimented across any and all mediums )
Thoroughly cover both positive and negative aspects of a creator's work with tips for improvement when possible.
☘ Discussing good and poor color choice, proportions, backgrounds, and/or designs
☘ Strong and weak points, articulate phrasing and grammatical errors, and/or polish
☘ ☘ ☘ Note anything that may need to be added, fleshed out, and/or reworked
( Feel free to share other aspects of one's work to be critiqued across any and all mediums )
Focus on one or more issues with no guarantee of positive feedback but with tips for improvement when possible.
Opinion Based Criticism ∼
What the viewer thinks which is unlikely to be objective and may or may not include tips for improvement.
Note: Mention which you're using if there is a mixture, which can be explicit such as a section named after the type, or smooth such as simply saying “Personally, I…”
Discussion or Statement ∼
Furthermore, any of the aforementioned forms of critique can be requested as a longer Discussion or General Statement.
☘ Discussion - Intended back and forth
☘ General Statement - Likely to be one piece, though may be extended by questions or suggestions
Note: A request for a shift from General Statement to Discussion can be made if desired
Some tips for Formal Critique & Constructive Criticism:
If possible, suggest how and/or why something should be improved as that will be less likely to be read as “Everything you're doing is wrong” and can provide a jumping off point for the creator's improvement.
If possible, provide examples of where and what is being critiqued has been done better in order to offer guidance and/or assist the creator in figuring out what you do and don't want.
Additionally, knowing when something is objective and something is subjective then labeling accordingly can be useful in clarifying differing standpoints.
Some tips for Opinion Based Criticism:
Tell people why you dislike something that way it is less likely to be read as mindless bashing and is more clearly a matter of preference and is more likely to be understood even by those that disagree.
The same also applies to what you like in a work so personal tastes aren't misread as mindless worship or mere contrarianism.
Please remember, do NOT speak ill of those with opposing opinions. Things like personal insults, threats, condescension, and similar things deteriorate the value of criticism and make it more likely to be read as an attack and by extension disregarded.
“If you are going to criticize the creative content of others, bring creative solutions with you” ∼ The Sonic Reboot that SHOOK the fans ||By Channel Pup|| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMReCcRchMA&t=193s = [3:04 - 3:10]
Below is a suggestion for requesting certain forms of critique using emojis as shorthand:
Requesting Positive Feedback = 🥰
Requesting Formal Critique = 🤔
Requesting Constructive Criticism = ☝️
Requesting Opinion Based Criticism = 😶🌫️
May these aid you in providing the best possible critique :>
Critique Post: Critique | Compliments | Creator's Preference
