How do I stop getting vague feedback like 'make it pop'?

Vague feedback almost always means the client can't point at what they mean. Two fixes: ask specific brief-anchored questions ('does the event date read at a glance?') rather than 'what do you think?', and give clients a way to click the exact element. When they pin a note to the headline, they write 'this reads as two words on a dark background' — not 'the type doesn't feel right'.

Can my client annotate a poster without a Figma account?

Not in Figma — commenting requires a login, and that friction is real for clients who aren't Figma users. Export the poster as a PNG or PDF and share it through a browser-based review tool where they comment as a guest. No account, no extension, works on phone or desktop.

What file format should I send a poster in for feedback?

PNG at screen resolution is fastest to open and works in any browser — good for visual rounds. PDF is worth including when the client needs to check that body text reads at print size or that bleed areas are present. For a link-based review tool, both work; the annotation layer lives server-side, not inside the file.

How do I handle multiple stakeholders with conflicting poster feedback?

One link, one thread, one named decision-maker. When all reviewers comment on the same artifact, conflicting opinions are visible to each other in that thread rather than arriving as separate emails to reconcile. Designate who has final sign-off before you share the link.

How many rounds of revisions are normal for a poster?

Two structured rounds is standard: first covers direction and hierarchy, second covers refinements. Projects that run to four or five rounds usually have one cause — a late stakeholder whose input arrived after the 'approved' email. A revision limit in the contract, with written sign-off before each new round, tends to hold it at two.

drafty

How to get feedback on a poster

Quick answer

To get useful feedback on a poster, give your client a way to click the exact element they mean — not describe it in an email. 'The font at the top' could be the event title, the date, or the tagline. Share a link they open in any browser, click the headline or the logo or the bottom-right sponsor block, and pin a note there. Vague feedback ('make it bolder') almost always comes from clients who can't point at what they mean — not from clients who don't know what they want.

Step 1

Export a proof and show it in context

A poster on a blank white slide invites abstract opinions. Export from Canva (Download → PNG), Illustrator (File → Export As → PNG), or Photoshop and drop it into a realistic mockup — the wall it's going on, the A3 print it becomes. The difference this makes: a client who says 'needs more impact' on a white canvas says 'the headline disappears against the dark background' on a wall mockup — which is actionable. Always send black-and-white alongside colour in round one: if hierarchy only reads in colour, you want to surface that before the client approves.

Step 2

Ask two or three specific questions with the proof

Open questions produce open answers. Instead of 'what do you think?', write two or three questions tied to the decisions you're uncertain about: 'Does the event date read at a glance?' or 'Is the sponsor logo prominent enough relative to the event name?' or 'Does the tagline say what the event is, or is it too abstract?' Three questions, one round. For a forced choice between concepts, ask explicitly: 'A or B, and which element made the difference?' Forced choices produce cleaner rounds than 'what do you prefer?' — and they're faster to answer on a phone.

Step 3

Share a link instead of emailing the file

The standard loop breaks like this: designer emails a PNG, client replies 'the text at the bottom — can it be a bit bigger?' You have no idea which text block, or what 'a bit' means. The cleaner path: share a link the client opens in any browser. They click the element and pin a note — 'this reads at 8pt; needs at least 11pt.' No account, no app, works on their phone. When a second stakeholder arrives late with a conflicting opinion, both notes land in the same thread rather than separate emails. Without a shared link you reconcile feedback; with one you resolve it. Tools in this space: Markup.io, GoVisually, Drafty.

Step 4

Close each round explicitly before opening the next

Runaway revisions usually come from feedback that arrives after the round was supposed to close — marketing approves the type on Monday, the creative director asks for a different headline on Wednesday. Fix: require written confirmation before starting any revision. If the poster is going to print, get sign-off on bleed and trim separately — not bundled into the visual feedback round. The gotcha most designers hit: clients approve a screen-resolution export and then say the print feels different. Flag it early: 'this is for visual feedback; colour and print checks are a separate stage.'

The faster way

Drop the exported PNG or PDF into Drafty and send the link. Your client clicks the headline that reads too small, the logo that feels off, the date in the wrong hierarchy — and pins a note to that element. No account, works on their phone. Notes land in one thread; you reply, resolve, and push the revised version to the same link.

Open a live demo

Questions

How do I stop getting vague feedback like 'make it pop'?: Vague feedback almost always means the client can't point at what they mean. Two fixes: ask specific brief-anchored questions ('does the event date read at a glance?') rather than 'what do you think?', and give clients a way to click the exact element. When they pin a note to the headline, they write 'this reads as two words on a dark background' — not 'the type doesn't feel right'.
Can my client annotate a poster without a Figma account?: Not in Figma — commenting requires a login, and that friction is real for clients who aren't Figma users. Export the poster as a PNG or PDF and share it through a browser-based review tool where they comment as a guest. No account, no extension, works on phone or desktop.
What file format should I send a poster in for feedback?: PNG at screen resolution is fastest to open and works in any browser — good for visual rounds. PDF is worth including when the client needs to check that body text reads at print size or that bleed areas are present. For a link-based review tool, both work; the annotation layer lives server-side, not inside the file.
How do I handle multiple stakeholders with conflicting poster feedback?: One link, one thread, one named decision-maker. When all reviewers comment on the same artifact, conflicting opinions are visible to each other in that thread rather than arriving as separate emails to reconcile. Designate who has final sign-off before you share the link.
How many rounds of revisions are normal for a poster?: Two structured rounds is standard: first covers direction and hierarchy, second covers refinements. Projects that run to four or five rounds usually have one cause — a late stakeholder whose input arrived after the 'approved' email. A revision limit in the contract, with written sign-off before each new round, tends to hold it at two.

Keep exploring

How to annotate a poster How to get feedback on a logo How to get feedback on a mockup Design feedback tool

Stop emailing files back and forth.

Share one link. They comment on the exact spot — no account, always the current version.

Open a live demo