By Arjun A Acharry in Free Thinking — 01 Jul 2025

🎨 Designed It Right. Still My Fault?

Even when you follow every instruction, you might still get blamed. Here’s a real story from my life as a designer—and a reminder that creative work deserves trust, respect, and a little more appreciation.

Image Generated By AI

Designers live in a strange world. A world where a small curve can be called “too sharp,” where a color can feel “not fresh enough,” and where a font—yes, just a font—can spark a 30-minute debate.

Design isn’t just about creativity. It’s about patience. It’s about solving problems, communicating emotions, and constantly listening. But here's the real twist — even when you do everything right, you might still be wrong.

😮‍💨 When You Follow Every Instruction... and Still Get Blamed

Picture this.

You spend hours understanding the client’s requirement.
You study the brand, the audience, the tone.
You create the design. It’s neat, powerful, and fits perfectly.

Then you send it.

Silence for two hours.

Then comes the message:

“Hey, can we try something else? Just a small change...”
...and that “small change” opens a long thread of never-ending feedback.

Eventually, the original design — the one that felt right — becomes a shadow of itself. You’ve followed all the suggestions, changed every pixel they asked, but now even the soul of the design is gone. And when the feedback from their boss or a cousin or a friend comes in, guess what?

“This design is not working. What happened?”

Suddenly, you’re the villain.
Even though you just followed orders.

💡 A Real Moment That Gave Me Hope Again

Let me tell you something that reminded me why I still design — even with all this madness.

Back in college, I was the COO of Inovus Labs IEDC during 2024-25. July 2nd, 2024, was a big day — our new juniors were stepping into college life for the first time. A lot of ceremonies were happening, and we, as Inovus Labs, decided to welcome them in our own creative way.

I designed a small welcome card — playful, vibrant, and inspired by a popular Malayalam movie dialogue back then:
“അടിച്ച് കേറിവാ!” (Adichu Keriva)

It was funny, it was fresh, and everyone loved it. We had created a new vibe — something personal, something that made people smile.

Fast forward to 2025. I had graduated. No longer a student. No longer the COO. Just a mentor now.

One day, I got a casual message from the new CEO of Inovus Labs, Amith Abey Stephen:

“ചേട്ടാ, ജൂലൈ 1 ന് പുതിയ ജൂനിയേഴ്സ് വരും, എന്തെങ്കിലും ചെയ്യണ്ടേ?”
(Chetta, July 1st new juniors are coming, shouldn’t we do something?)

It felt nice — to still be part of it. I said yes. But I had no clue what to do.

After thinking a lot, I noticed that pull-up banners were trending everywhere. They were eye-catching, affordable, and perfect for a college entrance. But I needed a theme — something fresh.

And then it clicked.

I had just watched the movie Thudarum, and the character “George Sir” — the iconic villain — stuck with me. Especially his classic dialogue:

“Helloo...”

That’s it. That was the spark.
I designed a poster using George Sir’s image and that single word. Bold. Fun. Unexpected.

But now came the risky part — getting permission to actually put it up.

I thought the Principal might say no. It’s a bit quirky, after all.

But to my surprise? He saw the design, smiled, and said:

“This is unique. Go ahead.”

We printed the banner, placed it right at the college entrance, and waited.

🎉 The Reaction That Made Everything Worth It

Opening day. The auditorium session was over. Students and parents started walking toward the campus.

And then... they saw it.

The reactions?
📸 Phones came out.
😊 Smiles appeared.
🎉 Laughter echoed.

Some parents actually stopped to take pictures with the poster. Students pointed, and had a genuine moment of joy.

I stood there quietly, observing it all. That exact moment — seeing people connect with your work in such a natural, unfiltered way — is hard to explain.

But if you're a designer, you know that feeling.
It’s the kind of satisfaction that no client feedback form will ever capture.

🧠 But Let’s Be Honest... Why Are Designers Always the Culprit?

Here’s what I’ve learned:

When a design succeeds, it’s a “team effort.”
When it fails, it’s “the designer’s fault.”

Funny, isn’t it?

We follow the brief. We apply the feedback. We rework, adjust, tweak — over and over again. And then, one outsider’s opinion changes everything.

And just like that, the blame shifts — right to the person who spent the most effort.

Designers often have to defend creativity, even when they’re just executing someone else’s vision. That’s the sad part — when the creator becomes the scapegoat.

🤲 Dear Clients, Trust Your Designers

We know you have ideas.
We respect your vision.
But remember: you hired us for a reason.

We see things differently.
We understand shapes, colors, emotions, user behavior — and how all of that comes together to make someone feel something.

Don’t just tell us what to change — tell us what you want to achieve.
Don’t micromanage — collaborate.

Give us space. Trust the process. Respect the creative brain you brought in.
Because real design is not just about “looking good” — it’s about making an impact.