If You Hate “Design by Committee,” You Don’t Understand the Job

Every designer has seen the complaints about “design by committee.” The story is always the same — a brilliant idea watered down by too many opinions until it’s a shadow of what it could have been. It’s an easy frustration to share, but it’s built on a misunderstanding of what the job really is.

In business, feedback doesn’t come from random voices. It comes from the people who understand the customer, the numbers, the brand, and the risks. They know what’s at stake, and they’re trying to protect it. Ignoring that doesn’t make a designer brave — it makes them naïve.

The goal isn’t to avoid feedback; it’s to anticipate it. A strong design stands up to discussion because it’s built on strategy, not personal taste. If a piece of work falls apart as soon as someone questions it, that’s not “the committee ruining it” — it’s the designer failing to build it on solid ground.

Good design doesn’t need defending; it explains itself. It connects the dots between creativity and commercial logic. The best designers know how to make work that earns agreement in the room, not arguments. They understand that success isn’t about winning approval from other designers online — it’s about delivering results for the business.

Design will always involve opinions, but the smartest creatives design in a way that brings people with them. That’s not compromise — that’s clarity. And when you learn to design for the room instead of against it, you stop fighting the process and start leading it.