"it looks very...
 

  You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more

[Closed] "it looks very professional".

33 Posts
34 Users
0 Reactions
298 Views
 Pook
Posts: 12677
Full Member
Topic starter
 

How are you supposed to react when people say that about [i] your actual work[/i]?

I've designed some stuff that's gone out round the company late last week. Feedback is trickling in with this "it looks very professional" comment popping up a couple of times.

Bearing in mind this is my job surely it's meant to look professional?! Am I exuding amateurish tendencies generally....???

Am I justified in poking these people in the eye?


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 7:49 am
Posts: 7121
Free Member
 

I don't know what to say but you sound like you know what you're doing.


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 7:51 am
Posts: 25815
Full Member
 

I think they mean the content is shite


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 7:52 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

If it's something which other people could do, but would do poorly (e.g. design) then those sort of comment seem par for the course. I think what they probably mean is "christ, that's pretty good!"

They're commenting from a lay perspective and are probably trying to find approving phrases but don't have any other than "it looks very professional".

Take it as a compliment. 🙂


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 7:53 am
Posts: 0
Full Member
 

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damning_with_faint_praise

Or more likely, folk are too unimaginative to think of anything useful to say when they actually approve. It's worse when they say nothing IMHO.


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 7:58 am
Posts: 2
Free Member
 

I'd take it as a good thing.


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 8:02 am
Posts: 13164
Full Member
 

I would regard that as high praise, but I'm an under-paid amateur so what would I know!


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 8:06 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

I get that sometimes. I generally think it means "I'd like to think I could do this sort of thing as well as you but my inability to give constructive feedback undermines that belief so let's say something generic."


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 8:08 am
Posts: 145
Free Member
 

Roughly translates as just about acceptable


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 8:09 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

So, you're just another over sensitive creative type! 😉


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 8:10 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

What is it you design?


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 8:13 am
Posts: 13741
Full Member
 

What was it?

Can you post it on here and be judged by your peers here. If you dare! 😉


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 8:13 am
Posts: 1
Free Member
 

"it looks very professional"

They missed the words "for you" meaning you exceeded their expectations, which is always a good thing. What you need to ask is why they had a lower opinion of you?

Are you a bit of a joker in the office?


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 8:14 am
Posts: 3378
Full Member
 

From "that 70's show"
"just take their money and smile like a jackass"


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 8:15 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

How professional can you make a newsletter look?


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 8:25 am
Posts: 1442
Free Member
 

Perhaps it means:
We normally pay a professional, we have no budget, what you have done is no masterpiece but better than we expected. It will do.


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 8:28 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Quite simply, they don't believe you did it


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 8:29 am
Posts: 12329
Full Member
 

Do you work for Unprofessional-props 'R' Us?


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 8:31 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

"Compared with previous output, this one doesn't look like a five year old was let loose with MS Paint"


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 8:32 am
Posts: 784
Free Member
 

Whenever someone has stated that my design work looks very professional I have always acted a bit dissapointed and told them that I was trying to be more "pro-celebrity" 🙂


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 8:34 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

You sound paranoid!


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 8:38 am
Posts: 17728
Full Member
 

I'd say it means "we thought you were going to make a right hash of that, but it's turned out pretty good....."


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 8:40 am
Posts: 65918
Full Member
 

Quite often, we have to produce material that's designed to look less professional. "That looks really amateurish" is the highest compliment this stuff can be paid. But every so often someone isn't sure what sort of project they're looking at, and inadvertantly compliments a serious bit of work on its amateurishness.


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 9:34 am
Posts: 56564
Full Member
 

It could have been worse. At least they didn't say 'that looks nice'

Nice? NICE?[b] ****ING NICE?!!!!![/b]

Hang on a minute. Could you just stay there. I just need to nip and get something……

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 9:41 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Send them feedback on their feedback, see where that gets you.


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 9:52 am
Posts: 251
Full Member
 

"it looks very professional"

=

"Could you add a rainbow and a teddy bear?"


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 9:56 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

My mums just been up to site, I gave her a quick look round the five houses etc. She commented on how nice the feather edge fence I've hand built all round the site was. The comment being "have you really done that"
Yeah cheers mum!


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 9:59 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Don't take it too seriously, perhaps competitors work looks more amateurish.


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 10:47 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Poke them in the eye.


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 10:53 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

"You are the Crank Bros of this industry"


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 10:59 am
 joat
Posts: 1447
Full Member
 

Whilst trimming trees away from some power lines in a woman's garden for the local electric company, she delights in telling us her son does this "for a living!".


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 11:01 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

I'm struggling to see the problem. Personally I aspire to do a professional looking job when I'm being paid for it, having seen plenty of non-professional looking work carried out on a paid basis (to be honest I often do more "professional looking" stuff when not having the time restraints of a paid for job).


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 11:13 am
Posts: 40225
Free Member
 

Please tell me you're a graphic designer.


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 11:17 am
 D0NK
Posts: 592
Full Member
 

Am I justified in poking these people in the eye?
what do you do? If it's web design or photography/photoshoppery that a lot of enthusiasts/amateurs do (and some do very badly) I'd see it as positive, if you're a brain surgeon then yeah there might be a bit of faint praise thingy going on.


 
Posted : 23/12/2013 12:00 pm

6 DAYS LEFT
We are currently at 95% of our target!