This is the wrong way to do things because it's still focused on the person. Criticise the work. The product. What's on the paper, the screen, whatever. If

This is the wrong way to do things because it's still focused on the person. Criticise the work. The product. What's on the paper, the screen, whatever. If you're being kind (or unkind), you're still focused on the person -- quit it! Focus on the work! If someone digs a hole in the wrong freakin' place, you don't say "gee, I really appreciate your work digging that hole as deep as you did but it seems something wasn't made clear enough to you, which is that the hole is intended be located over there, where, as you can see, it would work much better." Argh! Just say "Oh no, the hole is supposed to be over there!" I know this seems like a tone-deaf socially ignorant approach, but here's the thing. You're on the same team as the person whose work (not them) you're criticizing. If it might seem like you're not, make that clear first. Criticism must be a cooperative thing. Purely antagonistic criticism is evil. And make clear what your taste is. There's a huge difference between "I hate it" and "it's horrible," between subjective and objective. A front page with a out-of-place word-art logo? That's an "I hate it" -- I just think it's ugly. A user registration page with two screenfuls of fields to fill out? That's an "it's horrible" -- it just doesn't work. But maybe I'm wrong. A side project for me is studying creative leadership, and this is some of the stuff I've picked up. So if you have a different view, please blast away; I'd like to hear it.