On critiquing design

A person tends to critique a design in one of several ways. The most common, and usually least valuable, is by gut reaction.

— D. Keith Robinson

I totally agree here. I remember back when I interned at Workbench Magazine (now My Home My Style) and the Assistant Art Director, Doug Appleby would critique the magazine spreads I designed. Note: I would get his advice and critiques multiple times a day. He would always look at it for a minute or two before even saying a word. I believe he was really analyzing what I designed and what he thinks of it, instead of just saying his gut reaction.