Pass one: does it answer the brief?
Read the brief before opening the candidates. Identify the intended message, placement, and non-negotiable details. A beautiful image can still be unsuitable if the subject is unclear, the mood points in another direction, or the frame has no room for necessary copy.
Look at the candidates at the size where they will appear. Ask a reviewer to describe what they notice first without explaining your intention. Use the response as a discussion prompt, not as a formal audience study or evidence of likely campaign performance.
- The main subject and intended message are clear.
- The composition supports the planned headline, crop, or sequence.
- The palette, setting, and mood follow the agreed direction.
- Each selected frame contributes something useful to the set.
Pass two: inspect the details that carry meaning
Inspect the full-resolution image, especially details a customer would use to understand the subject. For a person, look at hands, facial details, clothing boundaries, and repeated accessories. For an object, look at joins, edges, repeated parts, proportions, and the relationship between it and the surface beneath it.
For a real product, compare against approved references. A different clasp, changed material, or invented opening can alter what the image communicates about the item. If accuracy cannot be established, keep the image as a concept or choose another production method for the final representation.
Pass three: read the background and the crop
Scan away from the subject. Look for stray letter-like marks, unexplained reflections, partial objects, and details that compete with the focal point. Check transitions where one material meets another and where the subject meets the background.
Return to the intended crop after this close inspection. A detail that seems minor at full size can become prominent when the image is cropped. Conversely, an elaborate correction may be unnecessary if the detail is outside every approved placement. Record which crop was actually reviewed.
Record approve, revise, or hold
Keep the decision simple and include its reason. An approved frame fits the brief and has passed the checks required for its use. A revision has a specific, achievable next instruction. A hold means an unresolved question needs an answer before the image can be approved.
Use the same review categories across the set so that the most dramatic image does not receive a different standard. A tiny scoring system can help organize discussion, but it should not turn an unverified product detail into an acceptable average score.
From the brief
Asset: launch-hero-03 Placement reviewed: desktop hero and narrow-screen crop Decision: revise Keep: palette and subject position Required change: remove the distracting background mark Unresolved question: confirm the object's shape against the approved reference Reviewer and review date: record with the final file
Check the finished asset one last time
Add final typography and brand assets in the design file, then review the exported version. Confirm the crop, text, naming, and intended placement. Make sure the person publishing can tell the approved file apart from experiments and earlier exports.
Keep the brief, selected image, and approval note together. If the image is later reused for a different purpose, review that placement separately. Approval for one context does not answer every question about a new one.
Put the brief to work.
Bring your next idea to the studio and choose its visual direction.
Open the studio