What to email when a design client stops responding

Identify the decision that is missing

An email saying “just checking in” makes the client reconstruct the whole project. Give them the item under review, the question they need to answer and the person responsible. If there are three pending decisions, distinguish the one blocking the next stage from those that can wait.

Check that the review link still works and that the request reached the correct contact. The client may be waiting on another reviewer, have access problems or have a changed priority. Those are possibilities to ask about, not facts to insert into the email.

This guide is for an active project. If a prospect has not accepted your proposal, use the proposal follow-up guide instead. If the missing item is copy or images, make the request specific with the content-and-assets checklist.

Choose timing from the project record

Start with the response date or review window you actually agreed. Once that point passes, a concise reminder can refer to it without accusing the client. If no response date was agreed, choose a reasonable check-in based on the project stage and ask when the decision can be made.

There is no fixed reminder interval in this guide that guarantees a response. A same-day repeated message can create noise; waiting without recording the impact can leave both sides planning against different assumptions. Use a clear checkpoint and the client’s usual project channel.

A follow-up for an active design review

Hi [contact],

I am following up on [version/deliverable] sent on [date]: [review link]. I am waiting for [specific decision or consolidated feedback] before [next step].

Could you confirm [the decision] or let me know when you expect to send the feedback? Once I have it, I can confirm the next delivery date.

[Your name]

If the delivery date is already unaffected, say that accurately. If you know a delay has moved the schedule, state the actual impact. “Once I have it” should not conceal an already known schedule problem.

Example: feedback needed before the next screen

Maya sent Northline’s homepage version 3 on October 8. Feedback was expected October 10. Alex has not supplied it, and Maya needs the homepage decision before applying the design direction to the next agreed screen. This is a fictional example.

Hi Alex,

I am following up on homepage v3 sent October 8. The review link is [link]. I am waiting for the consolidated homepage feedback before applying the direction to the next screen.

Could you send that feedback, or confirm when the review will be complete? The October 10 feedback checkpoint has passed, so I need to review the remaining schedule once I have your response.

Maya

The message records the missed checkpoint without inventing a penalty, a project cancellation or a new completion date. Maya has one actionable request rather than a general demand to be more responsive.

If the next reminder also goes unanswered

Record what is pending and decide your own next step using the project arrangement. You might request a short status call or propose a revised review checkpoint. If you choose to pause a stage, describe which work is paused and the actual conditions for restarting. Do not let an AI draft decide that for you.

Does no response mean the design is approved?

Do not turn silence into approval in the email unless that reflects an applicable agreed process you have checked. Otherwise, keep approval marked pending.

Should I copy every stakeholder?

Use the agreed decision channel. Adding more people without knowing who can resolve the decision may produce more separate comments rather than a usable answer.