Every item here was earned. Each one is a pattern that cost somebody a round of editing.
Never write these
Relative adjectives with no number. "Slightly more to the bottom", "a lighter shade", "looks elongated, fix it". Write "move down 60px", "lighten to #6B4A78", "keep the offer boxes square".
"Correct the logo based on the reference." Without "reproduce as-is, do not redraw", it redraws, and you loop.
"At the extreme edge with no margins." That is not a measurement. Write "offset from right edge: 0px".
"Follow the guidelines at [link]." A link cannot be opened from a prompt. Paste the hex values, the type and the clear space rule inline.
Safe space in inches on a pixel canvas. Undefined. Use pixels or percent.
Re-pasting the whole original brief to fix one thing. It regenerates from scratch and discards everything already right. Write "in v3, change only [one thing], everything else stays".
Bare replies. "Ok", "yes", "please proceed". They consume a turn and steer nothing. Give the next instruction or close the thread.
"The reference" when more than one file is attached. Name it, or paste its URL.
Always do these
One intent per turn. Two clean turns beat one bundled request that fails halfway.
Put a number on every spatial instruction. Pixels, percent, or a named hex.
Carry a preserve list in every edit. "Only X changes, Y and Z stay exactly the same."
Quote exact copy, values and dates rather than paraphrasing them.
Close every new brief with a DO NOT list. It is the cheapest quality control available.
Mark the region when you want a local fix, instead of describing where it is.
Adapt from an approved master rather than regenerating, so the version lineage survives.
Ask for QC findings before fixes, so the pass cannot introduce new drift.
Attach, do not describe. A described logo is redrawn; an attached one is reproduced.