Most people think design starts with a moodboard.

A logo. A grid.

But the most powerful design work I’ve ever created didn’t start with visuals.

It started with clarity.

And conviction.

Before I touch a single pixel, I go through three steps that most designers skip—
but they make all the difference between something that looks good and something that feels unforgettable.

Here they are:

1. I define the emotional goal.

Design is emotion made visible.
So I ask: “What do I want someone to feel when they experience this?”

Not think.
Not say.
But feel.

Is it awe? Trust? Rebellion? Belonging?

Design without an emotional goal is decoration.
Design with emotion is transformation.

This single question filters every design decision I make—color, type, tone, movement, and beyond.

2. I write the first 3 sentences of the brand story.

If I can’t articulate the story, I can’t express it visually.
This forces me to think in narrative, not noise.

I write the opening lines like a movie trailer:

“Born from the breakroom of a burned-out startup, this brand gives creative misfits a place to finally belong.”

That’s not design yet.

But it’s direction.
Design isn’t what it looks like.
It’s what it means.

And story is the fastest way to find meaning.

3. I identify what doesn’t belong.

Most designers think in terms of adding.

But great design starts with subtraction.

→ What won’t we do?
→ What won’t we say?
→ What won’t we include?

This is where the brand’s edges get sharp.

A great identity isn’t one that includes everything.
It’s one that chooses ruthlessly.

I ask myself:

“If I had to remove 90% of what I’m thinking… what 10% has to stay?”

That’s where the brand’s soul usually lives.

The Bottom Line

Design doesn’t start in software.

It starts in intention.

Before a single line is drawn, the story must be clear, the feeling must be focused, and the noise must be removed.

These three steps have helped me create more meaningful, emotionally resonant, and strategically sound brands.

Not because I’m chasing aesthetics…

But because I’m chasing truth.