Digging into the background and context before opening software. Good design starts with proper inquiry, not guessing on a blank canvas.

Asking what the work needs to say before deciding how loud it should look. If the underlying idea is weak, decoration will not save it.

Stripping away all colour, texture and styling. If a layout or symbol fails to work in raw black and white, the structure is broken.

Cutting out decorative clutter and extraneous elements until only what is strictly necessary remains on the page.

Looking past predictable online moodboards and finding reference material in physical print, history and archival artefacts.

Mastering typographic hierarchy and baseline grids so that every broken rule is intentional, not an accident.

Printing work at 100% scale on paper. Screen mockups lie about weight, legibility and physical presence.

Taking critical feedback without being defensive, tearing down weak drafts and pushing ideas through multiple revisions.

Giving typography and imagery the space they need to communicate clearly rather than crowding the margins.

Obsessing over kerning, tracking, rags and line hierarchy: the quiet discipline that separates thoughtful work from lazy execution.