Dig into the context before reaching for design tools. The better I understand the problem, the less I have to rely on assumptions.

Work out what the idea needs to say before deciding how loud it should look. A strong visual can grab attention, but it cannot rescue a weak concept.

Strip away the colour, texture and styling to expose the structure underneath. If a layout or symbol cannot hold up in black and white, it is not resolved yet.

Remove anything that does not earn its place. Every element should have a reason to be there, not simply fill the space.

Look beyond predictable online references and dig into print, history and archives. The more varied the source material, the less predictable the work becomes.

Understand grids, hierarchy and typographic structure before choosing to disrupt them. Breaking a rule should strengthen the idea, not disguise an accident.

Print the work at full scale and judge it in the form it is meant to exist. Screens can hide problems with scale, legibility and physical presence.

Take criticism without protecting the first idea. If the work is not holding up, question it, rebuild it and keep pushing until it does.

Give type and imagery enough space to do their job. Not every gap needs filling, and not every margin needs pushing.

Pay attention to the details people might never notice: kerning, tracking, rags and hierarchy. Good typography often works because nothing feels accidentally out of place.