The part of the process most companies skip—and why it matters. The first question I ask before designing any identity has nothing to do with logos, colors, or typography. It’s much simpler—and far more revealing. I want to understand the one thing about a company that is undeniably true, the thing that can be elevated, extended, and built into something lasting. Every strong identity starts there. Not with trends. Not with templates. With the most authentic part of the compa

What makes a brand identity stick — and the one thing that brings it all together. The strongest brand identities always look simple. They feel clean, intentional, and almost obvious — as if they were always meant to exist. But that simplicity is never accidental. Behind every identity that “sticks” is a layer of decisive work: decisions about tone, structure, hierarchy, and restraint. The real craft isn’t in adding more elements, but in building a system that’s clear enough

A look at the strategic test you can’t skip when choosing a brand name. Naming looks simple from the outside — a few words on a page, a shortlist, a final pick. But anyone who’s ever tried to name a brand knows it’s one of the hardest creative decisions a company will make. The reasons are many, but the biggest is this: naming is often more of a political process than a creative one. Much of it happens through committee. However, even with all the opinions and internal alignm

Graphic design layout often involves displaying and arranging some visual elements within a composition. But another way to understand what makes a composition is to recognize what parts are not visible. I’m talking about more than negative space. There are parts of a layout that are invisible because of the way we look at them and how we think about them. Examine figure 1. You’re probably thinking, “I see two rectangles, or maybe an equal sign.” In fact, there is more to thi

What makes a font legible? In my research, I found four simple things to look for when selecting a font for readability. The most significant thing to identify in a font is the x-height. The x-height, relative to the H’s crossbar height, is a great way to test a font readability. Typically, a moderate x-height yields the best readability. There are other factors, such as a font’s contrast, that is, the level of thick-to-thin contours of a font. Light type contrast is harder t