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01 · Sense-making stage

Core

Understand the project before you start designing.

What → Who/Why → Where/How Slow down long enough to understand what is being asked, who it matters to, and what conditions shape the outcome. A clear starting point helps you make purposeful decisions instead of reacting to the first idea.

Unpack · Define · Orient

01

Unpack the brief

A clear brief gives you direction.

Do this

Rewrite the brief in your own words.

Then identify:

Core message: what needs to be communicated? Deliverables : what do you need to make?

Must-haves: what cannot change?

What's unclear: what do you still need to find out?

Then sort anything else into:

Fixed · Flexible · Unknown

WHY IT HELPS

When you feel stuck, go back to the brief. Separate what you know from what you are assuming.

Clear the uncertainty before you start solving the design.

A brief can feel clear at first, but students often start designing before they have worked out what is actually being asked.

Rewriting the brief in your own words helps you separate the problem from your first interpretation of it. It also makes it easier to notice what is fixed, what can change, and what information is missing.

The aim is not to overthink the brief. It is to remove uncertainty before you invest time in an idea.

Ask yourself:

What do I definitely know?

What am I assuming?

What can I change?

What do I still need to clarify?

What is the one thing this project needs to communicate?

A clear brief gives you a stronger starting point. If you feel stuck later, come back here and check whether the direction still matches what the project is actually asking for.

Draw the brief as a map.

Show: core message · deliverables · must-haves · unknowns

Use boxes, arrows or symbols to show what is fixed and what can move.

Don’t start designing until you know what you’re actually being asked to do.

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02

Define the problem + audience

A strong design problem connects what needs to change with who it matters to.

Do this

Complete:

This project needs to help [audience] ______ because ______.

Then ask:

Who specifically is this for?

What do they need to think, feel or do?

If useful, add a quick empathy check:

Think · Feel · Say · Do

WHY IT HELPS

A deliverable tells you what to make. The problem tells you why it needs to exist.

Understanding the audience helps you make decisions that are relevant, not generic.

If you haven't defined the problem clearly, you can create — or generate with AI — a polished answer to the wrong question.

"Everyone" is not an audience.

The more clearly you understand who the design is for, the easier it becomes to decide what matters, what tone to use, what information to prioritise and what kind of response you want to create.

You do not always need a full persona. Start by asking:

Who is most affected by this problem?

What matters to them?

What might they already know, believe or assume?

What could make them ignore the message?

What would a useful response look like for them?

When you have an idea, return to the audience and ask: Would this actually work for them?

Draw the gap.

Show: where your audience is now and where they need to be.

Add one symbol or word that represents what is getting in the way.

Don't just ask what you need to make. Ask who it needs to help and why.

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03

Know the boundaries

Constraints can give your ideas direction.

Do this

List the things you cannot ignore:

format · size · platform · content · time · client requirements

Then list the ways the design might be used:

logo · packaging · social media · signage · website · print · merchandise · environment

Now ask:

What does the design need to do across these different uses?

Circle one constraint or application that could help shape the idea.

WHY IT HELPS

A constraint is not always a limitation. It can give you something to design with.

Thinking beyond a single outcome can also open up new directions.

A logo might feel stuck on its own, but imagining the brand on packaging, signage or social media can suggest new shapes, names, visual language or behaviour.

Students often become focused on producing one finished object too early, such as one logo, one poster, one screen.

But design usually works as part of a larger system.

Thinking about the full context helps you ask better questions:

Where will this design appear?

How big or small does it need to work?

What needs to stay consistent?

What could change across different applications?

Does the idea still work when it moves beyond the first format?

Could the way the design is used suggest a stronger concept?

Sometimes the best ideas come from imagining the outcome in use, rather than staring at the first deliverable in isolation.

Draw the idea in context.

Sketch 3 places or formats where the design might live.

What changes?

What needs to stay consistent?

Don't think only about the one thing you need to make. Think about where the design needs to live and how it will be used.

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