03
Sense-making stage

Know the boundaries

Constraints can give your ideas direction.

The hook

"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."

→ Do this now

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.