How to see like a designer: The hidden power of typography and logos | Jessica Hische (Lettering Artist, Author)

1. Embrace Decisive “Good Enough”

Cultivate decisiveness by recognizing that multiple good solutions often exist and perfection is rarely attainable. Aim for “good enough” (e.g., 99.8% perfect) to avoid endless noodling, allowing you to move on and accomplish more.

2. Diversify Work to Prevent Burnout

To maintain enthusiasm and prevent burnout, diversify your work by having multiple projects or tasks that engage different parts of your brain. When losing steam on one, switch to another that feels fresh instead of taking a full break.

3. Practice Hope as Discipline

Actively choose to cultivate positivity and hope, recognizing it as a discipline rather than an inherent trait. Create structure and practice around being hopeful and positive, understanding that you have the power to reframe situations.

4. Identify Core Brand Issues

Before a logo refresh, take time to understand the big-picture reasons why your current brand isn’t working, rather than focusing on minor details. Blur your vision to assess the overall feeling and cohesiveness, then progressively narrow down to specifics.

5. Define Clear Refresh Goals

Before starting a logo refresh, clearly define your goals, whether it’s a subtle fix or a major pivot to attract a new audience. This initial scoping dictates the entire process and ensures the outcome aligns with your strategic objectives.

6. Align Brand with Company Ethos

Determine your company’s core ethos—whether it’s about seamless functionality or a delightful user experience—and align your brand’s prominence accordingly. For some, the brand should be subtle, letting the product shine, while for others, it’s central to conveying value.

7. Develop Design Intuition

Practice looking at fonts, noting the feelings they evoke, and then analyzing commonalities among those that elicit similar feelings. Then, reverse-justify your feelings by asking why you feel that way, connecting it to past experiences.

8. Analyze Competitor Branding

Research your competitors’ visual branding to decide whether to align with their aesthetic (to signal industry fit) or diverge significantly (to differentiate your company). This strategic choice helps position your brand effectively in the market.

9. Time for Brand Refresh

Consider refreshing your logo and brand when you’re expanding your product’s look and feel, about to invest in physical swag, or if competitors are easily copying your existing, non-custom branding. This helps ensure your brand scales effectively and maintains uniqueness.

10. Address Legibility Issues

If your logo has glaring legibility issues or can be misread, it’s time for a refresh. Ensure your logo is incredibly legible at a super fast glance, especially for new or less recognizable brands.

11. Understand Design Elements’ Impact

Recognize that elements like letter width, weight, spacing, and edge softness significantly impact the feeling a logo conveys. For example, slightly rounded edges can make a typeface feel more vintage or softer.

12. Observe Optical Corrections in Type

Examine large-scale typography (e.g., in Figma) to notice subtle optical corrections, where mathematically imperfect adjustments are made to achieve visual perfection. This reveals how expert designers manage perceived weight and balance in letterforms.

13. Combine Type Styles for Versatility

When choosing typography, consider combining different styles (e.g., handwritten with block letters) to create a broader visual vocabulary. This provides more flexibility for headlines, subheads, and other brand uses, making the system easier to expand.

14. Design for Ease of Use

Aim to design a logo and brand assets that are intuitive and easy to use, minimizing the need for extensive brand guidelines. This empowers non-designers within your company to apply the brand effectively without requiring extreme design skills.

15. Imbue Work with Story

Create lasting work and build a strong brand by imbuing it with story and meaning. People connect deeply with objects and brands that have a rich narrative, making them less likely to be discarded.

16. Trust Hired Experts

When hiring experts, approach them with appreciation for their vision and expertise, and avoid micromanaging. This allows them to deliver their best work, as you’re paying for their specialized knowledge and bandwidth.

17. Leverage AI for Brainstorming

Use AI tools like Claude or ChatGPT for early brainstorming, such as generating lists of words, concepts, or directions for creative projects. This can help quickly gather ideas and cherry-pick what feels right.

18. Strategically Engage Brand Experts

Consider engaging brand experts as consultants or for final polish, especially if you have an internal team capable of initial work, to optimize budget and foster collaboration. Jessica’s projects typically range from $25K-$35K, with flexibility for consulting.

19. Analyze Font Feelings

Look at various fonts available in the world and ask yourself what feeling each one evokes, writing down your immediate reactions without overanalyzing. This helps you understand the emotional impact of typography.