I’ve seen inspiration exploding to space
Creative inspiration process isn’t something we manage — it’s something we survive. The ideas that actually change a project don’t arrive through briefs or brainstorms. They detonate. Understanding where ideas come from in design means accepting that the creative inspiration process runs on its own schedule, not yours.
Isn’t it funny when you scroll to the end of the internet, go through all your old books, open a few old files, do walks around the city, around your favorite wood trail, and even go to the bookstore a few times to get that little inspiration that would help you do a project?
You are so close, but you just can’t get it right. Inspiration is never just around the corner. It hits you when you least expect it. There is no way to know when and how; you only need time to go on those walks over and over again. The above things are what I do when I’m stuck. In the end, the walks and the books helped the most, but I have no idea how many miles I have to walk to get there. Out of all the magic tools out there, I still use pencil and paper, and when that is not arround the notes help.
That is why these things take time. It is only 2 in the morning, and my head is spinning with ideas trying to figure out what to do. I know I will not sleep for a while. I know I will not find a solution, but my head will spin in circles nonetheless. It’s always the same when I am working on something exciting; at least this is how I know it is worth it.
Where Ideas Come From in Design — and Why You Can't Force Them
Our logo design work — where this process lands on the pageDon’t miss the next essay. Signup for our newsletter
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A healthy brand
Healthy brand design starts with honesty — not aspiration dressed up as values. We've watched too many briefs arrive wrapped in sustainability language that dissolves the moment you press on the strategy underneath it. A healthy brand isn't greener or louder; it's structurally coherent, and that coherence is what we've been designing for since 2004.
It is not ok to fail
It is not ok to fail — and we've never treated it as an option. Most studios build failure tolerance into their process. We built accountability into ours instead. Twenty years in Ljubljana, 80+ awards, and a working assumption that getting it wrong is not a learning opportunity — it's a broken promise.
Ljubljana to do
Ljubljana to-do lists are usually the same – the castle, the market, Plečnik. We have been designing in this city since 2004 and we see it differently: through the facades, the typography on the windows, the details that the tourist guide doesn't mention. This guide is Ljubljana to-do for those who observe.
How to Be a Real Designer
How to be a real designer isn't about software or style — it's about who holds the argument when the client wants something easier. We've been in that room for twenty years. Being a real designer means resisting the comfortable solution, even when no one asks you to.
Know Your Duty, Poet
It doesn't matter how much I design, win, or fail. There is always the possibility that I could have somehow made more. Pushed myself further. Finished that personal project. Made more art. Helped more brands.
Side projects
Designer side projects are not a break from real work — they are the reason the real work stays sharp. We have run a design studio in Ljubljana since 2004, and the projects that never had a client are often the ones that taught us the most. Side projects are where instinct gets to move faster than process.
Redesign
Brand redesign is one of the most misused terms in the industry. Studios pitch full rebuilds when a type adjustment would do; clients request "a refresh" when the underlying system is broken beyond repair. We've worked through both scenarios enough times to know the difference isn't aesthetic — it's structural, and getting it wrong is expensive.
You Can’t Win in It All
Design client taste mismatch isn't a failure of process — it's a structural tension baked into every brief. We've sat across the table from enough decision-makers to know that good work and approved work are not the same thing. Understanding where that gap lives, and why, is what separates studios that grow from ones that simply comply.