Strategic Switch: How to turn strategy into actual design decisions

I get so many emails like:

• “HOW do I actually turn strategy into design?”

• “What does it mean to create a brand that tells a story?”

• “How do I make sure my visuals actually reflect the strategy I developed?”

Different designers, different experience levels, different industries.

But when it comes to strategy, they’re all asking variations of the same core question:

What does “use strategy” actually mean when you’re sitting at your desk with Adobe Illustrator open?

Here’s what usually happens:

You do the strategy work, understand the brand inside and out, then open Illustrator and… design exactly like you always have. Maybe you pick “more trustworthy” colors or “friendlier” fonts, but you’re basically guessing.

This is where the real gap exists.

You’re designing AFTER strategy instead of designing WITH strategy. And there’s a huge difference between the two.

Disclaimer: If you read this email completely, the contrast will become so abundantly clear that you will never be able to unsee it.

Most generic designers don’t really use strategy at all.

They jump straight into designing what “feels right” or what “the client said they wanted” and hope for the best.

But even among those of you who DO try to incorporate strategy, I see these three mistakes that ensure you end up creating brands that simply blend in, even though you “used strategy”:

Mistake #1: You use strategy for the sake of it

You simply go through the motions of strategy because you know you’re “supposed to.”

AKA you treat each insight like a checkbox:

• Brand personality: Energetic ✓

• Logo: Used bold font ✓

• Colors: Used bright orange ✓

This is not “using” strategy.

This is you designing what you had in mind, occasionally glancing at the strategy document next to you, and then later justifying your decisions with it.

For example, here “Energetic” doesn’t simply mean using bold fonts and bright colors.

Because there’s no context.

Wouldn’t “energetic” for an energy drink look completely different than “energetic” for a productivity app targeting CEOs?

You’re not using strategy correctly if you don’t let it guide your design choices.

Mistake #2: You let personal preferences override strategic thinking

Your research says your client’s core values are authenticity and belonging.

So the strategic direction would be towards warm, welcoming design choices that make people feel included.

But you just saw an amazing minimal design on Behance and decide the brand “needs to look more premium.”

And just like that, your personal taste becomes more important than strategic reasoning.

Now, if you’re thinking “That’s not what I do at all”.

Okay, how about your client’s personal preference?

What do you do when your client’s clean, “Apple-like” aesthetics clash with their core values?

Yeah, that’s what I thought 👀

See, the underlying problem is that you’re hoping to get your design “approved”, instead of doing right by the strategy.

I’m not saying it’s your fault.

More often than not, it just happens subconsciously.

Which is why it’s EVEN more important to catch yourself in the act.

Mistake #3: You think strategy is… “copying what’s currently working in the industry”

Strategy does NOT mean finding successful competitors and creating variations of what already exists.

Let me give you an example.

Say you’re researching the coffee industry.

You notice that everyone is positioning themselves as “artisanal” and “authentic,” and think: “This seems to be what people love! We’ll be artisanal and authentic too, but maybe with a slightly different angle!”

So you end up positioning as “artisanal… with a modern twist”.

You think you’re being strategic because you added a little modifier.

But you end up creating another brand that looks exactly like everyone else with slightly different typeface.

While most designers treat strategy like homework they have to complete, Strategic Brand Designers use it as a conversation partner that guides every single design decision.

Here’s the key principle that can get you started on the right foot:

Turn the strategic insights into concrete visual concepts

Most designers take strategic insights a bit too literally.

But real strategic design happens when you transform abstract insights into tangible visuals through association.

Let’s take a strategic word like “charisma.” Don’t immediately jump to visual elements. First, explore what charisma actually means:

• if you have charisma you’re “Confident”

• Someone with confidence has a lot of “Influence”

• and with influence, comes “Charm”

• If someone is charming they have an “Aura” about them

• Someone who has a good aura will get “Attention”

• There’s an “Appeal” to someone who can get attention

• and then i’d say they have a huge “Presence” about them

Now suddenly, you have SO MUCH to work with.

“Aura” could be visual represented by patterns that create a buzz around key elements.

“Presence” could inform typography that commands attention without being aggressive.

See how we’re not using the literal meaning of the words, but as a creative springboard?

THIS is the process that turns vague strategic words into specific design concepts that are unique to a client’s brand.

“Okay Abi, this makes sense conceptually. But can you walk me through exactly how to do this with a real project?”

Say no more!

Let me show you exactly how I used strategy to guide every design decision for DigIt Coffee: a coffee shop in Las Vegas that employs adults with disabilities to provide them with purposeful work where they feel valued and a sense of belonging.

Step 1: Extract the core strategic insights

During my strategy work with DigIt, one of the things I uncovered was their Purpose:

“Building a supportive community of like-minded people.”

But I didn’t stop there. I dug deeper into what this actually meant:

• How do they build community? Through inclusion and acceptance

• What makes someone feel supported? Recognition, belonging, being seen

• What does “like-minded” mean? People who hold the same values of diversity, empathy, authenticity

This is crucial: Break the key values down until you have specific insights.

Step 2: Transform insights into design concepts

Now like we learnt earlier, I used the insights to create a mind map that would help get my creative juices flowing, and think beyond the obvious.

“Community” led me to:

• Groups → bustling, crowded, interactive

• Belonging → fitting in, being accepted, finding your place

• Support → lifting up, being there for each other, ahelping hand,

• Togetherness → unity, shared experience, collective energy

“Inclusion” led me to:

• Welcome → open arms, inviting, warm embrace

• Acceptance → celebrating differences, no judgment

• Communication → sign language, hands, non-verbal connection

• Diversity → many different expressions, variety

“Unconventional” led me to:

• Standing out → breaking norms, being different

• Bold → confident, unapologetic, strong presence

• Unique → one-of-a-kind, special, memorable

• Rebellious → going against the grain, challenging expectations

Step 3: Apply concepts strategically across the brand system

With a table full of tangible design ideas, I finally opened Illustrator and started designing.

The Logo:

Instead of using typical coffee imagery, here’s how I used the strategic insights to guide every decision while working on the logo:

Strategic insight: They need to communicate strength and confidence while staying approachable

Design decision: I chose a bold condensed sans-serif typeface that wasn’t commonly used in the coffee industry - this communicated their strong stance on supporting those who feel unaccepted

Strategic insight: Their mission is helping people who feel “out of place” find belonging

Design decision: I customized the ‘G’ to stand out from the rest of the letters, visually representing how they help the unconventional find their place

Strategic insight: They’re a coffee business, but that’s not their main differentiator

Design decision: The bottom of the ‘G’ subtly resembles a coffee bean, acknowledging the product without making it gimmicky

So combining all these, this is what I landed on:

The Brand Assets:

Next, I worked on the pattern that would be used on the packaging and their social media assets.

Strategic insight: “Building community” means groups of people interacting in a lively, bustling place

Design decision: I created a busy, imperfect, compact pattern that resembles people interacting - this becomes their signature visual element

Strategic insight: Sign language is commonly used in their workplace and represents inclusion

Design decision: I designed illustrations of hands with various expressions and incorporated them into the brand pattern

The Color Palette:

Next, I moved on to the colors.

Strategic insight: They want people to feel warmth and support

Design decision: Yellow as the primary color to convey warmth and support

Strategic insight: They need to create a “safe environment” for their community

Design decision: Blue to represent calmness and safety

Strategic insight: The experience should feel joyful and positive

Design decision: Pink to symbolize joy and positivity

Step 4: Mockup Test

The mockups served as my ultimate test to confirm the concept actually worked.

I tested the complete visual system on coffee cups, merchandise, and signage to see if all the strategic elements came together cohesively.

The hand illustrations create visual conversation, the customized ‘G’ stands out just enough to feel welcoming rather than jarring, and the color palette makes the space feel warm and inclusive.

The busy pattern around the logo successfully creates that “community buzz” we were after, drawing attention to the brand name while feeling energetic rather than chaotic.

This final test confirmed that every strategic insight had successfully translated into a complete brand system that actually works in the real world.

See the difference?

Generic Designer approach: “It’s a coffee shop, so let’s use brown colors, coffee bean imagery, and friendly fonts.”

Strategic Designer approach: “They’re building an inclusive community through coffee, so let’s create visuals that feel like a bustling, welcoming space where everyone belongs.”

Same business. Completely different visual outcome.

Every single design choice has a strategic reason that connects back to their purpose and goals.

I hope this gave you a more tangible explanation of how to “use strategy”.

Try this framework on your next project.

Start with one strategic insight, break it down into specific concepts, then systematically apply those concepts across different design elements.

You’ll be amazed how this transforms not just your designs, but your entire relationship with strategy.

Chat soon,

Abi 😊

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