What do you hope to achieve with your first book in the timeless series? “I had done designs that I thought were fantastic, the best thing in the world, and they crashed and burned in the market. And I’ve done things I was ashamed of and they were amazing succes­ses. I started asking myself, ‘How is that possible?’ I wanted to understand why my perception was distorted and if there was a pattern. Can I identify when I am doing a good job or a bad job?

“I developed these five principles of design that recur. There is character, the ability to be unique; desir­ability, the ability to attract someone; empathy, the ability to connect on an emotional level; trust, when that connection is meaningful; and consis­tency, so that the connection is accepted within the context of a brand or service.

“The value you provide as a designer is measured by the size of the problems you can solve. If you create a beautiful logo, of course there is an interesting craftsmanship behind that, but what you are trying to do is help some­one communicate. People say, ‘Why should I invest in design when I can go online and buy a logo for $5?’ But if you’re a cafe that buys a logo for $5, don’t be upset when a pharmacy across the street opens with exactly the same logo.”