Creative Taste Is A Thing
Jan 13, 2026
There’s something funny about creative taste.
Everyone has it.
Most people trust theirs.
And almost no one thinks they might be getting in the way.
Taste isn’t good or bad. It’s just shaped by what you’ve seen, what you’ve liked, what you’ve paid attention to over time. And whether we notice it or not, it quietly shows up in everything we build.
Especially products.
I’ve worked with a lot of founders. Smart, thoughtful people who genuinely want to make something great. And when projects go sideways, it’s almost never because of ego.
It’s usually because things start to feel uncertain.
That uncertainty sounds like:
“I don’t know why, but something feels off.”
“Can we try one more option?”
“I saw something similar somewhere else.”
“Let’s just tweak this a bit.”
All very human things to say.
But when those moments start steering the work instead of informing it, the original idea slowly fades. Not in a dramatic way. Just quietly. Until the work feels… fine. Clean. Safe. Forgettable.
The tricky part though is:
Most founders hire designers because they want better taste in the room.
Then pressure shows up. Timelines tighten. Decisions feel heavier. And suddenly it’s tempting to grab the wheel. Not because you don’t respect the designer, but because letting go feels uncomfortable.
I’ve seen this play out so many times.
The first concept is clear and exciting.
The final version makes everyone happy.
But the original spark ends up living on in social posts, assets, or campaigns… and those pieces often get the most love.
The best collaborations I’ve been part of felt different.
Those founders didn’t disappear or blindly agree with everything. They stayed curious. They asked why. They wanted to understand the thinking. And sometimes they said something really simple and really powerful:
“I don’t fully get it yet… but I trust you.”
This one sentence changes everything.
One of the projects where that happened ended up becoming an award-winning site. Not because we were chasing anything fancy — but because the vision stayed intact long enough to become itself.
I think about this a lot now...
If you hired someone for their taste, let them use it.
Not perfectly. Not unquestioned. Just… trusted.
Feedback should add clarity, not anxiety.
Taste grows when it’s protected.
And great work usually follows.
That mindset sits at the heart of The BRIGHT Method. less noise, more trust, and fewer “can we just try one more thing” moments.
Honestly, it makes the work better.
And it makes the process nicer for everyone involved.