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The quiet routines that protect bold thinking.

I've always been a superstitious person. I believe that when a friend and I speak in unison, a "Jinx!" should be thrown in as soon as possible. I knock on wood when telling someone some potential good news. As a child, I always made sure my socks matched before leaving the house.

This kind of ritualistic behavior also finds its way into my design practice. I never delete old versions of a design in case I need them later. I save a file twice, in case the first one didn’t take. I never use the first page of a sketchbook because I don’t want to make a mistake on the very first page.

Superstitions are a response, a kind of protective ritual that almost definitely does not affect an outcome, but instead reassures the anxious individual with a familiar action to ground them amongst chaos. If you have a baseline, a habit keeping you in place amidst file after file, you feel free to start reaching further than you would normally feel comfortable..

When I design with superstition in mind, it brings me the peace I need to create something I care about. At CINQ, we care deeply about every piece of design we make, and make sure our habits keep our creative space open.