Why creating a feeling matters

I’ve been exploring something new — not just creating a design, but summoning a feeling.

As part of a design course I’m doing (just for me — to stretch my creativity and improve not only my work, but honestly, my own life), today’s theme was all about Luxe and Mood — a style that blends elegance, richness, and emotional atmosphere.

It’s not just about making things look expensive, but about creating a feeling — something deep, dramatic, and beautifully intentional. The fonts are rich, timeless, and elegant, and there’s a theme of minimalist yet luxurious within the designs.

I had a challenge today: to create something that feels just like that — luxurious, emotional, and timeless. Something more like a whispered confession than a product pitch.

So I worked on a fictional project for a fictional opera. The brief was to create a program cover that feels romantic and timeless, but carries themes of love, loss, and frozen longing.

I already knew the colours I wanted: deep emerald, moody darkest grey, and white for contrast. I used moody floral clipart — peonies and roses — against the background, and let the white fonts sing against them. I was only allowed two fonts, which actually worked in my favour — I love a minimalist look, and I don’t enjoy cluttered designs.

I was also asked to create a symbol — a sigil — for the opera. Something small and meaningful.

To me, a rose is the ultimate symbol of love and longing, so that’s what I chose. A single rose... and then another version: a rose, watched over by an eye. A little surreal. A little haunting.

The symbol had to feel like it could be pressed into wax, foil stamped on a program, or even worn on a lapel.

I imagined what that might look like — and what I created, in my eyes, looks the part.

I’m learning how visuals can hold emotion.
I’m learning how flourishes, frost, and even empty space can tell a story.

And more than anything, I’m learning to follow the ideas that make my chest feel a little bit fizzy.

Will I use these new design skills? I hope so.
One day — when the right project finds me, or when I decide it’s time to make one of my own.