Building a Design Archetypes Oracle

Over the past few months, I've been working on something that began as a personal exercise—almost a therapeutic one—to better understand my own creative process.

Somewhere along the way, it turned into a system much larger than I expected:

A Design Archetypes Oracle.

It's not an oracle for predicting the future.

It's a mental map of 22 archetypes that represent the behaviors, roles, creative forces, tensions, and patterns that show up again and again in our work as designers.

From the Explorer, who opens up new possibilities, to the Editor, who removes what doesn't need to be there.

From the System Architect to the Guardian of Intuition.

It's a tool for asking better questions.

For getting unstuck.

For understanding team dynamics.

For making decisions with a little more clarity.

And even though it isn't finished yet, I wanted to share it early.

Why Share It Before It's Ready?

I strongly believe that the best systems emerge from real conversations.

I could spend another six months polishing this in silence.

But I'd rather open the process.

Show the early prototypes.

And listen to what resonates with other designers, product leaders, strategists, and creative people. Because some things don't reveal themselves until you put them in someone else's hands.

What I'm Building

• A system of archetypes that describes patterns of creative behavior.

• A physical and digital deck designed to help analyze decisions.

• A shared language for design teams navigating complex processes.

• A way to diagnose blocks, both personal and project-related.
  

This isn't “another design framework.”

At least, I hope it isn't. It's a more human, symbolic, and narrative way of thinking about the work we do.

What's Coming Before the End of 2026

Over the next few weeks, I'll be working on:

• The first version of the deck: visual and conceptual.

• A small handbook explaining each archetype.

• A beta workshop to experiment with real teams.

• A waitlist page for anyone who wants to try it first.
  

My goal is to close the year with something usable. Imperfect, but alive.

I'm not trying to launch a finished thing.

I'm trying to start a conversation that helps us design it together.

Can I Ask for Your Feedback?

If this sparks your curiosity, or if you'd like to try it with your team, leave a comment or send me a message. I'd love to hear how you would use it.

Which archetypes do you think are missing?

What questions would you want it to help answer?

What design pain would you like to map?

Thank you for being part of this process.

Few projects have excited me as much as this one.

And I want to build it with the people who genuinely understand both the complexity—and the strange beauty—of trying to design something meaningful.