How much of a creative project happens before anything gets designed?

Whenever people look at finished creative work, most of the attention goes to the visuals. But the more projects I see, the more it feels like the important decisions are made long before the design phase starts. Things like positioning, audience, messaging, direction. By the time the visuals appear, a lot of the outcome has already been determined. Curious if other people feel the same way or if I'm overestimating the planning side of things. submitted by /u/everydaynotes34 [link] [comments]