How did the contextual studies inform my work?

Doing extensive research on Sagmeister helped me to understand that in order to get better results you have to dare and take risks.

You must think out of the box and investigate every possible avenue of research, even about subjects which are not related with the individual project you're working on, as inspiration could come from anywhere.

This is one of the reasons why having a sketchbook it so important: it allows you to collect nuggets of material that could become invaluable sources of inspiration at any moment, no matter what you are working on.

I changed my approach to work, now I focus more on the general message I want to get through than on the precise outcome of work itself.