Constraints aren't the enemy of good design. They're often the reason it exists.
The good kind
Time, budget, brand guidelines, platform limits — these are the constraints that force the hard conversations early. A fixed deadline kills scope creep. A small palette forces hierarchy. A platform's defaults free you to spend your design budget where it matters.
The bad kind
The constraints worth pushing back on are the ones that no one can explain. "We've always done it this way" isn't a constraint — it's a habit. Spotting the difference is most of the job.
