During Carson's TedTalk he explains how emotion should always go into design work as well as setting a goal for the viewer to have an emotional feeling.
I believe Carson really get's his point across to his design style is when he shows this image:
He expresses how in school designers are taught if you can't read it is not design. He feels that if the work demonstrates and presents the message the right way no matter if it is legible or not it can still be good design. "What is the message sent, before the viewer dives into the material."