Whenever I approach a new project and what form it’s going to take on, I consider its context. What does the object do, how is it used and how and from what material might it be made from? Is it hand held or does it sit on a surface, who is the user?
From here you can start to deconstruct certain elements that will need to be present in the final design to meet these requirements and then you can begin to sketch loose forms that make sense for the context and end user.
Along with this I consider the brand for which I’m designing which can often give clues to how the details of the product might be treated.
After sketching out loads of different ideas you can choose the ones that speak to you the most and refine them, adding further detail.
I usually get a warm fuzzy feeling inside when I can feel all these elements coming together.
Enjoy exploring!