The challenge of modern transition design is as much psychological as it is systemic. In America, we are experiencing many crises affecting collective emotional well-being: widespread economic turmoil, polarizing social media algorithms, the rise of massive technological disruption driven by Artificial Intelligence, and a decline in institutional trust. All of which have undermined predictable progress and foster emotional deterioration. I propose that designers must redirect the profession from designing tangible outputs to designing a feeling, one of hope, positioning design as a methodology of hope akin to psychologist Rick Snyder’s Hope Theory. Both the design process and Hope Theory clarify a defined goal, requiring agency and belief to create pathways towards it. To design for the goal of creating a feeling of hope, I introduce an emerging conceptual framework, “The Lenses of Hope,” with three aspects: the Portrait lens to build trust; the Panorama lens to uncover shared realities; and the Bird’s Eye lens to apply long-term human progress to the current moment. All work to improve our collective emotional condition, creating the mindset to envision what does not yet exist. This framework aligns with the multi-level perspective of transition design and invites every designer across all areas of the profession.