So i recently had the idea of a quick and dirty way to generate the basis of fantasy cultures. This came out of the desire to create elves, dwarves etc. That break the typical Tolkien molds, instead opting for a dash of real world influences.

The way you do this is you take 3 rules a member of the culture would use everyday, 3 moral/social/spiritual concepts that inform the culture's outlook, and 3 design aesthetics the culture are known for.

So as an example let's reinvent elves to have a vaguely japanese aesthetic while maintaining the elven "longview".

3 everyday rules
1) always remove your shoes when entering another person's home
2) never make a scene, be discreet
3) think before you act or speak, and reflect on those actions after you've done them

3 concepts
1) nature is sacred and should always be respected
2)we are all interconnected. Nothing that exists naturally lacks a purpose in the greater scheme of things.
3) nobody can survive without other people

3 aesthetics
1) Elven design is typically stark and simplistic (almost modern) except for specific accents. Filigree isn't everywhere, just on very particular design elements
2) gentle slopes and angles are present in contrast with hard vertical and horizontal lines.
3) most things are coloured in earth tones (usually muted) with very concious use of other colours to create a specific emphasis on a given item or accent.

What this method does is give us a compact starting point we can develop the culture out of, combining and mixing from the individual elements we've decided on and giving us something we can come back to if we want to introduce more. It also creates a specific theme. The above example focuses on the real world japanese virtues of concise, clean design and subtlety, as well as the deliberateness of any given element. If you're going to do something that contrasts with your normal virtues, considder it thoroughly, enact it subtly, but leave no question as to whether your doing it intentionally.

Thoughts? Feedback? Insults based on my clear ignorance of the complex nature of culture and design? Comment below!