Design, whether it’s for print, digital marketing, editorials or websites, requires constant creative juice. But even the most prolific and passionate designers can hit inspiration road blocks. When you’re on a deadline, and you’re committed to doing good work, a little outside motivation can get the wheels turning again.
If you’ve found yourself stumbling over the same design rut again and again, consider these online resources for a fresh perspective.
1. Designspiration
This safe-for-work design portal is filled with architecture, typography, illustrations, and prints. The search mechanism is easy—scan through tags or websites or type in up to 5 colors to sort your results by color scheme. It’s similar to Pinterest in that you can collect your favorite designs and share your own with the world.
You won’t be limited to a few designers from a handful of places, either. Designspiration features the work of artists and innovators from all over the globe, giving you a full range of perspectives and styles.
2. Dribbble
Working under the tagline “Show and Tell for Designers,” Dribbble is a hub for creatives to connect, share and inspire one another.
The homepage is a smorgasbord of typography, website design, logos, illustrations, and graphics. Not only can you peruse the work of other designers, you can also find and hire a great designer through Dribbble’s “For Hire” section.
Find a design you particularly love? Contact the designer and see if they’re willing to work with you!
3. Awwwards
Awwwards was started as a way to recognize and exalt some of the best-designed websites in the world. The official Awwwards are given out each year, and the deciding jury is composed of some of the most prestigious designers, bloggers and agencies from around the world.
Take a look around the site, and you’ll see some of the most innovative and creative design being done in the world today.
You can also get insight into how Awwwards rates the websites; each website featured is given a score comprised of different elements, including creativity, design, content and usability.
4. siteInspire
siteInspire has some of the best filtering options of any design portal you’ll find. Choose from multiple categories like type, style, subject or highest-rated. You can follow the designs of notable or favorited designers and submit your own work for feature on the site.
5. Smashing Magazine
One of the original purveyors of web design and developer inspiration, Smashing Magazine has been doling out editorial and professional resources for over 10 years.
The website is a treasure trove for designers and developers, with sections on CSS, Javascript, WordPress, Responsiveness, Inspiration, Design Patterns and more.
You can peruse website design, read informative blogs submitted by professional designers, and even learn about innovative ways to re-situate your office or workspace.
6. The Best Designs
The name says it all…The Best Designs is your destination for the best website designs and the designers who made them.
Not only can you peruse thousands of designs chosen for their excellence, you can find, connect with and share work with designers whose work you love.
They also have a vault of beautiful WordPress themes for purchase, all designed by the best creatives in the network.
7. Behance
Behance is another great reserve of outstanding designs and creative work. They have archives of graphic design, photography, interactive design, art direction, illustration and more.
Filter your results by project, dozens of creative fields and industries or by most viewed. You can also filter your results by country, allowing you to get as many perspectives and ideas as you want.
8. Adobe Kuler
Color is one of the most important aspects of design inspiration. With Adobe Kuler, you can share, create and browse color schemes from designers and users around the world.
Choose any color your heart desires, and let Kuler present you with a scheme that will get your creative juices flowing.
There’s a whole community of artists and designers who are sharing, critiquing and appreciating one another’s work in the online space.
Whether you’re looking for inspiration, networking or to find and hire a great designer, it always helps to know where to go.
What are some of your favorite online resources for design inspiration?
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