As bloggers, we have all hit the wall in terms of losing that spark of creativity to write our next article. As a designer this is often also prevalent when trying to be as creative as possible also, if you are working on a project we can also lose sight of what is good/bad in making as good a concept as possible. A great way to keep topping up your inspiration senses is to subscribe to the many design sites, blogs and magazine which are out there.
In my mind there are two group of design sites and magazines, all too often we see many posts across the web which tell you of the top 20 sites people feel. (All too often these sites are the same and I’m lost as to the usefulness of these types of articles, as they often feature sites which we all know and subscribe to already.) Here I want to highlight some of the new exciting sites which are going out of there way to provide inspirational articles for their readers, and also to profile just what makes the more established sites such successes to their readers.
The Established Design Sites:
Graphic & Web Design Inspiration
These websites are those which primarily focus on the graphic and web design aspects of creativity and produce really inspirational showcases and roundup articles. Whether they are showing off the work of one artists or group of works it will inspire your creativity.
Abduzeedo: http://abduzeedo.com/
Twitter: @abduzeedo
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/abduzeedos
Run by Fabio Sasso the site is principally run as visual inspiration for the mind and also includes so really great tutorials. The site works so well with it producing such great content on a regular basis, with a busy team of writers they always provide 3/4 articles a day. It has a recurring series of articles such as Daily inspiration, Perfect Office, Wallpaper of the Week and much more. These re-occurring articles always stay fresh and showcase the best articles and artist inspiration you could find on the web.
Smashing Magazine: http://www.smashingmagazine.com
Twitter: @smashingmag
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/smashmag
The site first came to be back in September of 2006, and although the site is principally more about articles for web designers and developers I still take a lot of inspiration from the many sites which are a part of the smashing network. The site is much more than the one highlighted here, many sites are part of the larger smashing ‘network.’ All of which provide some amazing content and inspiration; a site such as Noupe is one such example.
Related sites also include:
There are some websites which are very similar in their stature and nature, but more often than not these sites usually offer up content which is more related towards articles and discussion. With minimal articles on inspiration, roundups and showcases; but I would definitely still recommend due to the great content each of their articles include.
Industrial Design Inspiration
These websites are more for the product, 3D, industrial designers who are inspired more by the physical aspects and functionality of products. These sites often talk more about new technologies, materials selections and the many design shows across the world.
Core77: http://core77.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Core77
Twitter: @core77
Quite possibly Core77 is one of the biggest online industrial design magazines on the web, first found after a recommendation by my tutor at university I quickly fell in love with the content they create. The site is also affiliated with the popular portfolio site Coroflot, featuring some of the student work found on their occasionally. With a large team of writers and a blog section for the smaller stories in industrial design, the site features the freshest news, content and opinion you will see from across the world.
Embody 3D: http://embody3d.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/embody3d
Twitter: @Embody3d
Embody 3d is only a fairly recent addition to my list of must see websites, its an industrial design site which has had some really inspiring articles in recent memory. With a few great interviews with designers and much more. Embody 3d is an international online industrial design blog and covers reviews, trends, opinions and much more. Through tutorials, tips and tricks and feature articles they also educate users particularly design students with practical and theoretical advice to advance their careers..
Related Sites Include:
The New exciting sites:
Graphic Design, Inspiration & Showcase Sites
These websites I would categorize as being new to the web in not being that old, but have quickly established their own brand of creativity and ways of inspiring readers. Whether it be in strictly going for inspiration and roundup articles, or by mixing it up and giving the reader something new with each article.
Inspiration Blog: http://www.theinspirationblog.net/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theinspirationblog
Twitter: @theinspirationb
This site does completely what it says in its headline, some people grow tired of seeing the same old roundups and showcase articles. But they can often be found to be the most successful in terms of page views, people want to be inspired by the roundups and showcase articles. When they are done correctly articles like that are the most inspiring articles to re-ignite your creativity. Setup by Callum Chapman the site is very open to guest writers and features roundups and inspirational articles on many varied and interesting topics and subjects.
Inspiredology: http://inspiredology.com/
RSS Feed
Recently it has undertaken a great re-design, the Inspiredology site is not only an amazingly exciting design but also features some brilliant content from the main writers Chad Mueller and Andrew Dertinger. The site also caters to Guest writers and has recently been able to interview social media mammoth John O’Nolan, with other popular features including the Friday fix. The site is also famous for moving over to exclusively using design-newz for its news feed and also goes against type in using carbon ads over the more popular Buysellads system.
Nenuno Creative: http://nenuno.co.uk/creative/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nenuno
Twitter: @nenuno
The brainchild of Daniel Whiteside (also features writing and development work by Lucas Cobb,) Nenuno creative is a multi-faceted design and creativity site which goes out of its way to inspire you in each and every article. This site has also recently undertaken a huge overhaul in its re-design and aims to continue inspiring its readers for a long time to come. Popular in putting together articles on WordPress and Web design also, the writers aim to write on a daily basis as much as possible to keep content and it’s articles as fresh and inspiring as possible.
Inspiration Feed: http://inspirationfeed.com/
Twitter: @inspirationf
Related Site Include:
Packaging Design Inspiration:
The Dieline: http://www.thedieline.com/
Twitter: @thedieline
The ultimate site to be inspired by the works and graphic designs found throughout the packaging world, updated on a very regular basis the site features not only the products that are going to adorn our shelves but also; student concepts and one-off marketing designs. Every article highlights the work of the designer/ design studio and features the most high quality work out there. The site recently hosted its own ‘Dieline Awards’ and has also expanded further by launching the site http://www.thedielinewine.com/
Related Packaging Sites:
Industrial design Inspiration:
Moving away from the more established online Industrial design magazine sites there are lots of ways to be inspired by great writers pushing out great content each week on the best in commercial, student and concept industrial & product designs. Don’t limit yourself into only reading the bigger sites, new sites can often have a different slant on some of the design stories and offer up some great opinions on design and showcasing inspiration.
Yanko Design: http://www.yankodesign.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/yankodesign
Twitter: @YankoDesign
Billing itself as the modern industrial design news, Yanko is always on top of the game for some brilliant industrial design concepts, whether they are featuring students or established designers they showcase some brilliant work which stretches the boundaries of what the future could bring. The stars of this site are often the concepts and designers featured, much credit must go to Yanko in keeping the site fresh and on the cusp of future designs
Related Industrial Design Sites:
Of course, you can also head over to Design Juices, to read my thoughts and opinions on all things design. I love to work with guest writers and I look to put out articles on a regular basis on industrial, graphic and web design. I focus on making the reader as inspired as possible whilst also provide articles which provoke opinion and personal experiences.
This is my receommendations on the best sites to be inspired for all things design, but what sites do you read on a daily basis? Are there any I have missed out? or Would you disagree with some of my selections?
I look forward to writing more about design and other aspects of creativity, if there is any topics you would like to be discussed then please leave your comments below.