Top 5 Websites for Design Inspiration

1. Pinterest

This is one of my new, favorite go-to websites. I usually use the iPhone app for Pinterest and navigate to Explore : Design. It helps to provide some inspiration especially when I am on the go. As a busy soccer mom, I need to take advantage of those quiet moments when I can quickly go to Pinterest, look around, save pins and explore more at a later date . There is a lot of variety here ranging from corporate identity to printmaking to furniture design. It’s so refreshing to see all of the new pins that appear every day and the variety of design styles being represented. I am constantly pinning and repining new ideas to my boards. What I love about Pinterest is how easy it is to navigate back to some of my favorite pins for future reference. Creating themed boards in categories like color ideas, decor, design/infographics helps me find what I am looking for quickly so I can begin design for a new project without suffering from a creative block. Check out some of my boards.

2. The Dieline

What I love about this site is that even though it focuses on package design and 3-dimensional design, it still provides am excellent resource for overall design inspiration and aesthetics. You can really get your creative juices flowing here. There are so many creative design projects on this site ranging from wine packaging, to beauty products, to pet food. The navigation is very simple and you get what you need very quickly and efficiently. You can sort projects by “Features,” “Industry” or “Substrate”. I like to browse through all of the categories since you never know what can catch your eye and inspire the next big idea.

3. COLOURlovers

The best thing about this website is the “Trends” tab. When I am looking to develop a color palette for a project, I start here. There are so many great ideas and the navigation is very user-friendly because it allows you to select the type of project you are working on (Branding or Websites) and see a how a particular palette was applied. They also include the full palette with the thumbnail image to quickly see what the color scheme is. I also subscribe to their weekly enewsletter that gives great tips and ideas for color ideas and options.

4. Design Instruct

is website for designers that features helpful tips, tutorials and articles related to design topics to keep you informed and inspired. They also have a “Freebies” section that allows you to download vector graphics, photos, editable Photoshop files and more. This site was actually a spin off site from the Six Revisions blog. I have visited this site regularly because of their focus on design as well as website development. They provide great articles and tutorials to help you stay ahead of the curve. Like designinstruct.com, they also have a “freebies” section that is great for downloads of graphics and patterns.

5. Etsy

I love cool stuff and this website has a ton of it. Etsy is an online crafters community where people sell handmade or vintage items as well as art and supplies. There are so many categories to look at ranging from personalized jewelry to milk glass candy dishes. My favorite section of this site is the Printmaking section. Here is where artists showcase letterpress prints and unique decorative art that can inspire a lot of creativity. Sometimes I find that simple quotes or saying created into posters or notecards can inspire creativity.

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