Inspiration is a key component of visualdesign. It’s a reference point that kick-starts the creative process and astarting point for producing beautiful, visually pleasing solutions in responseto a well-defined problem. But honestly, how to summon inspiration is a totalmystery to me.
It’s a fleeting, rarelyspontaneous feeling, and it’s almost never there when I need it. Yet as anindustry we tend to talk about inspiration as if it comes easy — like a naturaltalent that good designers possess and a weakness that bad designers need toovercome. But if you’re anything like me, finding inspiration is something thattakes considerable work.
Despite having been paidto design for over 15 years, I’m not someone who wakes up feeling naturallyinspired; I wishI were, but that’s simply not the case. The reality is that each time I’mrequired to pull together a visual concept, I almost certainly spend the firstportion of the day totally and utterly lost for ideas. This is the exact momentI need inspiration to strike—and the point when frantically clickingthrough Dribbble or looking tothe sky for divine intervention only makes matters worse.
So I’ve found a betterway.
This is my little secret;the one thing I can’t design without. For me, inspiration comes from browsingimages I have saved on my computer and categorized using an app (I use the amazing Pixave, but GooglePhotos or Pinterest work well, too). These are images that I’ve been storing for over10 years that sit quietly in their thousands waiting for their time to shine.
For me, inspirationdoesn’t strike at the most opportune moments, so whenever I come acrosssomething beautiful, I’ll add it to the pile, categorize it (by type of image,color, visual device, etc.) and forget about it.
On the face of it, thatdoesn’t sound like a particularly valuable resource for inspiration, but you’dbe surprised. At an instant, I can look at all the photographs, color sets, orillustrations that have ever grabbed my attention — from thousands of differentcreators — and let my mind wander. Over time it has become a world of beauty,bespoke to my tastes and interests, a curated resource I can dip into when Ineed it most. It’s also become an interesting review of how my tastes haveevolved over time.
Ultimately this collectionhas become the single greatest source of inspiration for me — perfect for whenmy mind is blank.
But here’s the thing: Of the tens ofthousands of images I’ve saved, you won’t find a single website, screenshot, orapp. Which might sound strange, considering I design software for a living. Instead, what I find sparks the most inspiration is obscurearchitecture, weird and wonderful packaging, hand-drawn type, unusualillustrations, vibrant photographs, and experimental branding projects.
Despite being different innature to the work I’m doing, these images are still able to spark a hundredideas, suggest interesting color palettes, or allude to a visual style I mightnot have seen for a while. They’re abstracted from trends, from each other, andfrom the work that I see day in, day out.
I’ve found the key toinspiration is to look sideways at other industries and patterns. After all,it’s pretty difficult to create something unique if you’re looking in just one direction.Instead, try looking at the visual output of other disciplines and industries.Allow your mind to absorb the creative excellence of others and pursue beauty,rather than utility.
If you’re keen to startcreating your own library or extend your visual reading list, the followingshould serve as a good starting point to your creative journey:
Colossal
BrandNew
Lovely Package
It’s Nice That
Friends of Type
Co.Design
Mindsparkle Mag
BP&O
SwissMiss
Convoy
This isn’t Happiness
I Fucking Wish
Napoleon Four
Cool Kids Never Die
Neufür Sie
I’m not Wordy
ueno.design
Lagom
Veerle Pieters
Good Moves
Eva-Lotta Lamm
Buzz’s Journal (shameless self-promotion)
ArchitectureAU
Design Milk
Remodelista
The Design Files
Karma Trend
Laguna Bay
Coco Lapine Design
Designed Interiors
Architectural Digest
Journal–The ModernHouse
Design & Decor
Architectureby Uncrate