Places where you could find inspiration for your next design

Inspiration can be a tough thing. Sometimes you feel like that great idea is on the tip on your tongue (or fingers) and you can’t figure out exactly how is going to look. Most designers, when their brain freezes, turn to design blogs, images, books, old design magazines, and even their competition’s portfolio. Now, the problem is that in design either you get inspired by something or copy it. There’s a hair thin between those two. Keep in mind all designers do this, not only you, but respect that time the designer invested into creating something unique. Do yourself a favor and spend that lawsuit money on a trip to a museum to get inspired instead of straight up copying something. Be CREATIVE!

There are many things designers turn to for inspiration outside of design magazines. We’ve featured a few of those spots below:

Art Galleries & Museums - There’s a reason why these artists have their stuff posted on a wall for you to drool at. Stop playing Call of Duty and get yourself to a local museum.

Books & Magazines - Even the good ol’ books that are still around have tons of images and layouts from masters of design such as Paul Rand, David Carson, Saul Bass, Paula Scher, and Sagmeister.

People Watching & Sightseeing - Hair Styles, Clothes, and even poses can give you ideas for your next editorial design or poster.

Traveling - Believe it or not, being in a different country or city expands your eyes, taste, and ears to sponge new things.

Dining - Food culture is growing by the minute. Top Chefs need to stay on top and always come out with fancy and creative presentations. They get inspired by their surroundings, you should do it too.

Having a Drink - Maybe there’s not a study that proves that booze boosts your creativity. Now, I am a true believer that enjoying a drink now and then helps you relax and get philosophical about your passion… design. Note: Only people in the show “Mad Men” get to drink as much and still handle big accounts. Do not try this at home.

Worldwide Web - The last decade has given birth to tons of inspirational sources such as blogs, flashy websites, fast internet, and even tweets. Do some research and you’ll be surprised how the people at Notcot, Abduzeedo, Mashable, Design Taxi, and others help you stay on top of techy news and up and coming designers.