Looking for help overcoming designers block? I list some great resources below.
In his popular book titled, Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon says this:
“Start copying what you love. Copy, copy, copy, copy. At the end of the copy, you will find yourself.”
Austin Kleon – Steal Like an Artist
One myth of web design is thinking you have to fully create an amazing design all in your head. Very few things (if anything at all) are created without the influence of someone or something else. The best websites you see were more than likely inspired by another website.
Even the best designers look for inspiration.
Always be looking at what others are creating. And when it comes time to design your project, be sure to do some homework to see what others have already created.
Never steal someone else’s design outright. However, the layout for a section on someone else’s site might be the perfect solution for a section on your website. It may be the layout, the colors, the typography, the shapes, or all of the above.
My point is this – inspiration is all around us. Don’t look for a design that you can rip off completely; look for elements you can modify and implement into your design.
Here’s a list of sites that I constantly use for inspiration:
Land-book – https://land-book.com/
This is is a great site that showcases tons of beautiful landing pages.
Lapa – https://www.lapa.ninja/
Another great site with a huge list of websites, all broken down by categories (and even color!)
Awwwards – https://www.awwwards.com/
This site is great, but some of these sites feature very complex designs and coding. Use it to be inspired but don’t let the overly-complex designs bum you out and keep you from believing in yourself.
Dribbble – https://dribbble.com/
You won’t find fully developed sites here but you’ll find plenty of mockups. Dribbble is a community of designers who share their work for critique and inspiration. It’s a great place to start any design project.
How do you find inspiration? I’d love to hear about it.