Posts Tagged ‘Inspiration’

    How do you get inspired for your web designs?

    October 28th, 2009 - by Jeff Wagner

    I have a question for all the web designers out there in the web world…how do you get inspired for your web designs? I have different ways that I look for inspiration and I’m going to share those with you but I’m curious how others get their creative mojo rolling when starting on a new project.

    I find many times the hardest part of a new project is just getting started on the design. Why is this? At least for me it’s a number a factors.

    JWI Color Palette

    1. I always want to keep my clients branding consistent, most of them work very hard for a look that they want. But at the same time I want to push their new design to help make the overall experience of the website more engaging, interactive and yet keep it simple for visitors to get the information they need out of it.
    2. Color is another sometimes complicated piece of the puzzle. My clients almost always have at least one color that they brand their name and identity with. How do you find the right secondary color(s) to bring the design together?
    3. Is there a theme to this design? An example would be an outdoors theme seen here: http://macallanridge.com/
    4. What kind of photography does my client currently have? Will there be photos taken for this project? Personally, I think it’s so much easier to bring a design together when you have a great selection of photos to use from the client.
    5. What are the fonts that are going to be used for this website? Will there be a combination or a specific family?

    All of the above are key factors that should be taken into consideration when starting a new project but I really haven’t answered my question as to how I get inspired for a new web design.

    My inspiration is very visual, so I go out and look for creativity in different areas. I think one of the best places to see how creativity is used is in web design galleries. Web based galleries are my favorite, I spend a lot time going through new websites and seeing how other designers are pushing the limits of design for the web. Not only is this a great resource for visual ideas you many times are seeing the newest ways in creative functionality for a website.

    Below is a list of my favorite web galleries:


    CSS Mania


    Best Web Gallery

     

    To help answer the color issue I mentioned above I really like to visit the Colour Lovers Website and the Kuler Website to help me find the color palette I want to use for my designs.

    I find adding texture elements to my designs really gives it that unique, multidimensional feel that makes your website stand out. I have a list of websites that give you free texture downloads, but I found a link from Smashing Magazine.com (one of my favorite websites) that listed out a bunch of texture websites that designers can use freely.

    Following some good design blogs always helps build inspiration. I’ve bookmarked so many different links to design, texture, color and other resources I’ve found just from reading through a few blogs every day. Here are a few that I’d suggest:

    So now that I’ve shared with you some of the ways that I find inspiration to design my new projects I’d really love to hear how you find your inspiration. There’s so many creative folks out there…share with me your inspirations.

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