Feeling stuck in a design rut? Want (or need) to start designing some assets but have no idea where to begin? You’re not alone. Staying constantly inspired can be challenging, especially when you hit a creative block. But inspiration is everywhere – often in the most unexpected places. All it takes is a fresh perspective and an open mind, allowing inspiration to strike when you least expect it.
In this article, we will explore how to find inspiration when you’re suffering from a creative block, where to find design inspiration and – to help spark your imagination and get those creative juices flowing – we’ve come up with some effective ways to help jumpstart your design ideas. Let’s get right into it!
What is the purpose of the Design?
Knowing and understanding the purpose of your design will help to streamline the creative process, setting a framework to design within. It is important to ask yourself a few questions before you dive in;
- What is the goal of the design? What does it need to achieve?
- What is the message and how is it being delivered?
- What platform will the graphic be displayed on? Is it printed or online?
- Who is the audience?
- What is the brand? Are there any style guides or restrictions to consider?
By asking yourself these questions and carefully considering the answers, you will have a better idea of the reason for the design and who it is targeted at, helping you to come up with a design that ticks these boxes.
Where to find design inspiration
Inspiration can come from anywhere – both in the digital world and from real life experiences. Whether you’re scrolling through social media or exploring a new place, there are endless ways to spark creativity and find design inspiration:
Social media
Scrolling social media is an easy way to find stunning photography and design imagery – the perfect inspiration for your designs. Platforms such as Pinterest and Tumblr are the two fastest growing image based social media platforms that offer inspiration for logo design, blog graphics or colour schemes.
Travel
Travel can be a great source of inspiration, a change of routine and time to explore new places, cultures and languages. You don’t need to travel far, you can simply visit another village, town or city as the idea is to forget about your project and explore a new place. Look around at the different scenery, the buildings and the people. And don’t forget to take a sketchbook and pencil. You never know when design inspiration might strike!
Walk
Sometimes the best way to get inspired creatively is to step out of your work environment and simply take a walk. A study by Stanford University found that walking can increase creativity by 60%, and as we know, It’s all too easy to get lost in your head when doing creative work, so taking a walk can help to clear your head from thoughts about projects you’re working on.
Chat
The people you surround yourself with play a significant and profound role in shaping who you become. Talking to people helps to process and bounce off ideas, allowing you to build and nurture a network of supportive individuals, essential for achieving success.
Practice
Try forgetting about your current project and practice designing for fun. Play around with colours and make sketches without thinking about the final result – sometimes the most creative ideas come from moments of carefree experimentation!
Read
For graphic designers especially, print magazines, such as Eye Magazine, Communication Arts or Idea, offer a great source of inspiration in a completely different visual way to digital. Keep a scrapbook of pages you like to refer back to in times of creative block.
Websites for design inspiration
Having the right resources at your fingertips is great for sparking creativity. Here are a few go-to websites to help you feel inspired:
- Behance – a great spot to find a range of creative portfolios
- Dribbble – one of the best resources for graphic and web designers. Designers from all over the world post and share their work to help you in your own design projects
- Design inspiration – save and explore ideas that inspire your creativity
- Instagram – although not a traditional design website, Instagram is a great tool for inspiration. Following the right accounts can fill your feed with endless ideas.
Feeling inspired but need someone to bring your ideas to life?
Now that your creative ideas are taking shape, you might be wondering where to begin. At Milk & Tweed, graphic design is at the heart of everything we do—we love bringing concepts to life. Whether it’s posters, social media graphics, signs, brochures, van graphics, or anything in between, we design it all. So, if you’re ready to get started, you know who to call. We’d love to hear from you!
