There are many sources of graphic design inspiration including books, magazines and websites. Below are some resources you can turn to for design inspiration.
1. Recommended Websites
There are tons of websites that can provide graphic design inspiration for any project you are working on. The following is a list of websites that are particularly helpful in terms of inspiration.
- Dribbble Graphic Design Gallery: An invite-only design gallery.
- The Dieline: A website all about package design.
- Lovely Package: A package design blog.
- DesignModo: Graphic design inspiration and ideas.
- Smashing Magazine: Design tutorials and inspiration.
2. Graphic Design Magazines
Graphic design magazines are an excellent source of inspiration. They are filled with articles and visuals to help with the creative and business sides of graphic design. The following are three popular magazines to help inspire your current and future projects.
- Print Magazine: A design magazine with a focus on culture, society and the many sides of visual communication.
- HOW Magazine: A design magazine with a focus on articles for the everyday designer, on topics ranging from careers to typography.
- Communications Arts Magazine: A great source of inspiration, with profiles and features on top designers and work.
3. Recommended Graphic Design Books
Graphic design books can be extremely helpful when you are looking for some design inspiration. Keeping a few of them near your work station affords you instant access to tons of useful inspiration.
- Area: The state of graphic design.
- Advertising Now. Print: A collection of advertising.
- Los Logos: Modern logo design.
- Tell Me Why: The story of the first two years of New York design firm.
4. Interview with Shelby White of Designspiration.net
Designspiration is an excellent website devoted to design inspiration. With a clever and simple interface, and easy searching by keyword and color, it's one of my favorite stops to look for images by topic or saved by some top designers. I had the chance to interview Shelby White, creator of Designspiration, about the process of creating the site, which comes along with some great advice for others building something creative.
5. Featured Design Inspiration Websites
This is a list of featured websites from the about.com graphic design blog. The list includes ISO50, Dave Werner, North Kingdom, XRS Nowe Media, DesignChapel and MoMA's "Design and the Elastic Mind."
6. Graphic Designers Directory
This is a community-generated directory of graphic designers, design firms, freelancers, web designers, web developers, interactive agencies and design studios. Check out their portfolios from some graphic design inspiration and ideas.
7. Web 2.0 Design - 10 Trends in Modern Website Design
Their are many trends in modern web design, often referred to as part of web 2.0. Web 2.0 design often features textures, drop shadows, clean grid layouts, icons, and other design elements. This article features 10 trends in modern web 2.0 design, along with examples of each, which are a great source of graphic design inspiration.
8. Illustration Gallery
This gallery features illustrators and illustrations highlighted in the graphic design blog. It is a great resource for graphic design inspiration. Included in the gallery are Jared Nickerson's character design and illustration, Uğur Derinoğullu's cover art, Typeface's one page website dedicated to developing a collection of web designer playing cards, and Sol Lewitt who is famous for his installation pieces that are created by artists who purchase his artistic directions so they can create the work themselves.
9. Using Photography for Graphic Design Inspiration
Photography is a great source of graphic design inspiration. There are many online resources that give you access to vast photo collections, from photography portfolios to stock photography websites. For example, stock photo sites have millions of images that can provide inspiration, Flickr is a community supported website that gives you access to tons of user-submitted photos, and Google Image Search provides access to images that match whatever keyword you are searching.
10. A Museum Directory for Graphic Design Inspiration
Visiting museums of all types can be a great source of graphic design inspiration. This museum directory has a focus on modern art, design and technology. Many of the museum websites have online exhibits and well-designed websites, which can inspire as well. The directory includes, among others, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the Denver Museum of Nature in Science in Denver, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, and the Institute of Contemporary Art in San Diego.