Where Great Design Starts

When you can’t say it with words, say it with images. We are often impressed by the lengths that some of our clients go to in order to explain what they mean. Some  of them have a blank canvas and let us go to town, while others already know what they like in terms of style or design elements. We think both ways of approaching creative projects are acceptable.

When you are looking to have design work done, say for example, a new website or a new logo, one way for you to personally start brainstorming is to open up your friendly search engine and see what’s out there. Know one knows your brand from your perspective better than you. And you should be familiar with your industry too. As you are browsing through various websites for inspiration,  you may not know why a certain site or design element speaks to you, and you don’t have to know. But, it would ultimately be in your best interest to flag it, to take a screen shot of it, and to create a folder on your computer filled with items that you know you like. This way, when you are ready to bring a design firm on board for a creative project and you are given that free consultation, you can make the most value of that time and really make sure that both parties are on the same page.

This in no way means that you are taking over the creative direction of the project or labeling yourself as a designer. It simply means you have an idea or you have something you like and you just want to put it out on the table. We appreciate moments like this because it allows us to see where you are coming from and your thought process on the project.

So, let’s get you started with looking for some visual stimuli! Image searches on the internet are always fun because you’ll never know what you’ll find. But, if you are on the look out for some more direct means of creative inspiration, we recommend the following powerhouses to get you started. You’ll always find something fun and interesting on the sites below, and hey, you might even spark a great idea that could be the core of your next project.

Design*Sponge
http://www.designspongeonline.com/
Design*Sponge is a daily website dedicated to home and product design run by Brooklyn-based writer, Grace Bonney. Launched in August of 2004, Design*Sponge was declared a “Martha Stewart Living for the Millennials” (NY Times, 2008) and features store and product reviews, city, product, and gift guides, diy projects, before & after furniture and home makeovers, home tours, recipes, videos and podcasts, and trend forecasting. In addition, Design*Sponge is dedicated to covering student design, national and international design shows. The site is updated constantly throughout the day (with an average of 6-10 posts a day), and attracts a core group of devoted readers.

 

The Design Inspiration
http://thedesigninspiration.com
A categorized collection of websites, articles, logos, illustrations, photos, patterns and more to tickle your fancy and get your creative juices flowing.

Web Crème
http://www.webcreme.com/
A catalog site featuring some cutting edge, well designed websites. You can click on the pictures of the sites featured to visit the sites and see how user friendly they are.

 

Design Flavr
http://www.designflavr.com/
Designflavr is a moderated art and design showcase built upon user submissions.

The Dieline
http://www.thedieline.com
Established in 2007 by Andrew Gibbs, The Dieline is dedicated to the progress of the package design industry and its practitioners, students and enthusiasts. Its purpose is to define and promote the world’s best examples of packaging, and provide a place where the package design community can review, critique and stay informed of the latest industry trends and design projects being created in the field. The Dieline has quickly grown into the most visited website on package design in the world, and has become the voice of the industry. It is an active sponsor of the Pentawards, the first and only professional design competition devoted exclusively to the art of brand packaging, further promoting the field.