Where to find inspiration as a graphic designer

As graphic designers, we absorb inspiration not only through our eyes but also through the other senses, like touching, smelling and hearing. Just as how an art magazine can inspire a new drawing, so can a shop window or an artistic film. Each designer has their own style and also their own style of being inspired.

The usual places, then and now

For years, the usual inspiration for a designer is the work of another designer they look up to. Just like artists have done for thousands of years, graphic designers look at the work of their mentors and peers as a source of inspiration.

Before the age of computers, designers had books and magazines where the designs of featured artists was showcased. These were kept in studios and homes and looked at and studied all the time. Dogeared pages with favorite designs, it could be the color palette or the layout, there was always something to awe at.

Books about famous graphic designers that started entire movements, like bauhaus and constructivism, are still a source of inspiration for students and professionals alike.

Of course, we still have graphic design books and magazines but we also have the internet.

The online space is full of all sorts of inspiration. Our regular favorites Behance and Dribble supply us with endless visual inspiration from designers in all fields and of different styles. Other sites offer like Inspiration Grid showcase curated works from designers all over the world. Another site which showcases amazing logos and other designs is The Design Inspiration.

Looking at portfolios of other designers is also a great way to get inspired. There are lots of roundups on design blogs where amazing designers are showcased. This collection on Medium is pretty impressive with only a few designers included.

Last but not least we also have social media sites like Instagram, Tumblr, and even Pinterest. Here we can find lots of designs collected by other people looking for inspiration, just like you. Use keywords and hashtags to search on these sites so you are not just scrolling endlessly.

Unexpected places

 Apart from books, magazines, online sites and social media, there are other sources where a graphic designer can find some inspiration. Always have a notebook and sketching tools in your bag, you never know when inspiration will hit.

Museums and galleries

Visiting museums and art galleries has been a classic starting point for inspiration for artists all over the world. You might not think that graphic design can be inspired through historic oil paintings but you’d be wrong. Try looking closer, at the details and color palettes. Take an entire afternoon in one area of a museum and find similarities in the art collected there.

Art galleries are always changing and most cities have more than one gallery so you can make an outing of it.

Malls and coffee shops

These might not sound like the classic places to get inspiration but the trick is to broaden your horizons and look deeper at what you might not see on the surface. Best way to really tap into a creative inspiration in any of these places is to take a notebook along and sketch. Drawing and sketching the things around you can inspire your creativity more than you can imagine.

Traveling

When traveling away from your home area, everything and anything can be an inspiration for a future project. Take photos, make collages, sketch anything and your creative spark will stay alive. Check out other travel inspired sketchers to see how they are creating, and they might even inspire something in you.

Courses

Other places to gain inspiration is taking artistic courses of different kinds. As graphic designers, we are creative to the core so other types of artistic fields can easily inspire new ideas. For example, you can take a course on hand-lettering, ceramics, sculpting, printmaking. The variety of courses you can take are pretty extensive, just check online for courses in your area. Or you can even take some courses online.

Tuts

Following online graphic design tutorials can also inspire new ways of using a tool or different ways of shading an element. Looking at what other designers are creating will always be a great source of inspiration.  Look for tutorials that are a little out of your comfort zone, that look complicated and you are sure you can’t do that easily. These are the ones that will challenge you and make your creative brain happy.

Movies and documentaries

 After watching all the design inspired films, watching movies can also inspire a new project or idea. Wes Anderson movies, for example, are a great visual inspiration for any type of designer.

Over to you

How do you get inspired as a graphic designer? Do you keep your eyes open for unexpected sparks of inspiration? Do you carry a notebook around everywhere you go? Tell us in the comments.