Suppose you look up inspiration in the dictionary. What do you find? It describes inspiration as: ‘stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity’. This is exactly correct when discussing how we are influenced to create something in a world of design. Being stimulated and influenced to a high level is sometimes difficult. The design world is filled with so much “JUNK”. A lot of this ‘junk’ is so readily accepted as normal, that everyone, not just designers, are calloused like the tough end of an elbow as to what they think ‘works’ and what doesn’t.
Everything we see, touch, hear and feel is ready to inspire us. And no, I’m not talking about epiphany’s here. I’m talking about the motivation that drives creation. As designers, we want to understand inspiration properly in order to create a piece that motivates others to ponder over WHY and HOW. Although inspiration is a very complex subject, I hope I can direct you to places that will motivate you to creation. Whether you are a designer, developer, CEO, project manager or art director we all are involved in the design process in some aspect. As a designer, there is nothing more satisfying than to complete a project and be content with the end result. But where is inspiration derived from? And where can we get it? Being inspired is different for everyone. What inspires you may not be anything close to motivational for someone else. But one thing still stands; we all need it to create.
When trying to find an inspirational piece, it may be a good idea to view a favorite designer’s portfolio. In my quest for motivation I have found designers such as Eric Jordan, Shane Mielke, Stefan Sagmeister and Adrian Shaughnessy to be very eye opening in the possibilities of design. We all have our own style, but the mark of a true professional is one who is open to others creative works and accepts that they alone do not posses the only right way to do something. Also, working with other designers is a sure way to gain inspiration and learn new styles that we wouldn’t otherwise stumble upon.
Another way to find inspiration is to view showcase sites that contain designs from many different people around the globe.
Some of these sites are:
http://cascadingstyleshit.cocoagrove.com/ -(This site is excellent! It contains MANY different showcase sites. And the name is interesting… isn’t it?)
While these sites primarily showcase css websites, the designs give you something to think about.
Web designers in particular are bombarded with so many different choices on how to convey information. Having so many options can lead to a distinct, preferred style. But as designers, we sometimes forget we are not creating ONLY for ourselves but for others as well.
