When it comes to building that fresh new web design project, really digging down into the creative process and producing something that is not only highly functional but also fantastic looking, you need inspiration. Fortunately, that’s not something that’s in short supply online. There are plenty of great sites filled with amazing art, graphic design, website design and loads more that you can peruse. Helping you build up your own repository of images and broadening those all-important influences.
This is exactly why we’ve put together a list of twelve of the best inspirational websites to help you get moving on your next great web design project. From fine art to logo design, we’ve got you covered here.
Awwwards
The Very Best Sites to Inspire Your Web Design Project
Showcasing some of the best web design work happening today, Awwwards.com should definitely be among your bookmarks when you’re looking for that all-important inspiration. Covering multitudes of different industries as well as a range of varied web design-related workshops and masterclasses, this is one worth taking a look at. Whether you’re looking to deepen your skills or just take a look at some great sites, get over to Awwwards.
Colossal
Launched by curator and writer Christopher Jobson back in 2010, Colossal is among the biggest art, culture and design blogs going. Boasting a huge audience of over two-million visitors monthly, they share content that’s sure to get your design wheels turning. We can understand how they won their nickname “The Tate Modern of the Internet”. Whatever your next project, take a look here first.
Booooooom
Boasting seven o’s and the position of Canada’s biggest and highest traffic art platform, Booooooom has built an authoritative presence around contemporary arts and design, providing a platform for many young artists online. If you’re a web designer looking for some fresh ideas, inspiration or just some interesting new visual art, Booooooom is a great blog to take a look at.
Mirador
When it comes to hunting for images and simply building a vast reservoir of images to work from and around, it can be tricky to find the ideal options. Sure, we’ve got Pinterest and Google Images, but if you want to find truly interesting, engaging and unusual images, you’ve got to really dig around. Mirador is the digging of the graphic design studio, Say What Studio, based in Paris, France. Expect lots of engaging, inspirational images to peruse. Absolutely perfect for when you’re trying to see that fresh take on your new web design project.
Mr Сup
A Great Web Design Project Needs the Right Text
Type, printing, font, whatever you want to call it, it’s essential to creating striking, engaging and impressive websites. There’s no doubt about it, run of the mill, boring font can really let an otherwise spectacular website down. This is where sites like Fabien Barral’s Mr Cup come into play. Expect a veritable stockpile of print and typeface images and ideas. Perfect for when you’re just so bored of obvious fonts but have no idea where to start looking about.
Juxtapoz is Perfect for an Artistic Web Design Project
Another art zine-type website, boasting some of the most striking contemporary artists and visual arts online. Not only is there a great selection of art and graphic design work, but the website itself is also absolutely gorgeous. Wall-to-wall inspiration! Thousands of blog posts featuring contemporary artists, film, graphic design, and music. All kinds of stuff to dig through and really find some fresh new ideas to work with.
Shillington Design Blog
Brought to by the graphic design college, Shillington, you can expect to see tons of super engaging, interesting graphic design blog posts, featuring tons of contemporary artists and industry insights. Whether you’re looking for fresh graphic design ideas, inspiration for your latest web design project or interviews with some of the most innovative and successful graphic designers working today, there’s plenty on here to get stuck into.
Logo Design Love
The Right Logo is Essential For Branding in Your Web Design Project
Logos are really, really important. Whether we’re talking branding, website design or digital marketing, logos are key. Having a spectacular logo is always going to be extremely important when it comes to really thriving online. No one can afford to have a forgettable, clumsy or ill-thought-out logo representing them online. This is exactly why blogs like Logo Design Love are so essential. Especially when it comes to stepping beyond the obvious examples and finding some real design inspiration.
Trendland
Another fantastic source of massively varied inspiration. Divided down into nine different categories: art, design, travel, interior, photography, lifestyle, branding, style and music. So there’s plenty of different stuff to get those creative juices flowing and get you thinking about your web design project in some new and innovative way. Expect articles, reports, photos and interviews.
The Cool Hunter
An online magazine delivering curated international content all about architecture, design, art, lifestyle and travel. You can expect regular articles published on a beautifully put-together site. Now while this might not seem strictly relevant when it comes to website design, the reality is that you need to embrace a range of influences if you’re truly going to innovate and deliver refined, modern and engaging website design. This is a great place to start widening influences.
Pinterest Can Still Help Kickstart Your Web Design Project
Okay, painfully obvious I know. However, it’s the original inspiration point for so many different projects, endless creative ventures, and thousands of different things online. So what if it can be a little stale and obvious these days? It’s still a great place to start when it comes to researching and collecting visual information. Pinterest has more than earned its place here!
Dribbble
Another fantastic blog curating some of the most engaging, creative and innovative websites out there. I thought I’d better finish on something specific to website design. Although, there is plenty of content and inspiration on graphic design and other relevant areas too. So, if you’re looking to get started on your next web design project, it’s worth taking a look here for some fresh ideas. Oh, as well as all that, their website is pretty great looking too!