Inspiration in Design: Practical Tips for Generating Winning Ideas

Finding the right place and tools to draw inspiration can be a challenge, even for the most experienced designers. The complexity of the topics we tackle and the deep knowledge required by each project can create uncertainties about how to gather adequate information. This article aims to share my experience and offer useful insights to all design professionals, from beginners to veterans.

Before diving in, I’d like to recall a phrase I often heard from my university professors: “Google is your friend; learn how to use it.” This simple yet effective mantra reminds us of the importance of being clear about what we’re searching for and mastering the tools the web offers us. It’s not just about seeking information online; sometimes, taking a break and engaging in other activities can stimulate our cognitive and creative processes. Owning a rich library dedicated to our design field can prove to be a goldmine of ideas and reflections.

Inspiration in Design: Practical Tips for Generating Winning Ideas

Essential Platforms for Finding Inspiration

Let’s move on to the list of the most useful platforms to fuel our creativity.

1. Behance


Behance is one of the leading platforms for creatives, hosting portfolios of designers and artists from all over the world. Besides allowing the viewing of high-quality projects, it enables users to create personal galleries where they can save their favorite works, organizing them by themes. A recently introduced feature is the ability to create mood boards, saving individual images from a project. This tool facilitates the collection of inspirations in one place, helping us define the design direction to take.

2. Dribbble


Dribble differs from Behance in its focus on shots, which are images or short carousels showcasing the final result of a project. This platform, accessible only by invitation, is populated by designers and creatives worldwide who share aesthetically appealing and experimental works. While it lacks details on the creative processes, Dribbble is an invaluable source for observing innovative trends, even if some solutions might be impractical in real-world applications.

3. Pinterest



Pinterest is a veteran among social networks, having been launched two years before Instagram. It functions as an aggregator of ideas, allowing users to create personalized collections and publish their own projects. Although it has a less specialized audience compared to the previous platforms, it remains an essential tool for researching and observing design trends.

Specialized Platforms for Branding and UX/UI Design

Since I primarily deal with branding and UX/UI design, I recommend two more specialized platforms.

4. Designspiration


Designspiration is ideal for checking if our ideas have already been used and for creating stylistic mood boards. It’s an excellent tool for communicating to the client the design styles we intend to propose, facilitating the approval process and aligning expectations.

5. Collect UI


Collect UI is a valuable resource for user interface design. Similar to Dribbble in its shot format, it focuses exclusively on UI design solutions. It’s particularly useful for finding innovative ideas that solve space issues or to overcome creative blocks in web and app design contexts.

Resources for UX and Best Practices

To delve further and stay updated on best practices in the field of user experience, here are some fundamental resources:

6. Nielsen Norman Group


NNG is one of the most authoritative sources on usability and UX research. It offers articles, reports, and courses that deepen best practices in user-centered design.

7. Smashing Magazine


Smashing Magazine is an online magazine covering a wide range of topics related to web design and development, with a strong focus on UX and emerging technologies.

8. UX Planet


UX Planet is a platform entirely dedicated to user experience design, offering articles, guides, and case studies that can help improve skills and stay updated on the latest trends.

9. Awwwards


Awwwards recognizes the best websites in terms of design, creativity, and innovation. It’s an excellent source of inspiration to see how UX best practices are applied in real projects.

10. UX Collective


UX Collective is a community on Medium offering a wide range of articles written by industry professionals, covering topics from user research to design thinking.

Conclusion

Finding inspiration is a fundamental process for every designer. Using the right platforms and tools can make the difference between an ordinary project and an extraordinary one. Let’s always remember that inspiration can come from multiple sources: careful browsing on the web, consulting specialized books, or even taking a simple break to refresh the mind.

To explore how we can assist you with your branding or UX/UI design project, contact us. We are ready to collaborate with you to turn your ideas into reality.

Image credits: Pexels - Andre Moura