Creattica: Design Inspiration

Creattica: Design Inspiration

So, Since most of us know about designspiration, i decided to forego using that as this weeks post and instead found a very similar site. (designspiration is pretty cool if you haven't seen it already. It reminds me of pinterest, except cooler because its for designers.) The Site I found is called Creattica. As said before it I very similar to Designspiration but it never hurts to have more sources for inspiration. I know a lot of us struggle trying to finding something to do when it comes to a project and I always turn to one of these sites. Mainly for a little help for an idea, but also to find what is cool and "hip" I guess is the word kids are using these days. I don't want to  make something out dated and i want to make something that is going to stand out to someone and go "wow, thats pretty neat". Right? It is. Thanks to these websites, you can get that wow factor and help you find something that is "pretty neat".

With Creattica, you can look at what is new on there website and just browse through the front page for ideas, you can look at stuff by category by just using the Explore button or you can search for anything or something specific. 

I think this website will definitely be a great source of inspiration for me but also something cool too look at and also what you can do with certain things and certain programs. Being able to just look at what someone has done in photo shop makes me want to try it out and see what I can do. It also helps fine a lot of similar designs too so that you can branch off of an idea you have and see what you can do with it. 

My favorite feature though is the wall papers. I do like inspiration but being able to download a new wallpaper is pretty sweet too. 

Fonts In Use

FONTSINUSE

So I wasn't really sure what I would focus my blog posts on but I figured the best thing to do for me and my fellow designers was to try and find helpful sites that could assist us in making some of the best work we can come up with. Sometimes you just don't have those creative juices flowing or maybe are just unsure about what to do in certain design situations and you need a little push or inspiration.

This site is called Fonts in Use

                                                                                Fonts In Use helps designers like us choose the right typeface and what it would and could look like in certain designs. You can search a certain typeface or just go through the images until you find a typeface you like. It even shows other typefaces that were used in that design so you know what typefaces work well with each other. This site includes a lot of the most well known typefaces like Arial and Helvetica but also a few not so well known. However, The more common, the more images. You can also search based upon the type of design you are creating and what it will be used for. You can search by industries (like fashion or architecture) or even formats (like posters or magazines) to get a clear cut idea of what typefaces to use or ideas on how to use it. 

Another cool feature is that if a design particularly interests you you can click on the image and it will give you a brief description of the image, maybe the designer and even a location of where they found the work.

I think this is actually a decent site, even though pretty new, seems to have a lot of potential. I think it also could help come up with an idea or a better way of using any typeface and give you creative strategies. I've already started looking into fonts for some of my projects! You can visit the site at www.fontsinuse.com

20 Motivating Design Quotes

While using Stumbleupon, a giant mash-up of everything cool, I found this great article called "20 Motivating Design Quotes for Graphic Designers."Though a lot of them apply to artists in general, it really made me rethink how I design or how I came to want to design. A few definitely caught my attention and stirred up more thoughts than they probably should have.

"Every child is an artist. The problem is staying an artist when you grow up." Since I could hold a pen, I have been drawing in every single Disney book I had, on every wall in my house, and on all the tables up until mid-teens when I began to enter contests for drawing and painting. I know a lot of people that said they wanted to be an "artist" when they grow up when we were asked in elementary school, yet I am one of two in my graduating class of 120 kids to go on to pursue an art degree in college. I think a lot of people get the creativity pushed out of them because they "need" to pursue a more "realistic" career. For me, I'm glad I was able to stick with what I love and enjoy every minute of it (except for when I'm an hour before a deadline and only halfway done).

"Good design is all about making other designers feel like idiots because that idea wasn't theirs." Let's be real, whenever we present work, all of us see at least one design and think, "Why didn't I think of that?" It's part of making what seems to be obvious strengthened by good design and concepts.

"Those who do not want to imitate anything produce nothing." We all derive inspiration from somewhere and I know sometimes it feels like everything has already been done, but I love this quote because it shows how you need to find inspiration from something to create the wireframe for a design. It could be shapes, colors, textures, or anything that you see and moves you to create something even better by being influenced.

You should definitely check out the other quotes, they could make you rethink an idea so simple and inspire your designs!

Me.Show inspiration blog

I found this website, Me.Show,  to be a very interesting and organized design inspiration blog. The posts are divided between several different sections, including advertising, posters, design, photography, etc. I found the advertising section the be very entertaining. Most of the ads are humorous and all of them are very relatable. My favorite is the Baygon ad,  where girls being held by serial killers while screaming about insects on the floor.
The Design section is also entertaining, it shows product and print design of different brands. I found the "throne" toilet design quite hilarious. If you are bored and in the mood for a laugh, or maybe just looking for some cool design inspirations, you should check this website out.

Revamp Your Work Space

This post is not related so much to the art of graphic design, but more so the basics that help us get our creative gears moving. I stumbled upon this great design website called Eighty One Design. Within their site, they created an article that compiles pictures from several design studios that shows their work space. Each of us knows that whenever we are in a slump or lacking inspiration, we look to our environment for new ideas, shapes, and colors. It never helps when we're in a boring room or in a space that does not really suit our imaginations. Here's a few offices that I think are very reflective of the designs that the companies create:

Google

Three Rings Design

Lego

Pixar

Graphic Design studio suggestion

All of these offices and studios surround themselves with patterns, colors, and past works along with organic and architectural elements. These studios create new and whimsical environments with Google having a cloud-like floor while Pixar created small houses to hold each studio. Why these themes or elements were chosen is unclear, but one can assume the designers worked with the interior designers to let them know what makes them feel comfortable, productive, and inspired.

Another thing these studios al have in common is how successful they are. Apparently, a good design may have its roots from an inspirational studio. So, I think it would benefit all of us to rethink the spaces we create our designs in. Try going outside to sketch or relocating to a new room in a different building you have never been in. Even better, put up posters, pictures, and try painting your walls or creating a mural. It's an interesting idea that your work space can influence your designs for the better.