What’s Your Spark?
Is it photography? Could it be a new design you saw while surfing the web? Maybe even the architecture of a building? There are so many different ways that one can be turned on to an idea that can spark the next great design. Everyone tends to have there own “method to madness” before getting started with a new design. I know I have mine.
Inspiration is the name of the game, and it’s what I am referring to when I make mention of that spark. Being a designer, I find it hard to start a new design unless I have some sort of inspiration. I have various ways at going about looking for inspiration, and my small process has not failed me yet. So what do I do?
Surf, Surf, and More Surf
I am on the web basically, from the time I wake up, until maybe 10 minutes before I go to bed. Maybe squeeze in a meal or two, in front of the computer of course. At least half of my designs have come from being inspired in one way or another by something on the web, whether it’s another design, or an article explaining a new technique that I have never used. I would actually find it hard to not be inspired by something out there on the web. There are just too many different resources out there to not be able to grab an idea from one of them. It gets my blood flowing when I have someone ask me where to find ideas or how-to’s. That is usually my cue to unload a massive amount of links, knowing that it would take hours upon hours to sift through them all. So for me, there will always be something to spark an idea out there on the web, and it’s my job to find it.
Print, Anyone?
I don’t design for print, although at times I wish I did, because I love seeing it. Some of the best design work I’ve seen has been in print. It just seems like a more flexible platform to design for than the web. I’m sure there are standards and guidelines to follow in print, as there is for the web, but I wouldn’t know. Often when I buy magazines, I tend to look at the advertising more than the actual content of the magazine. Designers make that magazine look the way that it does, so why would that not interest me? Magazines such as Communication Arts or How Design are great ways to go.
Try Another View
Possibly through a lens. Photography might be one of my top ways of finding inspiration. In fact, it is the reason why I became a designer. I had my digital camera, and loved taking scenic pictures. Once I had these cool looking shots, I wanted to way for these pictures to be seen (at least by my friends). In comes web design. That’s how it all started for me as a designer, and that is one thing that I will never forget, so I often go back to how I got here in the first place, to help find inspiration and ideas. A site that I recently found is Chromasia. Some of the most breath-taking photography I have ever seen has been on that site, so I try to visit frequently when looking for new ideas.
Gallerize It
I try to keep this as limited as possible, but CSS galleries can be useful sometimes. The reason I try to keep this limited is because I feel like these galleries are focusing a little too much on design, rather than a solution as a whole. In my opinion, they can tend to give off the wrong idea for someone who is new and naive to design. At the same time, you can find some diamonds in the rough as well. When I do decide to glance at galleries, you can find me poking around at CSS Mania, CSS Beauty, or the ever-so-popular Zen Garden, where you can’t help but to appreciate the skills of some of those graphic designers.
I am interested in knowing where other designers find their inspiration, so feel free to share. My small methods for finding ideas have worked out pretty solid so far, so as the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I think it’s fair to say that I will keep that quote in mind during my inspiration process, although tune-ups never hurt either!
Where will your next spark come from?
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