Top 5 go-to places for design inspiration
A creative agency environment is very fast paced and requires you to use your creative brain day in day out, but do you ever find you’re struggling for inspiration or stuck in a bit of a design rut? It’s completely normal and every creative experiences the occasional day like this, which is why it’s good to keep your eye on the latest design trends.
Here are a few of my favourite places to visit to get the creative ideas flowing again:
- Although it may seem obvious, exhibitions are a great way to check out new talent and exciting new mediums and design techniques – I annually visit the Pick Me Up exhibition in London and always feel inspired to go home and create some new work of my own. Other great exhibitions include The Design Museum (now shut until 24 November – I can’t wait for the new site to open!) which is inspiration on all design levels, not just graphics. The Tate galleries are a great place to go if you’re looking for some inspiration in the use of colour, and they’re free!
- If you’re lucky enough to go on city breaks or even visit the larger cities in the UK then walking around with an iPhone camera and taking inspiration from posters, signage and shop fronts is also a great way to get ideas. I recently visited Amsterdam and the elegance and simplicity of Dutch design was just something that couldn’t be missed! London also has some great markets – one of my favourites being Malby Market where you can browse hand drawn signs and beautiful packaging design from independent market sellers.
- Design magazines and blogs are a more instant way of feeding your creativity and teach you about the latest design trends. Magazines such as Computer Arts, Creative Review and Digital Arts are worth a read, and blogs such as Design Week, Design Taxi and Creative Bloq are also great for inspiration. There are also loads of others out there that are more specific to logo design, web design etc. that all it takes is a bit of Googling!
- Again, something which is at your fingertips is Pinterest – a great way to save things you love the look of and create your own moodboards. I’m constantly adding to mine with future projects in mind.
- Bookshops and libraries are also a great place to browse for ideas – although they’re not always the best for researching latest design trends, there’s something very satisfying about leafing through a good book.
These are just some of the ways I like to reengage my creative mind, but sometimes all you need is to move away from your desk and get out for some fresh air.
