Do you feel exhausted and clueless? Cool! That means you are a true designer. It is impossible to always be inspired. Every designer you know loses inspiration more often than you think, and unfortunately, this is part of the job.
During 2019, I started my path as a UX designer, and I realized that in order to remain innovative, it is important to continuously exercise, or at least continue to stimulate the creative muscles. That way, every time someone asks you for a good idea, you’ll be ready to brainstorm.
In this article, we’ll talk about how you can stay creative for as long as possible, and what you can do to get inspired.
Reconnect with a larger mission
I have noticed that most of the time, when I feel uninspired to work on a project, it is because I have lost touch with the global mission. To solve this problem, I try to find a way to get my motivation back and remember what motivated me to design for this company.
Regaining my motivation also means spending some time to better understand our users and the competition. The experience of researching and meeting users is a great way to remind yourself that what you’re designing isn’t for you, it’s for someone who has a problem you’re trying to solve. In this way, I am inspired by the humanitarian mission of UX design, which is to help people have a simple and pleasant experience when using the software. Researching competitors, especially those who are better than you, can give you insight into what you could achieve if you continue to work hard on current and future projects.
If users don’t motivate you very much, or competitors fail to inspire you, always remember why you started designing in the first place. I started designing because I’ve always loved making things and delving into problems. That’s why, when I get stuck, I always remember how much I like to do things. I hope you can find that reason why you design, I’m sure it will help you especially to get out of those moments when you have a not so creative mindset.
feed your creativity
While the internet is full of design inspiration and other media that fuel creativity, sometimes it’s a bit difficult to find something that connects with your expectations and standards. Here are some resources that might help you when you’re looking for design inspiration.
1. Search in : A classic option
Dribbble is an invaluable source of UI inspiration. There you can find everything from ideas for fonts, colors and designs, to animations. But like all things, it also has a downside – initially Dribbble was used for the purpose of sharing work-in-progress with a community of designers. The problem with Dribbble these days is that people tend to post things that are more likely to rack up views and likes, and sometimes this results in low-quality designs.
Regardless, it’s still an excellent site for visual design inspiration, from which you can take hundreds of beautiful UI samples, but always take Dribbble designs with a grain of salt.
2. Reward your creativity with
Awwwards is probably one of the top websites on my “places to find inspiration” list. What could be a better source of inspiration than a counter with the best web design work in the world? The only problem I found when looking for inspiration here is that most of the time, these web pages are built with super advanced and sophisticated technologies, and make use of intricate interactions that designers love. Unfortunately, most of the techniques used won’t work if you’re designing something for a larger audience, especially audiences with slower internet connections.
3. : to boost your thoughts
Looking for inspiration should not be limited to looking at the visual part of the design. Many great ideas and inspiring thoughts come from other sources, which are not necessarily visual. Medium, for example, contains great articles on just about any topic you can imagine. You can read inspiring articles on new technology, case studies from the world’s best design agencies, and thoughts from industry leaders like , , and other great designers. As I mentioned before, it is essential to continue to feed your creativity day by day; reading an article a day on Medium could help you do just that.
podcast
Did you know that the more ways your brain receives information about a particular topic, the more likely you are to remember this information? I personally think this can also be applied when looking for inspiration. That’s why in addition to articles and examples, I like to listen to quality podcasts – they’re essential to me, and I think you should give them a try too. Here is a list of design-related podcasts that I listen to when looking for inspiration for my work:
1.
Presented by , a Senior UX Designer at National CineMedia. In this podcast, Jason talks about the ins and outs of UX and his own experiences. He also brings a number of guests to his podcast, some of whom you’ve probably already heard of. I especially enjoyed the episode with .
two.
If you like listening to designers having a light conversation about different designs, along with hearing them crack jokes and some comedy, then Design Details is perfect for you. It is a podcast presented by and , where they talk about UX, visual design, game design and digital products.
3.
The Big Web Show is a podcast where , founder of and publisher of the book , interviews industry leaders in web design and talks content strategy, typography, user experience, front-end technology, and much more.
Four.
On Design Blind Date, who, to me, is the most inspiring web designer on the internet, shares his thoughts on the web design industry, his work process, and also shares interviews with other incredibly inspiring and successful designers from around the world. Even he says that his goal is to help designers learn, think and work to reach their full potential. The format of this podcast is fun and casual. It will motivate you to build your career and business as a designer and focus on giving value to your clients.
don’t limit yourself
Fortunately, there are many experienced designers who create diverse content, visual designs, articles, and podcasts, and share them with the world, to help us learn from them. But to stay inspired, I think you should also broaden your horizons and consume content that is not related to design.
Diversifying your sources of inspiration will help you stay impartial and give you another point of view when facing a particular problem. There are many things that a web designer can learn from graphic design in movies, books and other sources, such as the experience of traveling and learning about different cultures. So when you need inspiration, don’t just search for photos on Dribbble, get creative and do something different. Who knows, inspiration may come when you’re doing something simple, like taking a walk.
Originality kills creativity
After a long day at the office doing research, you try to brainstorm new ideas, look for unique ideas, and nothing ends up coming up. The hard work doesn’t end in any new ideas or perhaps any ideas at all. You feel uninspired and think maybe you’re bad at design. I think design skills are not the issue here. Perhaps you are trying too hard to be original.
Seeking originality in design work is what kills creativity and drains every last ounce of inspiration from many designers. So save yourself the pain and suffering of this process and start stealing other people’s great ideas.
For creatives, stealing is a word that generates many emotions. Many of us think that if you are not original or innovative, you are probably a bad designer. In his book, Austin Kleon explains that in practice, great artists and designers are the ones who have most often stolen, and the designers who try to be original are the ones who are left behind. There is nothing wrong with borrowing ideas if you take them correctly.
There are two ways to steal ideas:
The first is when you find a UI design on Dribbble or a link to a web page. You then take this design and make an exact copy of it with the same images and written content. Finally, you put your company logo on it and say that it is yours. It goes without saying, but this is NOT the right way to do it.
The second way to do this is by collecting lots of designs from designers and fonts that you like. Then you analyze the designs thoroughly and select the ideas that you can take, you talk to your colleagues about them. Then ask yourself five times why and try to answer the whys with other designers. Finally, take those ideas and make some sketches of your remastered idea.
You will be able to quickly realize which is the wrong path. So next time when you’re looking for inspiration, don’t be afraid to take some ideas from others. Just do it correctly.
one final note
Seeking inspiration and staying inspired is something that takes a bit of work. You can do this by fueling your creativity with visual, written, or audio content, or by reviewing the work of designers who inspire you. And maybe you can pick some of their ideas too. It’s not about where you look for inspiration, it’s about your willingness to train your creativity on a daily basis by working on projects, learning and enjoying the process of the work you do.
Carlos is a professional in digital marketing, eCommerce and website builders. He loves helping businesses grow online through his tips. In his free time, he is surely singing or practicing martial arts.
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