10 resources that will consistently feed your visual inspiration

Whether you’re a logo designer, photographer, UI/product designer, an architect, industrial designer or an illustrator, you probably have those moments when you stare at a blank screen with no idea where to start working on your project. Getting inspired by the external stimuli activates the already existing connections (synapses) in your brain and contributes in putting together new connections that get readily available for your own creative process.

It comes without saying that you should know the difference between drawing inspiration from other artists and straight plagiarizing. Another thing to keep in mind is that you don’t necessarily have to draw inspiration from the very same creative field that you’re in, it’s actually refreshing and useful to also see what other creative fields have to offer.

That being out of the way, let’s get right to the list, starting from the more obvious options to the less obvious.

1. Behance

Behance needs no introduction, it is the biggest design portfolio platform from none other than Adobe.

Best for: Pretty much any creative field, large detailed projects with lots of visual insight.

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2. Dribbble

Very different from Behance in the way projects are presented, here we mostly have quick shots that serve more like a glimpse into the project.

Best for: Quick creative shots allowing for fast absorption. Digital creative fields (especially UI/web, logo design, illustration). Great overall quality due to the invite-only system.

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3. Pinterest

Features a very intuitive search system bringing you suggestions to narrow down your search. Also lets you search for visually similar images by cropping any part of the image.

Best for: One of the broadest range of creative fields/industries. Often used to create mood boards. The browser extension lets you create categorized collections of images (pins) from anywhere on the web.

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4. 500px

My absolute favorite for photography inspiration.

Best for: Breathtaking photography. The quality of shots on this platform is consistently amazing.

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5. Awwwards

This one is quite niche and focuses on top-of-the-game award winning web/UI designs.

Best for: Cutting edge sites, user interfaces and digital trends.

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6. Designspiration

A bit like Pinterest, although more focused on graphic design and typography.

Best for: Typography inspiration

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7. Archdaily

Latest and greatest from the architecture world, it will keep you hooked for hours on end.

Best for: Categorized architectural case studies.

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8. Inspiration Grid

A well curated visually striking gallery with broad spectrum of categories.

Best for: All kinds of graphic design, industrial design, illustration, motion design etc.

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9. Booooooom

The second craziest site on the list. Features a plethora of imaginative unconventional artworks.

Best for: Fine art.

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10. OpenProcessing

The craziest one. Interactive and dynamic art generated with code. The algorithms are written by humans and yet it makes you think about superintelligent AI. Definitely one of my most go-to sites.

Best for: Generative art / algorithmic design.

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If you like what you read, visit my logo & brand identity design portfolio site, and follow me on Behance, LinkedIn and Instagram.