Dabbling in Design

Before I start, I’d like to remind everyone that any info I give shouldn’t be taken as gospel. I’m pretty new to the whole design scene myself, so I’m sure there are many things that I do badly or just plain wrong. That said, I’m only going to give advice and resources that have worked well for me, so hopefully you’ll find them useful as well.

That said, I’d like to start by talking about inspiration. As a novice, I’ve found that one of the most valuable resources you can have is a hefty stack of materials to “borrow” ideas from. Not that I’m advocating stealing designs directly, obviously, but there’s nothing wrong with using a font or a color scheme that catches your eye.

It’s easy to find inspiration. Certainly there are plenty of sites (I’m partial to Inspiration Resource) but there are also plenty of resources close at hand. Gig flyers are free, easily acquired and often done by talented local designers. I like to grab a stack whenever I’m at a coffee shop and tack them onto a bulletin board near my workspace. I also put up random scraps of paper and ads that catch my eye – basically any aesthetic that you want to emulate.

Inspiration can come from anything, really. Think how many advertisements you’re exposed to in a day. Even if they don’t appeal to you, you can glean all sorts of usable information by looking at it as a design. Not the product and try to figure out what font is being used (What the Font is useful for this) and the message it sends. Look for aspects that have been Photoshopped and see if you know how to duplicate the technique. If it’s a flyer or a brochure, note the layout and the composition. I figure that most ads are designed by professional commercial designers, and what’s a better source than the pros?

Of course, commercial advertisements are only one aspect of design. My favorite way to get in touch with my creative side is through art prints. There are an amazing number of talented artists and designers out there that produce and sell beautiful art for your walls. Sites like OMG Posters and Gig Posters are great for finding artists that you like, and just browsing their portfolios should net you a lot of neat images and good ideas. It’s good to have role models.

Most prints are sold in small editions, so it’s worth checking these sites frequently if you’re interested in scoring one. Once again, I put these up around my workspace and spend idle moments checking them out, taking note of the techniques used and, well, getting inspiration.

Of course, all of this stuff can be found online as well. From my experiences, sites focused on inspiration that update regularly with good content are pretty rare. Obviously “good” is subjective, but it’s a lot easier to find sites that offer free textures and vectors. So, if you know of a quality site that offers up some daily inspiration, lemme know!