If you are in the lookout for the right inspiration that will guide your website designer/developer to create a site that will satisfy you most, you have landed on the right tarmac. Incidentally, do you know that most small/medium business owners know very well what they do not like about a site; while very few are actually aware of what they would like about a website.However, I am no psychiatrist to read your mind, figuring out what’s hidden there, but can only open up a treasure trove of inspirations from which you may pick what catches your imagination best.
Awards
It is an inspiring book meant for art directors, designers and web developers. In fact, it is a compilation of a multitude of finest websites and several project showcases from some of the top design agencies in the world that include B-reel, AATOAA, Google Creative Lab, UNIT9 and many more. The current edition (2013) is complimented by an interactive app, with augmented reality and miscellaneous multimedia that offers unique reading experience.
The Webby Awards
Created in 1996, it is known as the ‘leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet’. Since it is an annual event where you can see the results on its website, it helps a lot in looking for web inspiration from some of the world’s best websites.
Dribble
It is a community of web designers, graphic designers, icon artists, illustrators, typographers, logo designers who display their work through screenshots that inspires business persons selecting their website designs.Headquartered in Salem, Massachusetts, Dribble began as a side project and is now a tiny, bootstrapped and profitable company helping the world’s design talent share their creations and get hired. Dribble has become a go-to resource for discovering and connecting with designers around the globe.
Site Inspire
It is a showcase of ‘the finest web and interactive design’ that helps you search through styles, types, subjects as well as through directory listing. It also features some of the finest website designs on the front page.
Pattern Tap
Pattern Tap is more than a design inspiration site. It focuses on web design elements and user interactivity as well as showcasing the best of the web. Instead of saying “this website looks good”, it goes one step further and say “this contact form on this website looks good, that calendar looks remarkable”.
Creattica
It is a gallery of fantastic designs and inspirational imagery by ‘Envato’, the people who created ‘ThemeForest’ and ‘Tuts+network. The web section of Creattica is divided into HTML/CSS, Icon Design, Infographics and Mobile Interface.
CSS Line
CSS Line consists of a fascinating gallery of outstanding websites from all over the world. What’s more, it offers you the option of sorting either by color, using a color picker or by tag. Yet the candor of the site makes it easy for anyone to browse through for inspiration.
If you are looking for inspiration, there is nothing to beat Pinterest. You can upload or ‘pin’ images from around the web in order to create specific boards for your collections. In fact, Pinterest has a massive collection of boards, dedicated to web design, thus inspiring you most. Pinterest also serves as a collage of ideas and themes to help one reorganize thoughts.
Behance
To be precise, Behance Network may be termed as an online portfolio for photographers, designers, illustrators and concept artists. Currently acquired by Adobe, it integrates beautifully with Creative Cloud. Behance is also known for its innovative categorization tool to search for inspiration within any distinctive creative field, such as web design or user experience.
Design Shack
Apart from offering a gallery of web design and UI, Design Shack also comprises tutorials and articles that will assist with your website creation as well as comprehending standard web practices.
Abduzeedo
Abduzeedo is a collection of blogs dedicated to design. There are various articles for those who want to look for inspiration, too. Also, you will find very useful tutorials for the most used applications out there, with a special selection of Photoshop Tutorials and Illustrator Tutorials. Of course, there are other software contemplated like Pixelmator, Fireworks, and web design tutorials.
Computer Arts
Computer Arts, no doubt, is one of the fast selling magazines for designers and digital artists. The online version of Computer Arts contains many of the tutorials while displaying innumerable artworks and personal portfolios.
Color Lovers
This is where you can find and share color ideas and inspiration. Since in the form of an online business person you hardly get a chance to meet your clientele and leave any impression on them, your web design has to do that job for you. But color, in this case, can work wonders. Using this tool, you can search through color trends and palettes, or create your own color scheme.
Stylify Me
Stylify Me helps designers quickly gain an overview of the style guide of a site, including colors, fonts, sizing and spacing. If you like the look of a particular site, grab the URL and Stylify Me will break down the site’s style guide for you. A perfect tool to find inspiration from that favorite website of yours!
Bottom Line
Some get their inspiration through reading spiritual books while others gather it from the life and teachings of illustrious persons such as Abraham Lincoln or Nelson Mandela. However, when seeking inspiration while creating a momentous website, all you have to do is to immerse yourself in the world of design.