When it comes to design, there are a multitude of communities and resources out there! Here are some resources I've used over my career and they can def help with getting you out of your creative roadblocks. Even if you don't have any roadblocks, its great to learn from others by getting outside of you own head every now and then. I'm gonna detail my top 3 and then provide more down below to check out for yourself.
I really value spending this necessary time on research before a project to solve for the best tools and outcome. This due diligence can save you a ton of time on the back end when things are due for delivery and tweaks need to be made.
Check out my favorites below:
I love this resource for a couple of reasons but the main one is variety! There are so many cool content creators out there and they are willing to share their work here. They also show the work in progress sometimes with cool process snippets. Each project is featured on a page where you can sort by creative type like branding, illustration, graphic design, package design, motion etc.
Every project belongs to a creator you can click on and go to view more of their work & you van also follow them to see their next new project. You can add projects to mood boards and use them as inspiration for your next creative endeavor. As a thank you, appreciate their project (like it) so they know you are digging it!
Warning: You can spend hours and hours on here so hydrate with some water and set a timer before getting started!.
This site is great for building libraries of looks that inspire. In addition to the website, the apps on iPad and iPhone work great. The mosaic style layout comes with an infinity of scrolling and once you click on an image, it will show you others in that same genre.
For example, you are looking for some great interior design with a white and gold color scheme and you find the image.. once you click on it you can 'add it to a board' and below this image you see a few others like it. Once you've added a few images to your board you can go into that board and they will suggest other images they feel you would like.
There are other functions like groups within you boards which make building a reference library easy and enjoyable!
3: Instagram/Tumblr (Other Creatives)
This is why joining a social community or having a group you can bounce ideas off of is so important. On Instagram you can follow a #design or #conceptart to ensure your feed gets you some creative inspiration while you scroll through puppies and cat videos. Become an expert partially by way of osmosis but dont forget to stop scrolling and start practicing some of the techniques you admire as well. You can save post to a collection if you think you will want to look it up later.
4: Youtube
Now while you wont get a ton of variety just searching Youtube, I would use the previous posts as a starting point. A lot of creators on Instagram/Tumblr or even companies featured on Pinterest and Behance have channels where they may give some insight into their processes. I would say to give their name/handle a quick search and subscribe if you like the cut of their jib.
This site has been around for a while! They curate a ton of content from design to motion graphics and they really get you the cream of the crop. If motion is what you're after, just shout them a hollar dawg.
In conclusion
When looking for inspiration, the sky is the limit!
Here's a list of everything I mentioned above and a few others that focus on 3d art and design in general including illustration.
If you made it all the way down here, I'd love a like, follow, mention or subscribe as well!
Peace and happy creating!
Random hashtag dump
Love to read random hashtags? Good news, I'm giving away a ton below!
#motiondesign #inspiration #danielin3d #vfx #graphicdesign #learning #tutorials #creative #behance #motionographer #pinterest #nerd #reference #photoshop #illustrator #maya #cinema4d #zbrush #sony #camera #ipad #procreate