Finding Design Inspiration On and Off-line

Posted by: Tara Detchemendy, Art Director Mar 12, 2009 0 Comments

Have you ever wondered what inspired that swoop in your logo design, or the typography in your corporate brochure?

Before starting a design project here at Rock Creek Strategic Marketing, I research various sources to uncover inspiration and unlock my creativity. For quick and easy motivation, I start online, where often something triggers a thought that, while walking to and from work, makes me think of ideas for the project.

There are websites and blogs that I visit on a daily basis, and then there are some inspirations that come from less obvious sources. Not all the websites I visit are related to graphic design; on the contrary, they cover all aspects of art and design.

Here are a few of my favorite online inspiration sources:

Design Sponge

Design Sponge is dedicated to home and product design, but also interviews fine artists, graphic designers, letterpress printers, and more. The site changes daily so there’s always something new. They also have effective tutorials. Along with all of that, there are also links to read more about the artist and/or technique.

Penelope Dullaghan

I absolutely love illustration sites. I try to incorporate an aspect of organic design into the projects here at Rock Creek Strategic Marketing. Lately, I have been visiting Penelope Dullaghan’s illustration website. She has inspired me to start exploring drawing and painting again. I love her style, textures, colors, and ideas. Not only does she do illustration, but also does typography and fine art. The variation of her work and the constant updates make me want to continue to revisit her site for new inspiration.

Motionographer

Motionographer is similar to YouTube, yet geared toward the design/filmmaker enthusiast. The videos/animations can be beautiful, funny, scary, educational, or sad. They almost always guarantee a surprise and leave me thinking, “Why didn’t I think of that?” The comments are usually interesting to read too. Site visitors often comment about the technical and/or creative aspects, which can be very educational.

…and here is how I find inspiration offline:

When it’s time to step away from the computer, there are plenty of “offline” inspirations too, many of them not far from the office. Rock Creek Strategic Marketing is located in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, so there are many galleries and museums to visit, and many of them are free. One of my favorites is the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Chinatown. It has three floors of room after room filled with new and permanent exhibits, ranging from painting and photography to video and sculpture. And not all are typical portraits… one of my favorites is called MVSEVM by David Beck.

Other times, you have to leave the familiar to get inspired. Traveling to new and different places tends to change my perspective and give me new ideas. It also reenergizes my creativity and motivates me to approach projects with fresh eyes.

Learning new things helps me explore new techniques and ideas that I tend to incorporate into my designs. It’s also a great way to network and learn with people who share my interests. Taking a class, whether it’s art-related or not, motivates me to be more active and productive.

So while a client’s brand must always drive the look and feel of their marketing and outreach collateral, there’s always room for inspiration. You just have to know where to look.

Enjoy this post?

Subscribe to the feed

-->

Tara Detchemendy

Art Director

• Most Recent
• Topics

View all previous posts