Almost every designer has had it once (or several times). You’re working on a website for a client and you’re out of inspiration. You have no idea which colors you should use, how to make the design worth the money or how to make the design look modern and sophisticated. You’re doing nothing but looking at a white emptiness on your screen.
In this case, you’ll have to find something that inspires you to design something that is unique and worth the money (for your client). Unfortunately inspiration isn’t something that is the same for everybody (e.g. some people get inspired by watching movies and others will have to take a walk to get inspired by the nature around them). There are nevertheless some solutions that worked for me as well as for a lot of other designers. In this article I’ll try to explain some of them to you.
Stop watching at the white emptiness
Continuing to look at the white PhotoShop canvas isn’t just depressing. It also doesn’t give you any inspiration at all! When you’re out of inspiration and you’re sitting behind your computer screen, you shouldn’t keep on staring at the white, empty canvas. Fire up your browser and get ready to go surfing some websites! Watch some random galleries on Flickr, check out the latest designs in CSS galleries or start watching some kind of movie online. Do anything you’d like! But stop watching at your white and empty PhotoShop canvas.
Start browsing some online galleries
There are a lot of online design related galleries. Most of you will probably know about DeviantArt, design related Flickr galleries or one of the various CSS and Logo galleries on the web. They’re really nice when you’re looking for some inspiring designs. The only problem with these sites is that you shouldn’t get too inspired (since designs are copyrighted and stealing isn’t legal).
Start throwing some things around (on your computer 
)
Being a mac user, I’m able of making small snapshots of things I see on the web by using a shortcut (Command-Control-Shift-4). When I’m out of inspiration I just start making snapshots of everything that might come handy. I make snapshots of the colors from a logo, the combination of colors in a picture or the menu used by a website I just stumbled upon. I then import (or copy) these snapshots into photoshop and start combining them. E.g. I make a background pattern based upon the colors from the logo and the menu used by some website. You’re free to do whatever you want, just keep in mind that inspiration is something else as ripping someone’s design.
Start reading/watching stupid things
It might sound stupid, but stupidity sometimes results in some great designs. By watching or reading stupid things you might relax a bit and think of things that normally wouldn’t cross your mind. Besides of that are stupid things a great way of thinking about what could make your design great. You can do this by starting to think about what makes those things stupid.
Read some blogs or (e)Books
I have a few blogs I regularly read. Most of these blogs are just about the personal lives of people and the way they see things. But there are a few blogs that are made to inspire designers. The biggest one is SmashingMagazine. They showcase al kinds of things from Movie Posters to <hr> tags. You should really visit this site when you’re having a designer block. Another webdesign related blog is WebDesignerWall, they have some really nice inspiration related posts. Unfortunately they don’t post that regular.
Read some tutorials
When you start reading a tutorial on something, it might inspire you to make a design that is based on it. This method somehow only works for me if I read non-webdesign related tutorials. So when I’m reading a tutorial on (e.g.) making raindrops in PhotoShop it inspires me to make a header based on raindrops.
Listen to some music
This is my personal favorite! Music can make you work harder or faster. It can stimulate you to go on a little longer and try a little harder. Besides of that most people (at least I do) get their best ideas when they’re happy. And if there is one thing that music does to me…
Clean up your office/workspace
This one I found in a newspaper once. It might seem weird when you first read it, but it really works. Cleaning up your workspace and organizing your files makes you feel less attached to what you’ve previously done. In this way you can focus on one task without thinking about previous clients.
Look around
Inspiration isn’t always on a server at the other side of the ocean. Look out of your window, read the newspaper or take pictures of graffiti in the city centre. Sometimes it isn’t really about what inspires you, but how to make something inspire you.
Take a look at the time
It is well known that people that are working with computers sometimes forget that they should sleep at night. When it’s almost midnight and you’re still trying to get inspired. Give up, it isn't going to work today and get yourself some sleep!
Take a walk outside
Some designers find this the one and only way of getting inspiration. If none of the above helps, you should get away from your computer and start walking. You should determine by yourself whether you’re going to walk trough the city centre or trough a park with no one around you. Some people find silence the best way to get inspired, but others find it really boring and won’t get inspired by it at all.
Find out what inspires you
As I said in the beginning, everybody gets inspired by something else. Some people get inspired by Crop Circles and others find oil slick highly inspiring. So find out what inspires you and what moves you to make great designs in order to get rid of your designer block
Useful Links
List of CSS Galleries:
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Web Interfaces on DeviantArt:
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SmashingMagazine:
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Your Suggestions
I would like to hear how you get inspired and if you’ve got inspired by the things I wrote about.
please pm me if I've made some serious grammatical mistakes
13 okt 2008 20:24 
