Tag Archive for 'creativity'

50 Popular Resources for Design Inspiration

Published
by
LimeExchange
on December 29, 2009
in Freelance, LimeExchange and Technology
. 3 Comments

We all need inspiration and motivation to boost up our creativity and give our best in all types of jobs. There are innumerable resources and tools available for inspiring all the designers in finding best ideas for their design project. Here we have put together some useful resources which we classified into different categories such as online galleries, magazines, blogs, logos, and other utility sources of inspiration for designers.inspration

Online Galleries

1. Web Creme –This inspirational web design gallery offers more than 330 pages of great designs. Search the archives by the month a particular design was featured or by color.

2. Design Snack – It is a social-powered web design gallery which works as an excellent inspiration tool for the designers. It allows you to browse through the top rated designs, read design blogs and also ask questions or post comments. It has a friends lists, which is a great way to keep in touch with your favorite designers.

3. deviantART–Another inspirational gallery that helps you execute all types of artwork including traditional and digital. It allows a designer to showcase his piece of work and discuss it with the community. It provides comprehensive category structure, including photography, digital art, traditional art, literature, Flash, filmmaking, skins for applications and others, along with downloadable resources such as tutorials and stock photography.

4. CSS Clip – This is a web design inspiration gallery that lets you find a huge list of inspirational resources. These resources come across a varied range of categories including html, icon, color typography and inspiration.

5. FWA – The FWA stands for the favorite website awards; the website includes 3053 websites awarded since 2000. Here you can submit your website and get it awarded as the favorite website by the community of designers. It includes winning websites to inspire you in designing many more award winning website along with some useful articles, interviews, newsletters etc.

6. CSSline- This resource includes excellent CSS websites from all over the world. It includes many neat features like full color filtering and filtering by tags. Here you can browse through hundreds of websites in different colors and tags. |

7. Creattica- It is another useful website for designers as it allows them to submit their own designs and post comments/ rating on other designs. It includes ads, photos, logos, posters, Photoshop, CSS etc.

8. CSS Scoop – It is a resource to get fresh ideas, designs and latest design news. It features hundreds of websites to get inspiration and ideas from with their direct URLs, ratings and comments.

9. Designflavr – This online gallery featuring all kinds of artwork and design including Flash websites, CSS websites, vector art, advertising, abstract design, photo manipulation, and more.

10. Raster – Another online gallery for photographs and artwork for designers. The photographs and art pieces are included to provide inspirational images submitted by creative minds.

Blogs

11. SmashingMagazine – This is an inspirational blog website that delivers useful and innovative information to Web designers and developers. The write ups are written by the experts in the field and also about the latest trends and techniques in web development.

12. CoolHunter- It is the one the popular design website that includes thoughtful, innovative and original ideas for designers

13. Six Revisions – This blogging website also helps you in getting inspirational ideas including practical and useful articles for designers and web developers. It also provides information on noteworthy tips, tutorials and resources. creativity

14. Fuelyourcreativity – Another tool to fuel up your creativity as it provides creative tools, design resources, freebies, news, articles etc.

15. Noupe – This inspirational tool includes stylish and dynamic news for designers and web developers on all subjects of design, ranging from; CSS, Ajax, Javascript, web design, graphics, typography, advertising, and much more.

16. Design Reviver – It offers a variety of articles based on design ideas and elements. It offers informative tutorials that can be downloaded for free and can be used for design projects.

17. psdtuts+- This is a blog/Photoshop resource that includes blogs and the best Photoshop tutorials from across the globe. It helps you in learning a few tricks, techniques and tips that can maximize your creative potential. It includes articles, wiki, freebies, videos etc.

18. Web Designer Wall – Another blog website that features innovative design ideas, web trends, tutorials, general news, technology etc.

19. Tutorial9 – It works as a knowledge sharing platform as experts and teachers from around the world come to share their knowledge and experience. Here you can find Photoshop tutorials, photography tutorials, web blogging tutorials, freebies, resources, downloads etc.

20. CSS Tricks – This inspirational website offers blogs based on design ideas and latest trends. You can also participate in its web design forum, check its screencasts, freebies, and get code snippets as well.

Online Magazines

21. ArtzMania – It’s a design magazine featuring international artists and designers from across the globe. It allows you to even download the magazine to get creative ideas and motivation to create an effective design for your design project.

22. PDF-Mags.com -This website allows you to find links and information about over 200 almost free PDF magazines from around the world. The magazines are based on art, design, illustration and everyday culture. You can find magazines across multiple categories relevant to your area of business.

23. JPG Magazine – Around 227,345 photographers sharing their work in this online magazine. It is a magazine devoted to photography with themed issues. It allows you to submit photos, write stories, and vote on the contributions of others.

24. ROOTmagazine – It another online magazine to get innovative ideas on graphic design, illustration, photography, video, audio etc. that can help you in boosting your creative potential.

25. Revolutionartmagazine- This International Magazine is an inspirational source to artists, models, advertisers, photographers, designers and communicators. It can be downloaded in PDF format as a collective sample of the best of the graphic arts, modeling, music, and world tendencies.

26. GizMag – This weekly web magazine includes photography, illustration, design, sculpture and more, as well as interviews with eminent artists.

27. Proteus Mag –It’s a Free PDF magazine that allows its readers to get inspirational news on photography, painting, sculpture, graphic designs, fashion designs, and more.inspiration-1

28. bitFUUL magazine – Another PDF magazine that allows you to view samples and download instantly. It includes categories such as art and design including music, photography, writing, and art.

29. Blanket Magazine – A free PDF magazine for design inspiration on wide range of categories including art, design, and photography. It also helps in reading expert interviews on different design related topics.

30. Computer Arts – This inspirational magazine includes a gallery, forums, creative directory, news etc. This website also publishes over 100 consumer magazines worldwide.

Logos

31. Logo Faves- This is a logo design inspirational website that provides a huge collection of best designed logos around the web. You can also suggest an inspiring logo to this website by filling up a single form.

32. Logo Spire- This logo gallery allows you to upload your won logo by creating a free account. Other designers can view, comment and rate your logos. You can look for rising, latest, popular and featured logo submitted by other designers.

33. Logo Of The Day- It is a logo design inspiration website that allows you to discuss, share & rate logo designs. It is also a logo design award scheme that rewards the best professional logos and trademarks designed throughout the world.

34. Logo Pond – This inspirational resource also offers an impressive collection of logos to enhance your creativity. It also allows you to upload your creation and rate and post comments on others logos.

35. Logo Sauce- Here you can find some great designs and logos submitted by various great designers. It allows you to take ideas from other designs while adding comments and ratings on them.

36. Logo Moose- This website provides the best logos from all over the world. You can browse through a huge collection of impressive logos to enhance your design skills. You can also rate and post a comment on a logo submitted by other designers.

37. Logo Lounge- It a logo design inspiration website that features logos in the news, identity news, guest editorial , featured designer, featured member, logo trends, logo books. You can also submit your own creation and browse other’s designs for ideas and inspiration.

38. LogoGalleria – This logo website offers nice logos with large previews for featured logos. Here you can browse through attractive logos and get inspired for your work.

39. LogoGala - It is a logo design gallery provides fresh ideas for designing a logo. They have plenty of good samples to browse through and you can submit your logo designs into features gallery.

40. LogoFury- Another useful resource which that provides a regularly updated source of logo design ideas and inspirations. You can also browse through its CSS gallery, news, and top rated logos.

Other Resources

inspire

41. IconBuffet – It is an icon sharing community where you can send and receive icons from other designers. It is a great source of inspiration as you receive icons using tokens and send using stamps.

42. Apps Mania – It is a CSS gallery with more than 15796 sites and a blog. It allows you to view galleries by month or by topic such as associations, media, web developers, Business, Entertainment, blogging, etc.

43. COLOURlovers – Another inspirational source for designers and artists to create colors, palettes and patterns for their requirements. It lets you search its entire database where 271,667 Members have created 2,359,085 Colors, 1,058,127 Palettes and 698,889 Patterns. It also includes blogs, forums, groups to share and discuss design work.

44. Mojizu – It is an online community for artists and unique characters designed by them. It allows your rate those characters and post comments on them.

45. MAilmeART – It is an ongoing mail art project for artists, illustrators and general doodlers. Here you can also send your art work as it has a vast collection of artistic work sent in the form of mail by both professional and amateur artists of all ages from across the world.

46. NewWebPick – This online magazine can be a great inspirational source for many. It includes ideas, awards, events, interviews, templates, forums and more.

47. Poster Design – Its is an excellent resource from flickr to browse through more than 17,000 poster designs from all over the world. It works best for print and online projects and also enables you to add your own posters.

48. Stylegala – This website allows you to ask or answer questions around website design. You can also find hottest and most voted questions with their answers.

49. I Love Typography – Here you can find amazing fonts and typography ideas for your projects. It provides articles on latest fonts and typography and how they can be used for different design requirements.

50. DFCKR – This website offers design news, resources, highlights up and coming illustrators and designers from across the globe. You can easily subscribe to its RSS feed to stay updated and search by recent entries, date, and category.

Hope these tools will inspire you in designing excellent and creative designs for you project. We welcome your feedback and suggestions on the same.

How to Enliven your Creative Spirit?

Published
by
LimeExchange
on July 3, 2009
in Freelance, Freelancing, LimeExchange and Service Providers
. 0 Comments

Juice up your creative abilities!

Creative freelance professionals such as writers, designers etc., many a times, feel that their creativity has stagnated and they’re no longer able to come up with innovative ideas. There are some common factors, which if avoided, can help freelancers in enlivening their Creative Spirits and delivering top-grade results in their freelance career.

Let us take a look at the some of those creativity killers, which you should certainly avoid to stay focused and productive:

Monotonous Work Regime

Working in isolation away from colleagues and professional environment often fosters monotony and despair in a freelancer’s life and one feels like going stir crazy. monotonous schedule

Networking with other freelancers via social networking tools is recommended as it would bring a feeling of companionship and help you to stay motivated and deliver excellent work results. Play around with ideas that come to your mind to make your freelance work interesting. Take frequent breaks to avoid this monotonous schedule and let creative juices flow with full velocity.

Over-committing deliverables

Always under-promise and over-deliver! Clients sometimes pose big challenges for you by setting strict time lines for the projects they want you to execute. However, the capacity to face this challenge varies from freelancer to freelancer, and the creativity is one important aspect that needs to be paid attention to for delivering excellent project results.work pressure

Some freelancers stay calm and composed when they hear about the deliverables & time frames set for the same, whereas some freelancers start panicking on just the mention of strict time frames and work stress. So in those circumstances, it’s always better to take some extra time in advance so that your creative juices can keep flowing and you’re able to plan and execute your project efficiently.

Real-world difficulties

Freelancers often come across real-world difficulties such as handling their finances, managing software, dealing with bad clients, paying their credit card bills, petrol bills, mortgages, repair work etc. It then becomes a cumbersome task for a freelancer to focus on his work and come up with impressive work results owing to the day-to-day problems that surface.monetary insecurity

A freelance writer, graphic designer, web designer etc. who earn their bread and butter owing to the creative abilities they possess cannot come up with good write-ups & visually enticing graphics & designs in case they’re worried about handling these unfortunate real-world challenges. So the best way you can gear up your creativity is keeping this distress aside and then work on the projects.

Freelancers’ effective marketing tool is the quality of their work and hence put in your best possible endeavor to deliver these results as only this would bring you great appreciation and personal freedom as a freelancer.

Cluttered Work Environment

Creativity gets easily disrupted by unhealthy work environment. As a freelancer, you work from home but it is equally important to keep your place of work clean just like in office environment. Keep your desk clutter-free as dirty work environment is a serious creativity killer. Remove all the loose stationery, kids clothes lying around as a clean professional environment would open the creative doors of your mind and fresh ideas will flow out, which would certainly reflect in your work.work environment

Stay organized and keep all necessary items of use such as pens, calculators, paper clips etc at your arm’s length. As a freelancer, you own the project from scratch to end. Hence, you need to think, concentrate, plan and then execute the project. So, you need to have your creativity in action. Try to keep your desk in front of the window that opens to a garden or park. The view would keep you rejuvenated and refreshed.

Multi-Jobbing & Multi-tasking

A part-time freelancer might be tempted to do some ‘freelance work’ during his office duty hours and simultaneously doing regular office duties such as answering clients’ calls or emails, or executing Boss’ instructions. This is the biggest catch involved as this way you won’t be able to come up with innovative ideas and integrate them in your freelance work.multitask

Some people are good at multi-jobbing and multi-tasking but working on numerous things at a time is a tedious task and can adversely affect project execution. Most of the freelancers when do multi-tasking (such as emailing, chatting on different messengers, talking on phone, executing a freelance project) cannot stay focused and it’s then when their creativity takes a back seat and they end up doing a mediocre job.

To keep your creative instincts alive, you need to be attentive and devoted in execution of your freelance project. During project execution time avoid using your phone, chatting on messengers so that nothing can distract you.

Interrupted Work Schedule

Frequent interruptions by kids or family members, phone calls, relatives’ visits etc. can seriously kill your creativity. Such fragmented work schedule can sabotage your creativity and drain out all your energy and inspiration.work schedule

Make a work schedule and stick to it. Try to stay away from the factors which can prevent your innovative ideas from germinating and getting you involved in your work.

We hope that these suggestions given by us would help you in identifying your creativity killer and overcoming it thereby enlivening your Creative Spirit, which would certainly help you in carving a niche for yourself in freelance market.