For graphic designers, visiting a website is an important way to find inspiration. The most well-known inspiration sites are Pinterest and Behance.
But if you look at these websites more, you must have this feeling: they always present the most popular pictures, and it is easy to get tired of watching them for a long time, and there are fewer and fewer new inspirations to get.
At this time, it is better to turn your attention to some niche websites, there must be unexpected gains. Let's see what new entries can be added to your favorites:
01. Trendlist
http://www.trendlist.org/
Trendlist is a website focusing on album and poster design, dedicated to exploring visual trends in contemporary graphic design.
Image source: Trendlist
Trendlist uses Klein blue as the only main color, which matches its tonality very well - calm and detailed.
Image source: Trendlist
You can search by trending keywords, countries, and design studios to understand the representative works of different genres in different eras.
Image source: Trendlist
A lot of great design from niche and small countries, you may only see in Trendlist.
For example, the humorous Peru graphic design, and the simple and elegant Slovenian graphic design:
Peru graphic design, image source Trendlist
Slovenian graphic design, source Trendlist
02. Designworklife
http://www.designworklife.com/
Designworklife is a comprehensive design website that not only displays graphic design works, but also provides inspiration for illustration and photography.
Image source: Designworklife
This site is run by a designer couple, and the updates are timely and you can see popular design trends.
The works in Designworklife are still relatively commercial, and there are many successful business cases.
Most of these business cases belong to small and medium-sized enterprises and are of great reference value to independent designers.
Image source: Designworklife
So, if you want to get inspiration for commercial graphic design, you can visit this website.
3. BOOOOOOOM
https://www.booooooom.com/
As soon as you hear the name, you know that this website is extraordinary. But according to founder Jeff Hamada, the name doesn't mean anything special, it just sounds cool.
Jeff likes timeless minimalism, and when it comes to selecting pieces, there are no oversized works of art.
What he wants to show is some "anti-trend" designs to challenge people's aesthetic habits and expand people's aesthetic boundaries.
Image source: BOOOOOOOM
He felt that a good curator needed to show things that the audience wouldn't necessarily like.
IF YOU WANT TO BE A PIONEERING GRAPHIC DESIGNER, THE WORKS INSIDE BOOOOOOM ARE A MUST-SEE.
In addition to graphic design, the site also has excellent examples of illustration, photography, and music, which can also provide nourishment for your interdisciplinary creations.
04. Viewpoint
http://www.thisismirador.com/
Mirador is the website founded by design studio Say What Studio, based in Paris, France.
Mirador collects and displays inspiring graphic design work while updating the images that provide everyday inspiration.
Image source: Mirador
You will also be able to unearth some innovative niche brands in these designs to further expand your horizons.
Many designers say that the greatest value of the Mirador website lies in the reviews inside.
Site reviews, image source Mirador
Below each group of works, there will be a short review of the founder of the website. Although few words, they are always to the point.
Image source: Mirador
Mirador allows you to deepen your understanding of design while looking at your work.
05. Identity Designed
https://identitydesigned.com/
Identity Designed, a side hustle of David Airey, an independent graphic designer in Northern Ireland.
True to its name, if you're looking for a case for brand visual design, Identity Engineered is an excellent choice.
Image source: Identity Designed
In addition to sharing case studies, this website will also share the process and ideas behind the design.
Many of the works collected on the website are biased towards the "neo-Nordic" style. That is, starting from the Nordic design tradition, skillfully integrating popular fashion elements to achieve a balance of creativity, simplicity and beauty.
The founders also have another website called Logo Design Love, which focuses on the case of logo design.
06. Creative Review
https://www.creativereview.co.uk/
Founded in 1980, Creative Review is a monthly professional advertising, design and visual culture magazine.
1984 magazine cover, image by Creative Review
The high-quality reports that appear in the newspaper are also synchronized to its website, and the updates are very timely.
Source: Creative Review
The biggest advantage of this website is that it has an extremely rich design database: classic designs from nearly 40 years can be found in it.
CR Library, Source: Creative Review
July 1980 report, Source: Creative Review
And in these reports, you can also see people's evaluation of trend design at that time, which is very interesting.
07. Minimalissimo
https://minimalissimo.com/
True to its name, Minimalissimo has a clear theme: minimalism.
Whether it is graphic design, architecture, industrial design, photography and fashion, it all revolves around this theme.
Image source: Minimalissimo
For graphic designers, the book cases in the website have high reference value:
Image source: Minimalissimo
The Minimalissimo website is promoting minimalism in a low-key way.
08.Designshack
https://designshack.net/
At Designshack, you'll find examples in three categories: web design, brand design, logo, and interface design.
The works included in this website are relatively commercial, and there are some international big names:
Designshack
Compared to the websites described earlier, Designshack can provide you with more practical help.
In addition to a wealth of graphic design cases, this website also has a very detailed related tutorial.
Source: Designshack
Through these tutorials, you can see how those amazing designs are done step by step.
In addition to tutorials, the Designshack website even has templates ready for you:
09. GRAPHITICA
http://graphitica.com/
FINALLY, LET'S INTRODUCE TWO JAPANESE DESIGN WEBSITES, GRAPHITICA IS THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF A WELL-KNOWN JAPANESE DESIGN COMPANY.
The works inside are mainly graphic design, but there are also interior design and fashion design.
IMAGE SOURCE: GRAPHITICA
FOR LOOKING FOR JAPANESE-STYLE BUSINESS DESIGN EXAMPLES, GRAPHITICA IS UNDOUBTEDLY A GOOD CHANNEL.
STYLISTICALLY, GRAPHITICA'S DESIGN IS MORE SUITABLE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, AND IT EMBODIES HAPPINESS, ENTHUSIASM AND VITALITY WELL.
IMAGE SOURCE: GRAPHITICA
GRAPHITICA IS NOT ONLY WELL-KNOWN IN JAPAN, BUT ALSO COOPERATES WITH MANY FOREIGN BRANDS, SUCH AS THE FAMILIAR ANNA SUI.
IMAGE SOURCE: GRAPHITICA
10. Nippon Design Center
https://www.ndc.co.jp/
The Japan Design Center, or NDC for short, is an advertising and design production company founded in 1959 and jointly funded by several Fortune 500 companies.
This company is dominated by Kenya Hara, and has trained a large number of new generation designers.
NDC believes that design is not just about expression and imagination, but about the resonance of people's hearts after careful consideration.
Stylistically, NDC pursues "minimalist and natural beauty", striking an excellent balance between business, art and recognition.
Let's enjoy the design works included in the NDC official website:
Source: NDC official website
After reading these unique graphic design websites, did it open your mind? The SIA inspiration library for various majors is still being updated, so stay tuned~