Hi all,

 

I have been designing website etc for a few years now but I keep getting "designers block"

 

Where do you find your inspiration for new and unique sites??

 

 

Pete

I see shapes. Life is one big box of shapes ready to inspire you.

 

Seriously, interesting shapes and random things ready to abstract into web design are everywhere if you are looking. Like just now I noticed for the first time that the shape of the opening on these cardboard recycling boxes we have at work on our desks would make a really slick announcement box. And the other day these buttons on this dell monitor and the way they are positioned relative to the screen gave me an image for some kind of interesting navigation.

 

Things are really what your mind makes them out to be. I think everyone finds their own best ways of stimulating the right kind of thought.

I'm different because I'm not a graphical designer. Instead I concentrate on the actual content and go from there...

I’m a bit like that, I have never been an arty person.

I originally trained as a bookie! But I got into web design by writing content for a friend. I think that’s why I find it difficult to actually find a unique and mind blowing design,

seriously though, I'm a developer, not a designer... I prefer just to think of an idea, and then think "how would I make that work" and then do it .. the only time this fails is when I run out of things to solve.

when that happens to me, i usually take break just to clear up my mind.

 

play my guitar for a while or even sleep.

 

I also get a lot of inspiration with music and also it depends on my mood.

IMHO a lot of it isn't really "inspiration" so much as playing around and keeping anything that looks good. Get a few bread and butter techniques under your belt, and when playing around if you come up with something that doesn't suit the project you're working on, but is still good, keep it. You may be able to use your own template for a more suitable project in the future.

 

Same goes for making music, I used to find. Play around and see what sounds good, a lot of good things are actually arrived at by accident.

 

If you get designers block, you may have to revert to something a bit less original to get the job done, so be it, but if it's done well it still carries value.