Designers are always on the lookout for fresh ideas and inspiration to fuel their creativity. With the proliferation of design-focused websites, it is easier than ever to browse a vast collection of designs from around the world. However, many designers have become overly reliant on popular websites such as Dribble and Behance for their design inspiration. While these platforms do offer some great designs, there are several drawbacks to relying solely on them for inspiration. In this article, we will explore the limitations of Dribble and Behance and provide alternative websites and sources for designers to find inspiration and create more unique and diverse designs.
Dribble and Behance are popular design-focused websites that many designers turn to for inspiration. However, these platforms have their limitations, which can lead to homogenization of designs. One of the main drawbacks of using Dribble and Behance is their tendency to prioritize popular designs. The algorithm on these platforms often promotes designs that receive the most likes, comments, and shares, which means that many unique and experimental designs can be overlooked. This leads to a narrow range of styles and voices that dominate the platform, making it difficult for designers to discover new and diverse inspiration.
Another issue with relying on these platforms is the lack of diversity in styles and voices. Many designs on Dribble and Behance follow current design trends, resulting in a sameness that can be limiting for designers looking to create more unique and personalized designs. Additionally, the overwhelming presence of Western design styles on these platforms means that designers from other regions may not receive the recognition they deserve.
The homogenization of designs on Dribble and Behance can lead to a lack of innovation and creativity in the design industry. By relying too heavily on these platforms, designers may unintentionally limit themselves to a narrow range of design possibilities, stifling their creativity and originality. To avoid this, designers should actively seek out alternative sources of inspiration and look beyond the most popular websites. By exploring lesser-known design platforms and other sources of inspiration, designers can broaden their perspective, find unique inspiration, and create designs that truly stand out.
Fortunately, there are several lesser-known design-focused websites that designers can turn to for inspiration. These websites offer unique and diverse design inspiration that can help designers break away from the sameness of popular design platforms like Dribble and Behance.
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Awwward
Awwwards highlights innovative and experimental designs and features a collection of websites that have been evaluated and awarded by a panel of judges. This website is a great resource for designers looking for cutting-edge design inspiration.
Visit Awwwards -
SiteInspire
SiteInspire is a gallery of web design inspiration, featuring a wide range of styles and aesthetics. The website is updated daily, and designers can filter their search by industry or design style.
Visit SiteInspire -
Typewolf
Typewolf is an excellent website to explore. Typewolf is a website that highlights beautiful typography in web design. It features a wide range of fonts, styles, and aesthetics, making it a great resource for designers looking to enhance their typography skills.
Visit Typewolf
One of the main benefits of using these alternative websites is their emphasis on highlighting innovative and experimental designs. Unlike popular design platforms that tend to prioritize popular designs, these websites prioritize unique and boundary-pushing designs. By exploring these websites, designers can discover new and exciting design possibilities that they may not have otherwise considered.
There are several alternative design-focused websites that designers can turn to for inspiration. These websites offer unique and diverse design inspiration and are a fantastic way for designers to break away from the sameness of favored design platforms. By exploring these websites, designers can broaden their perspective, find unique inspiration, and create designs that truly stand out.
Here are 10 more alternative websites for designers to find inspiration:
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Designspiration
Designspiration is a visual discovery tool that highlights a wide range of design inspiration. The website allows users to create boards of their favorite designs, making it a great resource for designers looking to organize their inspiration.
Visit Designpiration -
CSS Design Awards
CSS Design Awards features award-winning website designs that demonstrate creativity and technical excellence. The website is updated daily, and designers can filter their search by industry or design style.
Visit CSS Design Awards -
The Dieline
The Dieline is a website dedicated to highlighting the best packaging design from around the world. The website features a collection of unique and innovative packaging designs, making it a great resource for designers looking to enhance their packaging design skills.
Visit Dieline -
Creative Boom
Creative Boom is an online magazine that celebrates creativity in all forms. The website features a wide range of design inspiration, including illustration, graphic design, photography, and more.
Visit Creative Boom -
From Up North
From Up North is a design inspiration blog that features a wide range of design inspiration, including web design, branding, packaging design, and more. The website is updated daily and features work from both established and up-and-coming designers.
Visit From Up North -
Design Taxi
Design Taxi is a leading online publication that features design news, trends, and inspiration. The website features a wide range of design categories, including graphic design, advertising, architecture, and more.
Visit Design Taxi -
Smashing Magazine
Smashing Magazine is an online publication that features design and development articles, tutorials, and inspiration. The website covers a wide range of design-related topics, making it a great resource for designers looking to enhance their skills.
Visit Smashing Magazine -
Colossal
Colossal is an online publication that features art, design, and visual culture. The website highlights a wide range of art and design inspiration, including sculpture, illustration, and more.
Visit Colossal -
Design Milk
Design Milk is a design blog that features the latest design news, trends, and inspiration. The website covers a wide range of design categories, including architecture, interior design, and product design.
Visit Design Milk -
The Best Designs
The Best Designs is a website that highlights award-winning website designs from around the world. The website features a wide range of website styles and aesthetics, making it a great resource for designers looking to explore modern design possibilities.
Visit The Best Designs -
One Page Love
A website that features one-page website designs from around the world. One-page websites have become increasingly popular in recent years, and this website offers a major source of inspiration for designers looking to create engaging and impactful designs within a single page.
Visit One Page Love
While online design-focused websites are a major source of inspiration, designers can also find inspiration beyond the digital realm. Drawing inspiration from various sources can lead to more unique and personalized designs. Here are some alternative sources of inspiration that designers may not have considered:
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Art museums
Visiting art museums can be a wonderful way to find inspiration. Observing art from different periods and styles can help designers expand their aesthetic range and inspire modern design concepts.
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Street art
Street art is an urban art form that can be found in cities around the world. The bold and often politically charged designs can inspire designers to think creatively and create designs with a strong social message.
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Nature
Nature can be a rich source of inspiration for designers. The patterns, colors, and textures found in the natural world can inspire contemporary design concepts and add a unique touch to a design.
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Fashion
Fashion can be a reliable source of inspiration for designers, especially those working in graphic or web design. Fashion designers are often pushing the boundaries of design, experimenting with colors, textures, and shapes that can inspire modern design concepts.
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Music
Music can inspire designers to create designs that evoke a particular mood or emotion. Listening to music while working can help designers get into a creative flow and find new inspiration.
By exploring various sources of inspiration, designers can expand their creative horizons and create more unique and personalized designs. Whether it is visiting an art museum or taking a walk-in nature, finding inspiration beyond the digital realm can help designers create designs that truly stand out.
Conclusion
While websites like Dribble and Behance are great sources of design inspiration, they can be limited in their scope and potentially lead to design homogenization. That is why exploring alternative websites and sources of inspiration is important for designers looking to create unique and personalized designs. We have highlighted several alternative websites that highlight innovative and experimental designs, such as Awwwards, SiteInspire, and Designspiration. Additionally, we have discussed other sources of inspiration that designers may not have considered, such as art museums, street art, and nature.
By expanding their sources of inspiration, designers can create designs that stand out and truly reflect their unique creative vision. We encourage readers to explore these alternative sources of inspiration and see how they can incorporate them into their own design process. Happy designing!
