Where I get inspiration as a designer

21 Jan

getting inspired as a designer

“For me, getting inspirated is not only a way to get ideas and learn more about what’s happening in the world of design, but also a way to practice my critical thinking skills and craft my style (if only in my head).”

As a designer – regardless of your field – getting inspired is one of the most important parts of the creative process.

Whether you have a specific project you’re working on, or you’re just looking for that little fix of design to fuel your day-to-day, inspiration is always something that gets the wheels turning.

For me, it’s not only a way to get ideas and learn more about what’s happening in the world of design, but also a way to practice my critical thinking skills and craft my style (if only in my head). It’s an opportunity to shape your idea of what looks good and what doesn’t, what would you change if you were the recreate this design, or how would you make it better.

In the digital age, getting inspired has arguably never been easier – we have millions of images at our fingertips. And while social media is definitely one of my go-tos when it comes to finding inspiration, I also love delving into more traditional and tangible mediums to discover new ideas.

So I thought I would share some of my favourite ways to get inspired as a designer. Hopefully it will help you find inspiration too!

1. Pinterest & Instagram

Social media is a big of a given when it comes to finding inspiration online – this definitely isn’t ground-breaking! But I’m definitely selective in the platforms I gravitate towards.

Design is inherently visual, so I prefer to focus on platforms that are visually-focused like Pinterest and Instagram.

Pinterest is both a visual canvas as well as a search engine – I love to scroll my home feed for general ideas, but it’s also a powerful tool to search for more specific elements of design projects.

When it comes to Instagram, I like to use it as more of a hub of designers, building community and inspiration through sharing, collaboration and engagement.

2. Retailers & Supplier Showrooms

One of my first ever jobs was working in the homewares department at Target, where visual merchandising was a pretty big part of the job.

To this day, retail stores and showrooms are one of my favourite places to get inspired (spoiler alert: I also love shopping).

There’s nothing that makes me want to style a room more than walking through furniture showrooms and aisles of decor.

I love seeing what new products are available, what’s trending, and imagining how I would style spaces with them in my head.

It’s also a super accessible way to see design materials and products in the flesh. Just watch out for that FOMO when you want to buy everything in sight.

3. Display Homes

Getting out into the real world of design has to be one of the best ways to get inspired. There’s something about being fully immersed in a design that gets the creative juices flowing.

It’s also one of the best ways to get the critical thinking part of your brain switched on. It’s one thing to craft a space on paper, but actually walking around it and seeing how things flow in real life is a whole other exercise.

It gets all your senses flowing – you can feel the spaces around you, touch the materials.

Last week, I had a walk through some of the new display homes in Denman Prospect, Canberra. One that made a huge impression on me was The Arte by Prof Homes.

Now, I know display homes are generally not an accurate representation of real-world homes. They are often packed with a million materials and details because the builder if trying to show off everything – and I mean everything – they can do.

But they’re a great way to get your finger on the pulse nonetheless.

The joinery was definitely a highlight for me in this home, as well as the overall use of space and maximising of natural light.

However, some of the material choices were a bit much for me, I would have paired back on the number of different tiles used.

This exercise of thinking about what I loved and what I would have done differently is exactly why visiting homes in the real world is such as great way to get inspired.

4. Books

I love curling up in a cosy corner with a good book – let’s be real, who doesn’t?! And I always tend to have one design book on the go on top of my regular reading.

Aside from being great for styling, coffee table design books are also a great source of visual and technical inspiration.

You can check out some of the recent design books that have inspired me via my current reading list over here.

5. Nature

Getting out in nature is one of my favourite ways to get inspired – there’s something about it that brings my brain back to the fundamentals of design like colour, texture and form.

Plants and natural materials in particular, give me so much inspiration for how I want spaces and the materials within it to look and feel, how I want things laid out and what form I want things to take.

Getting some fresh air isn’t just good for the soul, it will help make you a better designer too!

After getting out and seeing some new design projects last week, it got me feeling very inspired and motivated to keep pouring myself into my work.

Whether you have a specific project coming up, or you’re just needing to fill your cup with some design goodness, these sources of inspiration are sure to hit the spot.