How to find website design ideas easily
Finding new website design ideas is a formidable challenge. Sometimes you just get stuck in a rut. Just like writers can get writer’s block, web designers definitely get designer’s block when trying to find website design ideas.
A lot of things can cause it. Stress from work, stress from personal life, burnout from projects, working on simple and unchallenging website designs… whatever the cause, finding website design ideas is a must for all designers at one point or another.
Web designers spend hours online all the time. It’s a part of the job. However, having access to anything on the web doesn’t mean great website ideas are easy to find. You don’t want to start making derivative website designs.
Sometimes it seems you just keep running into the same old thing time and time again.
There is a way through designer’s block, however. Here’s a guide to seeking out website design inspiration when it seems like your well of creative ideas has run dry.
Look for Website Ideas Offline
Get yourself offline. While you can find a number of beautiful websites, your source of inspiration doesn’t only have to be online.
Take a look at things that are off the screen to search out whole new ideas. Look at printed brochures, local store ads, even interior design. Go see what unique ideas local artists have been creating.
Spend time in nature, too. A pleasant hike, or even a nice walk through a pretty park, can give you a number of new ideas, a lot of them more organic than most website design elements. You’ll also come away from these outdoor trips more refreshed and likely with a much clearer mind.
Look for Other Good Websites in a Similar Niche
You can still find great website design inspiration online, of course. One technique many web designers use to get some new ideas for making great websites is to browse other sites that are in the same or a similar niche as the one being designed.
Creating a website for a bed and breakfast?
Look through the sites out there for other similar businesses.
You’ll see what features are common, what ones are currently trending, and begin to see elements that these kinds of websites should start using to rise to the top.
Find Something to Enjoy about the Project
One of the great challenges of modern website design is that it can be tedious. While the project you’re working on may not excite you, it could make a great addition to your portfolio so you can show off what you can do.
It may be a chance to try out new skills or collaborate with interesting people who have new ideas of their own. Sometimes the cause of designer’s block can be as simple as motivation. Finding something about your project to motivate you may be just what you need to find your web design muse again.
Look for Creative Outlets Outside of Work
Sometimes, you may not feel like you’re getting creative satisfaction in your job. This can be creatively numbing, making you unhappy and making your work suffer.
Look for opportunities for creative projects that inspire you that don’t have anything to do with work. This can be a great way to renew your love for design and remember what inspiration feels like.
Try Shifting Your Attitude
Look for new ways to improve your professional attitude. This is a goal you should pursue even after you’ve broken through your web designer’s block since it can only make things better.
Upgrade your home office. Attend creative and professional networking events. Try finding new ways to make you better at your job on more than just a technical level.
Give Pinterest a Visit
Advertisement
Pinterest is a very diverse site. You can certainly find a number of arts and crafts on there, but there are also a number of great website ideas that you can use to help inspire your own great websites.
Use the site’s “more to explore” function to look at new ideas beyond just the ones you were searching for.
Contribute your own new ideas to the site to help other people and remember that you are part of a whole world of creative web designers.
Get website design ideas from creative websites
Toggl
Best time tracking system for a small business. A simple online timer with a powerful timesheet calculator. Hassle-free time tracking so your business runs like clockwork.
Craft CMS
Craft CMS is a focused content management system for developers, designers, and web professionals that blends flexibility, power, and ease of use for clients.
Amulet
Amulet puts reputation on the blockchain, exposing the accuracy of financial experts so traders can filter out the BS.
Malu
I’m an interaction designer and now based in Berlin. I have 3 years of experience working at MINGLabs. I like to resolve design problems, create smart user interface and imagine useful interaction, focusing on the user-centered design.
Carv
Real-time audio instruction and ski technique analysis.
Scrumpy
Scrumpy is designed for agile teams who manage multiple projects. They focus on minimalism and fun.
Asana Timeline
Use Timeline to create project plans that help you stay on schedule — So you hit your deadlines.
WFA
World Federation of Advertisers
Netguru
Netguru builds software that lets people do things differently.
RealtimeBoard
Simple whiteboarding platform for cross-functional teams collaboration
Mawla
Mobile App Development Studio, based in Dublin Ireland. Team that cares about making great products. Specialise in Android and iOS Mobile App Development.
Ueno News
Read the latest design and development news from Ueno.
InVision Studio
The world’s most powerful screen design tool. Rapid prototyping, animation, built-in design systems, and collaboration — all in one place.
Apple and Education
Discover the innovative world of Apple and shop everything iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and Apple TV, plus explore accessories, entertainment, and expert device support.
Mixpanel
Deeply understand every user’s journey with instant insights for everyone on mobile and web.
ToneDen
ToneDen is a friendly social marketing platform that gives you the power to reach and sell to the people who matter.
Ambassador Watches
Designed to encapsulate elegance, Ambassador creates watches that span distance and time, and are certain to shift expectations.
uMake
Experience the magic of augmented reality. With uMake, you can design and validate your 3D creations like never before.
HustleCase
A whiteboard laptop cover for your ideas.
Pilot Photonics
Pilot Photonics Ltd offers unique optical comb source and photonic integrated circuit solutions that it develops as a platform technology applicable to many markets including communication, spectroscopy, sensing, and metrology.
Netlify
All-in-one platform for automating modern web projects
Gruntwork
At Gruntwork get you up and running on AWS with Terraform and you get 100% of the code.
FreelanceRepublik
Freelancerepublik is a two-sided marketplace that connects talented freelancers with top companies. Businesses get preselected and available freelancers.
Lapa Studios
LA. Paper Art, Animal Masks & Paper Masks made by you! DIY low-Poly animal masks for Halloween, Carnival, parties and weddings.
Let’s go to New York
I moved to New York seven years ago. The process was painful and difficult. I learned most things the hard way: finding a job, getting a visa, calculating my cost of living, choosing an apartment. That’s why I wrote this e-book, to tell you how I did it. No bullshit, no stress.
Revested Milano
Give uniqueness, style and sophistication to your smartphone with the finest fabrics made in Italy.
Function of Beauty
Function of Beauty was founded by MIT engineers and industry leading chemists to develop personalized hair care products. Customers simply complete their hair profile and enter their hair goals before our algorithm develops a unique formula tailored to their needs.a
EL Passion
Let’s turn your idea into a scalable business! MVP and full product development for startups and innovative companies.
Eco
Eco is a new type of money you can use anywhere in the world.
Feel
Digital solutions business made up by tech misfits, passionate creatives and curious humans.
More Places to Look for Web Design Inspiration
Awwwards
This site hosts “the awards for design, creativity, and innovation on the internet.” You can find great website design ideas in there. Many of them are truly amazing, with whole new takes on old ideas and entirely fresh concepts.
This site has a great search function and offers categories like ‘Site of the Day’ and ‘Site of the month’ for convenient daily visits to integrate into your routine.
siteInspire
This site is a showcase of website design ideas. It offers a number of useful filters that allow you to find inspiration in just about any field. They display sites in a convenient grid system that allows you to open a site directly without going to any intermediate pages.
CSS Winner
Simple and smart, this site offers numerous website design ideas based on an intelligent and easy to understand scoring system. This is a great curated gallery of site designs that can help you find new web design ideas.
The Best Designs
This site has a blog-like format. It’s easy to see what design is being showcased. You can click for details of why it’s being featured and instantly click the direct link to the site. It’s got a useful filter system, too, allowing you to pinpoint your field easily. This site has been around since 2001, so it has a wide variety of website designs for you to look through.
Ending thoughts on website design ideas
It can be rough when you lose your web design inspiration. These tips can help you get it back and get your project back on track.
If you enjoyed reading this article about website design ideas, you should read these as well:
Originally published at www.designyourway.net on April 16, 2018.
