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Understanding inspiration
15 Comments Inspiration is everywhere. Youve heard it quoted at least once in your lifetime, but what do they actually mean by it? The where do you get / find inspiration question is the email I receive the most, which typically follows with the response of everywhere. On the other end I can hear the recipient saying Yeah, yeah, yeah, typical as they read my response. Instead of going into too much detail for each email, Id thought it would make for a good blog post and general discussion. Heres my attempt at defining and clarifying the inspiration is everywhere statement.
Inspiration is everywhere
Understanding the quote inspiration is everywhere is quite straight forward. The world around us is full of inspiration stocked to the ceiling with stimulating colors, textures, shapes, curves, arrangements, contrasts, similarities well you get the point. However, since we are bombarded with such beautiful inspiration each time we walk out our front doors, we often take it for granted and passes through our minds as a quick thought to later be forgotten when we need it. Many only seem to look for inspiration when only they need it. The key to inspiration is being a good recorder. Technology makes this very simple with camera phones, pocket-sized sketchbooks, iPads and amongst other things. Instead of inspirational occurrences becoming another passing moment, take a picture; it lasts longer. Make a record of everything that inspires or catches your eye and revisit these things when you start a new project. For example: the grid for your website layout can be inspired by the balanced, yet unorthodox, arrangement of windows on old piece of architecture creating a unique layout for the blog section of your new site. Also, having recently redesigned this blog, I can relate to playing the role of a recorder. The color palette was inspired by a book cover I came across while browsing a bookstore in Princeton, New Jersey,
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while the cross-hatchingacting as shading running along the sides was inspired by my neighbors old little white fence that is half hanging over into my side (the way the fencing weaved and intertwined). The subtle grey texture was inspired by a newspaper-eske feel to put focus back on my content and purpose of this site: to read. A majority of what inspired this redesign was drawn by offline inspiration.
Jason Santa Maria on his About page states that his design sensibilities are heavily inspired by traditional print design and a deep love for typography. Im sure most of you have already, but if not, have a look at his work and you will see his inspiration-based print design background. Yaron Schoen discusses his inspiration for his TeaJunkie Poster set as mimicking the feeling he got when walking around an exhibit. Carsonified discusses their journey to redesign their company site, which in the end was inspired by a Gap Store. Dan Mall states that his website is an experiment in contrast: thick and thin, big and small, black and white. It takes obvious references from editorial design, specifically inspired by The New York Times and the L.A. Times. As you can see from a few examples above, their inspiration for web and print was discovered via an exploration and/or feeling from something a bit unconventional. Jason and Dans print to web influences, Yarons feeling applied to print, Carsonifieds exploration and recording of space.
Understanding inspiration
Inspiration is about stimulation. It encourages the development of something new. We are often inspired because we like the character or spirit of an object, not because someone else did it therefore it must be right. Inspiration intrigues us to work towards an approach, not copy or mimic anothers. Inspiration acts as a fuel to catapult us in our own direction. Inspiration, for me, is trying something different.
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Trends start and break because inspiration draws up something unusual and the problem is approached differently and accepted by a large group of people / designers. Dont let your fear of fully actually inspired hinder the ability to push new boundaries in your work and explore new options. 15 Comments you will be the 16th comment Posted on June 14th, 2010 Tagged in design exploration inspiration Share this article via Twitter Facebook Email Older 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 ... 163
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Im a graphic designer from Philadelphia who loves creating compelling and useful websites and brand identities. When Im not designing I can be found writing, speaking and occasionally part-time teaching at colleges all on the subject of design. I started this blog to share my passion and experiences with fellow designers and those in need of design services. Read about me
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