Get Inspired with the Best Website Design Ideas from Bulbastic Agency
Website Design Ideas in 2020
Every web designer before creating a project is looking for some tips or ideas to make the work at its best. A person can’t think of something fundamentally new – all works are created according to their visual experience. Even those designers who do not look at someone else’s work and come up with everything themselves, act on the basis of their experience.
In this article, we will talk about several ways to find ideas for website design and will analyze each of them in detail.
Get ready for Website Design
Before opening a graphical editor, the designer searches for the main ideas for the project and carries out some kind of research to avoid possible errors when creating the interface. There are three areas that are studied by the designer:
- Functional. The designer analyzes what functions are needed for his interface, how the client will use the resource.
- Graphic. Which design is suitable for the customer, which elements should include. It is defined with color palette, typography, basic images.
- Emotional. What emotions should cause the design of the client, how to lead the user to the target action.
- The study of each direction depends on the client’s goal setting. Sometimes the owners of the resource themselves conduct marketing research, determine the target audience, the necessary elements to call for action and so on. Otherwise, the designer develops the project from scratch after an interview with the customer.
Where to get ideas for website design in these three areas?
- View sites similar to the theme of the project.
- Search for ideas in the portfolio of famous and close in spirit design studios, famous designers.
- Review of resources-communities of designers and viewing the works of participants.
- Search for ideas in another area.
- Creation of a design according to the customer’s requirements.
- Creating a concept based on your own experience, without other sources.
- Take a closer look at each source.
Searching for website design ideas on related sites
Viewing other sites does not mean stealing someone else’s design and inability to create. In our blog we wrote about copying in design, which allows designers to develop their skills and create new works, peeping at others.
In the process of viewing related resources, competitors’ sites, an idea of the customer’s area of activity, the needs of its customers and the necessary functionality of the site is formed. In the process of search, the designer himself can become a client – try to make an application, talk to managers or just introduce himself as a client and find the information he needs.
This approach is well suited for researching user needs in terms of usability. It is important to understand how convenient the visitor will be to use the site, what information he wants to see in the first place.
For example, the customer – a medical center. Searching for competitive sites and sites on this topic will help the designer to form the basic requirements of clients, view frequently occurring color palettes, images and create a site that will, on the one hand, stand out from the others, and on the other – to approach the client in terms of usability.
Searching for inspiration in a portfolio of well-known designers and web studios
In any creative field, there are people who are high-class professionals and authorities. Their opinions are listened to, they speak at conferences, their blogs and social networks are viewed hundreds of times a day. Web design is no exception.
Looking through the works of outstanding personalities – Jeffrey Zeldman, Mark Wheeler, Kimi Lewis and others, we begin to understand the trends of web design, technological nuances. These are people who create something new and lead others.
Choose a few designers who are close in their views on project creation and keep an eye on their development, social activities and new developments. This is how you can draw inspiration from the work of professionals and develop yourself.
You can follow the activities of well-known and promoted web studios, which form trends.
Profile communities for designers
You can browse your portfolio to find ideas not only from well-known and promoted designers. There are many different resources on the Internet, where designers of any level post their works both for search of orders and simply for evaluation. There are also websites that collect the best works from all over the internet and form collections of truly outstanding designers’ works. A few examples of online resources:
- Awwwards. The most famous community where the best websites around the internet are selected. There is a breakdown by collections, in which you can filter sites on the desired subject (for example, the best navigation, typography for inspiration, etc.). Every day the site of the day is selected, which is evaluated by the jury and users. There are special awards for the best resources.
- Behance. A design community in which each user can exhibit their work, subscribe to favorite designers, evaluate their work. Designers form a portfolio here, you can share a link. There are works both on web design, graphic design, packaging design and so on.
- Dribble. This is a collection of small elements, icons, illustrations and other small details. It is also possible to see different color combinations so as not to use the color circle. For this purpose, you choose the desired color and service selects all combinations that are found on the site with a full description of the color scheme.
- Pinterest. A social network where you can upload images, share them with subscribers and create collections of fonts, posters, website layouts, templates and so on.
- Revision. Site for designers of Russia. There are both the best works for the week, and a selection of individual designers.
- Siteinspire. Selection of original and interesting solutions. Not always competitive, but you can find something you like.
- Codepen. A resource where you can find not only elements for sites, but also a technical component. Here you may find both complete projects and separate elements described with the help of the code. You may just throw a piece of code to a maker and not think about technical capabilities.
When searching for ideas on online sites, it is important to remember about limitations. It is important to see the boundary between using an idea as such and plagiarism. You need to gather all the best from what you have seen to create your own and unique project.
It is possible to use other people’s solutions. For example, Apple has agreed to pay $21 million for a watch design. If you liked a designer’s solution and have a budget to buy it, there’s nothing humiliating about it. If even such big companies buy the solutions they like, why don’t we use creative designs.
5 more tips to get inspired and find new Website Design Ideas
How to find inspiration, fresh ideas for the project and not to plagiarize? How to use your creativity and at the same time take care of usability? There are several other simple ways to find new solutions for web design and use your theoretical knowledge in practice.
1. using your creativity on paper
If nothing comes to mind when browsing online, try painting or the recently popular sketching technique (quick sketching). Even renowned designers use a simple notebook and pencil.
2. Keep all your ideas in one place
For this purpose there are special programs for making mudboards – visualization boards, where all inspiring images and links are gathered in one place.
3. use the time correctly
Sometimes the search for ideas stretches out and turns into an ordinary prostration. Limit the time to review solutions so you don’t have to wait too long to submit your project.
4. Go out into the street
Sometimes inspiration can be found in signs and on city streets. Take pictures of everything you like, such as movie posters, book covers or architectural solutions.
5. Learn a theory.
Theoretical knowledge in design and marketing can push you to new solutions. Read themed blogs, books, specialized online resources and use examples in your work. In this way, you can not only improve your design, but also use some marketing or copywriting knowledge to increase the conversion rates of the selling website or online store. For example, in our blog we talk about the importance of different elements on the site, give examples of creative solutions and talk about different development methods.
In Compacom Agency, specialists create design both by viewing portfolios of other web studios and well-known designers, and using their own solutions in combination with the customer’s wishes. We are constantly looking for new ideas and trying to meet the trends in development.