Where do you get inspiration for your designs?

Where do you get inspiration for your designs? I have some serious problems with designing (not enough inspiration).

Thanks

I usually look at several designs and mix them together. I can use the header of one design and the footer of another, than I get a totally new design.

There are several good css galleries you can visit.

http://blog.themeforest.net/resources/40-really-awesome-resources-for-design-inspiration/

If you aren’t already you should subscribe to the Theme Forest blog. Great info. and inspiring stuff.

Everywhere really – but the FWA , the Webby’s, SmashingMagazine, Creattica, the Theme Forest blog, and FFFFound are great places to find inspiration on a daily basis for me (among countless others).

Thanks a lot guys!

Usually nowhere, I usually draw a normal layout on a piece of paper, and then move some parts to make it weird, unique, and yet user friendly, then choose the colours (i.e. blue for ecommerce sites works, green for portfolios, orange and maroon for news sites) and finally all goes to Photoshop.

However, to be honest, I don’t see much space for creativity here in TF, (although I’ll do my best to change it) so you better look at the “Popular files” and … you guessed the rest.

Hmm, thinking more, I believe “inspiration” has some borders that you shouldn’t cross. For example, it’s ok to design Aero-like buttons, menus, and such, but doing exactly what Microsoft did in WinVista, I mean exact clone of their buttons, menus, etc. is not ok, it’s a poor copy of their work. In addition to this, I believe sometimes inspiration has to be seen vice versa, I mean doing what others rarely do, for example, I’m going to put the logo at the right in my mpTHREE, and the main navigation menu at the bottom with upside down suckerfish menus. See, it’s sounds kinda weird, and … I did expose my third TF work just now ... but, anyhow inspiration should energize your creativity, not to blind it.

That’s it.

Well, I’m thinking “I wonder what useful paranormal-related website I could possible create” and then I’m waking up with finished layout . Or maybe it’s just because of A State of Trance…

That’s right – I can’t find better inspiration for works than some good trance music. No inspirational websites, no images, no photos, just drum beats and the layout is becoming real, muhaha

I always have this problem after I get finished with a design. I’m like “Okay, I’m done—now what do I do?” and often just draw a blank for the next week or so.

I constantly think “design something original, unique, and out of the ordinary”... then 5 minutes later, I decide to just go with a plain, over-done design because “that’s what the popular files are like.”

So basically, I’m split between making money and taking a risk of losing a week or two making something that won’t sell as expected.

My two cents. Which didn’t contribute to the topic question. Sorry