The Art of Web Design Inspiration: A Beginner's Guide to Finding and Analyzing Great Website Design
10 MINUTE READ
LAST UPDATED: AUGUST 2024
Have you ever found yourself scrolling through a website or app, thinking, "Wow, I wish my site could look this good!"? Well, guess what? It totally can! This article will explain how professional website designers harness that spark of inspiration and use it to fuel their own unique creations.
When you find a design element you love, you should never copy it pixel for pixel. You need to work on understanding what makes that design so appealing. Maybe it's the way the colors compliment each other, how the layout guides your eye, or the clever use of white space. By learning to identify these elements and analyze how they contribute to the overall design, you'll develop the skills to create something that's uniquely yours. This process helps you build a website that captures the essence of what you admire while still reflecting your own style and meeting your specific needs.
The Treasure Hunt: How to Search for Website Inspiration
Alright, let's dive into the fun part – finding inspiration! Think of this as a digital treasure hunt. Instead of looking for gold doubloons, we're after golden ideas. Here's how to make the most of your inspiration search:
Cast a Wide Net: Don't just stick to websites in your industry. A tech company might find inspiration from a bakery's website, or a yoga studio might get ideas from a fashion blog. Creativity often comes from unexpected places!
Trust Your Gut: When a website makes you go "Wow!", stop and really look at it. Your instinctive response is valuable – it's telling you something about what you find appealing.
Look Beyond the Obvious: Sure, check out the big award-winning sites on platforms like Awwwards, but also look at smaller businesses or local companies. Sometimes the most relatable inspiration comes from sites closer to your scale.
Keep an Open Mind: Maybe you think you want a minimalist site, but you keep being drawn to colorful, bold designs. That's important information! Be open to surprising yourself.
Where to Look for Inspiration
Now that you know how to approach your search, let's talk about where to look:
Pinterest: Create boards for different design elements like "Cool Layouts" or "Color Schemes I Love".
Behance: A showcase of creative work across various fields, including web design.
Dribbble: Another great platform for design inspiration, often featuring more experimental designs.
CSS Design Awards: See award-winning websites and what makes them special.
Your Favorite Brands: Visit the websites of brands you admire, even if they're not in your industry.
Remember, at this stage, we're not judging whether we can create these designs or not. We're just opening our eyes to what's possible. It's like window shopping for your website – enjoy the process!
From Chaos to Collection: Organizing Your Inspiration
Now that you're discovering great designs, let's talk about keeping track of them. This crucial step transforms your casual browsing into a curated inspiration collection. By organizing your finds, you'll start noticing patterns in what you like - maybe you're drawn to sites with bold typography or lots of white space. You're also building a handy reference library for when you need ideas later. Plus, this collection allows you to see how your tastes evolve over time. What catches your eye today might be different from what you love next month.
To rock your inspiration organization, choose a tool you'll actually use. While Pinterest and Are.na are great, even a folder of browser bookmarks works if that's what you'll stick with. Create specific categories like "Cool Layouts" or "Color Schemes I Love" to make finding inspiration easier later. Don't forget to add notes about what caught your eye - your future self will thank you. Make this a habit by setting aside some time each week to look for and save new inspiration. After all, your taste and the web design world are always evolving, so keep your inspiration fresh!
Analyzing Great Web Design
This is where we level up from just looking at pretty websites to understanding why they're pretty. We're putting on our detective hats and diving into design analysis. The insight you’ll get from this exercise can help you develop your signature style. 💃
Your Step-by-Step Guide to Design Analysis
Start with your gut reaction: What's the first thing you notice? Is it the colors? The imagery? The layout? There's no wrong answer – we're just identifying what grabs your attention first.
Look at the layout: Is it symmetrical (evenly balanced) or asymmetrical (intentionally unbalanced for effect)? Is it a single column, or multi-column? How much empty space (we call this "white space") is there?
Check out the color scheme: Are the colors bold and vibrant, or soft and subtle? How many different colors are used? Is there a color that's used for all the important elements?
Examine the typography: What do the headings look like compared to the body text? Are they using serif fonts (the ones with little feet on the letters) or sans-serif (no hats or shoes)?
Look for any special features: Are there any animations when you scroll or hover over elements? Is there a unique way of navigating the site?
Think about how it makes you feel: Does the site feel professional? Playful? Luxurious? Approachable? The overall vibe of a site is just as important as its individual elements.
Pro Tip: Describe It Out Loud
Try to describe what you're seeing out loud, as if you were explaining it to a friend. This can help you articulate what you're observing and make your analysis more concrete. You don't need to know all the technical terms for what you're seeing. "The big text at the top" is a perfectly valid way to describe a header!
Putting It All Together: From Inspiration to Action
Great web design inspiration is just the beginning. The real magic happens when you start applying what you've learned to your own website. Here are some actionable steps to take your newfound inspiration and turn it into a stunning website:
Create a mood board: Use your favorite inspirations to create a visual representation of the style you want for your site. This will help guide your design decisions.
List your favorite elements: Make a list of specific elements you loved from your inspiration sites. Maybe it's the way one site used large, bold headlines, or how another incorporated beautiful imagery.
Sketch your ideas: Don't worry if you're not an artist! Even rough sketches can help you visualize how you want to arrange elements on your own site.
Start with a template: Many website builders, including Squarespace, offer beautiful templates. Choose one that's closest to your vision and customize from there.
Implement one inspiration at a time: Don't try to recreate every cool thing you saw all at once. Start with one element, like your color scheme or typography, and build from there.
Get feedback: Share your design with friends, family, or colleagues. Fresh eyes can provide valuable insights.
Iterate and refine: Great web design is a process. Don't be afraid to make changes as you go along. The most important part of this process is to have fun with your website 🎉
