An attractive and functional website is a labor of love as well as a business necessity. All those hours that you or your agency pours in towards this goal, they need to account for something very tangible.
There are many aspects to a brilliant website. We have spoken about some of them in the past, including how a quality smartly-designed website can boost your business.
If you feel stuck for inspiration or want to refresh your website with a new slick look, here are some blogs that will inundate you with ideas.
So let’s dive into it.
Awwwards
This blog alone should be enough to get you started with your design/overhaul. They feature so many high-quality websites from around the world that it is difficult not to feel overwhelmed.
Check out their Top 10 and Top 50 websites they publish periodically. Whatever your niche, you will find the latest and the trendiest designs here. They also provide a breakdown of the scores assigned to each website.
Creative Bloq
While designing a website is great fun, it also poses challenges every step of the way, and sometimes these can get frustrating.
Creative Bloq to the rescue ! This place is full of how-to tutorials and their attention to detail, whether it’s regarding designing websites or mobile apps, is impressive. Struggling with typography? Cannot zero down on an icon? Looking for alternatives to Helvetica? Not sure which shade of gray to choose from? They have articles and resources devoted to each and every stage and aspect of web design.
Recommended reads:
- The A to Z of typography terms
- 6 mistakes designers make – and how to avoid them
- Prototype a mobile app with Adobe XD
Hongkiat
Photoshop is like oxygen for web designers but it’s not uncommon to struggle with it. All those buttons can get pretty intimidating to the uninitiated. Web design is a specialized field and this blog understands it. From designing, to coding, to programming – you will find professional and reliable support for all kinds of queries here.
Similar to Creative Bloq, Hongkiat provides designers with excellent in-depth tutorials regarding all aspects of web design. It’s a vibrant community of design enthusiasts you’d do well to check out.
Recommended reads:
- Beginner’s Guide to Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)
- 7 Ways to Improve the Online Shopping Experience
- Fresh Resources for Web Developers – August 2016
Smashing Magazine
This site is quite like the name itself, smashing. From coding, to web design, to graphics, to UX design, to everything WordPress – you will find a ton of material to enrich your understanding of what makes a super website, well, super.
This industry-leading platform has a number of downloadable resources on top of the numerous informative articles, as well as 69 e-books (though they are not free) if you are eager to devour all you can find. A professional’s time very well-spent.
Recommended reads:
- Creativity Under The Microscope: Running A UI Design Critique
- A Beginner’s Guide To Progressive Web Apps
- A Glimpse Into The Future With React Native For Web
Designrfix
Another great place to hang out for design inspiration, whether it is for improving your UI or making your videos look Hollywood-quality. Considering that video marketing is all the rage and set to become an even bigger one in the coming years, it’s definitely worthwhile checking out their considerable resources in this regard.
Recommended reads:
- 20 Fantastic After Effects Video Tutorials
- 10 Inspiring Landing Page Designs That Redefine the Mores of Creativity
- 5 Web-Design Tips for an Awesome UX
DesignModo
DesignModo features design mockup exercises so that some of the most popular websites can be deconstructed and explained to the readers how the design was achieved. They recently did that with Airbnb. The articles are in-depth and provide reliable guidance. They make you question your own preferences with regards to your website, and that is a good thing. When designing a website, we need to be super clear about the elements we choose for it and how they will contribute towards the user-friendliness of the larger product.
Recommended reads:
- Responsive Web Design: 50 Examples and Best Practices
- Principles of Flat Design
- How to Create a Shopping Cart UI using CSS & JavaScript
UCreative
UCreative goes beyond technical considerations and paints a bigger canvas for all things design and aesthetics. How far can you stretch your creativity? Beyond web design and photography? Check out this website for some unusual ideas and a holistic approach that considers design a part of the larger scheme of business and marketing.
Recommended reads:
- 83 Crazy/Beautiful Letterhead Logo Designs
- 35 Free Big, Bold, and Beautiful Headline Fonts
- UCreative’s Graphic Design Reading List
Inspired Mag
It’s a good idea to start your day reading something inspiring – articles that have you pumped so much that you can barely wait to fish out your laptop and get to work.
Inspired Magazine is one such place in a sea of excellent design websites. Binge read these articles whenever you feel stuck.
Recommended reads:
- Essential elements of a Kick-Ass website
- Creating the Ultimate User-Friendly Design
- Advice You Should Ignore When Choosing a WordPress Theme
What would you recommend?
Web designers – Which blogs do you visit on a daily basis? Where do you get your design inspiration? Please leave a comment and let us know.
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