5 Surprising Sources Of Identity Design Inspiration
Where to go for inspiration. 5 unexpected places for identity designers 😅
Agencies. The best design agencies work with highly talented partners and creators. By following them, you can have a regular feed of fresh work that can help kick-start your design thinking. Pentagram, Hey Studio, Build, North … you’ll find there plenty of inspiration for identity creation.
3D illustrations. Volume pictures are not only about the game industry and cartoons. In 2020, there is a trend for 3D, but not so many companies have managed to implement them so far. Some great examples can be found at @petertarka, Mike Creative Mints on Dribbble and @vikiiing_cq, their visuals inspire to build brand identity using forms, shapes and bold colours.
Magazines. The coolest one is the New Yorker. They have amazing covers, and their graphics together with comics on the Instagram page are amazing. Little white lies, a magazine about the movie, as well as the feminist journal Womankind, cute Flow, and the Australian Frankie about design, creativity, photography and fashion — all are prepared by leading designers, so why not to follow their style in some of your corporate designs.
Applications. App’s interactive illustrations transform the user experience and work for engagement: Gucci, for example, uses sticky toys for it, the dating app Pure wraps the idea of anonymous dating into a comic, and Headspace — for meditation, to make the interface more relaxed. Interactive visualization is a working trend, so don’t forget to add it to your design as well.
Design podcasts. You can be inspired not only by visuals, but also by professionals in the field: for example, in the podcast Futur Chris Do talks to designers, illustrators and creators about empathy in design, branding or motion. The Google Design Podcasts talk on the insides of design in and around Google projects, Design Matters on the creative industries, and the Clever on career, inspiration and crisis work.
What are your favorite sources of inspiration? Share them in the comments.