Creating your own website for your business or personal lifestyle blog can be a challenge if you don’t know where to start with its look. If you don’t have a graphic design background, you may be overwhelmed with all of the suggestions and tips about how to make your site’s theme stand out. The best place to start to get some ideas flowing in your mind about what you want is through browsing the work of others. Here are five places to find inspiration for your web design.
1. Award Sites
One of the best places to begin getting some inspiration is through a web design awards site. The Webby Awards recognize the best on the internet each year. You can take a look at nominees for the current year or past winners on their extensive site. Winners and nominees are organized by industry, so you can choose to get a glimpse at what others are doing with their online design and features in your field. You can also focus on site features that are important to you by looking at the best in home page design, graphics, interface, and more.
2. Pinterest Boards
Another spot that many novice website operators try for inspiration is Pinterest. Pinterest has an easily searchable database of their users’ favorite web design looks and features. To access everything, you’ll need to make an account. Then, you’ll be able to see the top infographics, design ideas, and other resources that Pinterest web design enthusiasts have found helpful. You can also keep your favorite looks bookmarked throughout the site by making your own inspiration board and pinning anything that looks interesting to it.
3. Designer Portfolios
Sometimes, you can get inspiration from professional web designers and graphic artists. Most pros have their own portfolios displayed online for free. These portfolios are used to attract potential clients for online design work and other projects. Even if you’re planning to tackle your site’s design yourself, you can still peruse the work of the top web designers to get some more ideas about what looks work and what tools make the most sense.
4. Industry Leaders
Next, try taking a look at your industry’s leaders’ website looks to generate some possible design ideas. Take time to see what the common trends are in all of the sites, and brainstorm ways to do something that makes it your own. See what works when it comes to navigation and user friendliness and what doesn’t work. Then, take your ideas back to your website builder, like web.com, to get more potential looks for your own online presence.
5. Online Galleries
The last popular spot for design inspiration is an online website gallery. There are several design gallery websites online that allow people in the industry to see what others are doing. You can organize the sites by industry to make your browsing even more targeted for what you plan on doing with your own site.
The key to a great website design is finding out what you want your site to look like. If you’re stumped, look to the web for some inspiration, and you can finally get started on building the site you have envisioned.