Fellow designer, in today’s post we’re talking about six of my favorite spaces to find inspiration as a brand designer, so that the next time you find yourself in a bit of a creative lull, you can call on this post.

As graphic, brand, and web designers, we operate in an industry that constantly demands that we call on our creativity to execute a client’s vision, to come up with new creative ways of communicating vision and values and more. What happens when our creativity dries up? Well, then we have to get resourceful! 

6 Places To Find Inspiration As A Brand Designer

As we explore where we can find inspiration, it’s important to recognize that inspiration is incredibly personal. So what might spark my creativity, what might inspire me, may not do the same for you. And that’s okay, friend! There is no right or wrong way to be inspired, and there’s no right or wrong place to find that inspiration!

In the 10 years that I have been a designer and I’ve been practicing this with my myself, I have explored different ways and different spaces to find the inspiration that I need when I need it. It’s given me this ability to understand what resonates with me in unique ways. So I encourage you to do the same. 

I also encourage you to think of this as a constant practice, kind of like a rhythm that you create for yourself, and that you focus on doing somewhat consistently. The reason why I recommend that, is because creativity can be a bit fickle. It’s not necessarily something that you can just call on demand. It’s something that you need to cultivate. So instead of letting your creative well become so low, that there’s just not enough to pull from for your latest client project, try building in little pockets of inspiration into your day to day or weekly routine. This allows you to be able to have a constant well full of inspiration whenever you need it! So let’s get into some of my favorite places to go to find that inspiration! 

Using Local Destinations as Design Inspiration

There is nothing more powerful than playing tourist in your own town! I especially love this because in most cases it does not require us to travel far. It does not require us to spend a lot of money. Instead, it’s something that we can do for free, or at a very low cost, which makes this accessible to the majority of us. Looking at what you already have in your hometown can inspire you to be looking at your own space spaces that you’ve become incredibly familiar with through a new lens. Checking out places like coffee shops, clothing stores, boutiques, parks, etc. can give you a lot of inspiration, right at your fingertips!

Another place that I highly recommend checking out is grocery stores! Different grocery stores than your usual go-to can provide a huge amount of inspiration when it comes to the displays, or the packaging, the colors that you might see from the seasonal produce, or the fashion that people are wearing as they shop. I personally love to go to my local Asian market because it has the best inspiration! Not only are they constantly bringing in new products, but I am exposed to products that I am not familiar with. It gives me the opportunity to be inspired by the packaging, by the flavors, and by the incredible amount of diversity that’s represented there.

Architecture As Your Inspiration

This is something that you can do in your own hometown, or whenever you are traveling. Take a minute to look at the buildings. Whether you’re in a neighborhood or a bustling city, downtown architecture plays such an important role in the way that we create spaces for us as humans to exist, work, and so much more. You don’t have to be in a really dynamic city in order to be exposed to some powerful architecture.

Even in my town of Waco, when I am driving down a historic street or I am in an older neighborhood, when I look at the different styles of the homes that are around me, I am able to get so many ideas about the way that lines and shapes work together to create a humble dwelling. 

The same goes for when you are in a city center or a downtown area, or you’re even on the outskirts of a city! The way that buildings are put together, the way that the city is laid out, that can provide a lot of inspiration. 

Getting Design Inspiration From Museums 

If you are able to check out a museum, whether you’re looking at art or history or a niche topic, there can be such an incredible curation of inspiration already waiting for you to check out. What I appreciate about museums is not only do they takes us out of our normal day to day, but it gives you the opportunity to learn something new that you might not have noticed.

Otherwise, I also love museums because I can take them as an opportunity to take myself on a date! I actually like thinking this of this as dating my creativity, dating my inner artist. This is actually something that you can learn more about inside the book, the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, which I highly recommend! Museums of all kinds can be a fantastic space for us to explore. I also have really appreciated that since the pandemic, a lot of museums have digitized themselves in a way where they are accessible online. So if you’re not able to travel to New York or LA, you still are able to explore and experience some of the art, history, or the artifacts that are in those museums. 

Using Magazines For Your Design Inspiration

Something that will always be available to you, and that you can always revisit time and time again, magazines. You have so much inspiration at your fingertips. If you want to pick up a magazine of any kind, whether it’s fashion, beauty, home decor, travel, business, there is so much waiting for you within those glossy pages! As you flip through a magazine, whether that’s at your local Barnes&Noble, in the checkout line at the grocery store, or a pile of old magazines that a family member has had collecting dust for a few years, there are so many different layout ideas, topics, fashion pieces, or photo inspiration that you can be gathering! I personally have a stack of different magazines that I’ve been collecting for years that range from, home decor to travel, to landscape and gardening to fashion!

Restaurants For Date Night or Dating Your Creativity

Restaurants are a great way to take your next date night and turn it into an opportunity to also be dating your creativity! Whether you are going to your favorite local hole in the wall restaurant, or you’re trying out a fancier spot, pay attention to the food, the plating, the colors that you see. Pay attention to the signage, the menus, the decoration. There are so many incredible opportunities for us when we simply step foot into a restaurant. These are intentional spaces that the owner has curated for you. 

How have they paid attention to the decor? What did they do to cultivate the ambiance? How have they pulled in branded details through things like, maybe cocktail napkins or a matchbook that you can take with you? There are lots of different things to explore in that way. 

Nature Is Your Best Friend

If all else fails, my final recommendation is nature, simply getting outside. When you are out in nature, you are not only building up that vitamin D and breathing in fresh air, but you’re also treating your eyes to a massive range of color, texture, and so much more! 

Whether you live in a more urban area and the nature that you have access to looks like curated neighborhood parks, or you live out in the country, and you are able to access wide spaces free of any buildings, this gives you the ability to be where you are, to use what you have access to, and to explore it in ways that will help to spark that creativity and that inspiration that you are looking for! 

Personally, when the weather permits here in Texas, I love to take advantage of our spring fall and winter seasons to be out in our local park and hiking different trails. Whether I choose a trail with more elevation that’s up in the cliffs, or I take the riverside trails, I am able to pick an environment that will introduce me to something new. I’m able to discover new plants or observe insects or wildlife. I’m able to get an opportunity to take in the way that nature has naturally developed in the way that it’s arranged itself.

The best part? This doesn’t cost me anything! During the summer when it’s a little too toasty for my taste to be out hiking, I keep things much more local, and I like to seek inspiration in my backyard. Growing vegetables and herbs in my patio garden is a great way for me to cultivate that inspiration literally on a daily basis as I tend to that space.

Learn how to grow a profitable design business 

Friend, I hope that these ideas are helpful and give you at least one new spot or give you at least one new thing to try as you focus on cultivating your creativity and finding your next design inspiration! For my fellow designers who are wanting to learn more about how to grow a profitable design business, that continually gives you the ability to use that creativity to generate consistent income, then I want to invite you to learn more about my signature program for graphic brand and web designers, the Brand Strategy School.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BRAND STRATEGY SCHOOL

Inside this self-paced program, I share with you how you can leverage brand strategy as your superpower to generate consistent 10 K months and more. And the beautiful thing about this is, not only does this program show you how to leverage a done for you brand strategy process, so we can eliminate the trial and error of serving your clients at a high level, but it also gives you the support and the education that you need in order to elevate your client experience, so you can consistently charge high ticket prices. If that sounds like exactly what would serve you well in the season, then click here to learn more about joining the brand strategy community.

JOIN THE BRAND STRATEGY SCHOOL