10 graphic design blogs to spark your creativity

When you’re a graphic designer, you’ll have days when the ideas flow like Niagara Falls and days when your creative mind is as dry as the Nevada Desert.

Studies by psychologists have suggested that it may be the temporal lobe in the brain that plays a role in creative block.

Experiments have shown that magnetic stimulation of the frontal lobes increases creativity on both drawing and writing tasks.

Lab studies aside, general wisdom suggests that simply taking a break from the task that you’re blocked on can help re-fire your creativity.

So, with this in mind, we’ve rounded up 10 graphic design blogs that could give you the inspiration you need to go from creative rut to creative strut again.

Creative Bloq

Creative Bloq is a design and arts website that provides graphic design, illustration, web design and visual effects inspiration, as well as industry insight and pro career advice.

It’s the online presence of Computer Arts, Net, Imagine FX, 3D World, 3D Artist and Web Designer.

The blog showcases new developments in design, provides an in-depth analysis of pivotal projects and features opinion pieces from the design world’s most influential thought leaders.

This blog is updated daily, so if you want to find out more about something that has just been announced, you’re likely to get the low-down here.

We and the Color

We and the Color was founded by Dirk Petzold in 2010 to promote and celebrate designers and artists from around the world. It began as an art and design project on Tumblr, but soon became so popular that it was relaunched as an independent website in 2012.

It’s now a vibrant and engaging web magazine that focuses on diverse fields such as graphic design, branding, illustration, photography, art and filmmaking. We and the Color’s mission is clear – it’s to support creativity and creatives.

Not only is the site jam packed with inspiration, but it’s full of helpful resources like fonts, graphics, books, templates and mock-ups. All in all, it’s a great blog to have in your favourites list for when a new project comes up.

AIGA Eye on Design

AGIA Eye on Design is another option that could help you quench your creative thirst. It focuses on the best design work from emerging and established graphic designers from around the globe.

Aside from providing an abundance of inspiration, it’s a blog that looks at the past, present and future of design. The idea being that if you appreciate and respect the past, you’ll be better equipped to become a design great in the future.

The blog’s main goal is to get designers' voices heard. They do this in the form of op-ed pieces, longform interviews and Q&As. But what is truly great about Eye on Design, is that they have built a design community that you will feel welcomed into the moment you start to read.

Create by Adobe

Formerly Adobe Inspire Magazine, Create by Adobe is an online design magazine by creatives, for creatives. It focuses on graphic design, web design, photography illustration, UX and creative culture. Adobe describes its Create blog as “a call-to-action that they help answer”.

It has quickly become a go-to for graphic designers who are looking for inspiration, the latest design trends, and helpful how-to tutorials. You can become involved in popular design challenges, get helpful tips for working in Photoshop and access giveaways to boot.

Whether you’re looking for a new font, social media practice files or wondering how you can get paid for creating fan art, Adobe Creative Magazine is a great resource. It’s also just extremely enjoyable to look at and read.

Digital Arts

Based in the UK, Digital Arts has the backing of the world's largest IT publisher, IDG. It has become one of the UK’s leading resources for creative professionals.

This blog covers everything from graphic design, 3D, animation, video, effects, web and interactive design and features exclusive reviews and features which you can’t get elsewhere.

Creative Review

Creative Review is a well-established blog that has become an authority on creative analysis and advice for graphic designers. The blog has four main sections:

● Creative Insight: offers an analysis of significant creative projects, people and trends.

● Creative Process: focuses on how work gets made and what obstacles creatives face.

● Creative Inspiration: full of images and ideas to feed your imagination and spark your creativity.

● Creative Leadership: gives practical advice on the challenges of running a creative team.

This is a great source of inspiration for those looking for cutting edge design news and an in-depth analysis of the industry.

Logo Design Love

Logo Design Love was launched in 2008 by graphic designer, David Airey. It is a blog devoted exclusively to logos and brand identities.

As you would expect, it is extremely visual, but it also has in-depth features on industry legends, such as Paul Rand, and looks in detail at famous re-brands such as Channel 4 and Kodak.

This blog challenges designers to look behind the graphics and appreciate the beauty and complexity of the design process.

Design Week

Design Week was originally founded in 1986, as a print magazine. However, in 2011 the publication made the decision to stop printing and make a permanent home online.

This cutting-edge online blog features the latest news on graphic design, branding, digital products, and interior design. Some design blogs can be heavy with visuals, but light on content. Design Week is heavy on both, with in-depth reviews, exclusive interviews and opinion pieces on all the latest design trends. This blog takes a deep dive into the creative process and provides a detailed analysis of the results.

It also has great career advice for designers at all stages of their career and looks to help with practical day-to-day challenges like how to respond to criticism and how to grow your design agency.

Creative Boom

Creative Boom is a UK-based online magazine dedicated to designers, illustrators, artists and photographers.

With an audience of more than seven million, this blog has become a go-to inspiration source for many in the creative industry. You can find great resources, gadgets, books, and check out insightful interviews with the best and the brightest that the creative industry has to offer.

The website also offers valuable insights and tips to help you at every stage of your creative career. From your first job after graduation, to going freelance or even launching your own agency.

The Dieline

Unless you’re a packaging designer, package branding projects don’t come up every day, but once in a while you’ll get a brief that requires packaging and you’ll be glad that Dieline is a weapon in your design arsenal.

Their raison d'etre is to define and promote the world’s best packaging design, and provide a place where the packaging design community can come together. It keeps readers up-to-date on the latest trends and also offers in-depth reviews and critiques on the latest projects in the industry.

It also has an informative substrate section which focuses specifically on different packaging materials, which is awesome if you have been asked to design for a specialist material and need some guidance.

Inspiration is only a click away

Now that you have some great blogs at your fingertips, we hope you try and set some time aside to catch up with the latest design news and trends. You’ll be surprised how a regular dose of inspiration will help you overcome a creative block.