As web designers we always look towards websites such as Pinterest/Behance for inspiration, but as we know designing is not just the end product that appears within minutes of using a few Photoshop tools. In fact over the years what I have learnt as a Melbourne web designer is that web design done right is a process which involves different stages from accurate brief collection to wireframes to colour selections. Each of these stages require certain resources that makes the process a little bit easier and we can reach that deadline a bit faster than anticipated. Over the years there have been some really good websites that have come along which provide great resources and tips, some of them are even free to download. I have made a list of my top 5 sites that I use on a daily basis and would not survive without.
– http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/
This site is a blend of all things design. It has all the articles and resources that one requires to stay updated on latest design trends. There is also a section called freebies where one will find lots of free goodies which range from UI design mock-ups to custom animated icons.
– http://www.wpbeginner.com/
If you are specialising in web design purely and are a newbie at WordPress then this site is for you. It is a WordPress site for beginners as the name suggests. All the small tricks and tips to get better at using WordPress can be found here. Even if you don’t do the coding it is good to always have an understanding of the pros and cons and possibilities and limitations a CMS as popular as WordPress has to offer. Read an article a day from this site and trust me your coder colleagues will thank you for it.
– https://unsplash.com/
We as web designers have been in a situation where the client does not provide enough images to work with. To be safe it is always a good idea to check that the images you are using have permission to be used for a commercial purpose even if you are using it as a placeholder to show your client what the site would potentially look like. I have looked and looked ( ok maybe not looked like a thirsty person looking for water in a desert ) and finally found this site where photographers add photos that are free to use. There are colour as well as location variations. So, if your client falls in love with any of the images you use from this site you can let them utilise them on their websites for free without any issues or without having to purchase them.
An example of the kind of images you can find on unsplash.com
– http://www.materialpalette.com/
Material Palette is one of the most popular websites that help select colour swatches for your website design. Select two colours and it even shows a demo of how the end result would look like.
As and when you decide to stop playing around with the colour combinations you will notice on the top right corner there is a link.
– http://www.materialup.com/
The concept is similar to Pinterest but purely for design purpose only (awesome right!). The best part about this site is the designers provide some free resources for download in the freebie section. You can access it here – http://www.materialup.com/posts/c/freebies.
At the end of the day, it does not matter where you get your resources from but what you make of it. If you have such sites that you use please share them with us by leaving a comment.
Other colour inspiration websites include
– http://flatuicolors.com/
– https://color.adobe.com/
Written by – Steffi Pereira
Melbourne Web Designer at Christom.
