Even though there’s something that may work for a big company, like a task to design original websites, that doesn’t mean the same thing will work for you. Instead, you should concentrate on making sure that your design fits specifically with both your goals and your target audience.
Big name websites such as Apple and Amazon are copied in some way or another virtually every single day. This really comes as no surprise since these kinds of websites have always been very successful; however, this really doesn’t mean that their design or anything involving it will attract the same amount of success for your specific project. Chances are you really won’t be able to match their amount of success since they’ve already done something similar first.
Inspire yourself
Image source: Kreativa Studio
Many different designers always rely on inspiration in order to obtain the best results for the work that they’re doing. This kind of inspiration can come from virtually anywhere at any time. However, when it comes to web designers, who are online pretty much all day long, inspiration can come from places such as design blogs, gallery sites, or other websites in general. All in all, inspiration is something that can really be a huge help whenever a designer is really struggling with any kind of a project.
Do some research regarding what works and what doesn’t in web design, taking notes about what should be done to achieve a certain purpose. However, don’t actually directly copy anything from another website and just use it on your own.
Image source: Matt Taylor
Not only can this reflect badly on your design, you could also face some potential legal issues for copying someone else’s work without first getting their permission to do so.
Even if you do create all of the different elements on your own, creating something that looks similar to what another website uses can still reflect badly on your own design skills. If you then present something to your client that looks like something they’ve seen on another website, all it will do in the end is make you appear very unprofessional and inexperienced in their eyes.
Think About the Design Style and the Purpose of Your Website
Image source: primeit.pt
If a website contains a design style that is attractive, that in no way means that the style itself will be effective; however, a certain style will also not fail even though we may not actually care about it. In the end, what works for one entity may not actually work for another, and it’s important to always keep that in mind. A design must fit will with the target audience and work with all of the purposes of the website in order for it to truly be successful.
Image source: bluestag.co.uk
When you start looking at other website as sources of inspiration for your work, think about how the design of what you’re looking at would work within your own project and whether the elements are good enough to use or if they should be replaced.
Details matter
Image source: Barry McCalvey
When you are looking at the source of your inspiration to determine what makes the design work so well, you should also pay close attention to all of the details that actually sets everything apart from one another. You may not notice too many of the smaller details at first, but these are things that can create a more polished look that can end up making the biggest impact.
Improve your design
It’s important to always figure out what works and what doesn’t so that you can truly get the most out of your sources of inspiration. One of the best ways to achieve this is to think of different ways that you can improve your design.
Not only will this help you to obtain a grasp on the design itself, but it can also be of more use to you in your own work as well. It will also help you to truly get inspired rather than wanting to copy what someone else has already done.
A good work ethic pays off
Image source: Adriano Reyes
No matter what the field of work is, great work is always 80% dedication and hard work and 20% motivation, skill, and inspiration. Whenever we see a design that looks awesome, we know that it had to have taken a great deal of collaboration, time, and research. This makes us wonder why our next projects should really be any different than this.
Great designers are always hard workers who never design on a whim. They instead always decide to tough everything out, regardless of how bored and frustrated they may get.
