Almost all designers will tell you they have some sort of mystical inspiration for what they do. Do you get inspired by other people's graphics, nature, your kids, your pets? Do you ever see a movement of lines in the pictures on TV that inspires a graphic? Do you prefer autumn colours, summer colours, cold or hot colours? Every designers ideas come from somewhere different.

For myself I take inspiration from nature and often from movement I see on television. The shape and movement of lines is amazing to me. I love to play with pixels and change them and erase them and start over. Maybe that is why I like to edit my work in Paint instead of doing it all in one fell swoop in Photoshop.

In my opinion, if someone tells you the way you see inspiration, or the way you achieve your design goals is wrong, then they are way out of line. Every design and every designer is unique.

Jimmy Buffett.

(And no, I'm not being facetious. When I'm working on a layout or an idea, Jimmy in the background or sometimes Bruce Springsteen or JT or Mark Knopfler will inspire accordingly.)

Nice source for inspiration, especially Knopfler and Springsteen!

Great!

JT and Jimmy Buffet as visual design inspiration. I think I like your style. If I ever said these to my kids they would look at me like I am from another planet. Very inspiring indeed. When I listen to Buffet I can see pictures in my head. When I listen to JT I feel colours, and I don't even need drugs to do that. I saw him in concert and he is very real. You know how sometimes you listen to someone in concert and the live music is so different, but not with JT. He did 5 encores. Show me your colours, JT.

webstreak: another Parrothead in the midst?

I had the opportunity to see JT in concert, but client work got in the way. Won't happen again.

By the way, if you want a really good live concert, check out Roger Hodgson (former lead for Supertramp.) He does a REALLY good live show (40 piece orchestra, 18 backup singers...it's an experience.)

By the way, I'm not sure how old you guys are but I'm 29, so we may be dating ourselves.

I'm little older - 45.

You mentioned Roger Hodgson from Supertramp

Really great band!!! RRRRReally!

Best regards!

I don't know, perhaps Discovery Travel and Living .

my girl used to do catwalk and was an inspiration for a legion of photographers.
As far as my own inspiration goes... none!

Back on topic...

I use nature a lot for colors and simple shapes for designs. I try to figure out if just a portion of a simple shape like a triangle or spiral can be implemented in a design without using the whole thing.

im inspired by the works of MIKE T, the guy who illustrates alot of ECKO's clothing gear

My own insane mind.

I carry a notebook around I use for drawing/sketching whenever an idea comes into my head, or something interesting comes into view.

I'll draw some variations to what I see and then add whatever.

Later when I am looking at the blank canvas I'll see whats in my notebook, something will match what I want and I'll make it, change it, redo it, untill it's perfect

Hmmm good coffee for those long hours, good music lol I like all sorts but tend to listen to alternative and rock, and a good supply of lollies ... those are the three things that will keep me at my comp for hours on end and on a sugar & caffiene hyperdrive

I get my inspiration from lots of places. Most of the time though, I get a picture in my head of what Im looking for, and I try and expand on that on canvas so to speak.

I think I was more creative when I was younger. (I think we all are really) I used to be able to come up with all kinds of cool stuff when I was little. Like I made radios and haunted houses and things out of construction paper. lol! Now days, it seems like my creativity has been stunted.
When I have a project, I try to think of things in real life that represent the idea. I also try to make a point to notice other designs every day. I dont copy things for real projects, but I like to see other designs and see what I can turn them into.

The best way is to get out and about away from your desk, comp etc and go for a walk or go do something, and always carry a notebook to scribble in because the best ideas always turn up when you least expect it, and why is it when one is drunk with mates that you come up with amazing ideas haha

I am inspired by nature, it is usually right in my own backyard......if I look hard enough

view other designers designs. Viewing others design motivate me to create better and nice designs. You might think that I have a competitive attitude, but you have to be competitive in the graphic design field.

yea its true, if anything i always strive to surpass my limits, competitive or not, i wud still want to make designs that are next lvl graphics.

I get inspired by looking at stuff in Graphis, or in books like "The best of brochure design"

It gives me something to hold myself against; i see what others have done and I use it as a challenge [kinda like a contest] to develop something creative and functional


then the client sees it, redesigns it and it looks like crap.