Top Design Resources and Inspiration

9 minute read

As a designer, having the right resources at your fingertips can make all the difference in your creative process. Whether you're sourcing high-quality images, refining your typography, or looking for inspiration, this guide provides a curated list of essential tools and platforms that will elevate your work. From free stock photo libraries to specialized mockup services, and from font management tools to legal resources, this compilation is designed to be your go-to reference for all things design.

Image Sources

Stock Photos — Free for Commercial Use:

• Unsplash: A vast collection of high-resolution photos freely usable for commercial purposes.
• Pexels: Another excellent resource offering free stock photos and videos.
• Pixabay: Offers a large collection of free images, videos, and music.
• Stockvault: A treasure trove of free stock photos, textures, and illustrations.
• Rawpixel: A creative resource for free images and design assets.
• Openverse: A search engine for openly licensed media, including images.
• Rawpixel Public Domain: Access public domain content for unlimited commercial use.
• Vecteezy: High-quality vector graphics and stock photos, with both free and premium options.

Artwork, Paintings, & Miscellaneous — Rights Usage May Vary:

• The Met Collection: Access to a rich collection of artwork and paintings from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
• Internet Archive: A digital library offering a wide range of public domain images and texts.
• Smithsonian Institution: A vast collection of historical images and documents.
• NASA: High-quality images and videos of space and astronomy.
• New York Public Library: Digitized collections from one of the world's most renowned libraries.
• Getty: Offers a variety of images, some of which require licensing.
• Harvard Digital Collections: Access to rare books, manuscripts, and visual materials.
• Library of Congress: A rich source of historical documents and images.
• Wiki Images: A repository of public domain and freely licensed images.
• British Library: Access to millions of images from the British Library’s collections.

Textures & Overlays:

• Texture Labs: A favorite for high-quality textures.
• Texture Ninja: A wide range of free textures.
• Texture Lib: Offers a variety of free textures for different design needs.
• Free Paper Texture: Specialized in paper textures for digital design.
• Texture Fabrik: A mix of free and premium textures.
• Gradient Maps: Access to free Photoshop gradients.
• Free Assorted Textures: A resource for various textures.
• Wave Index: A combination of free and paid design assets.

Mockups:

Free Mockups

• Anthony Boyd Graphics: Known for high-quality, realistic mockups.
• LS GFX: Offers a range of free mockups.
• Mockups Design: A reliable source for free mockup templates.
• Graphberry: Provides a variety of mockup designs.
• MockupFree: A source for free, professionally designed mockups.
• Mockup World: A comprehensive collection of free mockups.
• Resource Boy: Offers a broad selection of free mockups.
• Yellow Images: Premium mockups with some free options.

Paid Mockups

• Mr Mockup: Specializes in street and signage mockups.
• Circular: High-end, premium mockups.
• Fockups: Unique, deliberately imperfect mockups.
• Showcase: High-quality, artistic mockups.
• LS Graphics: Offers UI/UX mockups.
• Creatoom: A broad selection of mockup designs.
• Hazard Mockups: Focuses on a range of creative mockups.
• The Mockups: Premium mockup collection.
• Micro Volume: Offers premium, detailed mockups.
• Wannathisone: Known for modern and creative mockups.
• Mockup Maison: Offers contemporary and stylish mockups.
• Bendito: Provides a selection of sophisticated mockups.
• Hazard: Another great source for innovative mockups.

Fonts:

Free Fonts:

• Free Faces: A gallery of free fonts curated by designers.
• Dirtyline Studio: Offers a range of free, creative fonts.
• Uncut: Known for its unique and experimental font designs.
• Font Fabric: A reliable source for free fonts with a professional look.
• FontShare: A collaborative platform for sharing free fonts.
• Velvetyne: Provides a collection of open-source fonts.
• Collletttivo: A collection of free, high-quality fonts.
• Open Foundry: Open-source fonts for modern design.
• The League of Moveable Type: A selection of open-source fonts.
• DaFont: A popular platform for free fonts.
• Google Fonts: A vast library of web fonts.
• Adobe Fonts: Offers a selection of high-quality fonts for creative projects.
• Urban Fonts: A diverse collection of free and premium fonts.
• Font Squirrel: Handpicked free fonts for commercial use.

Paid Fonts:

• MyFonts: One of the largest font libraries with both free and paid options.
• Type One Foundry: A curated selection of high-quality fonts.
• Type Department: Focuses on modern, professional font designs.
• Grilli Type: Offers a selection of premium, well-crafted fonts.
• Studio Feixen: Known for innovative and trendy fonts.
• The Designers Foundry: A popular platform for high-quality, designer fonts.
• Madebyste: Specializes in high-end, vogue-like fonts.
• KlimType Foundry: Offers a range of classic and modern fonts.

Text Effects:

• Free Text Effects: Access a range of text effects for creative projects.

Games:

• Method Of Action: A collection of design-related games to sharpen your skills.
• Type Method: A game focused on improving your kerning skills.
• Shape Method: A game to improve your shape design skills.

Tools & Resources:

Dedicated Resource Sites:

• Toools.design: A curated list of organized design resources.
• Design Resources: A Google Sheet with an extensive list of design tools.

Asset Sites:

• Creative Market: A marketplace for design assets, from fonts to templates.
• Blkmarket: Specialized in Photoshop-related resources.
• Brusheezy: Offers a variety of free Photoshop brushes and other design assets.
• Graphic Burger: A popular platform for free design resources.
• Pinspiry: Offers a variety of creative resources and inspiration.
• Indieground: A resource site for retro and indie-inspired design assets.
• Resource Boy: Provides a broad selection of design resources.
• Humaaans: Offers human illustrations for various design projects.
• Open Doodles: Provides free hand-drawn illustrations.

Color & Accessibility:

• Color Palette Contrast Builder: Helps create accessible color palettes.
• Color Contrast Checker: A tool to check the contrast between colors for accessibility.
• Coolors: A palette generator for creating harmonious color schemes.
• Colormind: Uses AI to generate unique color palettes.
• UI Gradients: A resource for generating and using gradient color schemes.
• Hue Tools: A vast collection of color names and palettes.

Free Icons:

• Simple Icons: High-definition logo icons for various brands.
• Noun Project: Offers free icons and stock photos for various uses.

Image Enhancer / Dehancer:

• NTSCqt: A tool to emulate VHS effects.
• Cupscale: An AI-based image upscaler.

Collaboration Tools:

• Standards: Host online brand guidelines.
• Milan Note: A collaborative platform for notes and ideas.
• Mark Up IO: A collaboration tool for web developers.
• Invision: A platform for UI/UX design collaboration.
• Wave: An invoicing tool with support for Apple Pay and credit cards.

Legal Resources:

• Global Brand Database: Checks for trademarks.
• Trademarkia: Helps check if your logo is trademarked.
• Signaturely: Provides a freelance contract template.
• AIGA Contract Template: A comprehensive contract template for designers.

Miscellaneous Tools:

• Good Brief: A tool for generating project briefs.
• Nu School: A calculator for determining how much to charge.
• The Futur: Offers meeting questions, templates, and other resources.
• Go Full Page: A Google extension for capturing full JPGs of websites.
• Checklist: A list of best design practices.

Design Inspiration

Personal Portfolios:

• Lauren Hom: A lettering artist with an inspiring portfolio.
• Dana Tanamachi: Specializes in public space design.
• Georgia Lupi: An information designer at Pentagram.
• Guido Galina Cumar: Known for his crazy illustrations.
• Tyler Spangler: An artist who uses bold color schemes.
• Daniel F: An art director for Apple.
• Priya: A talented illustrator.
• Huy Phan: Known for his clean, modern designs.

Design Studios:

• Pentagram: The world’s largest independent design studio.
• Design Studio: A leader in creating bold, impactful designs.
• Studio FNT: Specializes in public space design.
• Hoodzpah Design: Known for its quirky, creative approach.
• We Are In House: A dynamic design studio.
• Grow: A design studio focused on branding and digital experiences.
• How & How: A studio known for its modern design and branding.
• Studio Moross: Specializes in designs for the music industry.

Design Inspiration Sites:

• Abduzeedo: A blog for inspiration and tutorials in design.
• Savee It: A Pinterest-like platform for design inspiration.
• Cosmos: An alternative to Pinterest, focused on creative projects.
• Film AI: A tool for finding specific movie stills.
• Rebrand Gallery: Inspiration for visual identity and rebranding.
• Branding Style Guides: A collection of style guides from top brands.
• The Dieline: A leading source for packaging design inspiration.
• Design Week: A publication offering design and art articles.
• Fonts In Use: A website dedicated to showcasing fonts in various contexts.
• Packaging of the World: A site showcasing creative packaging designs.
• Typehunting: A blog dedicated to vintage typography.
• Muzli: A daily design inspiration chrome extension.
• Fuse Kiwi: A platform for creative inspiration across all mediums.
• Apple Design Awards: Recognizes outstanding design in Apple products.

Knowledge & Learning

Design History:

• People’s Graphic Design Archive: A collection of historical graphic design work.
• AIGA Design Archive: A digital collection of design history.
• Wim Crouwel: Learn about the influential Dutch designer.
• Vintage Advertising Design: Explore advertising design from the 50s.

Design Podcasts:

• The Typecast: A podcast dedicated to typography.
• My Life In Design: A podcast exploring the lives of designers.

Foundations / Groups:

• AIGA: The American Institute of Graphic Arts, a leading design organization.
• AAAF: The American Advertising Federation, a resource for advertising professionals.

Career & Opportunities

Job Search Sites:

• Creative Access: A UK-based platform for creative job opportunities.
• If You Could Jobs: A platform for creative job listings.
• The Dots: A networking platform with job listings.
• Run The Check: A job listing site for creatives.
• UAL: Offers internships and job listings.
• Malt: A platform connecting freelancers with clients.

Where to Find Clients:

• YunoJuno: A freelance platform for finding clients.

Salary Transparency:

• AIGA Salary Guide: An Excel sheet providing salary transparency for designers.
• Aquent: A platform offering a salary guide for creatives.

Final Thoughts

The design world is vast and filled with opportunities for creativity and innovation. With the right resources, tools, and inspiration, you can elevate your work and build a successful design career. Whether you're sourcing images, fine-tuning your typography, or exploring new job opportunities, this guide is here to help you navigate the landscape and find the tools you need to succeed.