Inspiration is a fickle old thing.
Sometimes you’re inspired to create and make and build and design just about anything. The ideas flow quicker than early morning coffee.
And then there are the days where you aren’t.
Where it seems like you’ll never have a good idea, and that everything you try to make just feels…wrong.
And it’s on those days you have two options:
There’s no right choice here (unless your deadline is tomorrow), but if you’re the kind of designer who likes to plough on and get work done, this article is the resource for you.
You’re about to find 70 inspiring Pinterest design boards that are guaranteed to inspire your creative genius, for free, and get you on the road to your next great design.
This Design Quixotic board brings together typefaces from all forms of design – advertising, web design and the wonderfully calligraphic – making it the perfect swipe file for when you’re really stuck for ideas.
If you’re looking for bold, clean and powerful type ideas, From Up North have created a board filled with them. From the quirky, to the psychedelic and the in-your-face, there’s endless inspiration to be found here.
Looking for some 20th-century inspiration, without having to visit your local museum? Jeremy Pruitt’s board has you covered.
If you’re looking for ideas to turn your favorite quote into a motivational work of art, go no further than Robert Mann. You might even come away more motivated than you were to start with, too.
Like your lettering edgy and impactful? Eduardo Dosua has created a board that sits somewhere between Tony Hawks Pro-Skater and Once Upon A Time In The West to give you some high-quality inspiration.
Got a penchant for the handwritten? Dinosaur Dances shows you simple, elegant ways to use it for a big impact.
This is one of my personal favorites on the list. Maria brings together typography, not just as lettering, but as imagery to convey powerful emotion and thoughts. Typography with an out of the box approach.
If you like your Typography and Photography mixed, Rin Dawson brings together an eclectic mix of hipster, digital and handwritten designs to incorporate with your hero images.
Typography logos are so hot right now (yeah, I watched Zoolander last night), and Jojoba Oil’s board brings together some of the cleanest logos from around the web.
If you’re looking for a little more of a laid back and happy feel for your designs, Itziar has a board for you. They bring together simple, emotional typefaces guaranteed to make you smile.
This is one of those boards you just want to look at, whether you’re designing or otherwise. Brandon brings together colors from around the world to give your designs depth, power and beauty.
Gabrielle’s color board goes a step further than a lot of others, by not only giving you an image for inspiration, but a pre-designed palate to go with it. It’s ideal if you just want to crack on with your design.
Heather believes that everything you do must have the ‘UH UH!’ factor for it to be worthwhile. And her choice in colors shows it. You’ll not find a single pin here that doesn’t jump off the screen and right in to your designs. All of the colors she uses are vibrant, bold and emotional.
A softer approach than the last board, Dawn focuses more on the softer, pastel color approach to web design. Perfect for those chilled out, dreamy designs.
Color theory for graphic designers, through the eyes of an illustrator. If you’re looking for a more unconventional palate, you’re in the right place.
Ruslan’s board, Color, focuses on all aspects of color. From the psychology and impact on the audience, through to what blends well, and everything in between. A great place to head if you’re not too sure what you want your design to say yet.
This board looks at color from a print perspective, showing you palates that are proven on the front covers of magazines, to 1950’s medicine bottles and art nouveau CD cases.
This isn’t your run of the mill color board. In fact, it’s not supposed to be a color board at all. But what ties together all of the pins Yatir shares is their different, almost cartoon-like, color schemes that leave a lasting impression on you.
If you want your designs to have that natural beauty look, these soft, honey-dripped color palettes from Kayla will steer you right.
Anne’s board pins together pinks, peaches and natural colors that you would usually find in the makeup aisle, and shows them as easy-to-use web design colors. Perfect for anyone in the fashion or interior design niches.
This is my favorite board on the whole list. Sean’s pins are all about levels and depth. All of the designs he shares pop off the page, and the screen, and provide lots of inspiration for any layout you want to catch attention and draw intrigue.
Daniel’s layout board focuses on modern print and advertising. These are the sort of quirky layouts you’d find making up music, festival and brand posters on walls in artsy cities. If you feel your designs need the power of space, you’ll find a lot of inspiration here.
This is one of those boards that’s great to draw inspiration from at the start of project, when you’re trying to get a feel for your next idea. To give you the freshest ideas, aDonnadesign brings a mix of everything from print to cinema tickets and bag designs.
Modern layouts for any project. Joy also pins a lot of process picture, so not only do you get a feel for the designs, but you can see where they’ve come from, too.
If you’ve decided on your Typography, but are looking for new ways to lay it out, Lindsay has a board full of simple designs from across the board – print, web, and mobile – all for you to play around with.
This is a board designed to capture your heart and your imagination. Josue’s pins are either heartstring-tugging, or making you look at layouts in a new, never-before-seen light.
Inspiration through Geography. All of the layout pins on Graeme’s board are inspired by either places, or brands that care about them. If you’re looking for a (not so) close to home feel, there are plenty of ideas to wet your creative whistle.
This is another board for the not-quite-so-sure-what-to-do designer. It boasts not only new takes on old layout ideas, but links to awesome content that can give you some more inspiration, too.
Want a simple, easy to digest idea for your next print layout? Look no further than this board by Rusty. Elegant, simplistic and with little room for error.
There’s a reason this board has 1.6 million followers. It’s because no matter what design you’re trying to create, there is a pin here that caters to it. Sports, music, advertising and the downright curious – it’s all here.
Looking for a little more of a gentlemanly feel to your designs? Brandon’s board has the perfect collection that wouldn’t look out of place anywhere from Esquire through to the Art of Manliness.
This is a board for the art of photography. Not only has Photodoto brought together some beautifully creative pictures, but she’s also got a constant stream of How To content for you to improve your own images, too.
Maia is the art director at Rue Magazine, and with good reason – she’s got a keen eye for creative photographs. If you’re in the print world, this board provides a constant stream of good ideas for your next shoot.
Jane may not actually be a Chin-Strap Penguin from Antarctica. But what she is, is one of the most-followed designers on Pinterest. And this Photography board combines the elegant and simple with the bright and obnoxious to create the perfect contrast to get your creative mind ticking over.
Jeremy shares people orientated photography, with a dark edge. Think of this board as the Pinterest equivalent of the upcoming Suicide Squad movie. If you want to create some strong emotions, this is the board you need.
The iPhone is now responsible for the world’s most popular camera. And as smartphones grow, so too do their photography abilities. This board is a testament to what you can do on your phone, and why you might not need that $500 lens after all.
Classy, elegant and timeless. This is the Audrey Hepburn of Pinterest boards. If you’re looking for a female print of fashion inspiration, you’re in the right place on Lara’s board.
Ccil has collected abstract photos of the real world. These images all throw lighting, filtering and the rule of thirds out the window to create some truly inspirational images.
This board can be summed up in one word – epic. The photograph’s Doug pins make you feel like a spec of dust on the face of the earth. If you’re trying to capture some of the true emotions in life, this is a well of great images to draw from.
Be ready for images that make you go, “Ooh!” on this board. This is the perfect collection if you’re trying to take your photographs outside of the normal realms and strive for a totally new concept.
Michal’s board has a flair for those flat, clean and responsive sites. There’s a full smorgasbord of ideas, with sites from all over the globe, to show you how effective a simple web design can be.
This board brings you inspiration for a business orientated website. Showing you examples of how big brands like IKEA and AUDI (to name a few) have put their own spins on already effective ideas.
If you prefer looking at Case Studies for inspiration, this board from Gustavo puts together some great examples from all walks of (internet) life: video games, retail, fashion and music – to give you a more comprehensive swipe file for your next web design.
Want your designs to have a sense of adventure? Look no further than this board from Awwwards. From skate brands, to skydiving, you’ll be inspired to do something after a quick look here.
Looking for a more chic source of inspiration? Kayla’s board is filled with pins of the latest fashionista and cutting edge fashion sites for you.
Web design with a more European twist to it. Stephanie likes to pin lots of Mobile and Responsive designs too, just to give you a little flavour beyond the desktop.
Thomas’s board is a great source of inspiration if you’re designing for a local business, or on a budget. Instead of just plush, top of the line designs, he also showcases some great small-site designs too.
Looking for that hipster, urban, slightly edgy vibe? Miagrphx has pooled together the cream of the crop right here.
Okay, so they make this list for the second time. But, for good reason. If you’re not sure what sort of website you’re looking to create, From Up North have a vast range of designs, sites and layouts to check out.
I Am Here’s board aims to bring the hottest new layouts to you as soon as they hit Pinterest. If you want to inspire a design that’s pushing the fold, you cannot go wrong here.
Not only does Kayla have a keen eye for Web Design, but for print too. This board, all about Flyers and Posters is perfect for any design that needs to grab attention, without losing its fun side.
Rebecca’s pins are a little out there as print designs. They fall somewhere between modern art and a coffee table book. But they are an incredible resource for learning about creative use of space in print.
Emma pins the best quality magazine covers from all genres to inspire you. If magazine inspiration is what you need, Emma delivers the best, no fluff work.
Want to create a sleek design for your wall instead of the page? Daniel has some great pieces pinned to help you find that big idea.
This is one of my favourite print boards. Chad pins designs from obscure rail tickets, to mainstream magazines, through to the downright absurd. If you need inspiration for anything you can hold in your hands, here it is.
Michael’s board brings it back to basics. Bold, simplistic print with a big focus on the power of Typography. And, there’s a few quirky abstract designs thrown in for good measure.
As a writer, book designs have always fascinated me. And this board offers a great collection of the quality of designs you would want to see for your own book.
Corporate prints with an edgy flavour. If you’re looking to revamp business cards, flyers or even just your company’s stationery, you would do well to start here.
This is one of those boards that just reeks of cool. All of Thomas’s pins showcase print designs that have been strongly influenced by the web.
Carlos’s board looks at the joy of print on a smaller scale. Clothing tags, business cards, leaflets and even lanyards make an appearance here. Great small designs that need a huge impact.
This is one of the most fun boards you’ll ever see on Pinterest. Daniel doesn’t have any Infographics, but you can guarantee he’s found a pin of your favourite character or item in icon form. Great for those light-hearted projects.
Okay, so this is technically a logo board. But all of the logos are icon based, and they’re a real showcase of what you can achieve in just a few pixels.
Not to sound too boastful, but we’ve got a great collection of Infographic pins over on our own Pinterest board. The only downfall is you could spend hours here without realizing (you’ve been warned).
This board is what you’d call a win/win. Not only is it filled with quirky, artsy Infographics, but it’s also a great source of interesting information for creatives too. A great place to come when you’re feeling really uninspired.
Rusty’s made the list again, and with good reason. This icon board is top of the range. They’ve all got a little more of a bohemian, hipster feel that wouldn’t look out of place on a clay coffee cup. But they could be just what inspires your next great icon.
This board has some of the most simple icon ideas you’ll find across Pinterest. But that doesn’t make them any less effective. Day-to-day style icons that anyone can resonate with.
Another icon and logo hybrid. The cool thing about this board is that a lot of the icons make use of negative space, which makes your designs that little bit more interesting.
This is the most diverse Infographic board on the list. These aren’t just your run-of-the-mill social media graphics either; Miagraphx has put together everything from sports to interior designs, through to how to create a town map. Great inspiration if you’re really not sure how your topic should look as a graphic.
Tin’s board shows the real-life side of using icons. From how designers are using them, to what makes an ironic icon. Great board, great fun.
Last, but by no means least, is this board from Asami Kato. There’s over 120 Infographics for you to sink your teeth in to here, from all types of niches, for that last little bit of inspiration.
Phew…you made it to the end, well done.
Hopefully in there you’ve found some new sources of inspiration that are going to carry you through any (and all) the projects you’ve got coming up.
So, question for you:
Which of the design boards is your favourite?
Let me know in the comments…
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