Chihuly's Inspiration - Anemone, by Tim Hamilton

Inspiration is as elusive as it is essential. It can mean the difference between a run-of-the-mill job and a work of art. Week by week in our author interviews you get to hear where other authors find inspiration. Where do you find yours?

Late last month on Web.AppStorm Matthew Guay raised the topic of inspiration. “Design is an iterative process. It takes inspiration,” he says. He then goes on to list a dozen places you can find inspiration – and inspire others.

Here is the introduction to his article, “A Dozen Ways to Get Design Inspiration and Feedback“:

We’re surrounded by beautifully designed sites and apps nowadays. Every new app, it seems, has an increasingly intricately designed icon, and bad designs almost feel startling. Unfortunately, when most of us set down to design a new icon or lay out a clean interface on our sites, we feel like we come up short. Whether you’re an advanced designer or haven’t ever opened Photoshop, sometimes we all need to learn from others and get feedback on our work.

Design is an iterative process. It takes inspiration, perhaps from others’ work, and it takes feedback from others on what you’re doing right and where you’re missing it. After all, don’t forget Picasso’s famous quote that’s been popularized by Steve Jobs: “Good artists copy. Great artists steal.” After the break, we’ve put together a list of a dozen of our favorite sites that can get you inspired to create and help you get feedback on the things you’ve created.

Are you hungry for inspiration? Make sure you check out his list. Are you looking for broader exposure? Then this article is just what you’re looking for.

Matthew’s list includes sites like Dribbble, Creattica, Zootool and Notable. Did he help you find inspiration?