The Anti-Pinterest List
I admittedly have come up on Pinterest. I have developed my tastes, my preferences, and my style on it. But I do know a designer’s responsibility is to grow and adapt and to do that, your world has to expand and your inspirations should too. While Pinterest has an ever-evolving flow of images, and the algorithm provides alternatives to the content you enjoy, it can really be a feedback loop.
So I’ve been making the conscious effort, (some may say making the time) to find alternative resources to draw upon.
And why not share them for anyone else willing to seek out more information.
*This is a living list! Check in for additional resources
An archive of photos that anyone can upload. They’re often unedited and from anything. I’ve found it a great resource for vintage references, print references, and packaging.
This reference is a living record of movie title imagery. Very cool to reference if you’re wanting typography inspiration or are inclined to design in the entertainment industry.
A directory of brand, motion and digital product studios doing (really) cool stuff. Great for inspiration, great for community, great for growing.
Aptly named, this site is a resource for fonts that are coming into themselves. They are in progress (just like me) . The fonts are experimental, high-quality fonts in progress. They feature emerging type designers, and well-established foundries worldwide. These fonts are for purchase at a fraction of their final price and have free updates as the fonts grow (reverse thrifting). “It’s an opportunity to support independent designers and new fonts, while investing in innovative type styles that reflect forward-thinking visual culture and technology.” And that’s pretty cool.
If you’re a type designer, I have the site for you. This resource helps you check the quality of your fonts. Ultimately, it is to be able to submit your fonts on GoogleFonts. Contributors include foundries around the world including Adobe Fonts, Dalton Maag, Type Network, and Google Fonts.
For all logo designers - check your logo against similar logos that already exist.
While not a fully formed resource, this is a blog post outlining great ways to begin a packaging product, to act as a quick reminder. With technical details and important print-related considerations, it’s good to start a packaging project off strong.
A great resource of inspiration for any designers in the hospitality / restaurant space. I loved coming here to see menu designs, packaging, restaurant rebrands and more.
Your classic resource for news and information for the past 60+ years. They cover news, people, project, trends, technology, products, and services in the Graphic Design, Package Design, Web Design, Inhouse Design, and Health+Wellness Design spaces.
An important resource for archival and official content. From photos, print, drawings to books and printed material, there’s almost an overwhelming amount of resources to grab from. I recommend going there with something in mind.
Portugal’s Digital Musuem - Canned Labels
Kind of different, but it’s really fun. This is one section of Portugal’s resources, similar to the Library of Congress. This page however, has all the tinned fish labels ( that I think were created in Portugal?). It’s a neat activity if you’re into that sort of thing.
Deck Gallery is a fantastic resource if you’re a small business owner or designer looking to create a portfolio. If you are in this period of creating a deck, you quickly realize how important its design is. Look no further in this case. Deck Gallery is a collecetion of brand guidelines, pitch decks, etc. to draw inspiration from. And if you have a deck you’d like to submit, you have the chance to do so too.
A highly curated image search engine that shows you thousands of copyright-free images from The MET, New York Public Library and others.
