A job in design has the potential to be a much-needed outlet for creative freedom – but it often comes at a price. Many graphic designers work alone, and while this often makes the most practical sense, it can mean that they’re still working to the rules that they picked up on when they first developed their skills.
Of course, having that initial understanding of design at an advanced level is key for excelling in the field, but if you want to really stand out from your competitors, you need to be ahead of the game in terms of always knowing exactly what design features a business needs to bring in its target customers.
Whether you’re a beginner looking to dip your toe into design, or you’re an established artist with a passion for what you do and a drive for success, you’ll benefit from taking a look at the incredibly valuable (and usually free) information provided on graphic design blogs across the internet. These sites bring together industry news, tips and guides from around the world, with the very purpose of helping you to evolve into the best possible designer you can be.
If you have a couple of minutes of free time today, add the following top five design blogs to your bookmarks bar and make a note to take a look at them when you’re ready to start learning:
1. Wix
We’ve all heard of Wix – it’s certainly a business that knows how to successfully market itself – and for good reason, too. Over the years, Wix has made a name for itself as one of the most renowned website designing tools on the internet, assisting first-time designers right up to the experts on creating visually stunning websites for themselves or their clients.
Wix’s blog features far more than tips for building a Wix website, and is on hand to help anyone, customers or not, on pretty much anything design or website related. From personal branding to updating your website, there’s plenty to keep you reading and learning. There’s even a Small Business Tips section if you’re just starting out and looking to successfully expand in these next few years.
2. Inkbot Design
Inkbot specialises in branding strategy and visual identity, and the Belfast-based team behind the name are experts when it comes to professional logo design, brand positioning, graphic design and much more. There’s nothing these guys don’t know about marketing or design, so if you’re looking to prove your own worth and offer up your design skills to as many businesses as possible, you’ve come to the right place.
The Inkbot blog covers everything you need to do to help businesses stand out with creative branding and graphic design, with a focus on logos, branding, marketing, freelancer tips, print and web design inspiration. If you’re a fan of regular reading, you’ll love that Inkbot publishes two posts a day – and this is definitely not a case of quantity over quality. Expect to read up on all the news and inspiration you could ever wish for. If you think you’ve got something to say yourself, there’s also the option to submit a guest post – just make sure you follow the guidelines if you do.
3. Adobe Create
Many creatives wouldn’t live without the tools and resources on offer from Adobe, so it’s unsurprising that the popular digital software company has its own blog, Adobe Create, dedicated to design professionals. With regular posts aiming to provide “the fuel you want and need”, and the option to subscribe to receive twice-monthly magazine content, there’s certainly a lot for the avid designer to sink their teeth into.
Even the design of the Adobe Create blog is a graphic designer’s dream – and proof that a visually stunning web layout is pretty much all that’s needed to encourage readers to keep scrolling… and scrolling… If you actually want to do some reading, though, there are plenty of topics of interest, including Adobe software guides, photography and editing tips, inspirational interviews and news of changes to an Adobe product. If you’re only here for the graphic design, there’s an option to filter the posts down to just that, so you can make the most out of your reading time.
As one of the biggest designer communities online, Creative Live was founded in 2009 by Chase Jarvis and Craig Swanson, who wanted to take a fresh approach to education and create workshops to inspire and support people with the tools to develop their creative skills. The company since grew to become what it is today, boasting a total of 1500+ curated classes, 650+ world-class instructors, and 10+ million students.
Creative Live’s expertise speaks for itself, but there’s more than just tips and advice to be found on the Creative Live blog. There are resources for all levels of learning, and interviews with inspirational design professionals to motivate you to be your best self. If you’re willing to invest a bit more time into your career development, you can also find live on-air classes on all number of subjects, free for you to tune into.
5. 99designs
99designs is a creative platform for businesses to find and hire talented designers – so if you didn’t know about them already, it’s worth taking the time to really check out what it is 99designs can offer you as a freelance designer. The company was established in 2009, and has since grown to become a worldwide resource for businesses and designers with needs to be met and skills to prove.
Learning about design is fun and easy on the 99designs blog. You can check out the latest posts under a number of categories, so whether you want to build a business, get inspired, grow an agency, or even learn about the very basics of design, 99design’s got you covered. If you’re after even more design tips and business trends (or if keeping up with a blog sometimes needs a bit of prompting!), you can subscribe to receive emails, so you never have to miss a thing.
