Hit a roadblock? Need some inspiration? Check out some of these inspiring design sites we've compiled — in no particular order — to get your creative juices flowing again.
Macromedia Flash Inspiration Direct from Macromedia, a thorough collection of clever uses of Flash, including a number of full-fledged e-commerce applications.
Design Is Kinky A very swell and, dare I say, kinky online magazine with links posted daily to graphic design in various media.
K10K.net If small type is a sign of cool design, K10K has coolness in spades. The site contains a new issue every week, contributed by a designer or design team. But the best stuff is in the news ticker — constantly updated with the freshest design links from all over the world.
Three.Oh A graphic design portal focusing on a textual as well as visual exploration of issues within the mandate of graphic design. Includes an often-updated list of links similar to the ones at Design is Kinky and K10K.
FutureFarmers Colorful and capitvating interactive fun from Amy Franceschini and her design firm. Be sure to check out "They Rule" — a captivating look at the executive ties between America's most powerful corporations.
Communication Arts: Design Pioneers A series of brief biographies and portfolios of such design masters as Armando Testa, Lester Beall, Bradbury Thompson, Paul Rand, and Marget Larsen.
David Carson Official online site of the designer famous for his work wtih Raygun and Beach Culture magazines.
Dmitry's Design Lab Okay, it's not really inspiration so much as, well, useful and educational. Dmitry has written a series of articles and lessons covering such design essentials as color, fonts, shape, texture, dynamism, the principles of using artwork, photography.
Photoshop Tennis One player creates a layer in a photoshop document and emails it to the other. Each player progressively adds a layer until the match is over, either by reaching ten volleys, a player's withdrawal or mutual consent. Similar to Wimbledon, but instead of screaming at linesmen, players take out their frustrations with the rubber stamp tool.
HOW Magazine's Top Links Already done going through our links? Need more? Don't worry, HOW Magazine has a whole mess of inspirational links for you. Go ahead, we'll wait for you here.
Can't find a particular font? Need some royalty-free images? We've compiled this list of useful design sites for budding graphic designers. (Don't forget to check our inspiration page, too.)
Associations
American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) The principal organization for design professionals in the U.S.A. Their site includes specific areas aimed at students, members, educators, and clients.
Graphic Artists Guild The Graphic Artists Guild is a national union of illustrators, designers, web creators, production artists, surface designers commited to raising standards for the entire industry.
Magazines
Communication Arts Network A great creative resource for graphic design, advertising, photography, multimedia development, illustration, and art direction. Their Design Interact is a good bookmark for any web or multimedia designer.
CreativePro.com An awesome collection of resources and reviews for creative professionals on everything from software, hardware, dynamic media, printing, and much more.
HOW Design "HOW Magazine's online companion, is the comprehensive business center for graphic designers. Surf our pages for can't-miss tips on creativity, business and technology from both design peers and industry experts." Couldn't have said it better myself.
Metropolis Magazine Not focused solely on graphic design, but still captivating. Metropolis examines contemporary life through design — architecture, interior design, product design, graphic design, crafts, planning, and preservation.
Web Page Design for Designers Obviously geared towards web design, but features are usually written with more of an emphasis on graphic design principles than technology. The section on typography is a must-read for any web designer.
Adobe Type Library If you can't find the font you're looking for here, maybe it doesn't exist.
ITC Fonts Then again, it might just be here at ITC.
Chank Fonts Had enough of Adobe Garamond? Want some hip, edgy, quirky fonts? Look to Chank Diesel and his mighty font army. They will appease your hunger.
Identifont Seen a font but can't figure out what it is? Identifont will ask you a series of questions and then tell you what font you've been looking for. Perfect for those of us who can't look at a brochure and automatically say "Oh, of course that's Frutiger Light. Duh."
Stock Images
Getty Images The mother of all stock photo sites; here you can search across the catalogs of Artville, Eyewire, Imagebank, Photodisc, Tony Stone, and more.
Corbis Some of the best digital images on the net are here -- both licensed and royalty-free, running the gamut from fine art to nature to sports photography.
Veer.com Slick site, even slicker images. Veer has a growing selection of unique, high-quality images, fonts, and video footage.
iStockPhoto.com A quickly growing collection of royalty-free files (images, audio, even Flash) contributed entirely by its members. Quality can be hit-or-miss, but when it hits, it's usually one-of-a-kind.
Ambient Creations Stock Images An online image provider of downloadable, royalty-free, digital stock photography in high and low resolutions for use in print and on the web. A searchable image bank allows on-line purchase of single images, at reasonable prices.
Online Accredited Degrees Let the Degree Wizard help you in your quest to finding your perfect accredited online degree. With dozens of career opportunities, the experts at DegreeWizard.com have compiled the best online and offline institutions fit for enhancing your skill or trade.
Computer and Web Design Schools and Colleges Directory of schools and colleges offering courses and training in a variety of IT fields such as web design, networking and Microsoft MCSE and A+ certification.
Photography Schools and Colleges Find a photography school or college near you with this easy to use, state by state listing of schools offering photography degrees and courses.
Insurance Leads ABCLeads provides exclusive insurance, financial, and home improvement leads sent instantly upon generation. Leads are generated on top ranked websites from prospects in your area.
Annuity Top resource for unbiased professional advice about fixed, variable, and deferred annuities. This site offers an Insider's Guide, Learning Center, Discussion Board, and much more. Learn the benefits of annuities today.
Affiliate Program Join ABCLeads.com's affiliate program which pays competitive pay per lead commissions. Refer your traffic to our network of insurance, financial, and home improvement websites. Earn monthly bonuses, receive personal attention, use the best proven creatives, and receive accurate real time tracking and statistics.
Disability Insurance Top resource for unbiased professional advice about disability insurance. This site offers an Insider's Guide, Learning Center, Discussion Board, and much more.
Replacement Windows Top resource for unbiased professional advice about Replacement Windows. This site offers an Insider's Guide to Replacement Windows, a Learning Center, Discussions, and much more.
Vinyl Siding Top resource for unbiased professional advice about Vinyl Siding and other types of House Siding. This site offers an Insider's Guide to Siding, Free Instant Quotes, Learning Center, Discussions, and much more.
