Signature March/April 2015 - 11

shortruns
TOP BLOGS FOR DESIGNERS
How to get out of a creative rut through inspirational design.
BY SARAH BERGER

Even though the majority of my responsibilities as a production manager revolve
around the project management side of things, my background (and true passion) is
in graphic design. I know firsthand how difficult it can be to come up with original
ideas for design projects, especially when you've been working for the same company
for a while.
As I'm sure many of you can relate, I have tried all of the traditional ways to get out
of a creative rut - changing scenery, keeping a sketchbook, and visiting art galleries
and museums. However, sometimes the simple act of browsing through design blogs
can provide just the right amount of inspiration to get my creative juices flowing. I
highly recommend my three favorite design blogs: Oh So Beautiful Paper, The Design
Observer, and Toxel.

OH SO BEAUTIFUL PAPER
ohsobeautifulpaper.com

THE DESIGN OBSERVER
designobserver.com

This is a lifestyle and design blog
that features the work of amazing
artists and designers.
Hand-lettered wedding invitations are an obsession of mine, so
I love that this blog regularly features incredible custom invitations
that are modern yet sophisticated.
The wedding posts typically include
quotes from the designer, who explains why he or she chose the particular colors, papers, fonts, etc.
Fabulously talented photographers, calligraphers, and independent artists are regularly highlighted. Fun cocktail recipes and DIY
projects add a playful feel to the
blog, making it a go-to resource
for all things design.

This is one of the most in-depth
graphic design blogs that I've come
across. The 50-plus topics make
it easy to find something you're
interested in, whether it's traditional subjects like advertising and
product design, or topics that are
a bit out there like design history
and interaction design. Within each
topic, there are pages and pages of
articles that discuss the subjects,
written by the blog's very talented
contributors. Since the posts can
be rather lengthy, this is not a blog
meant for casual scrolling. The articles are insightful and thought-provoking. There's also a job board for
open creative opportunities across
the country.

TOXEL
www.toxel.com
Don't be fooled by Toxel's minimalistic layout. This blog showcases superb creative products and
designs from all over the world.
You can either scroll through the
most recent posts, or you can click
on one of three categories: design,
inspiration, and tech.
While The Design Observer
publishes in-depth articles, Toxel
posts images with few words. I like
this approach, which lets me come
up with my own thoughts about the
images. Innovative product design
is regularly featured on this blog,
which always gets me thinking
about my next Shark Tank pitch.
It's very easy to lose track of time,
clicking on post after post. I find
myself constantly sharing links to
this blog to even my non-graphicdesigner friends.

If you're looking for graphic design inspiration, I hope you browse through the
blogs mentioned here. You never know
where you'll stumble across an unexpected source of inspiration. Please email
me if you know of any other blogs that I
should check out. n
Sarah Berger (sberger@asla.org) is the
production manager for Landscape Architecture
Magazine, the magazine of the American Society
of Landscape Architects. She is also a member of
the Association Media & Publishing Content
Creation Committee.
MARCH/APRIL 2016

signature

http://www.toxel.com http://www.ohsobeautifulpaper.com http://www.designobserver.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signature March/April 2015