Birthing Your Website: Finding Your Design Inspiration

There is this moment in the journey of birthing a new website as we seek design inspiration and just the right blend of elements. It happens with every single website I help design. It feels a lot like that moment when a labouring mom is 8cm and things really get moving…

We begin with ideas, often the tiniest scraps of design inspiration. Recently these have included a favourite tapestry from her fabric chest, a love for black and scarlet red, and a single beloved photo.

When we first talk, I truly have No idea of the direction a new website will take. The start of a new site design can be overwhelming for clients struggling to pick colors, fonts, images, and write compelling content.

I, on the other hand, adore this feeling of a blank slate and stepping into the unknown together (not so different from birth!)

How do we find a design inspiration?

Creativity. Patience, Listening. Experimenting. Repeat... (again, a lot like labour!)

Usually it’s from one of these tiny scraps of inspiration that an entire website will emerge. A photo leads to a colour scheme, leads to a font, leads to a creative formatting idea… Bit by bit, these pieces come together into an effective, cohesive whole.

Feeling stuck in your design process?

Start with something small. Look around your living room and consider your style choices. Glance through your wardrobe and notice the colour themes (mine has a lot of tea, green and orange, can you tell?!) Consider your ideal client and what design elements will help her feel resonance with you as a practitioner.

You don’t have top pick out everything at once! You’ll be surprised by how quickly a website design can unfold once you find your inspiration.