Once again it’s that season where we round up the best graphic design blogs of the year! And per usual, there are some perennial favorites, and really not much in the way of surprises.
If you are new to the graphic design community on the web, you will find this list instructive. You’ll quickly find your favorites among them, and become devoted fans for sure.
And speaking of favorites, we’d like to give a shout out to David Airey for helping us get going on blogging way back in 2009, and for being an example of what focusing on a niche looks like both theory and practice.
BONUS! Be sure to check out David’s logo-focused blog, Logo Design Love — always a treat!
And without any further delay…the list!
Design Week
Founded in 1986, Design Week offers tips, latest world-wide projects and design trends, advice on how to get started in the field of design as well as exclusive interviews with designers while giving amazing designers awards and wide recognition. In Design Week offers training courses in leadership, marketing and all aspects of design.
David Airey
The website of David Airey showcases his outstanding work of brand identity and meaningful logos. He has been an independent designer since 2005 and is a trusted authority in the area of logo design within community.
Abduzeedo
Abduzeedo was founded in 2006 by Fabio Sasso and was originally a personal blog that grew into a digital publication with a group of independent writers from around the world specializing in photography, UX, design and architecture.
Inspo Finds
Inspso Finds came about when two designers Naomi and Sarah began to swap inspiration through email. Since then they’ve decided to create a place to collect and share inspiring design with others in their industry by embracing “the idea of inspiration in all it’s forms.” Their goal is to celebrate the latest designs, new artists and provide a platform for talented designers in the field – and we’re glad they did because their collection is diverse and exceptional!
HOW Design
HOW was founded in 1940 alongside its sister brand – PRINT. This online source has been a leading authority in the industry for decades and is a classic for it’s tips and education. They offer certificate programs and “wildly popular competitions”. HOW is a popular go-to for inspiration and design dialogue, and boasts a fine collection of work profiling some of the greatest creative minds; “it is our mission to serve the business, creativity and technology needs of graphic designers.”
EYE
EYE is an online magazine published quarterly for professionals in the design industry. EYE offers well-informed write-ups about the culture of visual arts while displaying beautiful art and design.
Communication Arts
Communications Arts was founded in 1959 by Richard Coyne and Robert Blanchard. It remains a premier inspirational and educational resource for all levels of designers and photographers from beginner to advanced directors. In addition, CA provides competitions annually while featuring a showcase of high quality work.
Creative Review
Creative Review as been known in the industry since 1980 bringing artists together initially as a print publication, and now across a wide variety of platforms. CR’s focus is design inspiration, leadership and insights with “sharpest opinion, analysis and advice on life in the creative industries”.
Design Shack
Design Shack was established in 2003 and is home for designers, developers and creatives. DS publishes articles on web and graphic design trends with a focus on typography, UX, trends, business. In addition, they offer a beautiful showcase of design and a variety of resources.
fastcompany.com
Fast Company/CO.DESIGN was founded in 1995 by Alan Webber and Bill Taylor. Their belief was that “a global revolution was changing business, and business was changing the world.” Fast Company’s perspective? Discard old business rules and highlight new practices, while celebrating the creative, progressive individuals on the cutting-edge. The various articles focus on media branding, technology and leadership in a changing world. A fascinating blog to keep an eye on to keep an update on world design/business trends.
It’s Nice That
It’s Nice That was founded in 2007 and is enthusiastic to engage and inspire artists and designers at all levels and walks of life – “we want to open this world to the widest possible audience.” It’s Nice That has grown offering daily updates on their website with an audience of over a million a month. In addition, they offer a bi-annual print magazine, a summer symposium and a talks series entitled “Nicer Tuesdays.”
Smashing Magazine
Smashing Magazine is an independent online magazine since 2006. They’re concern isn’t all about design trends, however: “We don’t care about trends; we care about things that work or fail in actual projects.” SM offers practical, reliable articles to Web developers and designers. A few of the many topics they cover are Design, E-Commerce, Graphics, Responsive Web Design, WordPress, Inspiration and the list goes on.
The Dieline
Established in 2007 by Andrew Gibbs, The Dieline “is the world’s most visited packaging design website and it highlights the importance and value of packaging design for brands in today’s world.” They are a reputable and trusted resource in the design industry and popular among agencies, students, brand owners and in-house creatives. The Dieline has created a platform which encourages their community to examine the work of others while holding their work and themselves to high standards. The Dieline runs annual conferences with HOW Design Live celebrating the best consumer package designs world-wide.
The Inspiration Grid
The Inspiration Grid is a well-known and popular blog among artists and designers. DG was first launched in 2011 as an online magazine praising a variety of international creative talent. They offer a daily dose of illustration, typography, architecture, design and much more.
Shillington Education Blog
Shillington Design Blog is unique in that it is curated by the students and lecturers within their design community. The goal at Shillington is to create a learning environment so their students are taught the most relevant and practical design skills ensuring the best possible employment in the industry. Their design blog shares resources, stories as well as opportunities. Shillington Design Blog will be especially helpful to up-and-coming designers.
For Print Only
For Print Only is a division of Under Consideration, LLC which was established in 2009; it is a design blog geared toward the specific details of print design development and process. UC’s blog covers a variety of print, such as books, business cards, collateral, packaging, “and anything else where ink meets substrate.” Included on their blog are works from many of their readers who submit samples along with an overview and project detail.
BP & O
BP&O -“Branding, Packaging and Opinion” was founded by Richard Baird, a British freelance designer and writer whose specialty is package design and brand identity. He has written for publications such as Computer Arts magazine, The Dieline, and Design Week just to name a few. Richard’s clean and elegant blog includes a “continually updated gallery of graphic identity design work, reviewed and published on BP&O, that features a distinctive temporal component.” Designers of all levels will enjoy his collection.
Baubauhaus.com
Baubaubous was founded by Stefan Lucut and Andrei Don out of Romania. Their goal “is to visually inspire and entertain by promoting great content” Their popular blog has all the latest in photography, fashion, illustration and design. They’ve gathered an eclectic collection that will be sure to inspire designers both new and established.
Lovely Package
Lovely Package has a pretty basic website layout, but there’s an amazing collection of package design – no doubt, you’ll find lots of design ideas here. The Gallery at Lovely Package includes package design for every subject: alcohol, athletics, beverages, books, fashion, food, vintage, and the list goes on!
This Paper
This Paper is an online and print publication out of Warsaw which includes a variety of eclectic design works, with a focus on the natural. They have an all-around elegant blog whether you’re interested in photography, fashion, package design – whether you’re a student, pro or otherwise. This Paper collects stories from artists and designers that “inspire us with their creativity and skill…” and ”share a commitment to process and have a strong, personal voice.”
