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Where do you collect design inspiration for easy access, browsing, etc?

over 4 years ago from , Associate UX Director

I'd love to hear how others here are collecting, organizing, using, etc. inspiration of different types such as static images, site designs, UI features, animations, etc. (pretty much everything that you find inspiring). Further, I mean the ability to view images for whatever it is, and not simply text links or notes.

Do you use only a few places to catalog these things, or do you use different tools for different reasons?

Personally, I often feel I have too many places to save things, however... I think they also meet specific needs and I remember fairly easily where things are based on their purpose, such as:

  • Pocket: I use this as my main bookmarking tool, with dozens of tags such as "good sites," "inspiration" "typography" etc.
  • niice.co - I don't use this often but primarily use their boards for saving posters, typography, illustration, and logos.
  • InVision Boards - I have a growing board full of screenshots (with links) of specific features, organized around micro interactions, navigation, content design, and various other features. It's a little tedious to add to, but browsing it visually is a breeze.
  • DesignInspiration.net - I use this occasionally, and the content there is great, but it often feels a little redundant to niice.co.
  • Muzli browser plugin - I use this daily and bookmark / save whatever I like to that tool.

What do you use and why?

21 comments

  • Vlad Burca, over 4 years ago

    I use Google Keep, Muzli and Eagle Cool App (https://eagle.cool/)

    10 points
  • Ben Haddock, over 4 years ago

    I used to use Pinterest for collecting visual research/inspiration, but I got sick of the sluggish interface and how they kept pushing sponsored imagery.

    So I use https://savee.it now to fill the same purpose, and it's far better. Slick and easy to use, would really recommend it.

    4 points
  • Mitch Samuels, over 4 years ago

    My favorite tool for this has been raindrop.io. Nice UI, easy to organize, cross-platform. Before that I would just use the built in bookmarks feature on whatever site I was using, but I also wanted it all in one place.

    So now Raindrop is one window that's constantly open, and I throw everything in there and keep it well organized.

    But now that you have me thinking about Raindrop, I just looked at their Twitter and Android app. Twitter has been silent for months and the Android app hasn't been updated in a year, so those could be some bad signs. ugh.

    3 points
    • Pizza Yap , over 4 years ago

      Raindrop.io is my favorite too because it has all the platform that I can jump here and there without any worries. It has a web app, mac and windows app, iOS & Android and extension for Chrome/Safari/Firefox/Opera!

      I don't need to worry when I switch browsers or devices.

      1 point
  • Juan J. RamirezJuan J. Ramirez, over 4 years ago

    Shameless Self Promotion: Waveguide has a saving feature that allows you to collect all the landing pages, mobile landing pages, app screenshots, and patterns we post. When you save something, you can grab the color palette and see some of the particular details of each saved item.

    2 points
  • Bill Addison, over 4 years ago

    Google Photos is the best.

    All you need to do is setup a second "business" account on your personal account which lets you have a second completely separate Google Photos library. The interface is fast, easy use and to find stuff and you can upload as many screenshots as you like fore free, forever.

    Basically I screenshot everything I like and throw it into Google Photos. You can create albums to categorise, if you're into that, but I find it a waste of time as it's impossible to upkeep. I usually only reference the last month or two worth of saved stuff and move on anyways.

    1 point
  • Andrew ConnAndrew Conn, over 4 years ago

    I came across eagle.cool a while back and cad def say it’s the best I’ve used for this kinda thing.

    1 point
  • Nancy Beggins, 11 months ago

    Thanks for sharing these ideas! I think that inspiration is the key element in every creative process. Especially, when it comes to the content creation, I prefer to go to this resource - https://samplius.com/free-essay-examples/inspiration/ and see the samples for writing where students can find inspiration for their papers. It is always easier to create content when you see samples.

    0 points
  • Francesco BianchiFrancesco Bianchi, 1 year ago

    SubstratumSubstratum.app

    I had the same issue as you, so I created a dedicated app for it! Substratum is made specifically to collect and share design inspiration and references.

    0 points
  • Jonathan SimcoeJonathan Simcoe, over 4 years ago

    I've really loved Are.na for curating all different kinds of visual and website-related content.

    0 points
  • Philip A, over 4 years ago
    1. Browser bookmarks
    2. "Likes" on Dribbble
    3. A folder on my computer "UI Inspiration"
    0 points
  • Daniel Klopper, over 4 years ago

    Instapaper for Articles, Pixave for Visuals

    0 points
  • Adam Koniuszewski, over 4 years ago

    I have been using Pixave for Mac for a while and I am very happy with it. It allows me to collect screenshots and organise them (with tags, collections, categories, colour references ) for future reference.

    0 points
  • Rhys JonesRhys Jones, over 4 years ago

    Dropmark or Ggather. I'm still evaluating the two, as both have some minor things missing, but are ultimately the best I've come across so far.

    0 points
  • junjie shao, over 4 years ago

    I had the same issue, that my collections were saved in so many different places (bookmarks, pinterest, dribbble, behance, evernote, etc.). While each of them serves their purpose and not really that one could or should replace another, still it could be frustrating trying to find the right content in the right place. Wouldn't it be nice if everything could be combined together? I mean, you still keep the accounts for each website/service, but have a central place to display everything altogether?

    That's why I made References.Design (right, this is a promotion :), a place where you can browse all the online contents together, as well as manage and show all your local images.

    It's actually still in early stage and haven't achieved the goals I set. But I guess it's better to start collecting other peoples feedback rather than hiding it for another 3 months. So, give it a shot and see if you'd like this concept?

    0 points
  • Ken Em, over 4 years ago

    I mainly collect links to website designs I like, and those all go in Pinboard.

    0 points
  • Bertrand Bruandet, over 4 years ago

    Hey,

    I'm using hypershoot.com for websites screenshots & dropbox folder for every other static assets (illustration, gif of interactions, etc..)

    To find what are the new website to see I go to maxibestof.one, twitter & dribble mostly.

    Curious to learn what other use!

    0 points