If I had a seed for every time a client thanked me for sharing these wonderful resources with them, I would have one seriously beautiful garden. Whilst investing in considered branding is worth its weight in gold (which is a whole other blog post), I completely understand that there are times when you have to buckle down and create for yourself. So, for those moments, I thought I would share some seriously inspiring tools we use on the daily in our studio. Fair warning though, once you start it will be hard to stop (or is that just the design nerd in me talking?).

01 | VISUAL JOURNAL

Discover the best in branding, editorial and graphic design from around the world. This site is the holy grail for getting inspired by some seriously considered design and consistently executed branding. Its simple scrolling design has entrapped us for more time than we would like to admit but has definitely been the catalyst for many ideas over the years.

02 | SITEINSPIRE

The name says it all, search for stunning website inspiration by type, subject or style. If you are seeking to create a unique and memorable website this is the place to go to encourage you to think outside the box. We have seen many a wonderfully wacky design but they have been unforgettable and that is what you want in your website - to make an impression.

03 | PINTEREST

Get lost for hours discovering an abundance of inspiration and ideas. Many of you likely know about this loveable platform already but we would be amiss not to include it in this list. A daily go-to for us, it has been perfectly designed to ensure you discover inspiration for pretty much anything and everything. It also makes for a wonderful marketing tool for many businesses.

04 | COOLORS

Generate and browse beautiful colour combinations for your design or brand. In all honesty, we don’t personally use this tool ourselves but know that it is incredibly handy for anyone seeking to DIY their brand. Here, we use colour psychology, market research, intuition and empathy combined to bring our considered colour palettes to life.

05 | UNSPLASH

Beautiful, free images and photos that you can download and use for any project. This image sourcing tool is particularly great if you are seeking beautiful landscape imagery. When collating your brand visuals, be sure to ensure they are cohesive in colour, look and feel. Tip: if you stumble upon any images you love that isn’t quite right, either purchase a filter or enlist a photo editor to help tie a consistent thread through your images.

06 | PEXELS

On the hunt for some seriously pretty pairing of pixels for free, this site is a winner. Our favourite free image sourcing tools, as it has a broader mix of beautiful imagery. We have definitely found some image gold when exploring this site. Tip: feel free to get a little creative with your search terms, you never know what you might find.

07 | STOCKSY

Perfect for beautiful, unique brand imagery without having to invest in a photoshoot. Visuals are the most powerful form of storytelling. In a world where you have a matter of seconds to evoke an emotion, share a message - images and video are the most impactful way to do so. So, often we use Stocksy to create a suite of cohesive imagery for our clients when bringing their brand to life. The visuals on this site are truly stunning to the eye.


Happy exploring and creating.