Learning by Example

The best designers I know are always looking at what other designers are doing. Even for myself, I find that I learn the most by examining successful designs.

And I mean examining at a deep level.

While "inspiration" can take the form of blatantly copying another successful website or software application, just copying someone else's example - besides possibly being theft - rarely leads to something that is successful in the context of your own website or application. All too often, we see products that just mimic the surface appearance or behavior of some other successful product, without grasping the underlying gem that made the other product successful.

True inspiration comes not from copying a successful design, but from understanding the patterns behind a successful design. Applying that understanding to entirely different situations is a big part of what I believe makes for a successful designer. This leads not to mimicking the surface of another successful design, but to applying what makes that design successful, which may lead to something that looks entirely different on the surface.

One source I love for examples of successful interface and visual design is konigi.com. Rather than focusing on an entire site or application, they just highlight out individual nuggets of gold. Check it out.