May 23, 2019 Designspiration: Members Share Their Design Muses

There are a few talented designers we might really be attracted to; their pieces intrigue us and  inspire our own work over the years. As the design world is not fixed, there are times we need to break away from our own small comfort zone of style to adjust to the client’s requirements. Since being a designer is an endless learning journey, we keep reinventing, and actively searching for new sources of inspiration. The good thing is that now with the power of the internet it’s really easy to discover a new muse to inspire us and fuel our passion, or learn a new method for upcoming projects.

We asked designers to share a design talent they admire and who might have inspired them with their design learning curve at Topcoder, because we all have to start somewhere. For this first series iamtong and khanlinh share their designspiration. I also share my favorite designers that I highly admire and may be worth it for you to bookmark.

Designspiration by Iamtong

This two-time TCO champion from Thailand said he doesn’t have specific talent from the world wide web he follows, however, he keeps an eye on his peers from Topcoder Design whose work he’s admired over the years. Seeing the list he shared I am not surprised these designers entered the realm of the really talented competitors at Topcoder, and their work deserves a place in the hall of fame.

Yoki Tyas (yoki)

People who meet him in person would agree by far that yoki is one of the most relaxed design competitors with whom you can spend hours talking with on any random topic.  Iamtong pointed out his work is clean, really well thought out, and he worked very hard to reach the point where he is right now.

Gerald Balleta (gh3ablo)

One word that comes to mind every time I hear his handle is “FAST”. Ghe is famous for his really speedy execution. If it’s a sprint design contest most of the studio competitors would need to maximize their flow if they want to match him :D. But fast doesn’t mean he doesn’t deliver well-rounded work; he always thinks outside the box and his approach is very unique when it comes to design.

Nico Fertandy (nicokontes)

Clean, neat, visually appealing – this would be what comes to mind when you see his work. Iamtong mentioned his source files are incredibly organized, which is something often neglected by designers, and surely is a nightmare for developers. He will group labels, layer names, styles, etc. Maybe if developers could vote they would ask us to “be like nico” 🙂

Designspiration by Khanlinh

Our other designer, Khanlinh, from Vietnam, seems more keen towards sketching and illustration. He shared two sources of inspiration which could be a holy grail for designers who want to sharpen their illustration skills.

Dagubi

A group of talented sketchers and illustrators, they provide very detailed tutorials for creating typeface, ornamental sketches, intricate patterns, you name it. This could be your inspiration and learning source if you want to focus on this category. These videos are highly detailed in process, I have watched a few of Dagubi’s live designs and have to admit I learned a few tricks that I have never known before.

Jason Screst

This is another illustrator-artist with a modern approach to cartooning and logos. It is easy to understand why Khanlinh admires this guy; he doesn’t mind sharing his process and knowledge for others to learn from. His teaching method is simple and although not as detailed as other illustrators, Jason can be good for quick learning. His showcase is very fresh, and a good source if you want to enhance your skills and jump into any logo contest in studio later.

Now, I am sharing my take on a few of the talented designers whose work I am heavily influenced by.

Bureau Oberhaeuser

I am very sure you have seen their work, these team-based designers from Germany are one of the highly praised in the design community. Their work is literally a masterpiece, it feels like a symphony of color, symbols, and text all carefully blended onto a canvas. When it comes to dashboards, charts, and infographics, this is the first place I jump to study, and to see their approach.

Steve Frashchini

Another designer I always look up to is Steve, a France-based designer who is currently the creative director of the company “dreem”. He is a jack-of-all-trades kind of designer, you can see he is not only able to produce clean, sophisticated UX, but he is also talented with futuristic concepts and interaction design or illustration. Usually designers have strength in a certain style, but this designer can switch easily when he needs to create a clean design or go crazy with the palette and super cool animation. Check out his work!

Now we would like to hear from you which designers inspire your or are a source for you to learn and grow your wings!