The emergence of niche-based social networks creates exciting new meeting points for people of similar interests and professionals. Designers are lucky enough to have a variety of social networks tailor-made especially for them. Whether you create websites or work in interior design, you probably understand the importance of social media marketing. The web is full of opportunities for designers to connect, converse and increase the overall creativity-share. Check out the following list of awesome social talent hubs, where designers can explore, get inspired and share their feedback.
Once coined the “Twitter of designers”, Dribbble is like show and tell for designers, developers and other creatives. Dribbble is a phenomenal hub of activity and inspiration. It hosts a growing group of talented and creative minds. Members on Dribbble share sneak peeks of their work in the form of “shots”- small screenshots of the designs they are currently working on. Other members then comment and give feedback on the work presented. You can sign up either as a prospect – a designer who would like to be invited to share work, or as a scout – if you are seeking designers for a project.
Threadless
Threadless is a social eCommerce network for artists. The designs posted on Threadless are created by a community of skilled designers. Each week, different shirt or product designs are submitted online and put to a vote. The site staff reviews the top-scoring designs and selects the winners, which are then printed on clothing and other related products. The items are later sold through an online store and at the retail store in Chicago. Printed artwork at Threadless ranges from beautiful and elegant to humorous and whimsical. Amazing creativity and talent are never short.
DeviantArt is an online community showcasing various forms of user-made artwork. The site is an amazing platform for any artist to exhibit and discuss works. DeviantArt displays original artwork by many different talents of diverse fields and styles, ranging from traditional media – such as painting and sculpture – to digital art, pixel art, films and anime. As the name DeviantArt suggests, the gorgeous works presented there are often a bit out of the ordinary, with many paintings and illustrations that touch upon the fantastic or somewhat “dark” style.
Fontli is an exciting fetish shared only those with a true passion for design. It is the Instagram of typography. Yes, you heard correctly, it’s a heaven full of fonts. Much like Instagram, once you open the Fontli app you see a feed containing images by the people you follow. Fontli members can upload a photo of a font they like and spot the typeface by simple photo tagging. Fontli then gives extended information on the typeface such as designer info. You can browse popular posts or visit other members to explore all their shared material. Fontli is currently available on iPhone and on Windows phone, soon to be available on Android as well.
COLOURlovers is a social network that focuses on color inspiration and color trends for both personal and professional creative projects. The talented and enthusiastic community at COLOURlovers create the colors, palettes and shapes using the tools available on the website. If you are choosing colors for a website design, COLOURlovers can come in very handy. Use the drop-down menu and choose between millions of user-created color palettes and seamless patterns that are sure to set your design in motion and inspire you with new ideas.