This week, we asked everyone at LB to share the website they visit to learn, get motivated and be inspired. These included everything from sites that showcase innovative graphic design to those that provide top-notch news from the world of the web.
Check them out—you might just make some new bookmarks.

Behance

Creative professionals from across industries use Behance to create multi-media portfolios that showcase their work within the Network. Millions of visitors — including top creative companies, recruiters, editors, and more — come to the Network to see the incredible work and find talent to hire.

Through instant and efficient promotion of work, ready access to a global pool of top talent, and a constant stream of the best creative work from around the world — the Behance Network is revolutionizing the way creative professionals manage their careers and companies find talent.

The 99 Percent

The 99% is Behance’s research arm and think tank. Taking its name from Thomas Edison’s famous quote that “genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration,” the 99% includes a daily web magazine, an annual conference, and the best-selling book “Making Ideas Happen.” Through articles, tips, videos, and events, we share best practices that help creative professionals move beyond idea generation into idea execution.

Dribble

Dribbble is show and tell for creatives. Designers, developers and other creatives share shots—small screenshots of the designs and applications they are working on. Once uploaded, content can be found, followed and shared by viewers of the site.

Mashable

Mashable is the largest independent news source dedicated to covering digital culture, social media and technology. Mashable reports on the importance of digital innovation and how it empowers and inspires people around the world.

Mashable’s 20 million monthly unique visitors and 4 million social media followers have become one of the most engaged online news communities. Numerous studies and leading publications have declared Mashable the most influential online news outlet and a must-read site.

Gestalten TV

Gestalten specializes in developing content for aficionados of cutting-edge visual culture worldwide. The company is best known for the more than three hundred and fifty books they have published that document and forecast vital design movements.

Especially created for an international audience and to offer even more inspiration to satisfy your creative hunger, Gestalten.tv serves up Vanguards, Rogues, Legends, Performers, and Players. Since 2007, they have produced and delivered beautifully-shot, biweekly film portraits on innovators and leaders who dare to change today’s creative landscape with a bold vision.

Smashing Magazine

Founded in September 2006, Smashing Magazine delivers useful and innovative information to Web designers and developers. Their aim is to inform readers about the latest trends and techniques in Web development. They believe that the most remarkable yet overlooked aspect of the design community is its friendly, enthusiastic spirit.

A List Apart

As the site that boasts to be made “for people who create websites,” A List Apart Magazine explores the design, development, and meaning of web content, with a special focus on web standards and best practices.

Fast Co. Design

Fast Co. Design believes that a company’s most important employees aren’t its bankers or management gurus, but rather the graphic, industrial, and interface designers who design the things a company actually makes.

Thus, they cover breaking news about new products, business ventures, and wild ideas, as well as controversial ideas and publish essays from some of today’s leading designers. All of these are intended to start new conversations, and inspire new ideas.

Do you have a really good website you visit? Share it with us!

Sometimes a milestone worth remembering can come and go like the wind. Being ambitious and forward minded, it is easy for all of us to look to the future as to what is next and forget what great things we accomplished just moments ago. As we approach Lifeblue’s Quinquennial Anniversary I just wanted to share some some pivotal milestones for the LB. For many, it is impossible to know how far we have come in such a relatively short amount of time, however I doubt even for myself I ever imagined a day where I could have said in the last week we launched a 10,000+ page major university site (that description doesn’t even begin to encompass the magnitude of the endeavor), nearly revolutionized our own site, and completed a photo/video shoot for our own marketing efforts. A big week for Lifeblue is certainly an understatement.

There was a time not too long ago where it seemed the LB was just like every other small “web company” out there, now it is clearly evident that we are not. We are creating our own little place in the world, maybe just a small blip in the scheme of the entire universe but like all great things, it just takes a spark. As is the path of growth we will continue to make mistakes as an organization and as individuals, but if we continue to strive towards this common goal of something better and embrace the humility of learning from those mistakes, then we will achieve something we can’t yet describe, taste, or feel…yet we know its out there. There is something to “Saving the World from Bad Design” that we will achieve in more ways than one, ways still yet to be determined. In the end, our team, our clients, and everyone else that crosses the path of Lifeblue will be better off because of our collective efforts.

We didn’t haphazardly end up where we are today and I can only imagine what is out in the world for us to accomplish tomorrow. The milestones accomplished in the last week are just a culmination of the many endeavors achieved in the last 5 years. Our past gives us the experience to know what roads to embark upon and which roads not to. Our individual experiences become the secret sauce that allows us to help organizations navigate uncharted waters of their own, on a daily basis.

In a nutshell, we wouldn’t be where we are today via any other path.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone that has been a part of Lifeblue both past and present, client or team, vendors, and more. 5 years down, and sincere gratitude, humility and appreciation for every year to come.

Russel
“The Backboard”

Inspiration doesn’t always come easy. In the midst of our personal lives, professional pressures and our own expectations for ourselves, there come times when we all feel overwhelmed and as if that spark of creativity is short-circuiting. But all is not lost. Sometimes the best thing to do to help your work is to stop working.

Now don’t necessarily turn off your brain, but instead, find that thing that you do or that place that you go that clears your thoughts and gives you a new perspective. Everyone has their own way of doing this, but sometimes you can find what works for you in looking at what others do. This week I examined some of the different methods out there for getting inspired, including what some of our own LB team members do when their brain needs a breather.

Again, there are a vast variety of ways that people get inspired. Some involve “getting away from it all” in a quest for solitude while others focus on surrounding oneself with more people of which to feed off. It’s all about what works best for you.

LB designer Justin Miller says that for him, “it’s all about getting away from the computer and getting outdoors in the fresh air.” He achieves this by simply going outside and taking his dog for a walk around the neighborhood or jumping on his bike and cruising the streets while taking in the scenery. Getting design off of his mind leaves room for ideas to enter his head that have the potential to lead to new designs later. There can be times when the issue with your work isn’t doing too little, but rather doing too much.

Justin isn’t the only one who finds the outdoors to be stimulating. Others have similar muses like the ocean or the sunset or restart their brain by doing outdoor activities such as running or driving. Surrounding yourself in an environment that starkly contrasts with your usual workspace can put your mind in a different place that allows for new thought and inspiration. Physically taking yourself “out of the box” can lead to the kind of out-of-the-box thinking that inspirational ideas are made of.

For LB developer Chad Davis, music does the trick when his creativity needs a kick-start. “It can be live music or playing music or even just listening to music on my headphones,” says Chad. One of the great things about music is its power to transform a situation and have you look at your environment differently. Even better, if you aren’t in the position to leave your desk, music creates an escape that involves no physical movement (but feel free to dance a little). Also, it’s up to you which tunes you choose to set your desired mood.

Inundating yourself in the creative work of others can foster your own creativity and inspiration. Looking at art that already exists helps you build on what is already out there; it’s like a jumping point. Consider the fact that those artists probably ran into walls during their creative process too, but they got through it and so will you.

As for me, I like to surround myself with people and just watch. Observing others can be invigorating and reminds me that there are so many other ways of doing things. We all have the tendency to get lost in our own lives and forget that insight can be found by examining the lives of different people. People watching can happen just about anywhere that there’s… well, people. Malls, airports, parks and concerts are all great places to see strangers in their element. Inspiration often happens when you take some time to look at the world through the eyes of someone else.

These are just a few ways people find inspiration, and maybe one of these could work for you, too. Just remember that when you run into a wall, don’t give up. It’s important to make time to let inspiration develop naturally by doing what it is that frees your mind from the stresses of work and gives you time to think.

Find what takes you there and get inspired.

By Savannah Harper