Scrolling for inspo on social media

Inspiration is the fuel that powers creativity. At any given moment, we are surrounded by hundreds of potential sources of inspiration that are just waiting to be discovered. Take a minute away from this screen (just a minute though - then please come back to this post). Look around. What sources of inspiration do you see? For me, video games have without a doubt always get my creative juices flowing. However, when I’m stuck in a ‘creative rut’, firing up my GameBoy or PC is not always appropriate (especially when I’m at work). Instead, I turn to social media.

In this post, you'll be introduced to a handful of designers who genuinely inspire me to try new techniques and design styles from a different perspective. You may be familiar with some of these designers and others you may never have heard of, but the common thread that connects them is that their social media accounts are treasure troves of amazing design content. They are full of tutorials, artwork, different perspectives, and flat whites (spoiler alert for one of the designers on this list).

So, get ready to like this post, leave a comment, or subscribe because we are about to dive into the world of designers on social media.

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Vijay Verma

Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

Vijay is to Figma, what Lionel Messi is to Football…a pure artist. The first post of Vijay’s I saw was his recreation of Disney’s Lightyear movie poster. If you haven’t seen this masterpiece, click on the link above! Featuring over 2,200 vector lines, gradients, layer blurs, masks, and shadows, Vijay demonstrates the ultimate power of Figma. I nearly dropped my phone when his designs first appeared in my news feed. I was genuinely blown away that someone was able to create this in Figma and not Adobe or Blender.

For me, what makes his content so great is the behind-the-scenes tips and tricks he shares. Vijay takes the time to break down the process he followed and shares mini-guides on how to implement some of the more advanced techniques featured, such as creating the fur in his Red Panda design. I’ve learnt so many cool tricks from following his accounts and regularly checking his profile to make sure I haven't missed anything.

Oh, and if you’re into 3D design and Blender, Vijay’s content also has you sorted.

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Courtney Askew

Twitter | Instagram

Courtney is a designer I only stumbled across recently. But, boy-oh-boy, am I glad I did! After a quick scroll of Courtney’s content, you’ll soon realise that she is an incredible illustrator. What makes her work so impressive is that her wonderful creations are made in Figma. Similar to Vijay, you’ll be instantly inspired by what she can achieve with the pen tool, some highlighting, and, what I can only assume, is an endless amount of patience.

After watching a recent live stream, where Courtney walked through her illustration process, I’ve never been more motivated to improve my skills with the pen tool. I’m declaring right now that this is a goal of mine in 2023. Your job as the reader is to keep me accountable (you can follow my progress on LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter). As the design landscape continues to evolve, understanding how to master different styles can only be a good thing. So why not dive into the Illustration space with Courtney?

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PG Gonni

Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

PG is a super-talented product designer who has all the tricks of the trade. He’s a coder and makes his Figma plugins. He is a Notion superuser and is regularly talking about cool new features. Last but not least, he makes awesome instructional content that genuinely teaches you how to apply interesting design techniques.

PG was one of the first design accounts that I came across and one that I’m constantly interacting with. Regardless of whether it's one of his reels or longer YouTube videos, I always feel inspired and full of different ideas about how to put what I’ve learnt into practice after consuming his content. A personal favourite video of mine is his guide to creating parallax effects in Figma. Watch that here. Aside from design, PG’s accounts feature picturesque views from coffee shops around Canada, awesome skateboard photography and just general awesomeness.

So go on, give PG a follow.

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UI Adrian

Instagram

If you’re after a few quick wins or timely reminders on some of the fundamental basics, UI Adrian is a great person to follow on Instagram. Like many of the other designers featured in this post, Adrian does a fantastic job of breaking down complicated techniques into simple processes to help you take your designs to the next level. Although he follows a very simple style, you’re never left uninformed, with a good mix of videos and static content covering all the necessary details.

I love Adrian’s colour inspiration posts where he throws together different colour palettes based on a theme (such as ‘Elegant Colours’). I almost always find a new combination that gets my heart racing. Adrian’s content stands out in my feed and I’m often drawn to swiping through his carousels. More often than not, I smash the save button on his content for later.

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Fons Mans

Twitter

The king of ‘Visual Experiments’ on Twitter, Fons is a Dutch designer whose work has been featured by Adobe, Figma and Webflow. If you love bright colours, noisy gradients, and radical poster art, this is an account for you.

I originally discovered Fons in early 2022 when he started his ‘Design Tips’ series. Each day, Fons would post a useful tip about developing as a designer, covering things like seeking feedback, colour usage, collaboration and canvas management. As a new designer, these tips immediately resonated with me and were things I could put straight into action (such as Tip #65 - Less is More).

Come to Fons Mans for the gradients, and stay for the tips. One of my favourite things about Fons is his willingness to share. He constantly posts his design files in Figma’s Community so others can see under the surface. As someone who is looking to improve their Figma skillset, I find his design files a fantastic foundational platform to learn new techniques from.

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Zander Whitehurst

Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

Last but not least, is Memorisely’s Founder and CEO, Zander Whitehurst.

Zander’s trademark tutorials are fantastic for anyone looking to improve their Figma skills ‘Supafast’. Whether it’s understanding how to create awesome interactions, designing 3D components or learning how to use one of Figma’s constantly evolving features, Zander has you covered. The best bit is….it only costs you 30 seconds of your time. So, next time you’re making a coffee, whack on a Supafast tutorial while the kettle boils.

Not only do I learn something every time I watch his reels, but I also have so many ‘lightbulb moments’. These moments of realisation and inspiration have helped me to better understand how to tackle different design challenges and have made me a significantly more efficient designer. Zander also has his finger on the pulse in the design space and is always sharing exciting news, positive stories, and opportunities with his community. These are things we can all benefit from.

Finally, if you love dachshunds, positive vibes, and delicious flat whites, Zander’s Instagram stories are for you. Do yourself a favour and smash that follow button if you haven't already.

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Wrapping Things Up

While social media does have its downsides, there’s no denying it's an indispensable resource for finding some incredibly inspirational designers. While I've only mentioned a few designers here that inspire me, there are loads more on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn producing banging content and sharing phenomenal work.

I’m sure that with a little bit of scrolling you’ll find some content that will inspire you the next time you need to get those creative juices flowing.

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