One of the best ways to generate ideas, spark creativity, etc. is to research what today's designers are doing. Flipping through graphic design magazines and award annuals is one of the best ways to do this. You can pick up great ideas, find that certain look that you're envisioning, etc. I'm not talking about copying designs, but rather pulling techniques, color schemes, type usage and so forth from great designs - and integrating them into the overall concept you have for your web design. It's what designers do. There's really nothing new under the sun when it comes to design. There are trends and fads in design, but rarely do you find stuff that hasn't been seen before. Good design is based upon basic principles that will never change.

I suggest reading at least the first two books (below), to familiarize yourself with basic design principles. Then, find out what other designers are doing today through magazines, annuals and existing websites. Go to your local major bookstore and look for the following magazines (the "Big Three" of design): Communication Arts, HOW and Print.

• "Notes on Graphic Design and Visual Communication" by Gregg Berryman
  • A college textbook for graphic design. Small, but packed with all the fundamentals.
• "Designing Web Graphics" by Lynda Weinman
  • A practical look at web design methods/techniques/tools. Good design is the emphasis. Covers a lot of stuff you may never use, but it's well worth the purchase. Ignore any negative reviews you read on the web, as this is a great resource for those getting into web design.
• "Type and Image : The Language of Graphic Design" by Philip Meggs
  • Another good beginner's book covering basic theories, which includes examples and illustrations, written by an excellent teacher and graphic designer.
• "The Elements of Graphic Design: Space, Unity, Page Architecture, and Type" by Alex White
  • Among other things, includes a good look at using "white space" - which is essential for pleasing internet design - as you can cram as much as you want to on a web page.
• "Communication Arts" (magazine)
  • Their design annuals are packed with award-winning designs, and I mean packed. They are very pricey, but very inspiring ... and very full of great designs (hundreds). Sit down with the design annual for a few minutes, and your creative juices WILL start flowing. You will find ideas. It's the best of the best showing off their work. CA's online "Site of the Week" (and archives) is also inspiring, and a great way to pick up design ideas FOR FREE. URLs located below...
• "Print" (magazine)
  • Another great design magazine with a killer design annual. Don't bother subscribing to these magazines unless you deal with design regularly. Just buy the annual. Pricey, but you'll keep it around for years probably.

Graphic Design:

• Communication Arts Magazine - www.commarts.com/CA/
• Communication Arts Magazine Site of the Week - www.designinteract.com/sow/
• Print Magazine - www.howdesign.com
• Photoshop User Magazine - If you join, you get this great magazine. www.photoshopuser.com/