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Hi all, this question may have been asked before, and if so, sorry and feel free to flame me for it. But coming from a programming background and no so much web design, creativity is very much a weakness of mine. Do you know of resources/templates that could aid me here? I'm not looking to rip off templates and stuff, I would like to do it myself, but most things I try just look very ... ordinary. I recommend a sticky, if this type of question is asked a lot.

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Programmers new to visual design benefit from treating creativity like a practiced skill. Building on 's question and 's point about studying existing work, the quickest gains come from small, repeatable exercises, focused analysis, and a few reliable tools.

  • Pick one UI pattern or component to practice (hero, navigation, form, card).
  • Collect 6 real examples from Dribbble or Behance.
  • Audit each example for grid/spacing, visual hierarchy, color usage, typography, and microcopy.
  • Sketch three quick variations in 15–30 minutes, then build a simple prototype in Figma.
  • Test the prototype with one person completing a task, note friction, and iterate.
  • Repeat weekly and save annotated screenshots in a personal library with tags (component, color, pattern).

Use constraints to boost creativity: limit to two typefaces and a two-color palette with one accent. For palettes try Coolors and for fonts try Google Fonts. Study core visual principles — hierarchy, contrast, alignment, repetition, and proximity — and read practical UX guidance at the Nielsen Norman Group. Keep accessibility in mind (WCAG) when choosing color and type.

A steady pattern of short projects, focused critiques, and small prototypes trains taste far faster than hunting for “inspiration.” When reusing ideas, adapt them to the problem and check licensing for assets. Over time, a curated library of good examples plus regular practice will make original, confident interfaces feel natural.

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Member Avatar for Member #46692

Just rip off ideas from other sites. But admittedly some ppl will struggle to make their site look good. The more you practise the better you get. Those web design magasines are pretty useful for pawning of ideas that look good.

Member Avatar for sillyboy

Ah, magazines didn't even consider that. Thanks for the reply.

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