9 Design Blogs to Follow in 2009
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The Best New Design Blogs of 2008
The Design community really exploded in 2008 with many rich new blogs. If you’re anything like me, you probably have a tough time keeping up with everything in the design community given the number of blogs to follow.
For this reason, I’ve collected the Top 9 New Design Blogs to follow in 2009. In short, these are blogs that have made a strong impact in the design community in a short amount of time.
You can download the XML file and import these blogs to your feed reader, or read on to see what blogs you should be keeping an eye on in the new year.
1. Fuel Your Creativity
Fuel Your Creativity is the design blog founded by Adelle Charles in early 2008 that has quickly become a designer hang out of sorts. It’s not just a blog, it’s an experience that keeps getting better with fresh new updates every week.
Subscribe to Fuel Your Creativity
2. Function
Function offers outstanding design services, but also doubles as an insightful design blog. Liam McKay has really made it into a wild success with it’s resources being used by the likes of PSDTUTS.
3. UX Booth
UX Booth is a group that writes about User Experience and offers free Website Usability Reviews that all designers and developers can benefit from. If you take your design seriously, UX is something you should be paying attention to.
4. Web Design Ledger
Web Design Ledger may be a young design blog, but it packs quite the punch. It’s definitely a blog to keep on your radar in the new year — we don’t think they’ll disappoint.
Subscribe to Web Design Ledger
5. Think Design
Think Design has been sharing some great design resources since late 2008, and they don’t seem like they’ll start slowing down anytime soon. Subscribe and you’ll have new freebies, sent to you regularly.
6. Design Mag
Design Mag is a new site that is aimed at providing a wide variety of resources for web designers and developers. Run by Steven Snell of Vandelay Website Design, Design Mag is quickly becoming a go-to spot for new and creative design resources.
7. Elite By Design
Elite By Design is a design blog that publishes great articles, tutorials and resources on a regular basis. They contributed some great things to the design community in 2008, and we expect much more from them in 2009.
8. PSDTUTS
PSDTUTS isn’t a new blog by any means, but the Envato network deserves tremendous applause for everything it accomplished in the past year. An array of new tutorial sites have been launched (including NETTUTS and VECTORTUTS), new online marketplaces have taken off, and they even helped the community by organizing Blog Action Day 2008. To say the least, a certain someone over at Envato has really become a tue inspiration and role model for the rest of us (*ahem* that’s you Collis).
9. Design Cubicle
Design Cubicle was actually chosen by the design community at large. Founded only recently by Brian Hoff, it’s become a valuable asset to designers everywhere, helping people design, interact, and learn new things.
What Were Your Favorites?
Now that we’ve shared our favorite blogs of 2008, we’d like to know what your favorites were (And don’t all say Tutorial9 at once now!)
116 Comments
This site has lots of advantage. I found many interesting things from this site. It helps me many ways.
Flag as inappropriateThank you for taking time, i am truly impressed, just keep your posts like this coming.
Flag as inappropriateThanks for this! It is hornlike to strip on top of actual figure trends. All of the screenshots wait terrific. Looking frontward to datum your another posts.
Flag as inappropriateNice Article. Really enjoyed a lot.
Flag as inappropriateExcellent designs
Flag as inappropriateThank you for sharing the great and inspirational design blogs
Flag as inappropriategreat site, travel on the internet through which I ended up here, so I let love greetings there. steve
Flag as inappropriateThis is so very interesting and well put together, we love this blog! Costa Blanca Web Design
Flag as inappropriateThank you for the great blogs.
Flag as inappropriateThank you for the great resource
Flag as inappropriateThanks for this! It is hornlike to strip on top of actual figure trends. All of the screenshots wait terrific. Looking frontward to datum your another posts.
Flag as inappropriate————————————-
helengreen
Thanks for this! It is hard to stay on top of current design trends. All of the screenshots look terrific. Looking forward to reading your other posts.
Flag as inappropriateGreat post. Please include more in your next post.Waiting for your next post.
Flag as inappropriateNice collection. Thanks for sharing such great design blogs. inspiring Article.Keep it up
Flag as inappropriateThese designs are really awesome thnx a lot
Flag as inappropriateThanks for your post , Great post.33
Flag as inappropriateThanks for your post , Great post.
Flag as inappropriateGreat reading! Thanks for sharing
Flag as inappropriateamazing design blog.
Flag as inappropriatehi, excellent and amazing design blogs
Flag as inappropriateGreat collection of blog which inspire to draw something new and give to the Internet World. I love to bookmark this blog.
Excellent Job!!! Keep it Up.
Litmusonline
Flag as inappropriateI like webmag the most
Flag as inappropriateNice article, Thanks !
Flag as inappropriateReally nice gathering.. its impossible to list them all but these are some really nice sites to follow.
Flag as inappropriateIn short, we find that coercion, in money as in other matters, brings, not order, but conflict and chaos. ,
Flag as inappropriatethis is great.. thanks for sharing
Flag as inappropriateThanks. Nice list with good wordpress designs.
Flag as inappropriateyeah, excellent design blogs
Flag as inappropriateIf the 19.999 suscribers on header is real, I’m the #20.000 ^_^
Flag as inappropriateGreat article, it motivated me to be following you ;)
I wounder why you point of if the 19.999 subscribers on header is real..?
and yes Article is really great. And yes it do motivate even me..
Flag as inappropriateSome nice examples you’ve got here…
Thanks for sharing! ;)
Ovi Dogar
Flag as inappropriateAbsoluteCovers.com
yes i want a personal diary in my blogger.com
Flag as inappropriateCool post. Nice screenshots. :) Thanks!
Flag as inappropriateSite renders fine in Safari + Vista. Thx for the heads up. Gonna be even more RSS busy after this! Congrats on 365 of the best. Keep up the good work.
Flag as inappropriatei like all the tips from this blog. This is great post.
Flag as inappropriatei added all of them to my watch list thx for great tips
Flag as inappropriateYour site does not correctly work in safari browser
Flag as inappropriateSmashing Magazine (www.smashingmagazine.com) its one of my favorites.
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Flag as inappropriateSome real gems in there! Even a couple I didn’t know about, thanks David.
Flag as inappropriatewhere is Abduzeedo?:(
Flag as inappropriateMentioned earlier that while Abduzeedo is one of my personal favorites, it’s not a new blog. Fabio and the others that write over there deliver wonderful content on a day to day basis :)
Flag as inappropriateNice post david, i think in 2009 designs will be more simple
Flag as inappropriatebtw great resources, its give me new idea :)
Agree. Sure great ideas yet to come
Flag as inappropriateSmashing Magazine? That should be on the list!
Flag as inappropriateI think it is a good blog.
Flag as inappropriateThanks.
I saw the feed counters on some of these shoot up as many as 1000 subscribers! The Tutorians are truly a group of knowledge seekers, way to go folks.
@yopladas: I’ll keep an eye out for that and shoot them a link in the tutorial I’m working on. Appreciate the heads up yopladas!
Flag as inappropriateI think there’s a tutorial over at Abduzeedo ( http://abduzeedo.com/ ) for how to make those kinds of screen shots.
:P
Flag as inappropriateNice, list and two of them are new to me (Web Design Ledger & UX Booth) checking them out now! The blog that I found very intersting latelty is from Michael Surtees (designnotes.info) & my own ofcourse ;). Thanks again and good luck.
Flag as inappropriatePSDTUTUS is the great!
Flag as inappropriateGreat tight list. I have added all of them I think.
I started my RSS addiction just the end of last year. I already have so many subscriptions. I think soon I’ll have to purge. This gets so addicting because I feel I never have enough. There is always so much to learn out there. I love being web designer.
Thank you for the choice selections!
Flag as inappropriateGreat list. I subscribed to quite a few. Pretty soon I will have to read the entire internet every day! I added your post to my blog today. Thanks, Rosemary
http://contentinacottage.blogspot.com/2009/01/9-design-blogs-to-follow-in-2009.html
Flag as inappropriate@Paul: I disagree personally. You could also look at it from other sites update too much. If we consider the value of each post on Function compared to similar blogs, they tend to have well thought out posts, unique resources, and offer wonderful insight.
Flag as inappropriatevery nice!
Flag as inappropriatenice selections thanks..
Flag as inappropriatefunction never updates – ever. why on earth are they on this list? yes they make great icons — but…
Flag as inappropriateAww, No Abduzeedo? I love that site.
Flag as inappropriateI clicked through to this blog from a link on twitter, didn’t see the 9 theme. lol. Maybe you could do a post with 9 more blogs for 2009. hehe.
Flag as inappropriate@Chris W.: 9 is just sort of our think :)
Six Revisions is a great site though!
Flag as inappropriateGreat list, I would have included Six Revisions in this list, not sure why you stopped at just 9 blogs. :)
Flag as inappropriateWow… I’ve never been to Think Design’s site before. Regardless of how good the thoughts and design expressed on the site are, the writing is horrible. How can any english writing and speaking person get through a post without grimacing (and/or laughing) half way through. It just needs to be said.
Flag as inappropriateNice Blog Tips. Haven’t came across Function before. You definitly gave me some inspiration!
Flag as inappropriatethank you great insite……. :-)
Flag as inappropriate@Brian: My pleasure Brian :) Happy new year mate!
Flag as inappropriateGreat, nice list!!
Flag as inappropriateI’ve a waaaaaay to much feeds to read every week, but a few more wouldn’t harm me too much
Thnx
Wow, thanks so much for putting Elite By Design on this list David – I’m so honored. I’m glad you’ve liked the site and I hope everyone else has too.
I’m reading all of the other blogs on your list except for Think Design – so thanks for the heads up, I’ve gone ahead and subscribed :)
Best of luck to you too David, I can’t wait to see what you pull out of your sleeves for 2009!
Flag as inappropriateI agree the ScreenShots are lovely illustrations for the run-down of blogs and I’d be intersted to see a tutorial on those alone too. Only gruge is how I wish my own blog was up in your list too! :P It really still has some growth to do before it reaches the merit of these other blogs though.
Excellent selection of blogs and thank you for sharing!
Alex | Zen Elements
Flag as inappropriate@Adelle: You’re very welcome Adelle. I know 2009 will be just as wild of a success for you, if not more so than 2008. Really looking forward to another year of FYC :)
@Mabuc: Mabuc, my goal as stated was to highlight new design blogs under a year old that still made a big impact in the community. Smashing Magazine, GoMediaZine, and Noupe have all been around a good while, and while they are all VERY important parts of the online design community they’re better fitted for another post. Web Designer Depot is DEFINITELY one that I’d suggest to keep an eye on though. If this were a 10 item list, that would be posted for sure ;)
@Henry Jones: WDL is really coming along great Henry! The way it’s designed really puts the emphasis on the community there!
@Nick Pagano: You’re very welcome Nick! I just started really following Think Design recently, and have no regrets! Please keep up your good work into the new year!
@Gian: Abduzeedo. Yes. Fabio is the man :) Just a talented, inspiring, all around cool guy that runs one of my favorite blogs.
Flag as inappropriateOne of my favorite design blog is Abduzeedo
@Angie Bowen: Arbent makes part of my list too! =D
Flag as inappropriateWow, I too feel incredibly honored! Thank you so much David for include my blog on your list! Like Liam said, it’s great to be side by side with blogs that I personally enjoy so much! Congrats to all others featured as well.
Thanks again David!
Flag as inappropriateThanks David! Glad to see WDL included with the rest of these great blogs.
Flag as inappropriateGreat list!
Flag as inappropriateDavidi this is nice list. However, where is Smashing Magazine, GoMedia, Noupe and the new one WebDesigerDepot? its still the blog to watch.
Flag as inappropriateLove your list. Thx a lot.
Flag as inappropriateDavid! Wow! Thank you SO much for including me on this list, it really means a lot to me, it’s been a crazy but busy year and this makes it all worth it. Happy new year, wishing you even bigger things for 09!
Flag as inappropriateI’m definitely interested in some of these blogs. I only found out about function last week, lol.
Flag as inappropriate@Brian Hoff: I asked around a few different ways to get an idea of what viewers thought (Not a very coordinated effort, but it was a spur of the moment idea). You were the choice, and I will happily back that decision as a follower myself :)
I’ll have to do some organized community choice posts this year…
@Angie Bowen: Great selections Angie! Actually, almost all of those were considered as picks for this collection, but I decided to stick with our theme of 9. Thanks for sharing! And thanks for stopping by.
Flag as inappropriateNice list, I read most of those but there were a couple I didn’t know about.
Some of my other favorites:
Obviously my own :) Arbenting
Flag as inappropriateMy Ink Blog
I’m Just Creative
Styletime
Very nice collection David!
Flag as inappropriateWow David! I am COMPLETELY flattered! Thanks so much for including Design Cubicle among these other fantastic blogs! Interested to what you meant by “chosen by the design community?” Was there a vote for my site? :)
Anyways, I really appreciate it, and look forward to bringing more great content in 2009.
Flag as inappropriate@David Leggett: Very kind of you, David. Thanks very much. ;)
Flag as inappropriate@Liz: Happy New Year Liz, and thank you for stopping by. I can attest to the feeling of a overloaded feedreader. I recently deleted all but 10 subscriptions or so. I try to stick to the really top notch stuff now, and keep a few blogs that do lists posts on a frequent basis to keep an eye on all the other stuff.
Flag as inappropriateGreat choices, Even though my reader is overloaded as it is I’m going to add a couple of these that I’m not already subscribed to so I can check in on them more regularly!
Happy New Year!
Flag as inappropriateDefinitely some blogs worth checking out ;)
Flag as inappropriate@Andre Martin: Thanks for the link Andre. On a quick glance, that seems like an outstanding blog to be following. Haven’t come across it before.
@David Airey: Thanks David :) I write a few posts every month at UX Booth (It’s a group/community project). Hope to see you around there. By the way, I also find your blog Logo Design Love to be an inspiring source of creativity.
What other blogs were started in 2008 that we shouldn’t leave out?
Flag as inappropriateNice list David. Haven’t came across Think Design before, loving their design.
Flag as inappropriateNice list, I have most of those already, but a couple more gems have been added now.
Flag as inappropriateMy fav is Product Guy’s at http://tpgblog.com. He goes very in-depth on product user experience in weekly posting.
Flag as inappropriateHi David,
Great choices, great presentation, and a few I’m about to subscribe to (Think Design and UX Booth — which are quite new to me). I’ve enjoyed following the others for a while now.
All the very best for 2009!
Flag as inappropriateGreat collection.. I am already following most of these sites, but there’s some new ones too that I will definitely be sure to check out :D
Flag as inappropriate@Steven Snell: I think nearly every project I’ve seen you take part of has become a wonderful success Steven. It’s good to have you around :)
Web Designer Depot has made an incredible entrance — it’s a site I’m planning to watch in 2009!
@liam: Of course Liam. Function is still a favorite of mine. It just keeps getting more and more useful.
Flag as inappropriateThanks for including DesignM.ag in your list David. Most of these are in my own feed reader. Another new one that I have been enjoying is http://webdesignerdepot.com.
Flag as inappropriateWow, thanks for the recognition – appreciate it. And great to see myself included in a list with my own personal favorite blogs.
Flag as inappropriate@Andy: Thanks Andy, it’s a really simple effect. Perhaps I’ll make a tutorial out of in soon :)
Hope you found some of these sites useful!
Flag as inappropriateYeah! The screenshots are really nice!
Flag as inappropriateI would be happy for a tutorial how you created these screenshots :D nice
Flag as inappropriate