10 fresh art and design blogs for creative inspiration

In this post, we’ve sifted through the thousands of blogs vying for your attention, and picked out the diamonds in the rough. These 10 sites are all great places to get inspired by new ideas.

1. Surface

Surface is an American print magazine, publishing 10 editions a year. Its associated blog covers architecture, art, design, fashion, and travel, with a focus on how these fields shape, and are shaped by, contemporary culture. The selection of work is beautifully curated, plus the design sensibility of the print title carries through to this online version, raising its aesthetics and typography high about that of the average design blog.

2. Mindsparkle Mag

Mindsparkle aims to be "more than a high quality online magazine... a platform for likeminded people sharing the same values". Showcasing inspiring projects in the fields of web design, graphic design, branding, photography, art, interior design, product design and architecture, it offers an eclectic mix of inspiration, all within a youthful, cutting edge design.

3. Another Magazine

With the tagline "Where fashion and culture collide", Another Magazine is a bi-annual print magazine covering art, culture and fashion, with a different edition published for men and women respectively. Its website offers an intriguingly wide-ranging mix of posts, crossing all manner of disciplines; everything from "How Méret Oppenheim Changed the Course of Surrealism Forever" to "The 1974 Film About Sadomasochism that Inspired Gareth Pugh".

4. Art Nau

Artnau seeks to cover almost everything related to the art world, including paintings, videos, illustrations, sculptures, tattoos and ceramics. It features, in short, "anything that carries something different within, that little thing that makes it special". Based in Barcelona and the work of one person, this blog is, it should be noted, written in Spanish. But if your language skills aren't up to it, there's always Google Translate, or you can just get inspired by the always-impressive visuals.

5. Yatzer

Yatzer is a blog devoted to fine and applied arts that features news stories, interviews and reviews on areas including design, architecture, travel, art, fashion and events. Aimed at high-end creative professionals, Yatzer features a surprisingly wide range of engaging creative projects and people from around the world; it's constantly inspiring and frequently eye-opening.

6. Present and Correct

Present and Correct is primarily an online shop selling, in the words of its owners "things we love by other designers from around the world, and vintage items which we discover around Europe, and sometimes further afield". But while its main aim is commerce, the items they post are in themselves a great source of visual and design inspiration. Betraying a clear obsession with stationery that we can certainly empathise with, this site is a lot of fun and a great stimulus for the imagination, even if you don't end up buying anything.

7. Hooked

Documenting and showcasing street art from London and beyond, Hooked is an essential bookmark for anyone interested in urban art. Featuring the latest street art news and a comprehensive range of new work, Hooked comes across as a real passion project, with a real sense of joy and enthusiasm for its subject.

8. The Design Files

The Design Files covers Australian design in all its forms; from architecture and interiors to gardens, food, fine art and craft. Written by experienced newspaper and magazine journalists, this is a professional blog both in terms of content and presentation, and the Films section, featuring bespoke video content, is a particular highlight. If you're not interested in the homes and shopping aspects of the site, just click on the Art tab in the main navigation, and you'll find plenty of visual inspiration in this section alone.

9. Disegno

Disegno is a quarterly print journal with an associated website covering international architecture, design and fashion. The content is quite highbrow and high-end, with articles such as Wakako Kishimoto, co-founder of London-based fashion studio Eley Kishimoto, reflecting on what Brexit means for business, and a conversation between Amelie Klein, curator of the Hello, Robot exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum and science fiction writer Bruce Sterling. A must-read for the deep-thinking designer.

10. A New Type Of Imprint

A New Type of Imprint is a lifestyle magazine celebrating Norwegian creativity that's printed quarterly. And its associated website is bursting with visual inspiration, including news, videos, showcases, case studies, interviews and more. It's all put together by Anti, a full-service creative agency.

You can find more sources of art and design inspiration in this list of 50 essential design blogs.