There are all kinds of ways for designers to make the most of social networks. One of the biggest benefits of social media is the access it provides to instant global inspiration – and one of the best platforms for this is Pinterest.
Having said that, with so many boards to wade through, Pinterest is also an easy place to lose hours of your life. So to help you find and pin the most interesting images, we’ve picked some of the best graphic designers to follow. Enjoy!
And if you want to learn how to use the platform better yourself, see our post on how to make money on Pinterest.
01. Mike Dew
Philadelphia-based, Cincinnati-born graphic designer Mike Dew is one of Pinterest’s most followed pinners with a staggering 3.5 million fans. A little more contemporary than the usual, Dew’s boards include ‘rad shit’, ‘badgography’ and ‘stuffology’, alongside the usual design-related pins.
02. Daniel Nelson
Swedish graphic designer and developer Daniel Nelson has amassed over 225,000 followers on Pinterest. The founder of hugely popular design blog From Up North collates pins from across the design world, covering graphic design, gig posters, street art and even 80s design.
03. Tad Carpenter
Designer, illustrator and partner at Carpenter Collective, Tad Carpenter has over 80,000 followers on Pinterest – and you can quickly see why. His boards range from retro pop themes to logos, classes design, type, vintage euphoria. If you’re looking for inspiration, it’s right here.
04. Mr Cup
French graphic designer Mr Cup, aka Fabien Barral, is passionate about images and graphic design. His Pinterest account is a smorgasbord of design inspiration, from letterpress to signage, maps, identities, vintage deign and more. If you like design, you should definitely follow him on Pinterest.
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05. Jessica Hische
Sure, you’ll see Jessica Hische on most social media round ups. But there’s a reason the talented letterer, illustrator and type designer has a huge following: her portfolio is fantastic – and her personal inspirations are even more wide-ranging than her work. You’ll find a lot of lettering love on her Pinterest account, plus patterns, books, homeware and a lot more.
06. Richard Baird
British freelance designer and writer Richard Baird works in brand identity design. His Pinterest account is filled with design and branding goodness – you’ll see everything from business card designs to fonts, logos, packaging, brand systems, brand guidelines and more. If branding’s your thing, he’s definitely worth a follow.
07. Luke Tonge
UK-based graphic designer and art director Luke Tonge curates a vibrant Pinterest account. Previously art director of the excellent Boat magazine, Tong’s Pinterest shows a focus on everything from magazines and movie posters to book design, logos and more.
08. Rusty Cook
Chicago designer and illustrator Rusty Cook uses her Pinterest account to share her passion for branding. Her design and print board showcases posters and online design, whilst additional boards are dedicated to exploring the very best in branding and identity, illustration and iconography, and web and mobile. One to add to your follower list.
09. Jeff Andrews
Jeff Andrews is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Oregon, with a passion for logo design, brand identity and illustration. His Pinterest boards cover a wide range of design-related topics, from architecture to signage.
10. Fabio Sasso
San Francisco designer and blogger Fabio Sasso is a bit of a social media celebrity with thousands of followers across all the major social networks, including Pinterest. His five boards cover sources of inspiration, web, design, ads and style for his nearly 5,000 followers to enjoy.
11. Jenna Chambers
From graphic design to stylish CVs to crochet, Jenna Chambers’ Pinterest account is a mix of creativity and colour. Her graphic design inspiration board is a collection of all her great design finds, including menus, business cards, web designs and print ads.
12. Jen Vasseur
Connecticut-based freelance web designer and developer Jen Vasseur has a great selection of boards with a number of practical-based pins on colour theory and fonts. Most insightful is her board on web design, which she uses to pin some of the most interesting design concepts and colours that she’s found across the web.
13. Xinkui Wang
If you’re looking for some mobile design inspiration, then this is the pinner to follow. Chinese designer and developer Xinkui Wang has posted thousands of pins on mobile design, with boards ranging from web design to Android to logos.
14. Terri Holtze
Describing herself as a “web designer, librarian, and lover of all things beautiful”, Terri Holtze has created boards for you to glean lots of inspiration. Her web design board focuses heavily on responsive design, and her boards on colors and patterns are also worth following.
15. Adam Smith
President and creative director of Advent Integrated, an integrated agency with offices across the world, Adam Smith has lots of great boards to take inspiration from. As well as boards on web design and typography, he also collates work on branding, packaging and print design. And there’s a whole host of other interesting stuff to check out in his boards dedicated to sustainability, too.
16. Violeta Patolova
Bulgarian designer Violeta Patolova has over 50 boards to source inspiration from, whether you’re looking for design-related content or something artier. Her board on graphic design contains an extensive mix of design, branding and packaging, and her boards on typography, illustration and web design are also worth following, too.
17. Oen Hammonds
If you’re looking for a Pinner that oozes cool, then Oen Hammonds is your man. As well as his brilliant board on design, this art director, designer and educator showcases the best in web design, branding, fashion, photography and manga. And with over 216,000 followers, he’s one popular pinner to follow.
18. Derek Kimball
If you’re looking for graphic design inspiration, then follow Derek Kimball and you’ll be spoilt for choice. His 38 boards are dedicated to all things design, from gig posters to colour palettes to work spaces. Particularly cool is his board dedicated to ‘Gifts for graphic designers’ – just in case you were looking to treat yourself.
19. Malin Otmalm
Swedish designer Malin Otmalm collects pins that are aesthetically beautiful. As well as her boards on typography and graphic design, she has a huge collection of boards dedicated to lifestyle, illustrated through different hues of grey. Particularly nice is her board dedicated to chalk art.
20. Maria Grønlund
Describing herself as a ‘design Jedi’, Maria Grønlund’s boards focus on the use of colour, be that in branding, architecture, graphic design and even gardening. With a really varied list of boards to follow, hers is a great account if you’re looking for a little colour inspiration for your work.
21. Jessica Walsh
Jessica Walsh, partner at NYC design agency Sagmeister & Walsh, has over 31,000 followers and nearly 60 boards dedicated to art and design. Bursting with colour, her boards range from typefaces to iconography, motion and collage, and are a great source of inspiration.
22. Kazuya Arakawa
There are so many sources of inspiration on the Pinterest account of designer Kazuya Arakawa. As well as the more traditional deign-related boards, he also focuses on colour and texture, with boards solely dedicated to leather, the colour green and even strawberries. It's a realyl eclectic mix to follow.
23. Nancy Carter
Looking for some logo design inspiration? Seattle-based logo designer Nancy Carter has a huge collection of fantastic boards that offer a huge range of pins, as well as boards covering graphic design, illustration and colour. Check out her other boards, too, if you’re a fan of arts and craft.
24. Meg Sullivan
From books to branding, and vintage to motorcycles, graphic designer Meg Sullivan has a really eclectic mix of boards. We recommend following her web design board, which highlights some interesting design projects, as well as her boards on branding, typography and zines.
25. Laurent Desserre
French graphic designer Laurent Duserre has a really good selection of boards to choose from. With over 114,000 followers, his boards collate the very best in everything from advertising, graphic design, branding and editorial layout. We particularly love his board on toy design.
Who did we miss? Let us know in the comments.
Related articles:
- 20 illustrators you must follow on Pinterest
- How to network successfully: 19 pro tips
- Building a brand with social media
