Today's world is so flooded with images and information that only the freshest designs get noticed; but dominating trends and carbon-copy successes often trap designers in "been there, done that" mediocrity. In the first portion of this book twenty of the world's leading designers, including Wolfgang Weingart, Stefan Sagmeister, Margo Chase and James Victore reveal the unique and diverse places in which they find inspiration and show how they have incorporated these sources into their work. Whether it be a city, a person, a movie, a promise, a piece of garbage, or simply the act of conversing, inspiration comes in many forms and being able to recognize and harness its power is half the battle.

The back half of this book opens the door to a new way of seeing by delivering an endless stream of imagery and ideas straight to a designers' desktop. Indigenous design, traditional patterns, captivating textures and materials, and common and uncommon sights introduce readers to "found design," where inspiration flows not from successful finished designs, but from textures, colors, patterns, and primitive and offbeat imagery. This creative sourcebook will enable artists to transform their work from common and bland to beautiful and unique.

Petrula Vrontikis is Creative Director of Vrontikis Design Office, a full-service graphic communication design firm in Los Angeles. She has taught the senior graphic design course at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena since 1989. Petrula lectures at universities, to professional organizations, and at conferences nationwide about her work and about graphic design education and inspiration. Work from Vrontikis Design Office has won national and international design awards. In addition, her work receives ongoing recognition in Graphis, Print, Critique, CA, How and numerous other design publications, where she is an occasional editorial contributor. Petrula has been a member of the National Board of the AIGA.