56References

Nobody invents design from nothing. Everyone looks at other people's work. The only question is how.

Badly: show a site and say "make it like this". You'll get a copy that looks worse than the original, because the shape is copied without the reasoning.

Well: show two or three sites and say what exactly you like in each. "The sense of space from this one, the typography from that one, the way the cards work from the third." Then you get something of your own, assembled from understood pieces.

Where to look: showcase sites collecting good design, component libraries, palette galleries. Separately, I'd suggest looking not at "design in general" but at sites in your own subject - that shows you what your users actually expect.

And a habit that saves hours: screenshot everything you like. Start a folder. In a month you'll have your own taste library, and when asked "how do you want it" you'll have an answer.