Most of the time, artists and designers in the Kingdom can find inspiration in the city and scenes around them. However, it is always nice to see what other people around the world are inventing and creating. Besides looking in books and magazines, the Internet provides a great resource for seeing the best in visual art and visual media. We asked the chief designer for The Phnom Penh Post and Lift magazine, Andy Ball, to share his favourite sites to visit when he needs a little creative boost.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com

Smashing Magazine delivers useful and innovative information to Web designers and developers. Their aim is to inform readers about the latest trends and techniques in Web development. Even if you are not an expert yourself, it is a good place to go to see what is on the cutting edge of Web design. Our favourite section is “inspiration”, which allows you to see collections of the best photographs and design on the Web.

http://www.thebestdesigns.com

This is a favourite site of Web site designers around the world. The site is a collection of the best Flash and CSS displays from around the World Wide Web. Even if you don’t know how to use the software, you can still enjoy interacting with the Web sites, which are interactive and really cool to play around with. The site is updated almost every week, so there is something new for you to see every time you visit.

http://101bestwebsites.com/

This site is similar to thebestdesigns.com. However, it gives users a chance to vote for their favourite sites in a variety of different categories. This site has continually updating charts of the top 101 sites in each category. Every area is different every time you go, as visitors rate and rank the sites they like and don’t like. Eventually the site hopes to create personal areas that you can build and manage based on your own ratings of sites.

http://www.brainfuel.tv/

BrainFuel is a weblog written by a small team of Web designers and developers in Arizona in the US. They write about Web design, profile great Web sites and talk with great designers. The site links to some really cool Web sites all around the Internet and also keeps track of growing trends in Web design. If you are into design, the group of designers writing for this site will certainly keep you entertained on a daily basis, for a few minutes at least.

http://www.designdiary.org/

This site, which calls itself an “arts and designs inspirations lounge”, has a wide selection of categories for people who like to look at and make cool stuff. There is an archive of great artwork, photographs and magazines that have been reproduced online. As with all the other sites on this list, you don’t need to be a professional to enjoy what it offers; you just need to have some appreciation for cool designs and beautiful images.