Here is your freshly squeezed design inspiration for the week of July 24th, 2023.

Creative Juice is a weekly newsletter sent every Monday to inspire you to make cool sh*t and get paid for it. Each issue includes: something gorgeous, a portfolio of the week, three creative finds, one TikTok, and one lesson learned.

TL:DR

• SOMETHING GORGEOUS: Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus Lego Replica

• PORTFOLIO OF THE WEEK: Jacek Janiczak

• Crying in the Club Zine by Eva Malley

• Earth Rated by Layer

• Noile by Jacek Janiczak

• ONE TOK: Big Red Boots but Soccer

• ONE LESSON: Double Down on What Works

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Resource of the Week

Envato Elements

As a designer, I’m always looking for new mockups and assets, but prices can be crazy. Envato Elements offers a monthly subscription for only $8.99/month. Students get 30% off!

Perfect for designers who want variety without breaking the bank.

Get Started with Envato Elements

Something Gorgeous

Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus Lego Replica

Lego designer Tomasso submitted a 2,628-piece custom project to recreate the CDJ 2000 Nexus DJ deck. It’s part of Lego’s IDEAS platform, where projects can be voted on to become real sets.

Tomasso already has ~4,000 votes; 10,000 are needed for review. Sign up and support so this becomes a reality!

View more here

Portfolio of the Week

Jacek Janiczak

From Poznań, Poland, Jacek grabbed my attention with their work on Noile, a diesel car oil brand. The identity is vibrant, considered, and stands out in an industry often plagued by poor design.

Jacek’s portfolio is built entirely on Behance, showing the power of presenting detailed, consistent work online.

Portfolio Rating: 7.3/10

Built With: Behance

View Jacek Janiczak’s portfolio

Creative Finds

Crying in the Club Zine by Eva Malley

A university project turned viral social media zine. Shows the power of creating projects you are passionate about.

View more here

Earth Rated by Layer

Dog toys made from recycled plastic! The rebrand by Layer is clever, especially the dog tail in the "h" of the logotype.

View more here

Noile by Jacek Janiczak

A fresh and vibrant brand identity for the automobile oil industry.

View more here

One Tok

Big Red Boots but Soccer

Jon Paul experiments with different balls, materials, and patterns to create the perfect ball. This “big red boots ball” project is an example of dedication and experimentation.

View more here

One Lesson

Double Down on What Works

This week I realized some experiments are starting to stick in the social-mediaverse. Two key insights:

1. Experiment & Learn: Over the last few months of freelancing, I tried a lot of things—experimented, made mistakes, learned. Conversations with others revealed new interests and solidified what I love about design.

2. Signals & Feedback: Certain ideas are resonating, giving me valuable feedback. This wouldn’t have happened without experimentation.

Next step: Double down on what’s working, focus energy, and refine the things that stick.

• I hope you are feeling inspired this week and ready to make some cool sht!*

PS: What’s something new you want to try this week, month, or year?

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