The internet can be a great place for research. Google is quick and easy to use, links to vast amounts of free and current information, includes government sites, many research organisation, and specialist blogs.
The downside to Google is it does not discriminate and won't give the best results for academic information. Unlike the the Library's resources that are chosen for quality, you'll have to evaluate all information that you find on the Internet before you use it in your assignments.
When evaluating think about:
​Google Search Engine Tools
Searches scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines from journal articles, eBooks to conference papers. Items are ranks by citations. Recent and popular items are often restricted behind Publishers' pay-walls.
Student can use citations found in Google Scholar to search Library Search and access the full text if available.
Provides a sophisticated search interface to retrieve more specific results similar to the functionality of the library databases. You can use search operators (AND, OR, NOT) and other punctuation to get limited resulted rather than the million plus, typical of Google.
You can search within specific domains e.g. .ac.uk or websites: www.gov.uk.
Advertising Archives - Archive of 50,000 searchable images including press and TV advertising, magazine covers, cinema posters, cigarette cards, menus, comics etc.
All Graphic Design - All Graphic Design Portal is a Graphic Design education directory with resources & articles for Graphic Designers & Web Designers including a Design forum, blog, graphics software tips, graphic design jobs and advice for new designers.
Animation World Network - The Animation World Network is the largest animation-related publishing group on the Internet, providing readers from over 151 countries with a wide range of interesting, relevant and helpful information pertaining to all aspects of animation.
Archive of Digital Art - Documenting the rapidly evolving field of digital installation art for more than a decade.
Arts Thread - Online educational tool designed to connect students, graduates, universities and industry, exclusively within the field of design.
Association of Dress Historians - The Association of Dress Historians (ADH) supports and promotes the advancement of public knowledge and education in the history of dress and textiles.
Book Cover Archive - Database of book covers searchable by title, designer, illustrator, genre, author or typefaces.
Brain Pickings - Brain Pickings is a digest of interesting and inspiring articles across art, science, philosophy, creativity, children's books, and other strands of our search for truth, beauty, and meaning.
British Cartoon Archive - The website of the Centre for the Study of Cartoons and Caricature at the University of Kent, Canterbury. One of the world’s largest electronic archive of cartoons, the BCA holds a catalogued database of over 90,000 images.
Catwalking - Catwalking is the UK's leading picture agency specialising in fashion show images.
Communication Arts - Communication Arts is a source of inspiration for graphic designers, art directors, design firms, corporate design departments, advertising agencies, interactive designers, illustrators and photographers.
Computer Graphics World Online - Web version of the monthly magazine: CGW is the only publication exclusively serving the CG industry for over 40 years. Delivering cutting-edge technology used in the latest animation, Vfx, 3D, Game Development, Film, CAD, and Medical Industry.
Copyright User - Aimed at making UK copyright law accessible to creators and users, with FAQs, videos, and explanations of UK copyright. Features tailored sections for the creative industries.
Creative Bloq - Art & Design inspiration with over two and a half thousand free design resources; covering everything from typography to 3D design.
Creative Review - Key journal for Graphic Design and visual communication, showing new advertising campaigns, and interactive design.
Creative Skillset - Creative Skillset helps the Creative Industries to develop the skills and talent they need to remain world-class. Jobs, new business help.
D&AD (Design and Art Direction) - Educational charity that represents the global creative, design and advertising communities. Awards the best in the creative industries and offers educational programmes for students and graduates.
DACS - Design and Artists Copyright Society - Not-for-profit visual arts rights management organisation. Site has details of campaigns and useful factsheets on aspects of copyright for artists.
Dazed - Dazed's online platform dazeddigital.com, where pop culture meets the underground, reaches an ever-growing and loyal community of global tastemakers.
Design Museum - The Design Museum is one of the world’s leading museums devoted to contemporary design in every form from furniture to graphics, and architecture to industrial design.
Dexigner - Leading online portal for designers providing a design directory, newsletter, information on events and competitions in the design field.
Dezeen - An online architecture, interiors and design magazine.
Digital Arts - A leading resource for creative professionals with comprehensive coverage of the art of graphic design, 3D, animation, video, effects, web and interactive design.
Digital Producer Magazine - Online magazine containing information on Digital Video, Animation, Effects, Imaging and Technology.
Drawing Research Network - The DRN is an international network of individuals and institutions who are involved in some way with improving our understanding of drawing, for example through professional practice, education or general interest. It aims to use this knowledge to raise the profile of drawing and drawing research.
Emma Block - Illustrator and ex Middlesex student Emma Block's website.
Eye - Eye is a graphic design journal, published quarterly for professional designers, students and anyone interested in critical, informed writing about design and visual culture.
Fashion and Textile Museum - The Fashion and Textile Museum is a cutting edge centre for contemporary fashion, textiles and jewellery in London. Founded by iconic British designer Zandra Rhodes, the centre houses permanent and changing exhibitions exploring elements of fashion, textile and jewellery as well as the Academy which runs courses for creative students and businesses, and the fabulous The Café @ FTM.
Graphic Design Magazines and Books on Issuu.com - Issuu is a free electronic publishing platform for magazines, catalogues, and newspapers.
Icograda - This is the website of the International Council of Graphic Design Associations, and is the world body for professional communication design. It is concerned with graphic design, visual communication, design management. Promotes the profession and supports education in these fields.
i-D Online - i-D has built its reputation on being a consistent source of inspiration in fashion culture. It began as a fanzine dedicated to the street style of punk-era London in 1980, and quickly earned its position at the vanguard of fashion and style.
Illustration - Showcase of illustrators. Designed for clients to select images for purchase. Searchable by illustrator or style (such as animation, fashion, nature, storyboard).
ItalianFuturism.org - Established by Jessica Palmieri in order to encourage the exchange of ideas and disseminate information related to Italian Futurism.
It's Nice That - Website championing creativity across the art and design world. Updated daily with at least nine new articles, it attracts an international readership of around 350,000 unique users a month.
Just™Creative - Website specialising in logo design, branding, web design and more.
London Fashion Week - Website for London Fashion week.
Lookbook - A source for fashion inspiration from real people around the world.
Magnum Photos Photographers - Magnum Photos is a photographic co-operative chronicling the world and interpreting its peoples, events, issues and personalities.
Movie Title Screens Page - Title screens of thousands of films.
Multimedia Training Videos - Multimedia Training Videos is a series of completely free and open educational resources for learning a variety of multimedia and ICT tools, created by a collaboration between Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), Higher Education Academy and University of Westminster.
Not just a label (NJAL) - Not just a label (NJAL) is the world’s leading designer platform for showcasing and nurturing today’s pioneers in contemporary fashion.
Photogrammar - Photogrammar is a web-based platform for organizing, searching, and visualizing the 170,000 photographs from 1935 to 1945 created by the United States Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information (FSA-OWI).
Optical Illusions - Michael Bach's website of optical illusions and visual phenomena.
SLASHSTROKE - An independent publication, slashstroke magazine acts as the catalyst and furtive working ground for idea development across art, fashion and design. Each issue explores a particular theme laid open for discussion and interpretation across media. Content is generated globally, always making the connections between people, ideas, process and output.
The Advertising Archives - Archive of over 50,000 searchable images including press and TV advertising, magazine covers, cinema posts, menu cards, comics ect.
The British Library Photostream - The British Library has uploaded one million public domain scans from 17th-19th century books to Flickr. The images are maps, geological diagrams, illustrations, comical satire, illuminated and decorative letters, illustrations, landscapes, wall-paintings and more scanned from 65,000 volumes held by the British Library and they can be used and adapted for any purpose.
The Drawing Room - Non-profit gallery in the UK dedicated to international contemporary drawing.
The Getty Open Content Programme - The J. Paul Getty Trust makes available, without charge, all available digital images to which it holds the rights or that are in the public domain to be used for any purpose. Currently, there are more than 87,000 images from the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Getty Research Institute available through the Open Content Program.
ThoughtCo. - ThoughtCo is a reference site with a 20+ year focus on expert-created education content.
Tom Eckersley Archive - The collection contains posters produced by Eckersley that reflect the range of his work from propaganda posters to his post-war posters.
Transmaterial - Online catalogue and expert knowledge of new materials and the latest high-tech and environmentally friendly products. Aims to inspire architects and designers looking to transform the structure, spaces and surfaces of their projects.
UCD Clinton Institute for American Studies - Photography and International Conflict - An interdisciplinary research project funded by an Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences Thematic Project Research Grant. It brings together scholars and practitioners in the fields of visual media and international relations to examine the roles of image producers and the functions of photographic imagery in the documentation and communication of wars, violent conflicts and human rights issues.
Vestoj - A forum where academia, the museum world and the fashion industry can work together and with active communication. They write about the cultural phenomenon that is fashion in a manner that opens up for dialogue between theory and practice in order to raise awareness for fashion as a cultural phenomena and field of research and cultivate an even greater understanding for the discipline.
Visionaire - Visionaire focuses on the cross-pollination of art, fashion, film, and contemporary culture as a tool to communicate unique experiences to viewers and visitors, across multiple platforms, in physical spaces, online, and mobile.
Visual Arts Data Service (VADS) - This is an important online resource for visual arts. It has built up a considerable portfolio of visual art collections comprising over 100,000 images. They are freely available and copyright cleared for use in teaching, learning and research.
Vogue.com UK - Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine covering many topics including fashion, beauty, culture, living, and runway.
Welcome Images - Images on this site are freely available for download for personal, academic teaching or study use and its great for social history, medical or scientific images.
Women's Wear Daily - Women's Wear Daily (WWD) is a fashion-industry trade journal sometimes called the bible of fashion. WWD delivers information and intelligence on changing trends and breaking news in the men and women's fashion, beauty and retail industries with a readership composed largely of retailers, designers, manufacturers, marketers, financiers, media executives, advertising agencies, socialites and trend makers.
Yorkshire Fashion Archive - Based in the School of Design and underpinned by research excellence at the University of Leeds, the Yorshire Fashion Archive is a new, publically accessible collection of haute couture, fashion garments and everyday clothing. It provides a historical and cultural record of Yorkshire life and documents clothing produced, purchased and worn by Yorkshire folk throughout the 20th century.
99Designs - Blog from from providers of global creative platform that links designers and clients. Includes articles on logos and identity, video and photography, web and app design, business and advertising, plus much more.
A Shaded View on Fashion - A Shaded View on Fashion provides a visionary outlook on fashion and creative industries. Paris-based Diane Pernet is known for her work as a journalist, critic, curator and talent scout. Her past a designer in New York, a photographer and film-maker are fundamental in this festival that stands at the crossroads between fashion and film.
Advanced Style - Photographer and author, Ari Seth Cohen, is the creator of Advanced Style, a project devoted “to capturing the sartorial savvy of the senior set.” Ari has a longtime interest in clothing and style and a lifelong affinity for his elders.
Aisle One - An inspirational resource focused on design, typography, minimalism and modernism.
Business of Fashion - Founded in 2007 by Imran Amed, a fashion business advisor, writer and entrepreneur.
Design Observer - Magazine created by AIGA.org, the oldest and largest professional membership organization for design advocates and practitioners.
DesignM.ag - DesignM.ag is a community-based website for web designers and developers. The site includes a popular blog, a user-submitted news section, a design gallery, and a design job board.
Dexigner - Founded in 2001, Dexigner publishes the latest design news, events, competitions, books and resources; its an online portal for designers, architects, illustrators, engineers, artists, and creatives of all kinds.
Grain Edit - Grain edit is focused on classic design work from the 1950s-1970s and contemporary designers that draw inspiration from that time period.
Kate Loves Me - Pelayo Diaz is the editor of Katelovesme.net, a 2.0 journal he started writing in 2007 from the renowned Central Saint Martins classrooms, where he graduated in Fashion Design and Marketing in 2011 and author of INDOMABLE (2016), his first book published by Planeta
I Love Typography - I love Typography (ILT) cover typography, type design, and lettering, and for the pages, words, and letters born of those disciplines.
Logo Design Love - Logo Design Love is a website and book devoted to logos and visual identities. Launched in 2008, the site shares good ideas and identity-related features.
Mademoiselle Robot - Mademoiselle Robot is the creation of Parisian journalist & photographer Laëtitia Wajnapel. The website was founded in 2007 and focuses on design, lifestyle & fashion.
My Fashion Life - Founded in 2003 by lifestyle writer Michele Elliston (née Obi), My Fashion Life is dedicated to keeping you up-to-date with the latest in all things lifestyle.
Park & Cube - Born in Seoul, raised in Warsaw and now London-based, Shini Park is the founder of multi-disciplinary digital agency Cube Collective, and creator of digital storytelling platform, Park & Cube.
Street Style Aesthetic - Fashion blog merging interests in "street photography" and "Street Style Fashion".
Strictly Paper - Strictlypaper showcases work in a wide array of fields, such asadvertising, fashion, architecture, product design, and animation.
Style Bubble - Susie Lau, also known as Susie Bubble started her blog Style Bubble in March 2006. It consists of her widely read thoughts, personal experiences and observations on fashion with a focus on spotlighting young and unknown talent.
Style Salvage - Style Salvage is blog about how men could (and do) dress. The blog aims to showcase emerging and established design talent alike. It features style commentary, 7 day style diaries, interviews with designers, journalists and shop owners mixed in with the occasional personal style shot.
The Sartorialist - Founder/blogger/photographer Scott Schuman began The Sartorialist with the idea of creating a two-way dialogue about the world of fashion and its relationship to daily life.
UCreative - UCreative offers creative insights from a wide variety of sources — from designers, artists, photographers, entrepreneurs, and psychologists.
Arts Council England - Arts Council England is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales
Arts Council – Creative Case NORTH - Supported by investment from the Arts Council, Creative Case NORTH has been finding ways to embed the creative case across the arts and cultural sector throughout the north of England. The north area approach is important because it spans a wide geography and supports a huge range of organisations and types of diversity, embracing all the protected characteristics.
The Association of Illustrators - Includes a link to the World Illustration Awards.
American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA.org) - The oldest and largest professional membership organization for design advocates and practitioners.
The Costume Society - The Costume Society’s aim is to promote the study of costume, its history and preservation. The website gives information on membership, forthcoming events and publications.
Creative & Cultural Skills - The sector skills Council for advertising, crafts, cultural heritage, design, literature, music, performing and the visual arts.
DCMS Creative Industries Economic Estimates - Official statistics measuring the contribution made by the Creative Industries to the UK Economy. It contains statistics on gross value added, exports, employment and numbers of businesses within the creative industries.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) - The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is the Government department responsible for policy on the music industry.
Design Council - Established in 1944 to demonstrate the value of industrial design in reviving post-war Britain, Design Council is now an enterprising charity which works to improve people's lives through the use of design.
International Council of Design (ico-D) - The International Council of Design (ico-D; formerly known as International Council of Communication Design or Icograda, which was formerly an initialism for International Council of Graphic Design Associations) is a world organisation for design professionals.
International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD) - A professional membership body for typographers, graphic designers and educators.
Society for Animation Studies (SAS) - The Society for Animation Studies (SAS) is an international organization dedicated to the study of animation history and theory.