12 of the Best Dribbble Designers to Follow
Most designers, whether they're web designers, mobile app designers or graphic designers, are familiar with Dribbble. This powerhouse designer community is not only a social network of creative artists, but it's also a magnificent hub of endless inspiration, and some of the best Dribbble designers also offer free design resources.
While Dribbble’s invite-only membership system has been criticized, there's no doubt that this barrier has helped to maintain a high level of quality amongst its members. You'll certainly find an abundance of talented designers!
Looking for a Dribbble invite? Our co-editor, Daniel Schwarz, has one invite to give away! In the comments below, share a link to your design portfolio (personal website, Behance, etc), and of course your Dribbble username.
Alternatively, you can try to get drafted using Draft.im or Cribbble.
First, let's take a look at 12 of the best Dribbble designers to follow.
Once inspired by these 12 talented Dribbble designers, why not take Canva for a spin? It’s surprisingly becoming a quick n’ easy browser-based alternative for designers, check out our Canva course!
1. Leo Leung
Specialty: Web/App Design, Motion Graphics and Front-End Development.
At a whopping 15,000+ Dribbble followers, it’s not hard to understand why Chinese artist Leo Leung makes this list. With a keen eye for web and app design, and as a specialist in motion graphics and front-end development, his is top-notch.
Leung’s Dribbble shots showcase what he's capable of as he elegantly demonstrates his love for motion design with smooth, animated GIFs. For those who're into app and motion design, Leo Leung is certainly a designer worth following on Dribbble. Bonus Points: While Leo doesn’t offer free design resources, he does at times hold Dribbble invite giveaways.
2. Nick Slater
Specialty: Graphic Design, Icon/Logo Design, Branding and Illustration.
You don’t have to be into app design to thrive on Dribbble, as California-native Nick Slater boldly demonstrates with his 66,000+ followers. With a strong understanding of design, his illustrations are rather eye-catching too. His use of color and clean line work adds flavor to everything he makes! Whether Nick's designs make the cut or not, he always shares his creations with his followers — designer, illustrator and Dribbble superstar Nick Slater is in a league of his own!
3. Shawna X
Specialty: Visual Design and Illustration.
Eye-candy design and flat-style visuals might not be your thing, which makes Shawana X a breath of fresh air on Dribbble. Although she may not have as many followers as Leo Leung and Nick Slater, she more than deserves a mention on this list. With her vibrant and rich illustrations, her work is a sight to behold! Injecting a plethora of color into every design, Shawna has worked with a host of big-name clients, including Adobe, Nike, Vice and Refinery 29 (to name a few!).
When she’s not working as a visual designer, she’s teaching Mobile Design at Parsons.
4. Aurelien Salomon
Speciality: Interaction, UI/UX and Web Design.
French UI/UX designer Aurelien Salomon is one of those exceptionally talented designers who bring their own flavor into their work. Aurelien's designs are pretty fresh and it's obvious that he's quite innovative with his UI/UX, as he always looks to find ways to incorporate more interactive features. It’s probably why he’s already racked up 22,000+ followers on Dribbble and has managed to work with clients such as Apple and Google. Those who are interested in UI, UX and even AR (Augmented Reality) motion will certainly find some inspiration in Aurelien Salomon’s stunning design work.
Bonus Points: Salomon, although seemingly always busy, does make an effort to release freebies to his followers whenever he can. He also has a few items for purchase on Creative Market (fun fact: Dribbble and Creative Market have partnered to allow Dribbble designers to sell their design resources via Dribbble more easily).
5. Claire Coullon
Specialty: Lettering, Typography and Branding.
While "officially" a freelancer from Bath, Claire Coullon is actually more of a lettering queen. Claire's skill in typography and branding really makes her work stand out from the rest. From soft curves of flowing scripts to the hard lines of sans-serif type, it’s obvious that she takes her time with her craft. Also, 14,000+ followers can't all be wrong, can they? For anyone who is interested in typography (including original sketches!), Claire Coullon is one of the best Dribbble designers to follow.
6. Cosmin Capitanu
Specialty: Web, UI and Mobile Design — Graphic Design.
Cosmin Capitanu is a freelance web/graphic designer and architect from Romania, and his work is even more impressive than his follower count (62,000+). His stylish and elegant presentation of each design is something worth marvelling over.
Capitanu is a master at color, as seen in his design work, and his willingness to try new styles and elevate his craft makes him a Dribbble superstar in my book. Never a dull moment!
7. Emir Ayouni
Specialty: Branding, Graphic Design and Illustration.
Branching out with different styles and visual aesthetics, but still creating astonishing work each time, seems to be the tune that Emir Ayouni likes to sing. This brand strategist and identity designer at Forefathers currently sits with 21,000+ followers. Ayouni’s branding work speaks volumes, but it's really his artistic skills that bring his work to life. From bold lines to silhouettes, black and white logos to colorful brands with retro styles, Ayouni is definitely a class act.
Designers who are trying to improve their branding and identity skills, or even learn the basic concepts of shapes and colors, could learn a thing or two from this Dribbble artist.
5 More Best Dribbble Designers to Follow
- Michael Spitz: Identity, Logo and Icon Designer
- Jeffrey Devey: Graphic, Logo and Lettering Designer
- Fireart Studio: Illustration, Branding and Web Design Studio
- Creative Mints: Illustrator and UI Designer
- Dan Cederholm: Co-Founder of Dribbble!
Did we miss anyone? Make sure to share your favorite Dribbble designers in the comments below, and if you're in the market for a Dribbble invite, don't forget to share your Dribbble username and a link to your work in the comments too!