The clever cats at Clear Blue Day, an Australian marketing agency, have registered www.makeupyourmind.com.au, which links through to the website of a movie which seems to be against some other companies best PR efforts.

See the issue is that they’ve been promoting another domain name for a promotion they are running, and this domain is www.makeupyourownmind.com.au. Strangely enough, they also now own www.makeyourownmindup.com.au and www.makeyourownmind.com.au. They even have a little menu item called ‘Fast Food Nation’, with a blurb explaining the film is fictional.

It reminds me of a fun time I had back in 2000. I certainly received my fair share of media coverage for that (there’s even a scrap book!).

Domain confusion is rife here, the longer or more obscure the domain name, the more open to confusion. Have you made up your own mind?

Image: two different ad campaigns in magazines this week, similar domain names, very different agendas.

If you are like most designers, sometimes it seems just hard to get started every day, chock full of fresh design ideas, without falling into a designer rut of producing the same look over and over.

We’re lucky as web designers, that there are a stack of resources at hand, on the web, that can help us overcome these moments. Here’s fifty websites that I know of.

My top five most visited:

• Design Interact
• Cool Homepages
• Linkd Up
• StyleGala
• CSS Zen Garden

More gallery style sites to point your eyes towards (in no particular order):

• CSS Import
• Unmatched Style
• Absorb (New Zealand)
• CSS Vault
• Inspiration King
• W3C Sites
• Design Shack
• CSS Drive
• The Best Designs
• Style Boost
• CSS Remix
• Darkeye
• Design Snack
• Web Creme
• Res72
• Pagina In Valida (brasil)
• Kaliber10000
• Digital Thread
• Cool Websites
• Plastic Pilots
• Screen Spire
• Best Web Gallery
• CSS Beauty
• Digital Refueler
• CSS Bloom
• May 1 Reboot (annual event)
• CSS Heaven
• Be Inspired (in Russian)
• CSS Love
• HOW Design

…and some designer magazines:

• Net Diver
• Lounge72
• Style Gala
• A List Apart (design and development)

Then there’s a few design ‘portals’:

• AustralianINFront (Australian)
• Design is Kinky
• Pixel Surgeon
• computer love
• 5oup (for students)

And finally, some design forums to finish off the list:

• Designers Talk
• YayHooray!
• Port80 forums (OK, so I am biased)
• AustralianINFront forums
• SitePoint forums
• forums4designers

Now, if you spend 15 minutes every morning visiting just some random offerings from the list above, I guarantee you’ll refresh your inspiration. Good luck and great designing!

Image: Motel, Swan View, WA.

I break my eighteen day posting drought to bring you the knowledge that used chicken breasts are healthier. It must be true, it’s printed on the takeaway menu for a local Perth restaurant, as shown above.

Image: Used chicken breasts, local restaurant takeaway menu.