Over the past few months there hasn’t been much going on at Circlebox Blog. The amount of posts per month has dramatically decreased from a couple per week, to only one or two per month. The reason behind this is mainly due to the fact that, although traffic was good, I just wasn’t getting a huge income from the blog, and have been spending 80% of my time working for other blogs – which I love doing!

However things have changed recently – I’ve launched DesignGiveaways with a good friend, Benjamin Reid (who I actually met on Twitter – weird, eh?) and earlier on today we launched our second site together, called The Inspiration Blog.

So this post is a quick summary of the different sites – what you can expect from each of them, and how regularly posts will be going live.

Circlebox Blog

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Although Circlebox Blog isn’t doing tremendously well at the moment (hey, I know, it would help if I posted content!), it is pretty stable in terms of traffic, averaging 25-30,000 pageviews per month. I’m hoping to get that increased back up to 80,000+ pageviews per month, like it was at the beginning of the year. Giveaways and inspirational posts will no longer be posted here (ok, well maybe the odd couple – but not anywhere close to as much as these types of posts have been published in the past) due to this content type will be dedicated to DG and TIB (read more below).

Content that will be published will include tutorials, how-to’s, tips and tricks, color schemes and various other related articles. Another possibility that may be explored is technology related posts.

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DesignGiveaways

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DesignGiveaways is purely dedicated to giveaways and freebies. It’s main purpose is to run regular competitions, giving creatives a chance to get their hands on free goodies! Some of our most successful giveaways so far are some copies of the great Smashing Book, subscriptions to SpoonGraphics and a Wacom Bamboo graphics tablet. These giveaways are only going to get bigger, so head on over and subscribe to the RSS feed or follow us on Twitter for all the latest news! We are also in discussions of releasing a premium section, where users can either buy an entry into large giveaways (such as MacBooks, software etc), or pay a monthly fee and be entered into them automatically.

DG also publishes freebies, such as PSD templates, web themes and wallpapers, so that’s something else you can snatch up for free!

Subscribe to DesignGiveaways: RSS | Email | Twitter

The Inspiration Blog

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The Inspiration Blog is our latest site, and was launched just earlier today. The site will publish all things visually pleasing and inspirational, so that will include round-ups, showcases, artist showcases and just some cool findings on the net that we think you will find inspirational and motivating. There’s not much more to TIB other than what I have just told you. We will publish all things design, from graphic design to illustration, interior design to photography, architecture to products. The round-up posts will consist of products and resources.

Subscribe to The Inspiration Blog: RSS | Email | Twitter

So, expect more from all three sites. Just to clarify, I am the owner of the Circlebox Blog, and Ben and I are co-owners of DG and TIB. Be sure to check out Bens blog, Nouveller, too! Over and out.

Ben and I have been hard at work again to bring you guys another source of design inspiration – we’re not quite like the others though; instead of using showcases and round-ups to fill the gaps of our already existing blog, we’re basing this site on those showcases and round-ups completely, meaning they’ll be more resourceful, inspirational and motivational.

The site focuses on everything design-orientated, which is, well, everything! We’ll be showcasing the work of graphic designers, illustrators, interior designs, photographers, architects, product designers… you name it, we’ll most probably feature it at some point in the near future.

So, be sure to head on over and check out the new site, and whilst you’re their down forget to to subscribe by RSS or Email, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook!

Visit The Inspiration Blog now!

With the iPad launched and doing very well, I decided to look for a bit of inspiration for a wallpaper pack I am making (including iPad wallpapers, obviously!) for DesignGiveaways, and I thought I’d share with you a small selection of the many hundreds I looked at. These are all illustrated, square and at approximately 1024×1024 pixels ready to use as your iPad background, whether you’re a landscape or portrait user – or maybe you’re greedy and use both!

Sadly, for most of us, the office is a dreary place where we ply our trade, taking little notice of our plain, uninspiring surroundings. It’s a shame, as the positive correlation between a stimulating working environment and superior creative output is clear. For the lucky few, mostly those who work in the creative industries, the office serves as an endless source of inspiration, thanks to modern, striking architecture and interior design. Below, we take a look at 15 of the most amazing offices in the world. Forget about watching the clock until home time, if you worked in one of these incredible places, you’d never want to leave.

1. i29

i29 prove beyond all doubt that black and gold is a winning color combination with this incredibly striking interior. It might look like it cost an arm and a leg to build, but actually it was relatively cheap to make and good for the environment too! i29 created the office themselves from old, used office furniture in a process known as upcycling (up and recycling – get it?) It’s simultaneously vintage and modern.

2. Delft University

The building which houses the Faculty of Architecture of Delft University, located near Rotterdam in the Netherlands, is a little more interesting than your usual dusty, old university campus building. Its bright orange staircase, designed by MVRDV, symbolizes the faculty’s independence. The furniture can be moved and altered to transform the room from conference hall to exhibition space.

3. Google

You’re probably not going to be surprised when I tell you that Google’s office in Zurich is absolutely incredible. When I start listing the cool things that it houses, however, you won’t fail to be impressed. It’s got a slide, a fireman’s pole, blue pool tables, an in-house spa, (this is where it starts getting really cool) cable car carriages for office cubicles, cushion-filled capsized boats for sofas, fake snow, several life-size penguins and baths positioned in front of marine fish tanks, for ultimate relaxation. If that doesn’t boost creativity- I don’t know what will.

4. Red Bull

If Google think they’re special because they’ve got a slide in their office- they can think again. Red Bull’s office in London has its own slide too, and as you might expect, it’s a little more “extreme” than Google’s tame plaything. In fact, the entire building’s been influenced by extreme sports, housing slopes, pipes and curves of all shapes, sizes and materials.

5. Syzygy

If you manage adverts for global style brands like Chanel and automotive giants like Mercedes, you better make sure your office is looking at its most modish. Syzygy has gone for unusual shapes and clean lines to make sure it stands out from the crowd. Leaving paperwork on the worktop, I imagine, is a sackable offence.

6. Nothing

Alrik Koudenburg and Joost van Bleiswijk built this office for Nothing in Amsterdam out of cardboard. Strong and easy on the eye, cardboard is a surprisingly practical building material. Employees and visitors are actively encouraged to write messages, notes and sketches on the furniture.

7. Technology Center Medical Science Building

“Modern” is not the word for this office, situated in Berlin’s centre- it’s downright futuristic. Its dazzling whiteness and brightness is befitting of a medical center, while its modern curves and overall form match its technological prowess.

8. Ragnars

This office, designed by Scandinavian design masters, Ragnars, is absolutely stunning. The wooden flooring and idiosyncratic furniture make for a very classy workspace, but it’s the black, red and white color scheme on the pillars and staircases that really make this interior unique.

9. Bruce B

Ippolito Fleitz Group has created some of the most memorable office interiors of all time and this example, located in Stuttgart, is no exception. The office design is all about color and texture, as smooth, white plastics combine with more natural stone surfaces and wooden wall tiles.

10. TBWA Hakuhodo

Once a bowling alley, Klein Dytham Architecture transformed this building in Tokyo into one of the most attractive and playful offices ever created. Wooden floors, grasses and trees create an organic, peaceful atmosphere, ideal for the creative minds of ad agency, TBWA Hakuhodo. You’ll be pleased to hear that there’s still a functioning bowling alley for clients and employees to use, as well as a driving range.

11. Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia

When visiting your country’s chamber of commerce, you don’t expect to find a vibrant, modern oasis of an office, filled with greenery and flowing lines inspired by nature and water. Completed in 2004, this office covers 195 square meters. The CCIS building even has its own luxury panoramic garden on the roof, designed by Sadar Vuga Architects.

12. North Advertising

The most prominent aspect of this striking modern design by Skylab Architecture is the large meeting room on the second level, which juts perpendicularly from its supporting wall. It’s just as well that the room’s got curtains- North Advertising’s employees have been known to work naked for weeks on end (no joke!) Plain wood doors and walls inject life into an otherwise artificial environment.

13. Medina Turgul

Erginoglu & Calislar Architects married old and new with great skill when designing this office, located in Turkey. The building itself is a 11,100 square foot converted salt barn and many of the original features have been restored and retained, such as the gorgeous stone walls and large windows. Modern flair has been added in the form of exposed duct work, steel beams and glass panels.

14. Selgas Cano

Talk about going “back to nature”, employees of this architecture firm feel like their working out in the woods at all times. Located just outside of Madrid, this glass, tube-like structure allows those inside to enjoy the changing of the seasons and any wildlife that haplessly walks by.

15. Penthouse Office

Reminiscent of an airplane, the Las Palmas is an example of a building that’s just as striking on the outside as it is on the in. The Penthouse Office, designed by Bentham Crouwell Architects, sits on a river. Workers are assured of terrific views thanks to the floor-to-ceiling, curved windows. At night, the whole building glows, lighting up the Rotterdam skyline.

Over the past few weeks it’s been a bit quiet around here and the main reason for this is that I’ve been working on some super-secret projects with @BenjaminReid. Our latest project, DesignGiveaways, launched just today, in the past few minutes actually and it’s exciting stuff!

It went from concept, to design, to a rough HTML layout in a matter of days and we have been working it into what it is now over the past few weeks. We’ve built in a slick custom WordPress CMS so we can easily add giveaways and keep you all updated with the latest goings on. It’s using some of the latest CSS3 techniques as well so expect some super quick load times, allowing you get your hands on the goodies much faster!

The site is dedicated to giving away design related prizes/products, nothing more, nothing less. So if you’re after some top notch design related prizes and you want them for free, then I suggested you head over to DesignGiveaways now to be one of the first people to nab some free stuff. You won’t have to be delving through other kinds of content to find the good stuff, it will just be there, all laid out for you.

Just remember, the more giveaways you enter, the larger our prize fund is going to get. Who knows what you might end up winning!?

Let me know what you think to our new site and keep an eye out for more projects that are in the pipeline. Visit the DesignGiveaways site ~ Subscribe to it’s RSS feed ~ Follow @designgiveaways on Twitter