Getting Real About Design Inspiration

100% spot-on. The design remix culture and the use of design patterns is not just a reality of how the web works, but it’s also good for users. When design patterns stick, users become accustomed to interaction behaviors, and then it’s easier for them to use products and find the information they’re looking for.

The key, as Andrew says, is to synthesize your inspirations and to point out design inspiration in the appropriate manner (posts like this, maybe? a credit section?). Another key is to pick smart battles about when to introduce new design patterns (often based on the unique value proposition of your site / product). After all, if every design was 100% remixed, we’d never have innovative leaps forward.

tl;dr: Good artists copy; great artists steal