Image via Complex Original
Social media is one of the most powerful tools of this generation. From brand building to viral videos, campaigns for social good, and everything in between, those who can affect the Internet properly definitely have the capacity to teach us a few things. Twitter has become one of the most-used social media networks and is a platform for everyone, from fake accounts of Jesus to the real account of our president.
If you're interested in graphic design, you can keep up with the latest trends in the field by following these graphic designers and maybe learn a few tricks along the way. While not all of them are exclusively graphic designers (as in, they are usually also writers, art directors, creative directors, artists, and more), they all make the conversation online worth being a part of. Why wouldn't you take free advice?
RELATED: 50 Influential Art Figures to Follow on Twitter
RELATED: How to Make It: 10 Rules for Success From Art Directors
RELATED: Top 20 Graphic Designers
RELATED: Four Pins - Meet the 10 Randos Following You on Twitter
Nicholas Blechman
Nicholas Blechman / @nblechman
As a graphic designer, Nicholas Blechman travels across the globe and often has many interesting opinions to offer on Twitter from art insight to his political sentiments.
Josh Smith
Josh Smith / @joshsmithnyc
Any aspiring artists, designers, illustrators, or creative minds, especially those based in the Tri-state area, will find the Twitter account of NYC-based, Josh Smith, super informative and amusing.
Paul Sahre
Paul Sahre / @psahre
Paul Sahre uses his Twitter to promote work, like his current project called Saturn V Relaunch, which is a design and video piece documenting the 40-year-old re-staging of a model rocket. His Twitter also provides insight into his interests outside of art, like sports and his children.
Timothy Goodman
Timothy Goodman / @timothyogoodman
Timothy Goodman is a contributing writer at Print Magazine, an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts, and a well established designer whose tweets offer fun-loving quotes from Disney movies and art-related musings.
Julia Hoffmann
Julia Hoffmann / @juliahoffmann
Also a faculty member at the School of Visual Arts and a graphic designer based in New York, Hoffman tweets about current exhibits and showcases her dry sense of humor with funny updates about her daily life.
Michael Freimuth
Michael Freimuth / @MichaelFreimuth
Michael Freimuth's work as a Brooklyn-based designer and faculty member at the School of Visual Arts gives him the credentials to be followed by any Twitter user with an interest in art.
Laurent Fetis
Laurent Fetis / @LaurentFetis
Laurent Fetis is a French Designer, Creative Director, and Illustrator whose Twitter feed is constantly updated with pictures of his daily activities in addition to his current artistic interests.
Chuck Anderson
Chuck Anderson / @NoPattern
A Grand Rapids-based graphic designer, Chuck claims he just "likes to make whatever." His Twitter feed supports his free spirit, allowing him to weigh in on numerous art projects and provide followers with his expertise in the field.
Antonio Carusone
Antonio Carusone / @AisleOne
Antonio Carusone is a New York City-based freelance designer "obsessed with grid systems." Carusone considers himself a curator and often tweets links to cool finds that are perfect for decorating your bachelor pad in an affordable way.
Maayan Pearl
Maayan Pearl / @Maayan_Pearl
Serving as one of the lead designers for Bloomberg BusinessWeek Magazine, Pearl is great at what she does but thankfully not all business. She has also described herself as an "avid animal petter," so we think following her will give you just the right taste of work and play.
Jessica Walsh
Jessica Walsh / @jessicawalsh
A partner at an NYC design studio and an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts, Walsh has years of experience in the field. Her Twitter offers inspirational quotes, along with plenty of encouragement for the younger generation of designers.
Christoph Niemann
Christoph Niemann / @abstractsunday
A self-sufficient author, illustrator, and designer based in Berlin and New York, Niemenn's tweets consist of iPhone commercials in Japan and other informative articles that offer a unique perspective for interested artists.
Owen Gildersleeve
Owen Gildersleeve / @ogildersleeve
London-based designer, Owen Gildersleeve, is currently writing his first book with Rockaport Publishing, as well as continuing work on his art projects. Since he is a jack of all trades, how could Owen's Twitter insight not benefit you?
Max Holyoke-Hirsch
Max Holyoke-Hirsch / @holyokehirsch
Max is New York City-based designer, who uses his Twitter account to update followers on his illustrations and provide valuable insight on his unique design techniques.
Matt Willey
Matt Willey / @MrMattWilley
Willey has accomplished quite a bit throughout his career as a designer, now serving as Senior Editor and Cover Designer of Port Magazine and previously as the creative director of Studio8 Design. Evident through his Twitter, Matt's taste for photography, design, and fine art is second to none.
Magnus Voll Mathiassen
Magnus Voll Mathiassen / @MagnusMVM
Represented by Hugo & Marie, Magnus Voll Mathiassen is an art director and graphic designer whose Twitter account is a haven for hidden art exhibits and fascinating hidden links across the web.
Mike Perry
Mike Perry / @MikePerryStudio
Another Brooklyn-based artist, Mike Perry, heads his own personal studio and tweets about his most recent collaborations, giving us a look at his quirky, exciting personal life.
Drea Zlanabitnig
Drea Zlanabitnig / @dreazlanabitnig
Drea is a Brooklyn-based artist and a designer for the New York Times. It's clear that Drea is a hip New Yorker, and her feed offers the coolest art projects, music, and informative articles on current events.
Jez Burrows
Jez Burrows / @jezburrows
Jez Borrows is a freelance designer who also creates layouts for Facebook. As well as being a design enthusiast, Jez's daily comical musings make his account worthy of our endorsement.
Sara Cwynar
Sara Cwynar / @Cwynars
A graphic designer for the New York Times, Sarah's Twitter feed is perfect for anyone living in the Tri-state area with even a moderate interest in the arts. She is constantly promoting the work of friends, as well as noteworthy events and exhibits around the area.
Paul Willoughby
Paul Willoughby / @Willoprojects
A graphic artist and creative director, Paul's Twitter consists of constant new art projects and insight into his current work and daily inspiration, which allows followers to feel a part of his creative process.
Robert Lenne
Robert Lenne / @robertlenne
As the head of design for Artsy, Lenne is the brains behind one of the most popular contemporary sites for art and design on the Internet today, making him one of the current leading figures in design.
Doug Bowman
Doug Bowman / @stop
Serving as the creative director for Twitter and having previously worked for Google and Stopdesign, Doug Bowman is master of everything design and a must-follow for all Twitter users.
Anthony Calixto
Anthony Calixto / @anthonycalixto
Calixto is a young, New York-based designer who specializes in everything from websites to business cards and often uses his Twitter to weigh in on sports and connect with like-minded creatives from around the world.
Richard Perez
Richard Perez / @SkinnyShips
According to his Twitter bio, Richard Perez is a cat whisperer, as well as a graphic designer and illustrator. Always with a sense of humor, he provides the Twittersphere with a lot of comic relief, along with links to everything entertaining, including his own work and that of others.
Gavin Potenza
Gavin Potenza / @gavinpotenza
Gavin Potenza is a Brooklyn-based designer, who is also part of Script & Seal with Liz Meyer. It's safe to say that following him on Twitter will increase your design knowledge and perspective on what's possible in the design world.
Jason Munn
Jason Munn / @munnjason
A California-based designer, Munn is very gracious to his fans, often thanking them personally on his Twitter and snapping pics of his current work so his followers can have the first look.
Jake Frey
Jake Frey / @jakefrey
Jake Frey
Frey is a designer for the popular online site, The Fancy, making his Twitter feed a great stream of tech, design, and art musings, in addition to funny comments on NYC life.
Allan Yu
Allan Yu / @allanyu_
It's easily apparent that Allan Yu is a character from his background photo, which features Rick Ross and a Jewish star. Besides that, Yu offers entertaining daily musings, often quoting Mike Jones songs and occasionally sprinkling in some interesting art news.
Patrick Algrim
Patrick Algrim / @hellyeahdude
A San Francisco-based product designer, Algrim's works include everything from iPhone icons to company advertisements and freelance illustrations. Algrim is an active Twitter user, conversing with his followers about anything art-related and often showing his support of other's work with plenty of shout-outs.
Scott Hansen
Scott Hansen / @ISO50
Professionally known as Tycho, Hansen combines music and visual art into a stunning live set, using his Twitter feed to promote his rare skill set and provide followers with a better understanding of how the definition of art is changing in the current generation.
Bobby Evans
Bobby Evans / @Telegramme
Telegramme Studios is the personal project of Bobby Evans, an innovative poster/print designer and illustrator, whose Twitter offers advice to those in the industry, as well as a strong, informed voice on current, art-related events.
Kate Moross
Kate Moross / @katemoross
Kate Moross is the studio director at her own personal studio, Studio Moross. It is pretty apparent that Moross is a sneakerhead from her Twitter feed, but fresh kicks are only one part of her daily updates.
Tom Muller
Tom Muller / @hellomuller
Across the pond is London-based designer, Tom Muller, who specializes in graphic design, branding, and art direction. A must-follow, Muller's Twitter is a hotbed for updates on his work, as well as work from other artists he admires and interesting art-related information.
Liam Devowski
Liam Devowski / @LiamDevowski
Liam Devowski is a San Francisco-based designer whose Twitter offers updates on the freshest design trends from custom layouts to innovative iPhone apps.
Nicholas Felton
Nicholas Felton / @feltron
Nicholas Felton is an NYC-based information designer and a co-founder of Daytrum.com. Felton's Twitter gives updates on his current projects and advice for conveying statistics in a neat and easily understandable format that is especially useful for those with an interest in typography.
Damien Correll
Damien Correll / @damiencorrell
Damien Correll is a freelance graphic designer based out of Brooklyn, NY. As a follower of Correll, you can find interesting design information from innovative appliances to comic illustrations, YouTube videos, and everything in between.
Ben Pieratt
Ben Pieratt / @pieratt
Following Ben Pieratt, co-founder and CEO of Svpply, is a wise decision for anyone interested in business, design, and the daily musings of a leading mind in the field of graphic design.
Jason Santa Maria
Jason Santa Maria / @jasonsantamaria
Jason Santa Maria is the founder of the design studio, Mighty, a creative director for Typekit, a faculty member in the MFA Interaction Design program at SVA, co-founder of A Book Apart, founder of Typedia, and creative director for A List Apart. Follow him on Twitter for a wealth of knowledge on anything related to design or creative practices.
Liz Meyer
Liz Meyer / @liz__meyer
Liz Meyer is a designer and illustrator living in Brooklyn and a partner with Script & Seal, a cultural research team and design studio. Her tweets include insight into her creative work and daily life in Brooklyn.
Roxanne Daner
Roxanne Daner / @yoursroxanne
Roxanne Daner is a designer and part-owner of Los Angeles-based brand, Ludlow Kingsley. Follow her on Twitter to stay updated on her current work, ideas, and design projects.
Jennifer Daniel
Jennifer Daniel / @jenniferdaniel
Jennifer Daniel exceeds expectations in every way, from her stimulating graphics featured in Bloomberg BusinessWeek to her sense of humor, which is very present in her tweets.
Dana Tanamachi
Dana Tanamachi / @dana_tanamachi
Dana Tanamachi has been cosigned by Time Magazine and Oprah. Following her on Twitter will only increase your flow of creative information.
Louise Fili
Louise Fili / @louisefili
The legendary Louise Fili is one of the designers that every creative should know about. Her tweets, much like her designs and packaging, are light, elegant, and concise.
Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang / @esymai
Sophia Chang is an illustrator and designer who's done work with Jeff Staple, as well as a host of noteworthy street-wear projects. Her tweets are New York-oriented, fun, and a nice peek into her day-to-day life.
Lotta Nieminen
Lotta Nieminen / @lottanieminen
Lotta Nieminen is one of the top designers in the world, and she's only 25. As one of the contemporary, young minds in design, her tweets are interesting, creative, and sure to inspire.
Bobby Solomon
Bobby Solomon / @thefoxisblack
Following Bobby Solomon's Twitter is a must for any aspiring designer. He regularly posts informative articles from his blog and elsewhere, his opinion on brand design, and insightful commentary on culture in general.
Ed Nacional
Ed Nacional / @ednacional
Apart from promotion regarding his recently-designed logo for Skillshare, Ed's tweets also contain snippets of design genius and serve as a record of his ongoing work and projects.
Frank Chimero
Frank Chimero / @fchimero
There's no reason why you shouldn't follow Frank Chimero, a humorist and technology fan who is changing the way we interact with various media. He also happens to be an award-winning designer and most recently a published author.
Mark Weaver
Mark Weaver / @markweaver
Mark Weaver is a New York-based designer, illustrator, and art director who currently works at Crush + Lovely. Mark converses via Twitter with some of the top contemporary designers about his passions, apps, and daily life.