With the amount of blog reading that we do, we wanted to share with you our top picks. We read from these blogs every day in order to stay on top in the industry, and to hone in our skills.

1. Smashing Magazine

Smashing Magazine has the most interesting and up-to-date (in our opinion) information in the industry. Their posts are always educational and informative. What’s great is that they mix it up with a few educational articles, and then freebies or how-to’s helping you further yourself. If you haven’t given Smashing Magazine a chance, try a few of their articles — you won’t be disappointed.

Smashing Magazine

2. A List Apart

A List Apart is one of the top blogs for in-depth coding and web design. Their posts cater to validation, generally the correct way to do anything web design. Their articles are in-depth so plan on more than one cup of coffee, but also plan on expanding your knowledge and become a better web designer in general.

A List Apart

3. Noupe

Noupe offers tons of free goodies with great tutorials as well. Browse around and you are sure to find something that you have been looking for all along. They even post links to other sites regarding industry news which is refreshing.

Noupe

4. You The Designer

You The Designer is a great site for getting inspiration, tips, and freebies as well.

You The Designer

5. Doug Williams

Doug has great information whether web design, graphic design, search engine optimization, and even business help. His blog will help you become familiar with the industry as a whole — a blog you don’t want to miss.

Doug Williams Blog

Well that just about does it for now. Although we do read many more blogs – and there are many other greats, we feel these are the most important to share with you. If you keep up-to-date on these blogs alone, you will have more than enough information to keep you at the front lines of the industry and expand your knowledge to become a leader in your niche.

Related posts:

1. Great Tools for Web Designers
2. Website Design Basics: Usability
3. Website Design Checklist