Every inventor needs to boost their creative thinking now and then. How better to do so than by reading what other inventors are going through on their roads to success? Here at Pivot, we’ve got a bit of a blog obsession—we love reading about other designers’ and inventors’ experiences.
We’ve put together a list of our favorites below. The next time you’re feeling stumped, take a look through one of these blogs—you might just find what you need to get your brain moving again!
Inhabitat
For those of us who are passionate about eco-friendly and green design, Inhabitat is a wonderful source of inspiration. Dedicated to products, ideas, and designers that are making the world better, Inhabitat has a huge library of articles on everything from using solar power in refugee camps to Honda’s new fuel cell vehicle. One of the great things about this blog is that you can submit as a reader—so if you have an eco-friendly product that’s ready to launch, try sending them a quick email. You could have the chance to get it in front of thousands of Inhabitat fans.
Treehugger
Another blog for the green-minded innovator, Treehugger brings you the best in eco-friendly design, technology, science, and more. This is a great site for inventors because many of their posts are dedicated to great ideas still in progress, or groundbreaking products, like the Sheltersuit for homeless people, that are still in the early stage. It’s wonderful seeing these creations get some attention from such a big site.
Treehugger is updated many times daily, so there’s always something new to read.
InventorSpot
This site is huge, and features blog posts and news items in distinct categories like inventors, new products, buying guide, and more. We liked this recent post on a new sapphire-blade razor called Zaffiro, and this one on the Hummingbird, the world’s lightest folding bike. When you’re in the mood for some fun reading on the latest products, news, and events in the product design world, InventorSpot is your site.
Edison Nation
Named for that father of modern inventors, Thomas Edison, Edison Nation is a company that licenses product ideas for commercial manufacture. They also happen to have a great blog filled with stories of individual independent inventors, advice posts on things like licensing your product and pitching your product to investors, and events like the Amazon Inventions Tour. There is a ton of practical info on Edison Nation, and the posts are fun and interesting to read too. For us, that’s a killer combination.
The Inventor Education Blog
This blog, managed by inventor Mark Reyland, is a wealth of educational information on the inventing process—everything from coming up with your idea to getting it sold in stores. Recent posts we’ve enjoyed include this one on what to do when your invention includes parts that may already be patented by someone else, and this one on why clarity and conciseness are vital when pitching your idea to a company.
AutoCAD Insider
This blog, maintained by AutoCAD employee Heidi Hewett, is all about…AutoCAD! Big surprise there. Designers who use this computer-aided design software will find plenty to keep them busy here. Whether it’s learning about the latest features in AutoCAD 2016, or tips on how to use something specific like the Move and Copy Preview, you’ll find it all on this site.
The Inventor Lady
Started by Rita Crompton, a founder of the inventing support group Inventors’ Roundtable, The Inventor Lady covers all kinds of important inventing topics. There are posts on paying for patent searches vs. doing one on your own, crowdfunding, and more. Crompton lives in Colorado, so there’s also a lot of posts related to local Colorado inventors and inventing meetups and events.
We hope these blogs can give you a daily dose of inspiration—and if not that, at least a bit of light reading! If Pivot can help you with our own creation, whether with our design services, manufacturing services, prototyping, or business development, contact us today!
