Free Resources Every Product Designer and Inventor Needs

With fall approaching, we’re starting to get back into new or old routines. September isn’t always about going back to school; it can serve as a refresh after a summer filled with fun in the sun.

As a designer or engineer at a product development firm, it’s common to encounter hundreds of different challenges every day, from creative burnout to different challenges you are trying to solve in the design itself.

Professionals often use design communities, resources, and tools as part of their regular workflow to help them overcome the challenges of their jobs. This is a powerful way to find solutions to problems that have been rattling around in their heads for too long or replenish their inspiration.

Here are some resources we’ve found to be particularly helpful for product designers and inventors! 

The Best Product Design Resources for Inventors

Sketch App Sources

With over 1000 free sketch resources uploaded by designers from around the world, Sketch App Sources is a favourite among all types of designers at a product design firm and beyond. The site is a collection of plugins, tutorials, tips, articles, etc. and thrives off a community of designers who want to learn, teach, collaborate and share their work and passion for design.

Niice

Niice is a tool that’s great for helping you nail the right look and feel for your brand or your clients. It has quickly become essential to any design process with its user-friendly way of making mood boards that allow you to clearly represent the look and feel of a design in an easily comprehensible way to both internal designers as well as external clients and stakeholders. 

Storm Board

Every designer, no matter if they work for a product design firm or independently, starts any design process by brainstorming. Often, this process takes place on whiteboards. However, it’s 2018 and moving that brainstorming session virtually can be easier than a whiteboard that can be erased. Storm Board lets you brainstorm, organize, and prioritize your brainstorming sessions.

Balsamiq

Balsamiq makes the prototyping phase of the product development process much easier by providing a comprehensive and easy-to-navigate wireframing tool. Getting a product idea out of your head and onto paper can be one of the most difficult parts of realizing your invention. This product design resource allows you to visualize your product and seamlessly make iterations. It is used by product designers, engineers, developers, product managers, and UI/UX teams in a variety of professional domains.

What are some of your favourite tools and resources as a product designer? Let us know in the comments below!

About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry's leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about MAKO Design + Invent!