Top 5 Product Design Blogs to Follow

When you talk about product design, you're talking about the numerous processes involved in creating a product — whether physical or digital. It must have functionality that answers a target market's specific needs, and it must have an aesthetically pleasing form. It's a formula that Apple has used with much success.

But where does one find the inspiration to build the type of fabulous products that turn casual customers into rabid fans?

Below is a list of our top 5 blogs for product design inspiration, chosen by a combination of their Alexa rank and the personal preferences of our team. These websites and blogs post inspiring links to cool product design from around the globe. They also cover a wide spectrum of design topics, including: UI/UX, graphic design, product management prioritization, industrial design, even fashion and architecture. Bookmark them or add them to your RSS reader. There's more than enough here to jumpstart ideas for your hot new product.

The Top 5 Blogs for Product Design Inspiration

1. Yanko Design | RSS Feed
Tagline: Modern Industrial Design News

Yanko has been around since 2002 as a web magazine that highlights outstanding examples of modern industrial design, as well as interior design, technology, architecture, and fashion. From its stark black wooden background to the types of futuristic gadgets that they showcase, this website is for those looking for products that are sleek, shiny, and — dare we say it — downright sexy. A must-read for those looking to create forward-looking products.

2. Design You Trust | RSS Feed
Tagline: World's Most Famous Social Inspiration

Design You Trust is more of a crowdsourced platform than an actual curated website, as its menu immediately gives you the option to submit a post. Think of it as a "bloggier" version of Reddit's design-focused subreddits. However, as a general one-stop-shop of design and art ideas, it cannot be beat. Aside from design posts, expect coverage of more popular subject matter such as fashion photography, graphic design, interior decorating, and yes, even makeup.

3. Inhabitat | RSS Feed for Products
Tagline: Design will save the world

If you're looking for design inspiration that is eco-friendly as well as beautiful, Inhabitat is your go-to source. They feature green design ideas for physical products as well as architecture, technology, and fashion. It's chock-full of the best green design ideas and innovations. A visual smorgasbord for those looking to build products for an earth-friendly future.

4. NOTCOT.ORG | RSS feed
Tagline: For your ideas+aesthetics+amusement

NOTCOT is actually two sites: There is NOTCOT.COM, which is the editorial side — more of a curated web magazine, complete with in-depth feature articles on products, product design, technology, designers, innovations, and trends. Then there is NOTCOT.ORG, which is the crowdsourced bulletin board where creatives post images and links to products that inspire them. Think Pinterest specifically for design. For quick visual ideas, the .ORG offers the viewer much more to absorb.

5. Behance.net Featured Projects | Link to the Product Design Category
Tagline: Showcase and Discover Creative Work

Since 2006, Behance has been Adobe's platform for bringing talent and creative opportunities together. Although it looks somewhat like Pinterest in layout, it allows creatives to showcase their best work so that clients can come and hire them. Look through their dropdown menus for a wide breadth of categories — from a product management launch plan to product design to graphic design, architecture, motion graphics, photography, and more, all easily searchable by tag. You'll find a specific category for "Product Design" but also check out the "Industrial Design" and "UI/UX" categories.

What Product Design Blogs Do You Read Regularly?

Yes, we probably missed your favorite inspirational product design blog in the world. But we won't know what it is until you tell us. You know what to do in that comment box below. Set us straight, ASAP!

Productivity 5 min read

14 Online Resources to Break Through Your Creative Block

You know the feeling. You sit down to work on a creative project and your brain just goes blank. When creative inspiration is stubbornly elusive, most of us turn to the internet for distraction... only to come back to our project three hours later just as stuck as we were before. But the internet can be your creative ally, not your foe — if you know where to look, that is. These inspiring websites, videos, podcasts, and other resources are sure to rekindle your creative spark. Browse These Websites for Creative Inspiration 1. Language Is A Virus A site to cure writer’s block. Daily writing prompts, interactive creative writing games, experiments and exercises, a character name generator, articles on the creativity techniques of famous authors, and more resources to pull you out of a creative rut. 2. Writing Prompts Subreddit A steady stream of wildly creative, user-submitted writing prompts. Click through to the comments to read other peoples' responses, or just pick your favorite prompt, grab a pen and paper, and start scribbling. 3. Selfless Portraits Strangers across the world draw each other's portraits. Doodling has been shown to stimulate creativity, so activate a new part of your brain, break through that creative block, and get a cool new Facebook profile photo to boot. 4. The Acoustic Guitar Project Are you a musician stuck on a set of lyrics or struggling to find your next melody? Plug in to The Acoustic Guitar Project. You’ll get a guitar, a handheld recorder, and one week to record an original song. Use the deadline as motivation, and when you’re done, sign the guitar. It’ll be forwarded to the next musician for inspiration. If you’re not musically inclined, listen to the soundtrack of previously recorded songs to get in a creative mood as you write, illustrate, edit, etc. 5. Damn Interesting Fascinating true stories from history, science, and technology to stuff your brain with interesting tidbits. Learn about the furious race between two scientists to achieve absolute zero, the mysterious tragedy of a 1930s ocean cruiser that caught fire after the suspicious death of its paranoid captain, and more strange-but-true stories. Read longform articles (with optional sound effects!) or listen to the podcast versions — either way, you'll pick up some creative ammunition. 6. BrainPickings' Literary Jukebox A side project of Maria Popova of BrainPickings.org, famous quotes from classic books are thematically paired with a song. Find inspiration and an accompanying soundtrack to fuel your creativity in one beautifully-designed spot. 7. Times Haikus This site is home to a computer algorithm that periodically checks the New York Times home page, scanning sentences to create spontaneous haikus. Human curators then select the best results to post on the blog. Browse the surprisingly poignant results to get in a reflective or inventive mood, then get your creative juices flowing by picking up a nearby newspaper or magazine (or opening one in a new browser tab) and trying it out for yourself. 8. Do Nothing for Two Minutes Exactly what it sounds like. This site will force you to take a short break to reset your brain. Don't touch your keyboard or your mouse, or the timer will reset. Just sit back, listen to the wave sounds, and come back to your project refreshed and focused. Watch These Videos for New Creative Ideas 9. TED Talk: Play This Game to Come Up With Original Ideas Toy designer Shimpei Takahashi's game shiritori is his foolproof way to come up with new solutions and original ideas. Learn how to play, then see how it can help you tap into greater creativity. 10. How to Boost Your Creativity Did you know that listening to your favorite music at work can actually make you less productive? This short video is full of quick things you can do in a matter of minutes to boost your creativity. 11. Watch Whose Line Is It, Anyway? clips Use the zany skits and prompts to get in the right mindset for generating a bunch of new, off-the-wall ideas. Plus you're sure to laugh, which will put you in a good mood and make you more productive. 12. TED Talk: How to Get Out of the Box and Generate Ideas When someone tells you to "just think outside of the box," do you get the urge to punch something? Easier said than done! Giovanni Corazza steps in with techniques for actually getting outside that proverbial box to promote innovative thinking. Listen to These Podcasts for New Creative Habits 13. The Accidental Creative Author and host Todd Henry interviews artists, authors, and other creative professionals for tips on how to succeed in life and work. Each short podcast is 20 minutes or less and features well-known leaders in the creative community, including Seth Godin, David Allen, Gretchen Rubin, Steven Pressfield, and more. 14. Radiolab: Me, Myself, and Muse Staring at your creative project and drawing a big, fat, blank? Talk to it, out loud, as though it were a person. Ask it what it wants. Tell it to meet you halfway. If a new idea comes to you while you're stuck in traffic, no pen in sight, tell it to buzz off and come back later. This is the technique embraced by famous creatives like Elizabeth Gilbert, Tom Waits, and Oliver Sacks. Learn why it works in this short, 15-minute podcast. The Best Techniques for Better Creativity What are your go-to methods for fighting creative blocks? Share your favorites in the comments! Sources: http://www.goodnet.org/articles/984 https://creativemarket.com/blog/2014/01/23/5-sites-to-boost-creativity-in-2014 http://www.stumbleupon.com/blog/staff-picks-sites-that-spark-creativity/

Productivity 5 min read

Creative Block? 5 Surprising Ways to Spark Creativity

There it is. That blank sheet of paper. Or a blank Word doc with the blinking cursor. Or blank Wrike task. It’s daunting to think about that deadline due in two days, or two hours, or 24 hours... you can feel the panic creeping in. You're in desperate need of a creativity boost, and it's not coming from your marketing collaboration tools. Forcing a creative state feels downright impossible. When you're in the zone, the ideas seem to come to you out of thin air. So what can you actively do to fuel creative inspiration? Next time you're stuck, just remember to B.U.I.L.D! Be bored Yes, you heard me right. Actually try to be bored... it's not as easy as you think! Technology has opened a vast horizon of stimuli; between mobile apps, search engines, social networks, and instant communications, we reflexively reach for our phones when we have nothing else to do. The reason we so often come up with our best ideas in the shower is simply because we have nothing else to do but think. When you find yourself with a creativity block, try to daydream. Instead of tapping into an app, tap into your subconscious. Who knows what you'll come up with when you let your mind wander? Unwind with a drink Looks like Don Draper was on to something! Drinking (a little) alcohol has proven to help boost creativity. In a study conducted at University of Illinois at Chicago, two groups of individuals were asked to perform the same creative task. The only difference: one group was slightly inebriated (BAC = .075) and the other group was stone-cold sober. To no one's surprise, the inebriated group performed slightly better on the task than the sober group. The study determined that a person's "creativity peak" is reached at a BAC of .075, just under the legal limit. Of course, too much alcohol is almost guaranteed to give you an even bigger creativity block (not to mention a headache). But go ahead, pour yourself a glass of wine and get the ideas flowing! Inspire with color Believe it or not, there are colors that can help influence creativity. Blue and green in particular can help boost both creativity and productivity. Red helps with focus and concentration. Having a blue or green desktop image, or even just sitting next to a window and looking outside once in a while, will enhance your ability to focus and be more creative. Listen to music Music can trigger different emotions from different listeners. Oftentimes, writers listen to the lyrics of a song to get inspired or to simply alter their mood. Mood can often reflect in your writing, so it's important to make sure you're selecting your music choice appropriately. The type of music can also effect how you write as well. Classical music, such as Haydn or Mozart, helps with concentration and focus whereas Impressionist music, such as Debussy and Ravel, helps trigger creativity and imagination. Music can also act as a powerful anchor. When you need to remember the feeling or emotion of a specific moment in your past, music can trigger that memory and mental state. Music is a truly powerful tool when it comes to creativity and it's fairly accessible, so make sure you turn up the radio when looking for inspiration. Draw on paper Although there are many tools available on your computer to inspire you, sometimes it's good to get another perspective — a pen and paper perspective. In their book, The Creativity Cure, Drs. Carrie and Alton Barron show how it's better to capture your ideas with pen and paper first. So grab some supplies and just start jotting down words or even doodling. It'll help clear your mind of distracting thoughts keep fresh ideas coming. How do you jumpstart your creativity? What are your favorite ways to get your creative juices flowing? Tell us in the comments! Related Reads:How to Better Foster Creativity on Teams5 Ways Creative Teams Can Boost Productivity

Productivity 7 min read

Top 11 Quotes To Get Your Creative Juices Flowing

Stuck in a creative rut? Here are 11 quotes from some of the most creative minds in history who've felt your pain and emerged victorious. May you find the inspiration to rise above your slump and free the genius inside your mind.

For Teams

Use cases

Apps & Integrations

Explore Wrike

Learn and connect

Become Wrike Pro

Top 5 Product Design Blogs to Follow

The Top 5 Blogs for Product Design Inspiration

What Product Design Blogs Do You Read Regularly?

Lionel Valdellon

Related articles

14 Online Resources to Break Through Your Creative Block

Creative Block? 5 Surprising Ways to Spark Creativity

Top 11 Quotes To Get Your Creative Juices Flowing

Top 5 Product Design Blogs to Follow

The Top 5 Blogs for Product Design Inspiration

What Product Design Blogs Do You Read Regularly?

Lionel Valdellon

Related articles

14 Online Resources to Break Through Your Creative Block

Creative Block? 5 Surprising Ways to Spark Creativity

Top 11 Quotes To Get Your Creative Juices Flowing

Get weekly updates in your inbox!

You are now subscribed to Wrike news and updates