ENHANCE INNOVATIONS BLOG
Helpful articles for inventors and entrepreneurs on product design and invention licensing. Sponsored by the team at Enhance Innovations.
Hey Baby, What’s Your File Type?!
Feb 26, 2024
Understanding file types is important for saving and handling design files. Each file type has a purpose for how the design can be used, who will be needing the file, and the intended task to be achieved.
Working Design files:
Working design files are Software specific files that can only be opened using programs that created or can edit the file. These are important to save; for future editing by the original designer, or the next designer down the road…
AI — Good or Bad?
Dec 11, 2023
The world we live in is run by technology with the goal is to see just how advanced we can get it. WIFI and smartphones are always within reach, and being “plugged in” is becoming more popular than engaging in real-life human interactions.
Ever since artificial intelligence (AI) was introduced to the public back in the 1950’s it has grown steadfast. In recent years, AI has brought concepts that only really existed in our imaginations to reality…
The Best Dog Toys to Come to Market
Oct 9, 2023
There’s a lot that can go into keeping your dog happy and healthy. One of those key elements is mind stimulation. Keeping your dog’s mind active and engaged can decrease boredom, lower stress, and deter bad/destructive behavior.
Interactive dog toys have grown in popularity within the last two years resulting in an influx of new and creative product ideas…
Top 5 Marketing Trends from 2023
Aug 12, 2023
Marketing is a key essential for creating interest in your product, company, or brand. Below are the top 5 marketing styles from 2023.
1: Marketing via an Influencer
When you and your business collaborates with influencers you can expand your brand’s awareness and gain fans from the influencer’s audience. Unfortunately, most can’t afford to hire a celebrity influencer with millions of followers and that’s where Micro-influencers come into play…
Patents: Things You Should Know
Jun 7, 2023
A Patent is defined as, “the grant of a property right to the inventor” – The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
A patent is a necessary form of intellectual property protection and helps protect the mechanisms, principles, and components of an inventor’s invention…
The View from Above: Growing Emphasis on Aerial Design
Mar 28, 2023
In the last decade—notably the last few years, new structures, city designs, and landmarks have been debuting that put great attention to how they are viewed from above. Formerly, we typically have viewed architecture, sculptures, and even large advertisements from street view—below—you know—where we stand.
But recently, the most talked about unveilings all put an incredible amount of expense to how they are seen from above. An angle that a significant minority of viewers exist, but a massive majority of viewers can now see.…
How to Present an Elevator Sales Pitch: Tips & Tricks
Jan 12, 2023
An Elevator Pitch or Elevator Speech is a short description of an idea or product that explains the concept in a way that any listener can understand in a short period. The name—elevator pitch—reflects the idea that an elevator ride, or approximately 30-60 secs, is the length of time required to deliver your idea or product summary.
A good elevator pitch essentially lays the foundation to get people interested in your idea or product; simply conveying the overall concept or topic in an exciting way…
Working With A Remote Product Design Firm
Nov 7, 2022
There was a time when the most common way for design firms and clients to align on projects was to sit in a room, with a white board at hand, and slowly ideate a mutually agreed upon direction for a given product design project.
Brainstorms occurred in real time, in person, and on the spot, whether the spark was there or not…
Enhance Innovations Featured on Shark Tank with VaBroom!
Sep 2, 2022
Trevor Lambert (CEO of Enhance Innovations) and John Vadnais appear on Shark Tank with our hit product VaBroom!! Will we accept a deal with Mr. Wonderful, Kevin O’Leary?? Watch the full episode here and find out!!
Originally aired on January 14, 2022 (Season 13, Episode 11), Copyright Sony Pictures Television.
What Your Logo SHOULD Do—And Should NOT Do
July 12, 2022
“Well designed” simply means that it looks good and functions well.
This especially applies to logo design. So, when designing a logo, what are some crucial things your logo should do? And equally important, should not do?
Your logo SHOULD: Identify Your Brand
This is really the main function of your logo…
Hacking Creativity – Finding Ideas in Relaxation
May 7, 2022
Many of history’s best thinkers espoused the notion that their best ideas came to them when they were in their most relaxed states when they arrived at their most potent and innovative concepts.
For years, scientists have theorized that many ideas are born from the brain’s release of dopamine. Dopamine is the chemical that the human brain makes that generates pleasure and satisfaction. This chemical reaction is the opposite of what occurs when humans are put in tense or high-stress scenarios…
5 Tips to Design a Functional Website
February 1, 2022
Before you start placing images and text haphazardly onto your website, stop and think about the best possible way to organize your content. Below are a few tips and tricks on how to do just that!
Website Grid
A website grid is a system for organizing the content of a product on a webpage and creating alignment and order. Website grids are great for creating a cohesive, functional, and aesthetically pleasing website…
6 Steps to Preventing Inventor’s Block
November 2, 2021
We have all heard of writer’s block, but inventors can experience the same thing while developing a new product. Recently, most people have been working from home either full-time or hybrid, but trying to stay creative while working from home can be difficult. Here are some to help keep those creative juices flowing.
Step One: Creating a Work Space
Make sure you don’t work from the places that you usually dedicate to relaxation or sleep. Set up a section of your home that is dedicated to work, even if it is your kitchen table…
Enhance’s Growing Presense in the Toy and Game Industry
August 3, 2021
Enhance will be attending the 2021 ASTRA (American Specialty Toy Retailing Association) toy fair at the Minneapolis convention center to show case its most successful game release of 2020—Migration Mars.
Migration Mars is a thematic board game of planetary exploration. Four factions race to migrate citizens from Earth to build the first city on Mars. It shares some traditional game mechanics with several unique aspects that include surviving meteorite strikes, discovering crystal filled ruins, and unlocking ancient alien structures!
We Are Headed Back to the National Hardware Show!
May 22, 2021
After almost a year and a half, Enhance will finally be returning the Hardware show in Las Vegas this October. Trade shows are crucial for licensing as you develop face-to-face connections with potential licensees.
Being able to show products to manufacturers in person and developing a relationship with their decision makers not only helps existing clients, but also future clients that are in their product market…
It’s All About that Color Psychology
March 11, 2021
Ever wonder why someone decided to make their packaging different shades of purple and red? Or why they choose orange for their product? Well, they did it for a very specific reason. That reason was made based on Color Psychology.
What is Color Psychology?
Color psychology is the study of colors as a determinant of human behavior. Color can influence our perceptions and guild us to make decisions and marketing firms across the world know all about that…
Just How Important is Product Placement in Stores?
January 8, 2021
Being mindful about where you stock and place your products in a store can be the difference between selling only a few units and selling a couple hundred. The competition is tough out there and a strong understanding of in-store product placement is important.
What is In-Store Product Placement?
In-store product placement is a merchandising technique in which products are placed thoughtfully throughout the store to draw attention to them. There are multiple ways to look at the planning/strategy behind it but the major factors are considering where the majority of the foot traffic is in the store. How big is the store? What shelving is available?
9 Keys to Developing a Successful Board Game on Kickstarter
November 2, 2020
What wonderful times we live in where board games are bigger and better than ever. They have evolved into their own culture—a lifestyle—a universe of limitless gateways to explore and challenge your mettle whilst battling sorcerers, the undead, taking over planets, or appeasing kitty cats. You could play for days—nay, years without sleep and never play the same one twice!
With such a library of endless choices, sub-genres, and generations of meeples to lead, humankind can certainly sit back and be proud of the empire we have created. With that said, those who aspire to create and join the ranks of board game developers have a daunting task of parting the seas to get their feet wet without becoming consumed and lost among the waves…
Enhance Innovations Has Quietly Become Vendor to Top Major Retailers
August 12, 2020
Enhance Innovations was founded in 2010 with the mission of offering professional product development and industrial design services to our clients. From independent entrepreneurs, to established manufacturers, first-timers to experienced patent holders and innovators, Enhance has sought to provide meaningful, and intrinsically valuable product development portfolios to our clientele as a means of pursuing successful market rollouts.
During our years as a top shelf designer and developer, we have also sought to assist in the facilitation of effective market rollouts to large retailers. As such, we are pleased and excited to announce that over the course of the past 12 months, Enhance Innovations has officially become a vendor to Target, Walmart, Lowe’s, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Amazon…
Product Licensing in the Time of COVID
June 2, 2020
Although many industries have slowed down since the realities of the pandemic began to take hold in mid-March of 2020, Enhance Innovations continues to see a steady rise in the engagement that we receive from manufacturers to whom we pitch products.
As Enhance represents products from all categories, we keep our fingers on the pulse of trends across a large swath of industries and marketplaces. We have been pleased to report that conversations and interest in our existing product licensing portfolio has not only continued to be strong, but has actually risen as the pandemic months have gone on…
Statement on COVID-19 By CEO of Enhance Innovations
March 22, 2020
We at Enhance Innovations wish you and the broader global inventor community health and safety during these unprecedented and challenging times. In an effort to socially distance and stop the spread of COVID-19, our team has transitioned to working remotely. However, due to the nature of our business, we remain diligently hard at work on the development of new products, and there has been no impact to our clients.
It is without question that the novel coronavirus is incredibly serious, and we are very concerned for those who have been affected…
Enhance Launches Six-Figure Successful Kickstarter For New Board Game
February 20, 2020
Bring the thrill of Mars exploration to your home!
Migration Mars is a competitive, sci-fi strategy game of resource collecting, colony building, disaster management, decision making, dire trades, and devious betrayal.
Race your friends to colonize Mars in our brand new tabletop game!
Four Things To Know About Industrial Design
December 20, 2019
1. Industrial Design Is All Around You
You might not realize it, but every object you interact with on a daily basis, such as your phone, the car dashboard, or computer have all been painstakingly researched and designed by an Industrial Designer (and the broader team). Their goal is to make decisions for the user, helping them understand the product and have a better experience during its use…
Nine Ways to Create Better Product Prototypes
October 1, 2019
Each day, millions of entrepreneurs around the world register their new companies. Competition is fierce, especially on a global level. The only way for non-service brands to get ahead is to test, refine and release new products…
Enhance is Launching VaBroom on Kickstarter!
February 21, 2019
At Enhance we have a passion and drive to develop meaningful solutions that resonate with our customers… For nearly a decade, Enhance has been designing, developing, and licensing products. As we move into 2019 we have added an additional goal to that mission: bring products to market, direct to consumer…
The Most Popular Animals Used in Company Logos…and Why
October 18, 2018
7 Ingredients to Creating Successful As Seen on TV Products
August 28, 2018
5 Common Design Mistakes and Misconceptions
July 16, 2018
Overalls: 100+ Patents but Still a Questionable Fashion Statement
June 21, 2018
Have a Little Fun: Inventing Toys and Games
May 28, 2018
Three Reasons Why Inventors Should Go to a Trade Show
Apr 12, 2018
Four Inventions Inspired by Nature
Mar 7, 2018
Five (and a half) Reasons the Twin Cities is a Utopia for Innovators
Jan 29, 2018
New Inventions by Enhance Featured by Our President on the News
Dec 19, 2017
Our president and founder, Trevor Lambert, shows off some gift ideas of products invented by inventors and designed and launched by Enhance Innovations.
Design Grades for each NFL Team Logo
Dec 2, 2017
4 Traits of a Successful TV Product
Nov 14, 2017
10 Principles of Good Design
Oct 30, 2017
Learn About Design: Engineering Software
Oct 19, 2017
Top 5 Factors that Make a Company a Good Licensee
Sep 29, 2017
By Inventors, For Inventors
Sep 21, 2017
We at Enhance get to chat with people from all over the world. People who have dreams, ideas, and concepts that they are excited about and eager to get started. Frankly, we love it. We are so keyed into the excitement and high that one gets when they are in pursuit of their next big idea…
Designing with Type
Aug 20, 2017
Typography is a crucial element of good design. It is the visual voice that directly communicates to the reader and bridges imagery and meaning together. Three points to consider when incorporating text are Relevance, Readability, and Placement…
Keys to the Capitals Make Positive Impact
Jun 16, 2017
A dream nearly 25 years in the making. What started as a basic idea with a simplistic prototype grew into a successfully launched board game, and is helping spread an important message: no matter the circumstances or obstacles in life, inventing a new concept is a real possibility for everyone…
Enhance Finalist For Two Housewares Awards
Apr 21, 2017
Enhance Innovations, a Minneapolis-based design firm serving brand-name consumer product companies, start-ups and inventors alike, is turning heads in the housewares industry. Known for developing “smart solutions to real problems” on behalf of their clientele…
Design for Licensing vs. Design For Manufacturing
Mar 21, 2017
One of the most common questions we get is “What is the difference between Design for Licensing and Design for Manufacturing?” In regards to our process at in Enhance, we recommend Design for Licensing first! Design for Licensing is where we develop a concept, which can range from a napkin sketch…
Am I An Inventor?
Feb 24, 2017
There are common questions that arise when you tell people that you’re an inventor: “Like Ron Popeil?” “Like Doc Brown?” “Like The Nutty Professor?” “Like that J-Law movie?” There are so many film and television portrayals of inventors, and a number of cliches that pop up from time to time…
Photo-Realistic Rendering or Virtual Prototyping
Jan 5, 2017
end – er – ing: a work of visual art, especially a detailed process drawing which uses color and shading to make it appear solid and three dimensional. For most, this is not a familiar term, despite the fact that we observe renderings on a regular basis. Renderings are the photo-realistic images…
Prototyping and 3D Printing Options
Dec 3, 2016
3D printing is a manufacturing process that allows for the construction of a three dimensional solid object from a digital file. A 3D printer works by laying out successive layers of material, one on top of the other, until the entire form is constructed. 3D printing can be a great and economical resource…