If by Quirky, you mean amazing

Quirky Manifesto from Quirky on Vimeo.

I just stumbled across Quirky on Josh Spear's always-interesting Trendspotting blog and am really digging this concept. You know the saying, "90% of success is showing up"?  Let's say you have that 10% light bulb idea but don't have the resources to set it off.  That's where Quirky comes in. Intrigued?? Ben Kaufman, the company's founder, is only 24... Clearly that boy can execute. 

Quirky is essentially a crowd-sourced product design company that makes inventing accessible.  Their premise is that people are programmed to invent (we're constantly thinking about what's next & how we can improve things), however the actual inventing process can be a bit of a pickle (more like a giant, gorilla-sized pickle)...what?? I don't know, stick with me, though.

Basically, Quirky creates products by connecting people with ideas to the resources they need to get their shit madeeeee.  Anyone can sign up to Quirky and submit an idea for a new product.  Each week, the Quirky community rates top ideas and then Quirky's team (including top designers, brand peeps, etc) weeds through submissions and votes on the top two ideas.  Those ideas are then put through R&D and a prototype is created. Then, they put the product up for sale. If a product reaches 'threshold' - meaning a certain number of people purchase it - the products get manufactured (hello, China) on Quirky's dime and they continue to push sales. Inventors and influencers (people who were involved in the successful 'birth' of the product, including community members who voted for it) are rewarded based on their impact on product development. In dollars.  You follow?  If not, check out their handy infographic (I love a good infographic).

One of my favorite lines in the manifesto is, "failure is a crucial part of success at Quirky. Quirky is just as powerful at killing good ideas as it is at pushing great ones forward".  Wise words that apply to more than just product design.  Just become something seems like an OK or 'pretty good' idea, doesn't mean you should hop on board. Proper research and vetting need to happen before you commit to something. Even a puppy. Even if it's the cutest facking puppy ever.

I love the collaborative and creative nature of this start up and am looking forward to many more Quirky inventions.

What will you invent??? What do you use in your day-to-day life that could use a little design botox?