The last few years have seen some massive changes in the way that consumers engage with the companies that supply them. Today, consumers have unprecedented access to their favorite brands, and can express concerns, ask questions, and request changes to products easier than ever before. However, this is not enough for many consumers. They crave the chance to make their own mark on the products that they use, and variety of online product designer tools are giving this possibility now.
You Are The Maker
Changing, extending and modifying products has been a part of video game culture for a long time, and today it is now something that has extended to other niches as well. There are many companies that offer custom T-Shirt printing and will print other products such as bags, coasters, mugs or caps, and integration of the design software. However, the world of custom product designers is about to get even bigger. Right now everyone can be even booklets publisher using online designer tool for that.
The 3D Printing Revolution
Online Designer for Wearable 3D Printed Shoes (Strvct – Wikimedia)
With 3D printing, anyone can make almost anything that they can imagine – as long as they’re happy for it to be made out of plastic. From 3D printed shoes and jewelry to printed toys, mugs, plates and phone cases, anything that you can describe in a CAD program can be made a reality.
Currently, if someone wants to get a product 3D printed, their options are quite limited – they either need to own a 3D printer themselves, or use one of the ones that is offered at a local Maker Space or similar facility. However, this is changing. A growing number of companies are now offering 3D printing services online, where consumers can use browser-based tools to create the products that they want to buy. This means that every consumer is a fashion designer or inventor – creativity is back in their hands.
To prevent scenarios where consumers buy a product that doesn’t quite work out the way they wanted it to, a lot of companies are offering limited printing services where the designs are based off templates. This is a good starting point, but it is likely that consumers will get more freedom as the quality and usability of custom product design tools improves over time.