Photo by Andrew Kelly for The Economist

The year 2011 was abuzz with news of makers and making. From The Economist to Forbes, to Dale Dougherty (MAKE founder) being recognized by the White House, political and business leaders recognized that small companies and startups drive the economy, and that increasingly, innovation for these new ventures is coming from a rapidly growing maker business community.

Here is a list of some of the top stories influencing the growth of maker companies this year, followed by a deeper look at each.

What Was Big this Year?

• Crowdfunding
• Government recognizing small business/basement innovation as a driving economic force
• Major retailers and electronics suppliers increasingly aware of the maker market
• Open source hardware gaining more mainstream awareness and becoming increasingly affordable
• More kit makers, build-to-order shops, and local factories coming to market

Crowdfunding is one of the most powerful tools for makers and do-it-yourselfers to advance an idea into a commercial product and it came into its own in 2011. Kickstarter and IndieGoGo are two of the best known, but RocketHub (which focuses on education and the arts) is another to watch. And there are many others popping up.

All of the above bullet-pointed advances are helping to fuel the trend in open source hardware projects, such as Lasersaur, Ultimaker, PrintrBot, OpenPCR, and a host of other devices and services. This post from early September explains how Crowdfunding is getting traction in DC. While it isn’t specifically about crowdfunding, Mitch Altman’s Manufacturing Your Design is terrific and highlights some of the things that every maker business should consider.

Governments have long recognized that small businesses drive economies — the White House created the Champions of Change initiative to acknowledge those individuals who are catalyzing this market and type of growth. MAKE’s founder, Dale Dougherty, was honored this year for his work with and commitment to makers, starting with the very youngest in primary and secondary schools up to older adults starting second careers as an entrepreneurs.

The Economist, as well as numerous other major media outlets, are finally picking up on the maker trend. More Than Just Digital Quilting is just one of the pieces The Economist ran in 2011. PBS’s NewsHour did several amazing, inspiring segments on the maker movement.

Major retailers and large electronics suppliers are increasingly spending marketing and advertising dollars in the maker space. They are also forming synergistic partnerships, such as RadioShack’s 2011 Great Create program and their carrying of Maker Shed kits and merchandise in RadioShack stores. Even Home Depot ran crafty DIY holiday ads on TV (where the commercial itself was a holiday project how-to).
 
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