“Glorious – a high density protein bar of great ideas!”
— Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman, Ogilvy UK; author of Alchemy
What do sound-wave fire extinguishers, wooden satellites and zebra-cows have in common?
They’re all bright angles — witty solutions sparked by looking at problems sideways instead of head-on.
In Bright Angles, innovation professional Daniel A. Maher takes you on a fast, fascinating tour of clever breakthroughs that changed how we live and work, from billion-dollar business pivots to ingenious fixes hiding in plain sight.
Along the way, you’ll discover how to spot these overlooked opportunities yourself, and spark smarter solutions in your own work, team, and everyday life.
Sharp, funny, and practical, Bright Angles is for thinkers, tinkerers, and leaders who love ideas that actually work.
Includes the Bright Angler’s Field Guide: a quick, practical toolkit of prompts and checklists to help you find bright angles and tackle everyday challenges with confidence.
Daniel A. Maher is an innovation practitioner and author focused on practical problem solving and applied creativity. He has worked across startups, established organisations, and the public sector, helping teams translate complex ideas into simple, actionable solutions.
Why I wrote Bright Angles
Over the years I’ve worked across hospitality, retail, corporate, and public sector teams, and one thing kept showing up again and again: the people closest to the work often have the best ideas, but they rarely get the tools or confidence to think differently.
Though I wrote Bright Angles for everyone, it offers added benefit for middle managers and team leaders in the trenches, the ones juggling people, problems, and pressure every day, who don’t have time for heavy theory but still want better ways to solve challenges.
It’s designed to be brain fuel: short, practical, and light-hearted. A collection of real examples and sideways thinking that helps you look at problems through a fresh lens and spot solutions hiding in plain sight.
The most common feedback I hear is simple: “This is the book I wish I’d been given early in my career.”
If it helps even a few leaders unlock their natural creativity and build more innovative, optimistic teams, then it’s done its job.
