As some of you will remember, in June of this year I launched my first ever Kickstarter campaign!
It had always been a dream of mine since setting up my Etsy store to sell a pin badge of my design, but I never knew how to make them or where to go - and I definitely couldn't finance it. So when we had a talk about crowdfunding at uni, suddenly it felt like a possibility.
When I finished uni, I settled on a design and created the Kickstarter campaign. I decided to use Kickstarter to fund my campaign, as Awesome Merch have a minimum order requirement of 100 pins, which I would have been unable to finance myself. Using Kickstarter also generated interest in the product before it launched. I used my logo for the design as it's cute and wearable, but also subtly promotes brand image.
Setting up the campaign was actually really simple - there were loads of prompts to help me write an intriguing and trustworthy story to encourage people to pledge, and it looked really professional in the end. I set the timeframe to 30 days, as I had absolutely no clue how much interest my pin would get, so I just went for the recommended amount. In hindsight, I wish I had made it shorter as I reached my goal in just 4 days (woo!!) and after that no one else pledged, so I started getting impatient, wanting to get to the production stage already.
Overall, the process took a little longer than expected as it took 2 whole weeks for the funds to reach me, and then I had to wait another 28 days for Awesome Merch to send me the pins. Awesome were great during production, they're always ready to help and accommodate any needs you might have. And the final pins are AMAZING quality.
I had so much fun photographing the pins and setting up the Etsy listing! I found it particularly challenging to photograph the pins with my photography lamp due to their shininess. The pictures aren't high-end, professional quality, but I'm proud of them none-the-less.
In conclusion, I had an amazing experience with my first pin badge, and will definitely be designing more in the near future!
Here's a preview of the final listing (you can see the listing in full at https://etsy.me/2wzqoaj):
Meet the Sloth Adventure pin badge - the result of my first ever Kickstarter campaign, which ran from June to July 2018.
This cute lil' guy is Slo the Sloth, so called because his mother was too lazy to name him, and gave up half way through 'Sloth'. Slo loves going on adventures and now he can join you on your adventures too! Take him around the world with you on your hat, take him to a gig on your denim jacket or even just take him shopping on your tote bag! Everything is an adventure with Slo.
The pin is 30mm by 20mm and is made of sturdy black nickel hard enamel, which gives it a super shiny and glossy look. It also comes with a black rubber clasp to keep Slo in place throughout every adventure! The pins were manufactured by the aptly named Awesome Merchandise in Leeds, UK.
Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think in the comments, as well as any other designs you'd like to see as a pin badge!
Bronte