What I learn from my Kickstarter project

2018.2 – 4.12, I used two months to develop my Kickstarter project.(Majority part of job was finished in March.) This is a nice start of my tattoo design series and study process. I am writing my experience to conclude the lesson.

How to make general idea into a solid design solution for your community.

At class beginning, I started to reach out the artists community and I interviewed with six artists about traditional culture topic. My reason to choose the artists community is that I want to learn and know more different opinions. Basing on these different ideas, my goal is to develop my own design philosophy. After interview, I published the interview processes and thoughts at my Wechat official accounts.( One of posts from artist Markus) These interview processes are another class for me about how to talk with people and how to interview (I wrote the thoughts at here).

After getting some thoughts and idea, I started to frame my design solution. This is a super difficult transfer. How to make me finish my goal (support me with money and topic) and also design for my community?

From my interview findings to design solution, I used some method to solid.

1. Conclude all thoughts and findings, and write it down. Draft the design solution on paper.
2. Talk with different people, classmates, teachers, friends, even strangers. When you talk with other people, you will listen other’s thoughts of the idea. Then you can base on these reflections to reframe your design solution every time.
3. After talk with others, you will develop a new idea.

I cannot make money from my interviewees, and I also want to design something new for public let them know more about traditional culture. My design goal is to listen to other people and culture’s different opinion and philosophy of traditional culture innovation. And this traditional innovation design all about how to push me interview more artists and designers.(This is my design propasal.)

How to shout out your design work to public.

I think this is a huge part for me to learn how to use my social media. I had never think about how to use my social network well. In last two weeks, I used my social media to post my Kickstarter link, and wrote the script. It is a content strategy for market. The signal which help me to tell my friends what I am doing and attract other people’s attention. The key point is I don’t want to make the content like advertisement tone. Because ask money on my social network make me feel embarrased. So I tried to make the content clear and use several words(really weak)to show “ hey, I need some money to support the group…”.

This experience make me know some tips, and these will help me at next project signal shout out.

1. Frame your content very clear and attractive. Social media is a short-time read for users, so make sure the content concise, comprehensive and eye-catching.
2. Post your signal regularly. Make your followers can see your post in their home page. This can engage your followers, and let them see the post repeatlly. Moreover, every time you update your content, the followers will know the iteration or development of this project.
3. Learn to use emojis and clear pictures to clarify your idea. People always attracted by beautiful photos and colorful emojis.

Part of my posts on social media

How to organize and develop my user community.

I did not do a good time plan for my this Kickstarter project. For my project, I have two communities to need to be reached out. First is my interviewee community (artists and designers, I get inspirations and art philosophy from them). Second is my design user community(tattoo lovers and traditional culture lovers). I interviewed first community with long time, but they are not my backers group. The second community I don’t have enough time to reach out and develop, but this community is my main backers group. So I think this is one of main reasons that why I did not get enough backers and found. However I still feel so happy about this short social network develop experience, because I got a lot of new followers on Instagram and Wechat official account. This experience inspire me that I will do follow things in the future.

1. I will reach out my target community (temporary tattoo lovers and tattoo artists, temporary organizations). The methods should be interview and onsite visit.
2. I will post my design work regularly on social media. And try to build my online social network from now. This is huge thing for me. I have never been thought about the social network power’s meaning for me. But this time I realized this is a time I need build this for my design. Also, I need to invest time and energy to accumulate my community slowly.

New entrenprenual business start.

I think my design is the most important and interesting part of this whole my class experience. I like my idea and outcome. Because this design can match my goal and my taste at the same time. I will continue this project as best as I can. The interest is my biggest motivation.

I know something about an industry (temporary tattoo) from this process. Temporary tattoo innovation design will have a good market. I searched Tattly and Inkbox, the business model and their manufactory are integrated. I will keep researching them and finding chances to work with them. In particular, Inkbox which is also a new material of temporary tattoo company. This material more durable and real than traditional stickers.