SIDESHOW - I'm starting to have a lot of fun with this. :)

[Mike Ratledge]

Gina, all the advice you have gotten here is sound. Just Polish things as best you can and also be prepared to follow advice from your backers.

As far as the video, it's not required, but decks with them usually do better. You already hit the high points, just keep it reasonably shirt - 90 seconds to two minutes max.

I added you to the Deck Artist group. Good luck!

[montecarlojoe]

^ What Mike said. I'd add that a little flair and personality don't hurt. If you wan't to do it in 'Big Top' character I say go for it!

[JacksonRobinson]

Most collector's and designers will jump into quick and say "You don't need all the bells and whistles"

As a designer and collector you should view the "bells and whistles" as tools not "bells and whistles" Ink, Foil, Embossing, paper stock and everything else are all tools to creating a solid design. I personally believe as long as artists and designers view and approach the "bells and whistles" as bells and whistles we will continue to see a poor use of the tools that we as designers are given. You can have a incredible design with or without the bells and whistles. Most designers will start without them and the add them as a stretch goal after the fact. My question would be then, "Did you create the design with foiling/embossing (or what ever else you would like to replace) in mind or did you just shoe horn it in after the fact, into the design just because you wanted to add a stretch.

Yes you should absolutely think through your project and also NOT overextend yourself but if you want foiling, embossing or scratch and sniff paper. Create your design from the beginning with that in mind because all aspects of the design are of equal weight when it comes to creating a solid design.

If your original design included foiling but you don't make it then does that mean you'r design is only 90% realized. For the new designers I would say start out small and give your self the most chance of success. Create a solid design with out extra cost items. Don't even think about foil or embossing. Wait until you are ready and comfortable using the tools from the beginning rather than making them "add ons" to your design.

Every aspect of card design is just as important as the other, in order to make a solid product/design. Foil is just as important as card stock if you choose to use them both. But if you choose not to use foiling or whatever then it doesn't matter. Create your design fully realized from the beginning to the end.

good luck.

[Gina]

I appreciate it gents.
Ya know what it is JacksonRobinson? I look at these successful KS campaigns and the stretch goals and add ons SERIOUSLY overwhelm me. I think to myself, "Well that's a bummer. Why not just offer the upgraded deck with all the "bells and whistles" right from the start? It didn't seem fair to me that the original backers who supported you from day 1 have to pay MORE by day 15 to get a nicer version of something they already became a fan of. I don't know, it just feels like a hustle. Am I the only person who thinks this way?

[Gina]

As a designer and collector you should view the "bells and whistles" as tools not "bells and whistles" For the new designers I would say start out small and give your self the most chance of success. Create a solid design with out extra cost items.

I reread your message 4 times. You make valid points. I hadn't thought of the upgrades as tools... I will definitely start small, as you suggested. I appreciate the feedback a lot. - Gina

[vasta41]

It didn't seem fair to me that the original backers who supported you from day 1 have to pay MORE by day 15 to get a nicer version of something they already became a fan of. I don't know, it just feels like a hustle. Am I the only person who thinks this way?

That's not how it works- if a stretch goal gets unlocked due to popularity it's added on at no additional cost to the backer. The reason why, lets call it an upgraded paper stock for example, a project creator wouldn't create the deck this way in the first place is because the artist would rather see his/her dream come to fruition without an upgraded paper stock then risk falling short of a higher goal and never see the deck become a reality.

On the flip side a deck like Cosmic Lanes for example wouldn't have had a stretch goal for glow-in-the-dark features because that was the nuts and bolts of what that deck was about. If you're making a deck of cards tailored to play poker with, you might want to start with the more expensive paper stock in the first place. But it all comes down to what's more important- seeing the deck created at all or having it lack some "bells and whistles"?

Either way stretch goals are different from add-ons. Everything I just talked about is in relation to stretch goals. When backers decide to pay more on an item, it's an add-on. Like a t-shirt or poker chips. The wonder of KS is being able to gauge the demand as the project progresses. If a project barely met it's goal but didn't fund enough to unlock the t-shirts then I guess the t-shirts weren't as popular as the creator thought.

[Gina]

Vasta41 - your post made me immediately think of this:

Ahhhhhhhhhh - now I understand. Thank you for explaining it. I appreciate you not having a derogatory "tone" either! I'm sure all my questions must seem pretty foolish to all you guys with experience so taking the time to explain it to me means a lot.

I just kept looking at these huge campaigns and thinking, "These playing cards are so incredibly fancy with the foil and the embossing and the amazing packaging, do guys even use them when friends come over?"

Wait - now that's a good question. These decks on KS are pretty high speed, and the packaging is beautiful. Do most people keep a deck sealed as a collector's item and then buy another to use or? I'm digging this forum more and more. For me, I want guys to play with my sideshow deck. I want the cards to bring a smile until they can't be played with anymore... then I want them retired to wherever all the overplayed playing cards go to die.

[Gina]

^ What Mike said. I'd add that a little flair and personality don't hurt. If you wan't to do it in 'Big Top' character I say go for it!

heh heh - I mean sure, it's just ME potentially embarrassing myself... eh - I think you're right. I'll go for it.

[Gina]

Black deck or red deck??
hmmmm.....

As for bells and whistles, I appreciate your feedback very much. I think with this being my very first project, I'll keep it simple. Man it's hard to turn down the idea of shiny and embossing!! Maybe I can create a cool cut card with flair. (brain is going a mile a minute now)
Which sideshow character can I do for a custom cut card that would benefit from shiny?? Maybe a shiny sword for a sword swallower? Maybe some cool accent for a fortune teller???
hmmmmmmm

[Mike Ratledge]

Maybe just me, but I think the ref works better.

[ecNate]

For a ticket stub and the back, the red is definitely the way to go, but the front of the tuck is hard to read. I would do the red, but add some black on the front where needed. The text on the red back is white on red, but the front loses it, try something like this? Maybe also make the Str8 and Alive black too?

STR8decks.jpg (55.36 KiB) Viewed 1624 times

STR8decks2.jpg (54.32 KiB) Viewed 1623 times

[Gina]

funny I hadn't even thought to use both colors on the box -
I like. ok - will change it up - I don't want the title to get lost in the sauce.
One more question - I'm messing around with some fun "add on" ideas right now - do you guys like this font for SIDESHOW more than the one I had chosen for the box? Maybe the one on the box looks too generic??

[shermjack]

I definitely like the original font better.

[Gina]

sweeet- do you agree that the single color box is a little difficult to read???

I'm gonna mess around with some colors - I think adding some black might look cool!! I think that was a good suggestion!!

[TGunitedcardists]

Gina,

You might also want to check out Sawdust by Emmanuel Jose on Kickstarter. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/em ... escription

Although this is more of a circus theme rather than a carnival theme like yours, there are some similarities, especially the back of card being an admittance ticket. Mr. Jose is one of the most respected card designers out there and is very popular with collectors. You can see that he has very few "bells and whistles" in his project. Notice the tuck case is simple but very strong and distinctive. He just builds from a base of solid quality artwork which, by the way, is all done from paper cutouts! He sets the bar pretty high but I think you might get some inspiration from his work.

I'm sure you've also noticed the strong printers bias here. USPCC and EPCC are more expensive and have higher minimums but they produce the kind of quality product that many collectors demand.

I throw my vote in with the others: a deck with a strong theme, good artwork, printed by a quality printer is the way to go. Best of luck to you.

TL;DR: Simple, easy to calculate and don't overextend is the best way to go.

At the bottom, Emmanuel puts this information in the FAQ:

These two fantastic articles detail the costs behind Kickstarter projects, and they make a compelling case for taking a simple approach:

1. The Pain of the Wind: A Lesson in Scale

http://www.albinodragon.com/blog/book-1 ... -in-scale/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

2. Fate Core Kickstarter Breakdown To-Date and What We Actually Kickstarted

http://www.deadlyfredly.com/2013/11/core-ks-breakdown/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's a must read for anyone trying to do a Kickstarter.

[Gina]

Right after flashcards suggested I check out the Sawdust link, I read those two articles you're referencing TGunitedcardists!!!! TOTALLY, 1000% makes sense. I also liked the comment made in my thread by JacksonRobinson explaining all these frills are really "tools" for designers, and I should look at it that way instead of as "bells and whistles". That makes sense to me too!
The Sawdust deck is so incredibly cool.

OK- since I'm new to how forum's work, I feel very satisfied with how my first conversation topic has worked. I'll get my revisions done and post the pics in the correct spot on here for deck reviews and design feedback!!! Ooh- this is exciting!!! PHASE 2!!!! I had said it earlier but please know that if my KS campaign is a success, I'll send everyone who had given me their opinions in this "bells and whistles" thread a free deck as a thank you!!!!

[Gina]

Shermjack - took your advice on the font!! Now this is starting to get fun for me!!!!!

[Gina]

Hello Gents! You've been giving me feedback and I'm digging it. This is where I'm at!! I didn't know about the SAWDUST deck until this forum, and Mr. Jose's design work is absolutely amazing. As much as I want to go with red for my box art, I think it would just be too similar to his color scheme... I'm going to tie in the red with some of my add ons for my campaign instead.

I'm only going to do one stretch goal but I'm having a lot of fun with the add ons!!! I want to make my kickstarter campaign a 30 day EVENT so if you "follow" me on instagram, you'll automatically be entered into my contests!!! I'm going to give away prizes each Friday of the campaign, even if you're not pledging! If the campaign is a success, I'll give one lucky winner a super fan package!!!

Inspiration for my deck comes from old school banner art at sideshows!! I'll do my best to explain why I love them so much in my little 2 minute kickstarter video! (wish me luck with that - heh heh)
I'd like to launch the campaign the first week of September so please post feedback and suggestions!! It was already suggested that I add some splashes of color to the box art, so I'm working on that right now!!! Not sure if posting all my cards like this at one time is bad etiquette, but I'm going for it. Not sure if I'm supposed to build up the suspense with one card at a time.
Hope to hear back from you! (my newly created instagram account is here: https://instagram.com/str8games/

[shermjack]

Nice Gina! Unfortunately, the beige does not contrast well with the red, resulting in an image that is hard to discern what it is.

[Gina]

If I want to stick with a red background on this, do ya think I should go with white instead of beige??

[PrincessTrouble]

Shouldn't this be in the Drafting board?

[Gina]

I put a post on there!! I was just following up with a suggestion from Shermjack Princess Trouble!!
(funny - never thought I'd say SHERMJACK and PRINCESS TROUBLE in the same sentence... or I guess ever)

[shermjack]

Agree with Princess Trouble that this thread should be moved to Drafting Board...can a mod merge the topics?

Gina, as for the color combination, why don't you try red and white and maybe red and black?

[flashcards]

Gina, I really like what you have done with these so I'll be a backer for sure. My sister-in-law is really into carnival/circus sideshow themes so I will have to get her a deck as well. Last Halloween she decorated her house as a dark carnival. (I went as a magician and that's wear I got into the whole collecting/cardistry/magic thing- but that's another story.) Great job so far and best of luck with the campaign.

PS: I don't do Instagram or Facebook so I won't be following you. The contest sounds cool. "Super Fan Package" - yum.

[Gina]

Don't forget you get a free deck for helping me out with that other forum thread!!!! We're doing the dark carnival theme at our house this halloween!! Too funny!! We did the whole asylum / evil hospital theme last year!!! Halloween is the best!! I really appreciate the kind words about the design and passing the word about the campaign. Yeah - the "super fan package" is gonna be cool!! More details in a few weeks!!! Expert Playing Card Company is printing for me, and I asked the Gambler's Warehouse to handle all the card shipping and handling!! Have you worked with them before????

[Gina]

heh heh - not trying to keep the last word here but I'm officially in the drafting board section now under SIDESHOW
Shermjack - noted and notated. I'm on it hoss.

[Eoghann]

Bunch of slacker mods, the lot of 'em. Specially Dan. Merged the topics.

Cool deck you've got going here!

[Gina]

dammmmit - can't let me keep the last word.
heh heh - I like your moves. I just posted again in the drafting board section. I'm creating a cut card. So this will officially be the last message for this thread. For reals this time.

[Eoghann]

You know what (in my mind) be pretty cool? If the paper stock on the tuck resembled the paper the admission tickets are made of. You know with a kind of rough, cardboard feel to it? Instead of the cheap glossy default tuck most printers go with.

[Gina]

Are you trying to get me kicked out of this forum? heh heh
I like the suggestion about the tuck box - here's a quick pic to show you my motivation. I have an idea for the custom seal I'd like to do - will post it in the DRAFTING section so I don't get in trouble. This is me, leaving to the drafting section now. heh heh