Evaluation/ design boards

The comics industry is in a precarious situation, but is not beyond repair. If creators are willing to make content to interest the public, new ideas unseen or not fully explored will grab their attention. Comics are put in a strange position when compared to or paired with advances in new media, but artists such as Sutu, and following the ideals of Scott McCloud, are showing that they can work, given the correct consideration and effort. This is still somewhat of a waiting game though, as the technology clearly still has some progress to make before it is both creator and user friendly.

As for my personal work, I have come to a better understanding of the importance of personality and tone, especially in a market bridging the gap between creator and following. The world wants unorthodox ideas and stories, I just need to maintain an integrity within my work and not make what I believe is expected. I have also learned the importance of attempting new methods and techniques, creating the AR scene has given me a unique portfolio piece, and a new medium/ method to work within. Finally with these individual elements, I had to learn how I would present this work as a package to the world, stressing the importance of branding my work, maintaining elements of thematic consistency and professionalism within the design.

Essay: What is the current state of comics

Outcomes

Backer rewards

Now this was a justified reason for making that font, It was a much quicker process to type the letter than hand write it.



Working from the lets kickstart a comic book, and seeing that the typical rewards behind successful projects aren't too ambitious, I made some postcards and a poster out of existing materials.

Im happy with them, but am quite proud of the poster. Its that drawing from the scrapped 360 scene, I found a use for it! Cant be wasteful when the work is perfectly fine, and it also works a lot better within this context, lacking any outside elements really lets the detail of the image shine through.

Before I go, here is the real world application, a physical kickstarter reward tier, to be delivered to you the person marking the project. I hope it's up to your high standards.

Making a kickstarter mock up

Couldnt help myself but to apply that sweet sweet home cooked font.

These headings for the campaign were super simple to make, taking the vines from the cover/ reverse and again applying as a backdrop to the text. This I feel has resulted in a little visual cohesion between what will be on the page, and the comic itself. Little things that can make all the difference in these kinds of projects.

With an animation made and the little design elements sorted, I could then make the mock up, pretty snazzy eh? 

This of course wouldn't be all the work, I know for a fact I am forfeiting the real work of a kickstarter project here, the grizzly business side of things. Regardless I still have to present the work professionally within the page, so that was naturally the next step. Ill cover the rewards in a later post.

Research: Lets kickstart a comic

I found an incredibly handy resource for aspiring kickstarter creators, from someone who has run multiple successful comic campaigns. The book covers just how stressful a process kickstarting a project can be, but it lays a solid groundwork, and encouraging you to be rational, and question your dedication. If you aren't committed enough to fulfil your promises, don't do it.

The main advice that will impact my project was this: If you offer backer bonuses, I recommend sticking to incentives that will be quick to fulfil and/ or wont require an increase in shipping costs, especially if this is your first kickstarter, this can be:

- A thank you in the books dedication
- A cameo in the comic
- Digital comissions
- Existing works to hand (zines stickers etc...)_

Im gonna use this as a template for my bonuses, keeping them simple and manageable, it would only make sense contextually.

The book has made it painfully apparent how much of the hard work i'm avoiding by not actually making a kickstarter. But with that said, this research Is giving me that context, although I haven't been able to experience it, Im able to understand thanks to this research.

Interim evaluation 4

Getting closer and closer to the end, everything seems to be shaping up and coming to a finish. There are still some sizeable tasks to tackle, but there is more than enough time to do so. Most of the practical has come close to completion, mainly only requiring a physical copy for the sake of hand in. The Essay, I feel I can say is within its final stages, requiring some quotes and research to back some of the key points, a little last minute research will be undergone to tie up those loose ends and strengthen the outcome.

Having essentially completed the comic, and it’s technological additions, I have a strong understanding of both the process of making a comic, and the importance of experimentation, trying new things within my existing practice. Earlier in the project, I came to be quite down on VR and AR, beginning to believe that the barrier for entry was too high. Whilst I feel that this is still true to a degree, the AR work has again instilled a passion for the area, and with that the belief the tools will develop to be approachable with a smaller resource pool.

I feel the improvements that could be made on the project as a whole are quite apparent, the AR and technological work could have been expanded upon, lacking in comparison to the work generated for the comic in terms of volume. The presentation could have also covered angles other than kickstarter in the end, expanding in to making press kits for publishers, or forming the project as though it was a web comic.