(I'm getting used to the idea of posting the small-ish victories in the large battles to create, so here goes.)
I've agonized over the perks/rewards for the Kickstarter for They Were Here for the last two weeks. On the surface, that may seem a bit ridiculous. However, it's not like I can just slap some t-shirts or prints up as backer rewards and call it a day.
This is, after all, a memorial project, it's beyond important to not make this ever seem or feel exploitative.
To that end:
One of the perks I'm really quite excited about is offering backers a "experiential" perk: a digital, ongoing and exclusive look at the process of making this work. I know from Mission Accomplished? that this will be "an experience" worth documenting, and I am looking forward to taking my backers along with me on the journey.
After much more deliberation, I decided to offer postcards and postcard sets of photographs of the maps. These will be oversized, on heavy premium stock and glossy - as quality as I can find. I was initially resistant to the idea until my friends and partner reminded me that I can tell the story of each region or state with such images. Once my blinders dropped I became excited instead of skeptical. I want to do justice to these maps and the subjects - so it's one more aspect of the project I'm excited about.
"Postcards" like these - both signed and unsigned, in full sets of all states or just a handful - are as close to "prints" as I could make them while still keeping the cost of perk fulfillment down (it's already tacking an additional 30% to what I'd otherwise ask for - I don't mind it, but I do need to be mindful of the money).
Finally, I've also decided to offer the originals for sale. I wrestled with this one, but decided that if someone really connected with the art and the concept and really wanted to own one of the pieces after the premiere gallery show, I should let that happen. If this was a publicly commissioned piece it would be different (and I wouldn't be crowdfunding in the first place).
Onward to launch - countdown commences....