Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Jakkarra]

nope, but we are building a battleship. even doing the planks individually.

bottom's chopped off though, so it looks like its at the waterline

[Joozey]

This is the most recent thread I could find regarding merchandising of DF items. So I bump it up.
I read Toady doesn't really like being bothered with mass production and copyright blabla (rightly so), but how about users would make nice individual items and sell them for a good price? I'm sure the lot of you is familiar with etsy ( http://www.etsy.com/ ), all funds (minus transfer fees) could be donated to Toady. Furthermore, this way is releaved from the obligation and commitment of running a mass-production line, and gives much better quality.

Would this be a reasonable way to be creative, earn money, and support this lovely game?

[Footkerchief]

This is the most recent thread I could find regarding merchandising of DF items. So I bump it up.
I read Toady doesn't really like being bothered with mass production and copyright blabla (rightly so), but how about users would make nice individual items and sell them for a good price? I'm sure the lot of you is familiar with etsy ( http://www.etsy.com/ ), all funds (minus transfer fees) could be donated to Toady. Furthermore, this way is releaved from the obligation and commitment of running a mass-production line, and gives much better quality.

Would this be a reasonable way to be creative, earn money, and support this lovely game?

Toady has given his blessing to at least one such enterprise in the past.  I think his main concern would be with shirts that besmirch the DF name via obscenity or whatever.

[MMad]

Toady has given his blessing to at least one such enterprise in the past.  I think his main concern would be with shirts that besmirch the DF name via obscenity or whatever.

Screw obscenity, let's stick with the classic DF team of ultraviolence. I'd *love* a black t-shirt with the design in the OP. Heck, I'd buy two..

[Capntastic]

I just have to say I derive some amusement that the 'shirt design' in the OP has like 8 different shades of red making it pretty much impossible to use for silk screening. 

If someone who actually knew about the process at all, had access to the resources and materials required, and had a good design that wasn't wholly in-jokey, I'd support them fully.   But so far, none of the people who have suggested 'we should make shirts!' seems to really know what is involved with the process, and worst of all tend to want to use Cafepress to make horrible low quality shirts with patented "will fade after one wash" inks.

Edit:  I'm sure I've suggested this before but custom printed shotglasses and mugs would be cool, and since they tend to be less common purchases and last longer than a shirt, a markup would be less a hindrance to people purchasing them.  I think custom shotglasses can be purchased for 4 dollars each; selling to 8-10 dollars would be a pretty reasonable price.

[LordNagash]

Yeah, the more colours you use the more expensive it gets. This is why most merch shirts are basically two or three strong colours

[Capntastic]

Not just expensive, but also complex and time consuming to make.

[Footkerchief]

Shotglasses and mugs also have the bonus of being thematically appropriate.  I seem to be drawing a blank on DF drinking-related in-jokes right now, though.

[Capntastic]

Just a picture of the ASCII dwarf face and "DWARF FORTRESS" would be enough.

[PMantix]

I just have to say I derive some amusement that the 'shirt design' in the OP has like 8 different shades of red making it pretty much impossible to use for silk screening. 

Not that it really matters...

but I am only seeing 3 shades of red. The color of the blood (darkest red), the color of the dwarf's 'head' (lightest red), and then the color of the blood and 'head' when it is overlapping (a medium red in between the other two. It's also the color of the dwarf's eyes.)

That might not be that bad to make on a silk screen, right? My brother's shirt maker has places for 6 individual screens..  not sure if that's typical or not, I really don't know much about them.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Footkerchief]

^^^ Even if it's only 3, the bloodstain idea could be done just as effectively with a single shade of red, as long as the bloodstain was applied in a more conservative fashion so that the pixels remain distinct.

I fear for the social life of anyone who would buy any variant of that shirt, though.

[Capntastic]

The point I was trying to make is that the colors are too similar and not worth the effort tradeoff.   A common technique in determining if a logo is good is if you can still tell what it is if it was reduced to a black and white sillhouette.

And Footkerchief is correct as well.

[PMantix]

Right, that makes sense. Not practical for mass production.

I fear for the social life of anyone who would buy any variant of that shirt, though.

Social what?...  What what?

Heh, of course I don't think people would understand any shirt based on DF anyway.

A bloody ASCII face might be crossing a line though, 

[tefalo]

I'd buy anything that menaces with rope reed spikes.

[jaked122]

Shotglasses and mugs also have the bonus of being thematically appropriate.  I seem to be drawing a blank on DF drinking-related in-jokes right now, though.

forget drinking, put a picture of three mugs on the mug, with those mugs with three mugs on them. planepacked of the mug world.