props & critiques
Hi Mark,
Like others mentioned cool that you present yourself in this way. I noted down some comments while reading this thread & browsing your site.
- Mission, i like your openness and transparency keep that up, it's a trend for companies to become more human. It's not a big deal if not everyone likes you or you make an mistake, just keep being honest about it.
- Story & Contact, the way you've written this piece might need some adjusting. However i value your personal approach keep in mind that you alone are not the company, all your employees, distributors, and locals & riders who help design the brand are part of the company as well. Better to write in the "we" sense, start a movement, respect everyones talent and input, and you are that one that should state how proud you are of the collective result you and all your associates are creating.
- Style, i read this thread first and then took a look at your site, heard some negatives about the colorways and after i saw them i was like.. ehh where is all the Milwaulkee input? German & French Hipsterkids are flushing the slopes all over here in Europe in these neoncolours, might be hot&happening but has nothing to do with Grassroots in my opinion. The prototype zipper with the checkers was a lot more in the direction I was expecting. (but style is as always very personal)
- Colorways, very nice that you open up for opinions on this, but everyone shouting "i like black&blue i like this and that", doesn't really help you. I think the best thing to do, also for you as a designer because you have got your own vision, is to create colorways in different styles and then let people vote which style (combination of colour ways) they like best. For instance now you have used neon-like hard colours style, so design 3 colorways in this style and then take another style for instance more earthly colors dark red, brown, olive and another style lets say pastel blueish&yellow, green&pink, grey&ecru. If you let people vote for the style of the colour ways instead of the colour itself I think you receive more useful information of what the market is longing for.
- Custom designs - FFFFFUUU awesome!
- Logo, man that is a cool logo when i saw it first on your site, love the design & colours... But then the designs of products spoiled it for me, too big, too much, all the colours gone.. I personally don't like big logo's at all (opinion) but I hear a lot of starting companies saying: "yeah but people need to recognise the brand" yup that is true, but what do you want your the public to recognise, the big ass logo or the quality/style& fit of your products? If you keep producing kick-ass products people on the slopes are going to notice, and ask what brand jacket one is wearing, this is much more valuable than 10000 people noticing some logo they don't recognise and have forgotten the same second. I believe it's better to create 2/3 places on each design where you place a small logo, always on the same spot, always the same label - maybe you can use a sawn over piece of clothing label, (i added a photo)...
- Other logo-marketing idea.. In stead of logo, place a 2d barcode (QR-code) linking to your website on the shoulder of a design. I would make me interested to scan it and find out what company is behind it..
- Other design idea - I see can adjust the sleeve with, I think it's Velcro or something. Adjusting sleeves is neat, but those velcro pull over to tighten things are hard to get really snug, i always end up with the complete sleeve twisted. Also there are really hard to get right if you want roll up your sleeves. (when hiking up hill i like to have bare underarms..) maybe you should do some testing with an elastic band with velco which is between the layers of the garment and comes out at one place (hope youre following me here) or another option is the elastic band with a closing mechanism (see photo)
Man, sorry for the long post hope you appreciate it, I'm a consultant for all types of creative companies in the Netherlands so take it as free advice ;-) Keep up the goods and do what feels right, keep pushing but do not fear to fail & learn.. Rome wasn't build in a day