Input needed: collaborative projects?

[tugrik]

Two years ago we produced a limited-run set of wooden tikis for FURtherCONfusion's "Surf Safari" theme. Ten artists were included; each did one tiki design. As payment we produced a 10-pack of their own design for them to sell (or keep). The rest were sold or given away through the con and were a smash hit.

Now and then I get contracted by various conventions to do ID badges or tracking tags for them to give away. More often than not they're looking for artwork in addition to the actual production part -- but as I'm no artist myself, production is the only part I really do. This and the success of the tikis have me wanting to do more of these collaborative efforts just to see where it can go. What I'm not sure about is what's best for the artists involved.

For example: next year's FC theme is "Down Under". They may or may not ask me to make ear-tags this time around (hopefully they do!). Either way, I wanted to get a group of artists together to submit small boomerang designs to be used as eartags. If I could get ten different designs (just like with the tikis) I'd produce 50 of each, numbering the total batch from 1-500. If FC decided to buy them, the convention would give them out like the year before. If not, then my friends and I would give them out and hopefully sell a few to cover our costs. Either way, more cool schwag for con-goers.

The question is: if you are an artist who'd be interested in participating, what would you want in return for the art? If payment, how much? If you wanted a batch of the tags (like we did with the Tikis), how many? Simple recognition? Anything else?

My goal here would be to do this as a regular thing for multiple conventions: groupsource the designs, produce them on my own dime, recompense the artists in a fair way and then pitch the results to the conventions. If they bought, hey, costs covered. If not, then sell them ourselves or just distribute for fun.

Good idea or bad idea?

Comments

[tugrik.livejournal.com]

My only worry is that contests bring drama. My thought was to post it up and take first-come-first-serve until the 'slots' for any particular project were filled. Then it's a matter of timeliness, not clique or judgement.

Of course, if someone participating can't come through with their design in time or if they can't submit artwork that'd work for the project (technically or content-wise) then their slot would re-open-up for the next person in line.

Does that sound fair, or more drama-ridden than a voted contest would be?

[thornwolf.livejournal.com]

I think your way sounds better. I hate contests and a lot of artists tend to avoid them anyways so you might end up with slim pickins just based on lack of desire to participate.

[darkwolven.livejournal.com]

Actually, I disagree. I think the only reason why that might happen is because people don't want to be told their design sucks. If it's through a contest, it's more blunt and ego bruising perhaps, but I have taken part in several contests this way and I have never seen a lack of contestants. Only that when you vote for only one, it tends to become a contest of who is most popular or best known among the contestants. That's what I hate. But if the voters for their top 3 or 4 favs, then it suddenly becomes more about who executed better.

It was only a suggestion of course. It's how I would run it. Less risk of getting a sucky design AND less drama too boot IMO.

[thornwolf.livejournal.com]

Yes but from a designer/illustrator perspective, it's ingrained into our brains to not do "spec work". Contests are exactly that, so more and more "good" artists are avoiding contests with monetary or value compensation like the plague.

[darkwolven.livejournal.com]

Well that's why I suggested that people vote for more than one entry, then it can't just be a popularity contest. Sort of like, if you are taking 10 top designs and 20 people submit, let people vote for their favorite 4 or 5. Then the people's designs that are best liked will rise to the top of the pile instead of those that campaigned for it, which will still happen to a degree of course. Only the better executed designs will have more votes overlapping, and thus hopefully the better designs enjoyed by more people will win. That's the concept anyhow.

[astolpho.livejournal.com]

If there was a contest, I would not participate.