{How to find inspiration for new product designs.}

This giveaway is closed. Congratulations to Aimy Michelle (be sure to check your email). Thank you to everyone who participated in this giveaway and a big THANK YOU to Red Letter Words for supplying it.

Being the owner + designer of a handmade shop brings many fun tasks to my to-do lists, but probably my most favorite task of all is designing new products — and the inspiration that starts it all :) It’s no small accomplishment to design a new product line. Sometimes this means a totally new product concept, other times it means introducing something new to a product that already exists in your shop. 

If you’re a jewelry designer this could look like a fresh design on a bracelet you currently offer, or if you’re an artist it could look like a fresh drawing on a medium you are already familiar with. Dee of Red Letter Words recently launched a new product line and for her it consists of her signature typography style, but with a new element: simply One Word.

We asked Dee a couple of questions about where she finds inspiration for her designs, what it’s like leading up to a launch {her response could surprise you!}, and some creative steps she takes to encourage a successful launch. Be sure to read through to the end as we’ve got something special for one lucky reader…

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What is it like releasing a new line for Red Letter Words? Do you get really excited leading up to the launch, feel overwhelmed? What is the experience like for you as the designer? It can get a bit crazy making sure everything is done at the right time. From the inspiration to the first sketch to the color choices to the styling of the photo shoot to the adding to the website to the marketing —  it really goes step-by-step and everybody has their part. When I first started I never did “a line” or “a collection”, I just simply designed a print, took a picture of it and added it to Etsy {and then later my website}.  There was no marketing, no thought process, no rhyme or reason at all.  I did it all myself.  Now I design, Mindy styles and photographs, and Michelle does all the adding to the website.

As the business has grown and after I started licensing certain designs I began to see the value in planning more and having a whole collection of new prints that coordinated well together.

I get very excited leading up to a new launch! It’s a little nerve-wracking — as the designer, everything I do has a piece of my heart attached to it, so of course I want everyone to like it. But there’s always silly thought, “What if people hate the new stuff?” and then I think, “Well do I like it?  Yes!  I designed it!” And then, “Would God be pleased with it — does it glorify Him?  Yes?!  OK, go!”

Any feelings of being overwhelmed are easily managed by remembering that most deadlines I have are completely self imposed — if the new collection isn’t ready then it isn’t ready and we wait a week, not a big deal.  One of the best things about being a “mom-creativepreneur” is that you set your own timetable.

Where did you draw inspiration for creating your new line? Inspiration is everywhere — absolutely everywhere. But I must say that since my stuff is text driven — conversations, Bible studies, and life experiences are a huge part.  Aside from that, I love any kind of contrast.  Old verses new.  Rusty verses shiny.  Timeless verses trendy.  Modern verses vintage.  Yes, I regularly visit antique stores and flea markets ;)

Tell us about your vision behind the new line. The one word idea has been around awhile.  I first heard of it from Ali Edwards. I liked it, but last year was the first year I picked a word and really focused on it.  It was a family word: together. When we started homeschooling and spending half the year in California and half in Michigan we didn’t know how everything was going to go but we did know that we were going to experience it together.  The year 2012 was so great, on so many levels — we are repeating and spending the first half of the year in California. How long are we going to do this? We’re not sure. Our word for 2013 is wait.

follow Dee on Instagram ~ @RedLetterWords

What are some creative steps you routinely take to encourage a successful launch? For example, do you schedule in extra time so you stay on-track? Do you visit thrift stores for added inspiration? Do you sketch or map out your ideas? Do you work well under pressure, or no? I stopped taking custom print orders so that I can focus all creativity on the new collection.  And I do schedule extra time so I stay on-track.  Everything is sketched out beforehand. Sometimes I sketch something and it doesn’t become a completed design for a couple of years.  So that’s another place I regularly go to for inspiration — my own notebooks! I have stacks and stacks of notebooks. I do work well under pressure, but like I said before — any kind of deadline we experience is completely self imposed.

What steps did you take in choosing the words for your new collection? Words are powerful.  Powerful enough to bring blessing or cursing.  I have a list of at least 100 words that bring blessing — these were the ones that made the final cut.

EXTRA DETAILS// This giveaway is open until Monday, March 4th at 11:59pm PST. The winner will be notified by email + announced at the top of this blog post. This giveaway is open to US residents only. Goooooood luck and have fun!

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