Another Amazing Kickstarter (Decorative Brass Wire Balls and Lights by Brightwire Designs) has been published on http://crowdmonsters.com/new-kickstarters/decorative-brass-wire-balls-and-lights-by-brightwire-designs/
A NEW KICKSTARTER IS LAUNCHED:
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What is a prototype?
A prototype is a preliminary model of something. Projects that offer physical products need to show backers documentation of a working prototype. This gallery features photos, videos, and other visual documentation that will give backers a sense of what’s been accomplished so far and what’s left to do. Though the development process can vary for each project, these are the stages we typically see:
Proof of Concept
Explorations that test ideas and functionality.
Functional Prototype
Demonstrates the functionality of the final product, but looks different.
Appearance Prototype
Looks like the final product, but is not functional.
Design Prototype
Appearance and function match the final product, but is made with different manufacturing methods.
Production Prototype
Appearance, function, and manufacturing methods match the final product.
Prototype Gallery
These photos and videos provide a detailed look at this project’s development.
What is a prototype?
View gallery
Proof of Concept, Functional Prototype, Appearance Prototype, Design Prototype, Production Prototype
About this project
Why wire balls?
When you look at my website you’ll see I do a lot more with brass wire than just balls, but the sphere shape is the core of the Brightwire product line for several reasons: First, it’s a simple product that fits into an already established market of decorative balls. Second, it’s a shape that’s consistently repeatable in a variety of sizes by me or anyone else. Finally, the method(s) I use to construct the balls are not used by anyone else for similar products. The proprietary process I came up with and continue to refine gives my brand added value overall, and it’s also the reason this Kickstarter campaign is listed in the “Design” category rather than Arts or Crafts.
Why am I qualified to launch this brand?
I’m supposed to write this toward the end, but I’m putting toward the top. I know more about bringing a product to market now than I did in 2005 when I started Timber Hawk. And that brand found its way to the shelves of Walmart and other big retailers. That was an exciting experience for me, but I have even more enthusiasm for Brightwire Designs for reasons that will become clear as you read on and watch my videos.
I am not taking an ancient medium and simply putting my own style into it the way a potter, glass blower or sculptor does. I have developed a new process for creating a new product that happens to fit into an existing category. I am not interested in defining the wire ball as “art” or “functional art.” I am more interested in making money from a unique product I can be proud to have developed, myself.
It’s true that I happen to be an artist, and it was an artistic impulse that got me going with brass wire, but the idea to concentrate on the balls was a capitalist decision not really an artistic one. I will continue to make other shapes out of brass wire, and those shapes will cost more to buy, as they take longer to make.
Notice the silver balls have similar density and both styles use shiny wire, but the “other” balls do not reflect light the same way because of the way they are wrapped.
What will I do with the money I raise on Kickstarter?
The money I’m trying to raise through this campaign will be allocated for the basic costs incurred by any new brand: Workspace rental, advertising, trade show booth fees, print collateral, software subscription fees, travel expenses etc. There is intellectual property involved with my venture, but I’m not trying to rush out and secure a patent for my process/product. I need to prove the product itself can command some marketshare before I spend money on patents. If the product looks promising then some of the money raised will go toward patent lawyers.
My methods for the ball are not high-tech and require very few tools or materials, which is great for overhead costs. But my process is impossible to automate, and each ball has to be made by hand. So those other decorative balls will always be cheaper, but it’s impossible for them to look as good as the ones I make.
As you may have guessed there is weaving involved just like other wire balls. But the true success of a mass-production Brightwire operation depends upon a specific material handling sequence which corresponds to precise measurements and guidelines I have arranged in a spreadsheet. This database is the culmination of months of research and experimentation on just a single type of brass wire. There are other kinds of brass wire I want to incorporate into the Brightwire line. To do so with consistent results will require another battery of testing, data entry and analysis similar to what I’ve already done. The money I raise from this Kickstarter campaign will allow me to complete a more thorough database of the kind of useful intellectual property that brings more quality to the product and gives more long-term value to the brand.
Risks and challenges
The main challenge of this project is making you understand what you’re looking at. You think its cool, but you’ve seen something similar before. That’s where I have to put it into context for you. A decorative ball is never at the forefront of anyone’s mind, but it’s something people buy. In order to convince investors Brightwire Designs is a worthwhile venture they need to accept a counterintuitive and downright ironic set of facts: A specific sequence of ancient techniques may be applied (and awarded intellectual property protection) to the manipulation of a modern material (EDM wire) to produce something (wire balls) resembling (but more beautiful than) an old-world version made with materials of antiquity (pure copper wire), which lack the properties of EDM wire. Thus the wire balls of antiquity don’t shine as bright as the wire balls created by modern wire, i.e. the Brightwire Balls.
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