So, I have spent the last month or so working daily on new designs for The ChemScrapes Shop. I have also been listening to many podcasts from business owners who have made it on Etsy. Note that I said “business owner”. These are not people who copy trends and go for fast dollars selling designs. These people have built brands and long terms businesses using Etsy as a platform for that brand. It’s a very different mindset.

In setting up the ChemScrapes Shop, I am definitely not after quick dollars. I am thinking of retirement a few years from now, and some ways to have some passive income. But I also love the fact that people like my cartoons. So it’s also about getting ChemScrapes cartoons into the hands of any person whoever said “I need this on a shirt”. In doing that I want to also make the acquisition experience different from a buyer perspective. So, I have been cartooning mockups – cartoons selling cartoons. To the best of my knowledge no-one in the Etsy marketplace is doing this.

I already have a brand. I already have a deal of engagement in social media that serves as market research. What I lack is design of “things” that people want. So, I have enlisted the help of a couple of volunteers at different parts of the planet (Australia and Canada). Both of these people are chemists in different fields. I am asking them to rank designs. and then sending them some merch so I can test the print quality at different locations. It’s been very insightful so far.

I think it would be cool to do t-shirts as well but, I realised this is not so straightforward. It’s not just the different printing techniques that I have to think about. Wearing a design is a very different psychology to using a mug with a design on it. Interestingly , when I asked my volunteers to rank the mugs there was quite good alignment. There was at least a sense of what was OK and what was crap. When it came to the shirts, there was zero alignment.

Then how?

I went to YouTube and started seeking out some of the top t-shirt designers who do design critiques. I realised I had two major problems. The first is that I am too attached to some of my cartoons and art. I had fallen into the trap of just re-using my favourites. By simply pasting them on t-shirt mockups without any context to ground the audience. The second problem was in terms of creating wearable designs – I stink! Too many colours. Too many gradients. Too much negative space. The image I thought was so cool below exemplifies my issues. Wow! I have a lot to learn.

So for the t-shirts I am going back to the drawing board. My two volunteers will help to rank some new designs and then test the quality. T-shirts have the most room for unhappy customers (sizing/quality) – so this one will take some more time. I really want to get it right before I launch.

Is it worth it? Well, I am learning a lot of new things as I try to make a go of The ChemScrapes Shop. It’s fun! I’m having a ball coming up with new designs, re-designing old ones and learning more about business. The drive is the same though. At the heart of ChemScrapes remains a passion for chemistry, drawing, and a good laugh or groan. So far it is totally worth it.