You've probably already seen it: a new invention! About the cosy UP itself read here more. But in this blog, I will take you through the development of the cosy UP, which took over a year! And I can tell you: it was accompanied by the necessary setbacks, challenges and states. Was it all worth it?
Over a year ago, I was musing a bit on the sofa. My thoughts wandered in all directions and out of nowhere I suddenly had an idea.
That Christmas period before, someone had let me know they were SO thrilled with the advent calendar. Adding a piece every day. A little something to hold on to, it did her good. Something in me had been playing with the idea of developing something like this for several times of the year, because if it helps and is nice, why only with Advent? And there, on the sofa, it finally occurred to me how I wanted to do it.
I got all hyper, my head couldn't stop thinking, sketches flew out of my hands, pages filled with ideas and elaborations. I sawed the blisters on my hands for the first test (I can't saw well at all and it took forever, haha), I painted some pieces and then....
Because so much for my strengths. Now I had to figure out if it was doable. How then, where, is it affordable, where to start?
It overwhelmed me so much that I left it for a few months. I felt defeated.
Below you can see all the process steps and some (ugly) photos of 'how it all started'.
And yet I couldn't let it go. I remembered that afternoon on the couch and the conviction I had then that it really was a good idea. That this really is something I would want to have and use myself (that is always my yardstick for developing products, haha).
So time to make some contacts. I spoke to a printer who helped me on my way. Quotes came in, which were promising. Techniques were discussed and feeling good, I set to work again. This time I was going to 'really' design the sets and make a plan.
After six months, I could finally start painting - wonderful! The project took shape and no longer existed only in my head. The first sets failed, because every time I tried to put it together, the picture didn't match. But after a few attempts, I got the hang of it and puzzled the painted pieces together into a 2D whole, which gave a good picture but....
The first trials really made the project come alive. But with the supplier I had selected and the carefully chosen production method, we didn't get it as nice as I wanted. I wanted to cut out all the little details, I didn't want edges around the figures, I wanted more.
So I started looking for alternatives again. A present I had received for Christmas gave me the idea of looking into lasering instead of die-cutting. But would that be affordable? What about my current supplier?
You get the idea, stress. Meanwhile, I had a deadline. I had chosen 3 sets in the first round with the themes of Easter, Spring and birthday. For the first two, I couldn't face any more major delays or I would have to push the whole project back another year.
A few busy weeks followed, emailing, calling, talking, consulting and, above all, listening to my gut. Because when all the details were known, it turned out that the better choice was to go for top quality and laser.
And that was not all, I also switched suppliers quite late for the board. That was a matter of value for money. And the hardest part? Having to inform people with whom I had entered the process that I was going to produce elsewhere after all. It kept me awake.
But after a while, everything was settled and production could start. Because of all the delays, it was all quite a rush and stress. This resulted in me packing a whole weekend of sets last weekend instead of doing it a bit spread out over a few weeks! But now it's done. The deadline has been met. We are in time for Easter and spring. My dream has come true!
It is not in the process overview, but now comes a step that is actually just as exciting and stressful: waiting. Are people going to like it or was I the only one who needed this? Were my feelings right? Can I say in a few weeks that it is a success and start on the next three sets (autumn, Christmas/advent and winter coming in August) or should I scrap it? Oh yes and that's not even mentioning the marketing, newsletters, social media, shops, word of mouth... so it will remain busy and exciting for a while yet!
The question from the intro reverberates in my head. Seeing the cosy UP all 'done' and seeing something come to life from my imagination is definitely worth it. But whether others will find the same remains to be seen. Well, that's what you have when you invent something 'new'. Nobody knows whether people will like it. So you'll have to wait and see 😉
Illustrator under a blankie - Esther Bennink
Parallel road 10
7213VT Gorssel, Netherlands
Chamber of Commerce: 80271480
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