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Using Crowdfunding for Your Art or Design Project

Many art students in college and recent graduates struggle to find meaningful work for their creative talents due to the lack of funding. Many will work on their “passion projects” on their own time however this dynamic is changing due to the large amount of crowd funding websites now available. Today, many artists and creatives are looking to crowd funding to develop their latest animated movie, computer game, web comic or graphic novel or help pursue an artistic dream.

Among the most popular is Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Go Fund Me and Pubslush for writers. Patreon is a website that allows you to focus on your creative goals and collect monthly income from your fan base, who subscribe to different levels of support. Subscribers typically can view special content to make them part of the creative process as an incentive to join. Creatives are also gathering support and funding through mentorships with websites such as Mentorly. Some creatives have a subscription service on their website where they will unlock content such as a video game or a new comic strip. You can incorporate your artwork or animation into an electronic greeting card and sell it online through a website called 123greetings. Some artists will have donation buttons or sell merchandise on their website for their creative project with tee shirts, stickers, toys promoting their characters in their art work, animation, comic or video game.

It can be daunting to figure out which website is best for your project as it can become lost on a big site like Kickstarter but might have better exposure or seen by more people on a niche site that caters to your specialization such as Pubslush for writers.

In 2018, Iron Harvest became the most successful video game Kickstarter launched in a year, raising $1.3 million in five weeks.

Most creatives who are successful in their crowd funding campaigns suggest writing an engaging proposal and to clearly articulate an end goal. You should also state in your proposal the resources you will need in terms of manpower and hours as well clearly state who your target audience is.

It is critical to set a realistic timeline for your scope of work and manpower needed to have a successful proposal for your project. Understanding the cost of the project in terms of man power, labor hours and supplies, materials, advertising and marketing are keys to success for your video game idea, web comic or other artistic project to be developed. Your ability to market and use social media, create an eye-catching video explaining your project as well as creating a press release and contacting the media are critical for the project’s success.

While less than a third of creative projects are successful on these sites and many may be skeptical to try crowd funding there are some projects that can raise a million or more dollars. In 2018, Iron Harvest became the most successful video game Kickstarter launched in a year, raising $1.3 million in five weeks. Developed by King Art Games it is their fourth video game campaign on Kickstarter. This is only one example from these crowd funding sites and there are many more types of art projects from paintings, books or music that reach their funding goals each year.

While Kickstarter has a winner take all approach some web sites like Indiegogo are set up so that even if you don’t reach your goal you can keep any money you receive for your project. Either way, it’s a win-win for all.

The information and opinions expressed herein represent the independent opinions and ideas of the faculty and/or staff and do not represent the opinions or ideas of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh-Online Division .