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Latest Updates from Our Project:
Information book complete, pin update
almost 2 years ago
– Mon, Jun 24, 2024 at 09:28:04 PM
Hello everyone,
This should be a pretty interesting update! Let's dive right in.
First, the Information Booklet is complete! Creating the booklet quickly increased in scope, as we hadn't originally factored in adding new illustrations, but they do enhance the book very nicely. The book turned out to be 96 pages.
Complicated, but definitely worth the extra work
We have also adjusted the book size to a standardized one, now 5.5 inches x 4.25 inches, half the size of a piece of standard paper. This allows it to be roughly the size of the backing cards (which was the intention).
Printing the book will be a quick process and is expected to finish soon.
A Tale of Pantones
If you remember our last update, we wrote about the joys of dealing with the Pantone color-matching system. We have a couple of updates to that, and a startling discovery that affects this project, a tale that begins with a yellow-and-orange snake pin we were producing:
Meet Sarcin
This is Sarcin, whose orange came out a little... strange. And very yellow.
The physical Pantone book allows you to check the color in person, so you don't have to rely on a computer screen, which can vary in accuracy depending on the screen's calibration, backlighting, etc.
The photo we got back from the manufacturer showed that the Sarcin pin's yellow-orange matched their book. Keyword: their book. And that seemed strange because 130 C is 130 C. There is no reason why it should be different, right?
Turns out, there was a reason. After some e-mailing back and forth to figure out why our Pantone books didn't match, we found out that their Pantone book is from 2018:
While ours was from 2022:
It seems bizarre and antithetical to the idea of Pantones that the two books should be that different, as those 130 C's are two completely different colors (as opposed to a slight difference), but it is what it is. Now we are on the same page for expectations.
What this means for the Netjeru en Bia project
Our immediate reaction was to halt the production of the NEB pins and samples until the manufacturer purchased an updated book. If Pantone had changed the colors that dramatically between 2018 and 2022, we would continue having these issues. It would be impossible to select matching colors for our designs or quality-check them after, as the colors could turn out completely different from what was shown on the proofs (which appear to be using the 2022 colors, if you compare Sarcin) or in our Pantone book.
The manufacturer placed the order for the new book and we began waiting for them to receive it. On June 20th, they received the new Pantone book, and we were able to confirm by photo that they have the correct, updated one now:
We have approved the production of the pins again now that we know they are using the same color formulas and book to produce them.
But that does mean the production has been delayed by about a month, as we need to sample the pin designs again using the correct colors and ensure they meet our expectations. We anticipate that they should all be ready in mid or late August.
It is both frustrating and relieving to have solved this problem, as it has been a long-standing thorn in our side. However, this project is incredibly important to us, and we do not want to compromise its quality in any way. The pins will be all the better for it.
The pantone challenge: a peek inside color-proofing
almost 2 years ago
– Tue, May 28, 2024 at 04:18:11 PM
Have you ever wondered what work goes into a physical product? Why does everyone struggle with the Pantone system? Let's take a peek inside color proofing.
The place that I start when preparing pins for manufacturing is the Pantone Connect website. This is the official website from Pantone used to convert digital images to a specific Pantone.
Pins are made with enamel, and the enamel has to be colored using a color-mixing system. That's where Pantone comes in, where each color has a specific formula that allows everyone, everywhere, to mix the same color. That way, you don't encounter issues with colors looking different on different screens. Or... that's how it's supposed to work.
We purchased a brand new physical Pantone book for this project. When you compare the book (in person) to the color chosen above, it looks nice! It's a good match.
Pantone Connect is pretty accurate. When the colors it chooses are checked against the Pantone book in person, they look good.
So we let the official Pantone Connect website select the colors, double-check them against the book for good measure, and then send them to the manufacturer to produce the "sample" - a single run of a pin to confirm that it looks the way it should.
And yet, all those steps hardly seem to help the problems that come up in manufacturing when the pins just inexplicably don't match the Pantone book. Observe below:
You looked at the book, I looked at the book, and yet the pin just doesn't match. Granted, sometimes the photographs sent by the manufacturer do a poor job of actually reflecting the colors as they are in person. So it's also good to wait until they arrive to check them.
Take this sample of Wepwawet, for instance. Doesn't his background seem a little yellow compared to the book?
But then you look at him in person and his background isn't intensely yellow (even this photo is a bit of a poor representation - he looks great in person).
So, when they physically arrive, that's when you can check them against the Pantone book with full accuracy, without having to rely on photos which may or may not be accurate anyway.
And as we can see here, the stripes and golden markings on Sutekh reeeeeally don't match the actual 2013 C Pantone. They're too dark.
Why does this happen? It's hard to say. Some theories include that black nickel plating can mix with the enamel colors and alter them. It's also possible that the formula for the color wasn't followed exactly (for instance, you can see the formula for 2012 C above Sutekh's pin). Another possibility is that the pins were "baked" for too long (to harden the enamel), and that causes discoloration. Either way, the samples have to be individually checked against the book if any of the colors seem unusual.
So, we pick a new color and check it:
(It's a bit messy, but that's to be expected at this stage.)
Yellows are kind of notorious for being irritating to work with (some light browns, too). Some of them tend to end up really muddy and ugly, so creating samples for the finished designs allows a creator to ensure the design comes out the way they expect.
That's also why this process is kind of long. We have to manufacture the sample, check it, make adjustments, and then finish up the mass production of the pins.
Hope everyone enjoyed that look behind the scenes!
Surveys billed and some sneak peaks
almost 2 years ago
– Thu, May 16, 2024 at 08:02:41 PM
Hey everyone,
BackerKit surveys have all had their billed amounts charged. Most of the transactions went through smoothly, though a few customers had declined cards. You'll get an e-mail from Backerkit regarding whether your payment was successful or not!
Over the last week or so, we've made some great progress:
Thirty of the pins have started manufacturing. They're being submitted in sets of ten to make the proofing process less confusing for both us and the manufacturer as we work through the proofs. We have a brand new Pantone C book too, to check those pesky colors... :P
The deity information is ready for the backing cards. We also added entries to the backing cards in the Meroitic language for Nubian deities and in the Ugaritic language for Syrian deities since we feel it's important to acknowledge the cultures Egypt adopted their foreign deities from (as much as we can, given the limited information sometimes). You can see a preview below.
Many of the deities have their book page completed. They're a real joy to look at, if we do say so ourselves :) Our assistant illustrator Karma really knocked their illustrations out of the park!
The QR codes on the book pages link to the TLA entry for that particular god. This allows interested readers to examine an academic website for instances where the god's name is attested in the corpus of Egyptian texts translated on their website.
The goal of this project has always been to inspire others to become interested in all the nuances of Egyptian mythology. What better way is there to learn more about these deities than to let the Ancient Egyptians speak for themselves through their texts?
The TLA pages are really neat too - sometimes they include etymologies for the divine name, bibliographies, and other cool stuff. They're a wonderful place to start if you want to take your academic interest in a deity to the next level.
Customer Service
Please e-mail [email protected] if you need any customer service or have questions about your survey. We typically respond within one business day.
If you have e-mailed us and haven't heard back within two business days, please double-check that you emailed the correct address above, then send us a Kickstarter message letting us know the e-mail address you used to contact us. That way, we can work around any email issues over Kickstarter messages.
This project has been a joy. We hope everyone enjoys it when it's ready to go—especially the book!
Anyway, that's all for now. We'll let you know when the next update is ready. Until next time,
Fursona Pins
Survey Incoming
almost 2 years ago
– Fri, Apr 26, 2024 at 07:00:16 PM
Hello everyone,
We mentioned we would give a couple of hours of notice before the survey goes out, so here's that notice! The survey will be going out in the next two hours or so.
If you are having trouble finding your survey by tomorrow, or if you have any questions, feel free to contact our customer service at [email protected] and we would be happy to assist you. Please be sure to include your Kickstarter email and username when reaching out via email!
One of our favorite things to do during projects is to crunch the numbers when the surveys are done and determine the most popular pin choices. We'll be sharing that data with everyone when it's ready :)
Survey Preview and Instructions
almost 2 years ago
– Mon, Apr 22, 2024 at 04:14:01 PM
Hello everyone,
The survey is nearly ready and waiting on approval from Backerkit. We hope to have it released in the upcoming days when final approval is made. In the meantime, we wanted to take the moment to explain how it works.
The link to the survey will be sent to your Kickstarter e-mail. When you click the link, you'll see this page:
After entering your country and state, you can start selecting your items. You can also change your pledge level on this page if you want more items (the higher pledge levels have a lower "per pin" price).
Next, you'll be shown this page, which will tell you your survey progress. The first section is the instructions (which we're discussing here!), and then you select the items you want.
The drop-down menus for the pin selection are not alphabetical, so the easiest way to find your desired deity is to select the dropdown and start typing the deity's name. That will automatically bring you to the deity's listing. The image of the pin will then display below it, so you can check that it's the one you want.
The last question in the main survey asks how you want the Information Book. After some research, we decided to offer the physical book to all customers at no additional cost (aside from shipping). However, you can also select the digital-only option if you prefer that.
Next, you can review the add-ons you purchased on Kickstarter and make selections for them. Customers who bought the Individual Netjer Stickers, the 5 Sticker Pack, the Sha Pin Banner, Big Sha Statue, and the mochi plushies will have their selection automatically added to their order.
Customers who purchased add-on pins, the Mini Sha Statue, or the Mini Ibis Statue will find their purchase price added as a credit on the survey so they can choose a specific item on the next page, the add-on page.
Add-On Previews
Here's a preview of the items available on the add-on page:
You'll notice here that we added an "All Stickers" option, which gives you one of each 2.5" vinyl Netjer sticker. There are 87 designs total!
You can also purchase additional Information Books, but your first one is free :)
We also designed three lanyards to go along with the campaign - the Heliopolian Pesdjet (Ennead) Lanyard, the Gods of Waset (Thebes), and the Gods of Mennefer (Memphis). They are our standard lanyards with lobster clasps and breakaway accessories.
Under the accessories, we have additional pins from the Kārum Traders line, which focuses on ancient history. If you're interested in expanding past Ancient Egypt, take a look at the Mesopotamian and Anatolian designs we have!
After that is the complete listing of Netjer pins. The pricing for the pins is dependent on the customer's pledge level, so you'll see the same pricing as the "add-on pins" option for your pledge level here.
While we're on this section, let's take a look at the final two pins released:
We had mentioned wanting to do pins for these two, and here they are! On the left is Ramesses II in his Battle of Kadesh garb (notice the little sha-heads on his outfit?). On the right is Seti I in his sha-headed sphinx form from one of his Heliopolis obelisks.
Mini Statues
The mini-statues have their own sections where they're separated by stone type. Here's the section we have for the shas:
For customers who were part of the "First 100" bonus, we added a random sha to their orders.
However, you can delete that sha and select a different stone if you want (or you can select a miniature ibis instead, as they're all the same price).
After you have selected all your items, you'll be prompted to enter your shipping address. The survey will then calculate the weight-based shipping cost of your package and any sales tax due.
If you have questions after receiving your survey email, feel free to email us at [email protected]and we will be happy to assist you.
We will give everyone a head's up when the survey is ready to launch so you can start keeping an eye on your email.
When the survey arrives, you can use this fantastic infographic, created by community member Ally, to help you make your decisions!
