Work Related : New Enamel Pin & The Process

Sometimes I get overly excited and inspired, and when that happened, I create a lot of things. After the Uber project and several more little projects, I got some money to invest on new things. Things that I've been wanting to make but didn't have enough money.

This time, I decided to create an iron-on patch series and enamel pin.
Let me tell a detail story about how I ordered for these enamel pins first (because I love to share things that I wish other people would share with me T^T).

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The process : The 90s GameBoy 

I actually used my old doodles from my sketch book. I searched for simple items that I drew, that have potential to be turned into patches/pins. So I found the doodles I made for the Malaysian Hobby Expo last year  :

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The designing, vectoring & colouring :

• I found a small doodle of game boy with my iconic sleeping face in my sketch book.
• I wanted to turn it into an enamel pin for 90s game nerds (like me). Usually when I think about enamel pins or patches, I think about the message/label it stand for. 
• So for this one, I decided to make one that says "90s game nerds". 
• Then I turned the doodle into a vector using .Ai CC 
• I picked the simplest purple gradient colour (that I currently like for my works) - because I don't have time to experiment on different styles at that time.
• I'm not sure whether the stroke thickness would be okay, so I just followed my instinct. 
• I didn't even re-check the colour using Pantone code

The supplier :

• I searched for an agent through Alibaba (giving a list of request), had a short interview with more than 10 people in one day and I found one that I like !
• I asked her some important stuffs that I needed to know (like what's the policy, what is the process, the rights, option of materials, etc). 
• Extra thought : I was worried of being scammed because I have this wild thoughts about business people from mainland of China (like they would do anything for money - and probably not being honest, scams, etc). But I remember those things that I learned in high-school history, about how China man would travel across the sea for business, it is something noble and they would do anything to have a good business relationship with others. I also remember Alibaba's founder, Jack Ma, when he talked about his rules of success (watch here) and seeing how much he wanted to create Alibaba so the whole world can reach businesses in China - I think those were the reasons why I decided to try the website.
• After I chose the agent, I gave specific requests on things that I wanted on my product.
• She then gave me a quotation and asked me to prepare the file. 
• Proceed with the order, I make half of the payment through Paypal and waited.
• Almost 3 weeks later, I received an email saying that my products are good to go and need to pay the remaining balance.
• After I make a full payment, she then posted the parcel using DHL and the item arrive after 3 days!

This is how it looked when it first arrived (Individually packed)

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The material :

• I wanted a black stroke instead of the normal silver/gold. So I chose a black nickel plating, most of local companies don't really offer this option. 
• I also requested for a backstamp of my name 'azreenchan' ♥ because it looks cool (*extra $$$). I wasn't sure how small I should make while designing because enamel pins are small. I was worried about designing it too small until the machine can't get the details in its mold. I didn't see any problems !  
• I also chose a butterfly clutch because my pins are small.
• I chose hard enamel pin because I wanted the smooth shiny surface.
• I love the size and heaviness. 

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The packaging & marketing pictures :

• And because I really like the result, I think I want to make other enamel pins later (when I got other small investment) 
• I designed the packaging (back paper) in the most generic way. So I can still use it for other enamel pin designs in the future and just use the same back paper. I didn't have any idea to design as fun as my wandering soul patch that I designed before this because by then, I was draining. I've been using too much of my creative juice that month.
• I also designed some images for marketing purpose (because it is fun).

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Other things :

• How much did it costed ? Although I'm quiet transparent with most of the stuffs, I'm not comfortable in telling the world how much I spent for this, so I choose not to answer. But roughly, you need to take into account : the cost of each pin, the molding fees, the extra requirement fees, and the international DHL fast-shipping. Everything in USD, so yes, it is not cheap for us Malaysian. But it is surely quite cheap for others with higher money rate. 
• How much I love it ? Words can't express how grateful I am in trusting my instinct. I really love the outcome, the detailing and the quality. ♥♥♥
• And I am super thankful for this chance of having fun days at home creating stuffs that I love. I hope every creative soul will eventually find their true passion and pursue their dreams (even how scary and risky it might look, your days will be packed with so much satisfaction).

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You can order my limited edition enamel pin :
( here - if you are local Malaysian )  and ( here - if you are living outside of Malaysia ).

For my Patreons, thank you for your support & love.  ♥