The kickstarter adventures of Sólás - solaswatches.com

Thirdfox

This is it wrote: »

How many reviews do you expect?

Enjoyed that one though it doesn't seem as in depth as some other YouTubers I've watched. To be fair, that's not very many. Certainly gave plenty of time to the dial on the micro rotor which I expect is exactly what you wanted!

I expect 6-8 reviews in total - the US/Aus reviewers should have slightly longer reviews too.

Wristwatchreview is one of the other British reviewers who will be publishing a review which I suspect will be quite in-depth.

Relative-Time
Perth Watches
Nick Shabazz
555Gear

are some of the other large channel reviewers i.e. with 20-100k subscribers who will be looking at the watch - their videos usually get a few thousand views too.

Hopefully after 2-3 more reviews come out I might do another round of promotion on the forums - this time with reviews in tow so people can see what the professionals think.

david

Love the review, watch looks awesome! You’ll always get the one skeptic commenting about Chinese reliability doubting its Irishness. Embrace the collaboration of craftsmanship from both cultures I say. Would love to see a limited piece with bilingual text, like on the 1963 seagull dial.

Eoin

Are there rules on when you can launch the campaign properly on kickstarter? If you're starting to get reviews, it'd be a shame to lose momentum and hope that people subscribe and come back to it later.

Thirdfox

Eoin wrote: »

Are there rules on when you can launch the campaign properly on kickstarter? If you're starting to get reviews, it'd be a shame to lose momentum and hope that people subscribe and come back to it later.

From what I've seen it's that you want to be around 50% funded from almost the get go on day 1. I'm not sure we're at that stage yet.

People can subscribe to be notified on when a project launches on the pre-launch kickstarter page. You're right that followers =/= backers however.

You can set a maximum of 60 days for a project to be funded - (most people go for 30) - so technically if I wanted to I could launch 1 July and still end the project at end of August - but a long campaign can also dissuade some people from backing.

Apparently there's magic SEO algorithms too - that 50% funded apparently means Kickstarter starts promoting your project on its page/search results - snowball effect.

So launching too early can be just as bad as launching too late. My personal feeling is that once the Australian and 2 US reviewers are out with their reviews (mid/late July) then would be the time to launch - so close enough to start of August.

It'll be frenetic at that point anyway! And as Fitzgeme would say - that would be time to put humble-ness at the door and it's all about brand promotion then...

Eoin

I don't doubt you've done your homework, and have thought about all this stuff a ton more than the rest of us! The review is great anyway, and hopefully the first of a good few.

No1VIPER

Hi guys,

I came here after checking my YouTube analytics and finding out that a lot traffic had come from this forum. So I thought I'd check it out and decided to set up an account.

I hope people enjoyed the review. I know it's not the most professional of videos. But I'm still pretty new to the whole YouTube thing. I only started the channel in February, so I'm still learning and improving. If you checkout my other videos, especially the older ones. I'd like to think I've improved with each one.

I'm trying to promote the video and the cause on my Instagram as well as my YouTube channel. So hopefully its helped, even if only a little.

As a side note, I fairly recently found out that I'm actually part Irish. It turns out my Grandad on my Dads side was actually Irish. He was adopted by a Scottish family, and so I have a Scottish surname. But I've found out since that his original surname was Kindred.

This is it

Welcome, and well done on the videos

No1VIPER

This is it wrote: »

Welcome, and well done on the videos

Thanks. It's good to be here.

banie01

No1VIPER wrote: »

Thanks. It's good to be here.

Welcome, really enjoyed your review and it was nice to see the dial on video

It was great to get some thoughts from someone not following this project on here from its beginnings.

We have a few people here (myself totally excluded) who are not only really knowledgeable, but also very happy to share their knowledge.
It's a small enough group, but really a wonderful one IMO.

As for Diyu!
That wonderful bollox is not only building a beautiful wristwatch!

He really has a great breadth of info on lots of things horological.
He's no Wibbs tho....;)
Yet :P

Thirdfox

No1VIPER wrote: »

Thanks. It's good to be here.

Ah good to see you here Viper - I see you got the Reptile/Viper logo set up anyway. I'm sure there are people on this forum who would be able to give you useful advice on what they like to see in reviews etc.

banie01 wrote: »

Welcome, really enjoyed your review and it was nice to see the dial on video

It was great to get some thoughts from someone not following this project on here from its beginnings.

We have a few people here (myself totally excluded) who are not only really knowledgeable, but also very happy to share their knowledge.
It's a small enough group, but really a wonderful one IMO.

As for Diyu!
That wonderful bollox is not only building a beautiful wristwatch!

He really has a great breadth of info on lots of things horological.
He's no Wibbs tho....;)
Yet :P

- we're all hobbyists here I think (all those who haven't reached stage 8 )

I like to think I enjoy reading about the crazy/novel/interesting watch tech almost as much as wearing them - for example check out the Beijing B24 resonance movement (two balance bridges but positioned in such a manner to try and cancel on another's variations out to (theoretically) give a higher accuracy) - slightly more practical than a tourbillon but I guess with today's modern material science etc. falls into the "looks pretty" category too.

Thirdfox

Quick question - does anyone like the font chosen (other than myself? ) - after seeing so many comments about it "looking worse than Comic Sans" I would like to know if there are fans of the typeface chosen or is everyone either ambivalent to the font or dislikes it?

Any fans at all? Going forward it'll be the font of the brand and well while I *really* like it I can't deny I keep seeing plenty of comments of people who vehemently hate it (apparently worse than comic sans - which I've added in below in the image comparison - I think it looks nothing like Comic Sans at all - besides the choice of letter a compared to the "standard" arial/calibri etc.

Here's a comparison of the font compared to number of others:

[IMG][/img]

I'm not too proud to say - well if no-one likes the font chosen other than myself then I'd be okay with changing it to something simple - I'm hoping to see someone willing say they enjoyed the font and wouldn't want it to change - I think I can still make the brand work despite this divisive font but only if it is a divisive font - if it doesn't have any supporters at all then of course I'm open to changing it (at least for my own one I can get them to make it with this custom font).

I think it might be too late to try and change it at this moment - but if people here (and be brutal please - I know someone has already compared it to the Lir perfume from Aer Lingus (which I liked!) ) think it's just a terrible font and I'm making a terrible mistake with my choice do let me know.

Conversely if there are supporters of the font please let me know too - because I can deal with a divisive font - what I wouldn't want to do is pig-headedly go ahead with a font that everyone is ambivalent about or hates.

No1VIPER

Thirdfox wrote: »

Quick question - does anyone like the font chosen (other than myself? ) - after seeing so many comments about it "looking worse than Comic Sans" I would like to know if there are fans of the typeface chosen or is everyone either ambivalent to the font or dislikes it?

Any fans at all? Going forward it'll be the font of the brand and well while I *really* like it I can't deny I keep seeing plenty of comments of people who vehemently hate it (apparently worse than comic sans - which I've added in below in the image comparison - I think it looks nothing like Comic Sans at all - besides the choice of letter a compared to the "standard" arial/calibri etc.

Here's a comparison of the font compared to number of others:

[/IMG]

I'm not too proud to say - well if no-one likes the font chosen other than myself then I'd be okay with changing it to something simple - I'm hoping to see someone willing say they enjoyed the font and wouldn't want it to change - I think I can still make the brand work despite this divisive font but only if it is a divisive font - if it doesn't have any supporters at all then of course I'm open to changing it (at least for my own one I can get them to make it with this custom font).

I think it might be too late to try and change it at this moment - but if people here (and be brutal please - I know someone has already compared it to the Lir perfume from Aer Lingus (which I liked!) ) think it's just a terrible font and I'm making a terrible mistake with my choice do let me know.

Conversely if there are supporters of the font please let me know too - because I can deal with a divisive font - what I wouldn't want to do is pig-headedly go ahead with a font that everyone is ambivalent about or hates.

I was about to email you about this. As I've had quite a few comments about the font. Varying from the "it looks like Comic Sans" to "I love the watch, I'd buy one if the font was different".
Perhaps I could do a poll on my community on YouTube and see what font types people suggest as alternatives? Or even just ask would the font put you off buying this watch?

banie01

Have you had a look at a font called Kells or Slaine?
Both are quite like the old Gaelic style but far more readable imo.

I like your current font but it does strike me as a little too comic sans.

No1VIPER

banie01 wrote: »

Have you had a look at a font called Kells or Slaine?
Both are quite like the old Gaelic style but far more readable imo.

I like your current font but it does strike me as a little too comic sans.

These both look good. Also like you said they are quite old Gaelic looking as well.

I particularly like Kells.
www .fonts.com/search/all-fonts?ShowAllFonts=All&searchtext=kells

Thirdfox

No1VIPER wrote: »

I was about to email you about this. As I've had quite a few comments about the font. Varying from the "it looks like Comic Sans" to "I love the watch, I'd buy one if the font was different".
Perhaps I could do a poll on my community on YouTube and see what font types people suggest as alternatives? Or even just ask would the font put you off buying this watch?

I think that would be really useful - just to give a 3rd party look at who likes/don't care/dislikes the font.

It would be great if you could perhaps do a poll asking if:

"How do you feel towards the font used on the Sólás Starlight? :
1. Like it;
2. Ambivalent/neither like nor dislike;
3. Dislike it;
4. Dislike it so much that it put me off buying this watch despite liking the rest."

banie01 wrote: »

Have you had a look at a font called Kells or Slaine?
Both are quite like the old Gaelic style but far more readable imo.

I like your current font but it does strike me as a little too comic sans.

Hey Banie - I don't think either of those typefaces will fly either - it would either be this font that I like or something as safe as the georgia option above - because I recall on the WUS thread even on the first page someone mentioning the Bernhardt watch font (being awful and this blzee being worse) which was pretty much this Gaelic type font (granted it's an American brand rather than Irish - but I don't think that matters).

So switching to anything "non-standard" (or least like the Bernhardt font) will get people who won't like/hate the font - in which case I would prefer it to be a font that I like rather than one I'm ambivalent about.

It's funny because that type of Gaelic font just reminds me of Irish pubs (whether they be genuine ones in Ireland or the Irish pubs you find in the backstreets of Tokyo/Madrid/New York) and wouldn't really appeal to *me* :P

No1VIPER

Thirdfox wrote: »

I think that would be really useful - just to give a 3rd party look at who likes/don't care/dislikes the font.

It would be great if you could perhaps do a poll asking if:

"How do you feel towards the font used on the Sólás Starlight? :
1. Like it;
2. Ambivalent/neither like nor dislike;
3. Dislike it;
4. Dislike it so much that it put me off buying this watch despite liking the rest."



Hey Banie - I don't think either of those typefaces will fly either - it would either be this font that I like or something as safe as the georgia option above - because I recall on the WUS thread even on the first page someone mentioning the Bernhardt watch font (being awful and this blzee being worse) which was pretty much this Gaelic type font (granted it's an American brand rather than Irish - but I don't think that matters).

So switching to anything "non-standard" (or least like the Bernhardt font) will get people who won't like/hate the font - in which case I would prefer it to be a font that I like rather than one I'm ambivalent about.

It's funny because that type of Gaelic font just reminds me of Irish pubs (whether they be genuine ones in Ireland or the Irish pubs you find in the backstreets of Tokyo/Madrid/New York) and wouldn't really appeal to *me* :P

I sort that out now then.
As for the font. I think because this is an Irish watch people might be more willing to accept it. Perhaps you could mock up a picture with a few different font types and I could post that too and do another poll.

banie01

Thirdfox wrote: »

It's funny because that type of Gaelic font just reminds me of Irish pubs (whether they be genuine ones in Ireland or the Irish pubs you find in the backstreets of Tokyo/Madrid/New York) and wouldn't really appeal to *me* :P

I take your point regarding that type of font being the universal Irish pub or tourist trap font.

However, the reason it is is because it's the Old Style font as used on the original coinage, stamps and documents of the state.
It's a foundational part of Ireland's original presentation as a state.

In context on an Irish piece it's expected in a way.
On a non Irish piece like the Bernhardt, it's jarring and out of context.

If the choice boiled down to either the current font or Georgia, I'm set on buying the watch anyway so I may not be objective.

Stepping back a little, the current font would be the 1 thing I don't love about starlight.
I totally get why it's there, and appreciate the effort that went into it but I don't like it.

I wouldn't miss it at all if was nuked.

No1VIPER

How about some of these options:

- Colmcille (my personal favourite)
- Lindisfarne Nova BT
- Dublin
- Friar

You can see them all properly on font .com I can't post links or images yet.

challengemaster

What about something similar to Papyrus




It's similar-ish to the style of blzee, just a lot more legible IMHO. The typical "Irish" fonts all look very samey and would put me off more than the current one. The only problem I have with Papyrus is that it's a little jagged in places, drag it into photoshop for 2 minutes of clean up work and it looks solid to me.



edit: quick photoshop tidy up

hitemfrank

No1VIPER wrote: »

How about some of these options:

- Colmcille (my personal favourite)
- Lindisfarne Nova BT
- Dublin
- Friar

You can see them all properly on font .com I can't post links or images yet.

Just as visual for those suggestions



I would agree with Colmcille as the nicest of those four.

Thirdfox

No1VIPER wrote: »

I sort that out now then.
As for the font. I think because this is an Irish watch people might be more willing to accept it. Perhaps you could mock up a picture with a few different font types and I could post that too and do another poll.

With other fonts (such as Colmcille as you mention below) - licensing costs will run into hundreds if not thousands if I want to use it. I see it costs €490 to license it for electronic use on one server - to use it on an actual product (potentially in perpetuity) in print will cost thousands (if they will allow it at all).

It will need to be something free of licensing or with minimal licensing costs or otherwise the cost of the watch will be eaten by licensing fees. Hence why blzee is one that I thought was usable for my purposes.

You might not know my background Viper - but I'm a lawyer in my day job so I want to keep everything legal especially when engaging in commercial and non-private use - and not infringe on any copyrights or design rights of any owners.

Speaking of which I don't think I can even legally use arial/times new roman etc. without licensing that font for the product. Would people accept a €20 increase in price to pay for licensing costs?

banie01 wrote: »

I take your point regarding that type of font being the universal Irish pub or tourist trap font.

However, the reason it is is because it's the Old Style font as used on the original coinage, stamps and documents of the state.
It's a foundational part of Ireland's original presentation as a state.

In context on an Irish piece it's expected in a way.
On a non Irish piece like the Bernhardt, it's jarring and out of context.

If the choice boiled down to either the current font or Georgia, I'm set on buying the watch anyway so I may not be objective.

Stepping back a little, the current font would be the 1 thing I don't love about starlight.
I totally get why it's there, and appreciate the effort that went into it but I don't like it.

I wouldn't miss it at all if was nuked.

I had a big reply typed out and then lost it when I went to advanced post - so here's the concise version:

1. Appreciate the honesty!
2. It'll be around 1k to retool/get samples if I make a font change now (and potentially a lot more if licensing of a font is needed);
3. So if possible I would like to continue with this font that I like and may talk to the blzee creator to see if I can commission him to make a Sólás font for future use based on blzee and inspired by Colmcille/Georgia elements etc. for model 2.
4. I am really interested in what people specifically don't like about the font - without knowing that it'll be hard to know what to change;
5. Any lovers of blzee font at all? *crickets*
6. Oh and yeah - you reminded me all about the old £1 coins with the stag and the old street signs too - nowadays I just think of pub and Paddywagon tours

Eoin

I don't think looking at big versions of digital/print fonts is the way to go - maybe hunt down the right design forum here and see what might work. Times New Roman is a good font for print, but looks ugly in digital form. The medium makes a big difference, and obviously the size it's rendered in does too. The amount of letters probably is a factor too. Comic Sans looks good, um, never.

Thirdfox

Does it really look that awful guys? I'm just not seeing it

Eoin

I don't think so. But the font is smaller on the dial, and looks like it's fatter too?

John Hutton

I think the font is grand. I wouldn't say I love it, in fact I don't really notice it overall, it's just the font.

It's not ugly, I'm not jumping up and down over the font, but I can't imagine a situation where I would think "wow, what great font"

No1VIPER

Thirdfox wrote: »

Does it really look that awful guys? I'm just not seeing it

I personally don't mind it. I'm in the neither like nor dislike group.
Also what's this? Is this for the current watch, or are you working on a new one already?

This is it

I've looked at the font a few times from the various photos and from the website, and I like it. I don't know if some of the others might suit better, as above, all well and good on a screen but then it's hard to imagine those fonts on the dial and whether they'll look good or not.

I don't see an issue sticking with the current font.

Thirdfox

No1VIPER wrote: »

I personally don't mind it. I'm in the neither like nor dislike group.
Also what's this? Is this for the current watch, or are you working on a new one already?

R&D has to start for the next model as one model gets ready to launch - it'll be in R&D for at least 6-8 months.

Some people got a peek at the idea already but yeah it's something that will be publicly unveiled hopefully spring/summer 2021 i.e. after Starlight is delivered and tied up.

At the same time brainstorming is brewing for model 3 too

Of course these things all depend on the first model succeeding too - since a big part of the profits from one project will be used to fund the next model's R&D (couldn't afford it from personal savings otherwise) and unwilling to attempt any kind of kickstarter without letting people know that the watch I'm asking them to support is actually "make-able".

893bet

I don’t like it on the dial. But can’t suggest anything that would be better.

I feel like the dial is missing a logo.

hitemfrank

Thirdfox wrote: »

Does it really look that awful guys? I'm just not seeing it

I would echo the comments of the font is neither a turn on nor off for me. It's just font to me. For whatever reason I do think it works better on the clasp than the dial. Not helpful, I know :pac:

Sure it might turn some people away, but so will the dial. Some might not like the idea of a Chinese made movement (never-mind a niche movement).

You're not going to please everyone and trying to will have you questioning every design decision you've made so far.