One of the things we really love in the digital scrapbooking community is collaborative kits! These are referred to as “collabs” in digi language and there are a lot of different types of collaborative projects. Basically, the definition of a collab means that more than one designer contributed designs to the kit. Generally speaking, collabs are a great opportunity for designers and customers alike. Lauren Reid, a designer and a team member here at The Daily Digi had this to say: “Collabs are SO MUCH FUN! I could go on for ages on it, but I’ll be short and sweet. Depending on who you work with… they can be really inspiring… some collabs are more “collaborative” than others… sometimes it ends up that you initially decide on a kit idea and color scheme then you make your pieces separately then it all comes together at the end. Other times it’s a back and forth project, which to me is the best! That’s how Val and I were on the very first collab we did together… which ended up leading us to form The Tattered Pear together.”
Collab kits take a lot of coordination and hard work to put together because everyone needs to keep a common cause/theme/idea in mind to make sure the finished project comes together. There are several ways this can happen, and these types of projects have many benefits to the contributors and the customers.
TYPES OF COLLABS
Two (or more) designers from the same store.
This is a very common type of collaboration since it is easy for the designers to coordinate the release details with only one store. Often times, the store owner will take care of dividing up the sale proceeds between the two designers when they make their regular payments. This is a good opportunity for the designers to get new exposure to someone else’s fan base. The customer gets to try two different designers at the same time.
Two (or more) designers from different stores.
This type of collab can take a bit more coordination since it will be sold in two different stores. The advantage for the designers is the cross-traffic that will be created by bringing customers over from another site. It is typical in this case for each contributing designer to send the other one half of the proceeds they earn from their store sales on the kit.
Store collabs
happen when all (or most) of the designers from a single digi shop put together a kit. There are several reasons for these types of collaborations and these kits are often given away as a customer bonus with a minimum purchase (usually $10 or $20 required from the customer). This approach works really well on me since I often will bump up my cart total just to get the big collab kit. It is typical that the designers don’t make any money from their contribution to a store collab kit. It is simply an opportunity to promote themselves and the site that they are a part of. When these types of kits are later sold on the site, the proceeds usually go to keeping the site running and helping with hosting fees. Many stores have requirements for the designers to participate in a minimum amount of store collabs so everyone is sharing the duty of helping out. The benefit to the consumer is that they get to download really big kits as a reward for their purchases, or for a much lower price than if they were to purchase the items packaged individually by the designers.
An interesting sidenote – As I help Steph search for high quality designers to contribute to The Digi Files, I often start with these big collabs because I can check out A LOT of designers for a low price. It gets expensive to purchase kits from every designer we consider, but we feel it is important to do that so we know they provide high quality designs.
Another reason for a store collaborative kit is when a store is featured here at The Daily Digi as a contributor for The Digi Files. This has been a great way to introduce our members to a lot of new-to-them designers and share great digi shopping sites with them. Those kits are sold later on in the individual site stores so the best way to get them is by being a member here! This Around the World collab by The Digi Chick designers was included in The Digi Files last month (July 2011). This month we have a collab from the After 5 designers in the files which will be revealed later on this month.
Multi-store collabs
when two different digital shops collaborate to make one giant kit. The reasons for this type of collaboration are usually similar as those for a single store collab. The extra benefit to more than one store working together is that there is a much bigger opportunity for cross-promotion between the two sites. Some stores have entirely different customer bases so this is a good way for the designers to get their work out in front of a much wider audience. Again, the designers usually don’t make any money on their contributions to these kits, unless they can later repackage their pieces for sale once the collab is pulled from the shop.
Charity collabs
These are kits that are put together to raise funds for a charitable cause. Often, the digital community wants to reach out and help when something devastating like an earthquake happens. There have been times where an individual scrapper or designer has struggled with the loss of a loved one or a long and expensive illness and the digi community shows their support by putting together a kit to help them out. I love to buy these types of kits because I feel good about contributing a small amount to help someone in need. Another way to do this is by simply purchasing more from the designer’s regular store to boost their sales. When designers contribute to a charity kit, they don’t make any money for their work – it’s a labor of love. The site that hosts the kit usually doesn’t make any money either, or they might simply cover the hosting costs of selling a kit that requires a lot of bandwidth. If you purchase a charity kit, be sure you understand who the money will be distributed to. If the kit benefits someone like earthquake victims, the description should explain where your money will go to help such as a specific agency like the American Red Cross.
Bonus gift collabs
are a fun way to try designers from all over digi land. We reward our members here at The Daily Digi every 4 months with an exclusive kit that they will never be able to purchase anywhere else. We invite any of our past contributors to participate in these huge collabs. The designers don’t get paid for their contributions and The Daily Digi doesn’t make any money from these kits, even though there are huge bandwidth and hosting costs associated with them. These are a labor of love from everyone involved to thank our members! Here’s a preview of the 3rd kit a member would receive after their membership has been active for enough consecutive months.
Why do some collabs end?
Many charity collabs only run for a limited time because they are raising funds for a specific cause. There is a lot of time and money involved for the site that is hosting the charity kit so these usually have a limited run time. Sometimes the designers will package up their contributions for sale later on, but most of the time they are gone when the kit is. Many store and multi-store collabs eventually end as well once they’ve quit selling as much. Some stores do keep their collabs up indefinitely though which is nice for customers who find digi later on and want to try a sampling of designers. When a collab is put together by a group of designers, they are usually the ones who decide how long it will stay in their stores. It takes a little extra time and effort for them to divide the profits each month and if they decide down the road that it isn’t worth the effort anymore, they will probably retire the collab. Now it is often the case that they will package up their own contributions to the collab and simply sell them in their individual stores.
Some of our favorite collaborative kits:
We thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite collaborative kits with you. Each image is linked.
How do you feel about collab kits? Who would be in your DREAM COLLAB TEAM? We’d love to know!
