Hello all! I'm hoping to make this post more show and less tell, but we'll see how I do. 🙈
Thank you to those who shared their thoughts and concerns in my last post (as always!). I know the colored metal was a big part of the original look for these designs, and I really do understand why the shift to rose gold hard enamel feels disappointing for some of you.
Because of that, I’ve gone ahead and asked my manufacturer for two production quotes:
ONLY rose gold hard enamel pins - the poll-winning finish and current campaign plan
BOTH rose gold hard enamel & color coated soft enamel pins - to see if offering both versions is doable
I don’t know yet if the second option will be financially or logistically possible. Aside from the cost considerations, there are also things like whether or not fulfillment can be handled without causing too much confusion or delay to consider.
But before I make the final call, I wanted to at least look into it properly. So I'm turning to you guys for feedback again! It genuinely helps me understand what matters most to everyone as I figure out the best path forward.
🎭 Current Pros + Cons
Rose Gold Hard Enamel (only)
It's the poll-winning finish
More cohesive across the full set of pins
Simpler production and fulfillment
Likely means a shorter campaign timeline
Color Coated Soft Enamel (as well)
Closer to the colorful metal look from the original campaign art
More finish color variety means additional hardware (rainbow to match)
Extra art files to account for color shifts due to the tinted metal and shadows
It would add cost, complexity, and possibly time
👇 If you’d like to weigh in, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. 👇
💎 Rose Gold Mockups
As promised, I’ve put together rose gold mockups of the full set so you can get a better idea of how the designs may look with the rose gold finish! 💛
I’m including comparison images here showing the original colored-metal mockups (left) next to the rose gold versions (right). I also included mockups of the Angel Opossum and Hanging Mouse Charm, so you can see how my mockups compare to the actual manufactured pieces we've sampled (below).
A quick note: these mockups are very quick-and-dirty! They’re meant to give a general sense of the finish direction, not a perfect preview of the final pins. One must call upon the power of 🌈imagination🌈 to picture them as much shinier, prettier, physical enamel pins with polished metal and dimensional details that don't come through in flat digital art~ ✨
If you’d prefer scroll through the larger images more easily, I also uploaded them to Imgur here:
I’ll share more in the next update once I hear back from my manufacturer and have a clearer idea of whether offering both versions is actually possible, and what effect that might have on the production timeline.
Since this post already has a lot of images, I’ll save the vector art/progress sharing for the next update as well! ☺️
📆 Charge Date for Add-ons
As a reminder, I’m still planning to charge cards for survey add-ons and upgrades on Tuesday, Sept 8th!
This does not include shipping. Shipping will still be charged later, closer to fulfillment, once final package weights are confirmed.
I know it's been a long discussion about the plating for these pins, but we're close to the finish line now! (Pun intended?)
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 💛
~ Qesque 🎨 Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and Bluesky: @Qesque
