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“In the beginning, you might just have an idea or an invention, but until you share it and get feedback, you won't be able to learn, grow, or build it something bigger!”
Michelle Chandra, a graphic designer in San Francisco, spent three years at a Bay Area startup making web map visualizations. At a work conference, she went to a talk on maze-generating algorithms that used grids. Cities are planned on grids too. She designed her first map maze from real street grids. It took three months and more than 100 hours to solve, and it was fun enough that she thought others might want to try.
With less than $2,000, she built a screen printing setup and an online store using Shopify. About $500 went to a homemade vacuum press, and she dries her prints on a rack made from an Ikea baby crib. Her first two mazes were her hometown of San Francisco, running from the Golden Gate Bridge to Twin Peaks, and Brooklyn, from the Brooklyn Bridge to Coney Island. Every order includes an extra print, so customers can solve the maze without ruining the original. Prices start at $24 on dirtalleydesign.com.
The early days were rough. Two of her first four colors didn't sell, so she cut them and added new ones. As an introvert with social anxiety, she found marketing hard. She still got her maps onto art blogs and into local gift shops, and she went to a bunch of events. Her first-year profit was around $3,500. The next year it doubled to $7,000, and she wants it to keep doubling. She realized she was learning more running the business than at her job, so she left to focus on it, thanks to savings and a minimalist lifestyle.
I offered a few suggestions at the end. First, raise the price, since similar prints sell for twice as much. Even $30 to $36 would help, or add more sizes. Second, put more work into Instagram, because the project is so visual. Third, pitch more design blogs, such as The Jealous Curator and Kottke, and look at flash sale sites. Fourth, plan ahead for holiday gift guides. She was in a Forbes guide in 2018. And talk to my friend Alyson Stanfield at artbizsuccess.com, who helps artists with the business side.
