Creativity Is A Virtue

Yesterday was a great day for me, and on Saturday or Sunday of this week, you will find out the full extent of what I mean. Trust me, it will be something worth checking out. Then, after I saw the disgusting results of Donini's unholy relationship with Beckett, I was still feeling good. Yes, it was that good of a day.

High on cloud 9, I started looking through some of the previews again for Prestige. I also saw some of the other upcoming releases, and all I could think was how badly Donini had beaten the Manufactured Patch sig card they do in to a mushy pulp. So far, we have five Donini sets that we have seen, and more than two are using those cards. In 2007, they were created for Leaf Rookies and Stars. In 2008 we got them in Prestige, National Treasures, Rookies and Stars, and maybe more that are slipping my mind. The most crazy thing is they used a recycled card from a set that costs 60 bucks for a product that costs 450 a box later in the season. Sadly, every box of national treasures had one of these cards in it! That is beyond redonkulous.

Think, we are less than a month into the football card season, we already have previews for more than one product that uses these cards AGAIN, and I am beginning to think about giving up on Donini once and for all. Add in the fact that they got into bed with the worst people in the hobby to get into bed with, the decision just became that much easier.

Its really sad that in this poor economic time, the companies are resorting to LESS creativity, rather than upping the quality of their designs to appease more people who are now more likely to hang on to disposable income. Its not like they have to go out and find more players to sign cards. Its not like they have to pay more for the jerseys. Ideas are free, and right now there is a shortage of good ones.

Here, ill make an offer that thousands of people would happily make as well:

For a case of product, preferrably a nicer product, I will act as a "consultant" for any company that wants to run pre-production designs by me for some feedback. So, for $1,000, roughly, you could get feedback from the collector. They know I wont pull my punches, and they can do what they want with my feedback. I would do every product they want for one case of wax.

Now, this is satirical of course, but its not a bad idea to get people involved before you actually go to press. A manufacturer could go to their Diamond Club for product input, but the if they only ask people who are going to buy regardless if the design sucks or not, they wont get the true feedback that is necessary. Its mGo to someone who only buys 5 boxes a year, someone who really considers the whole year's run before making a decision. There are more 5 box busters than 1000 box busters out there. Wouldn’t you want those 5 boxes to come from your product? Seek them out, talk to them, be transparent. The worst you could lose is a case of product that you were going to give away anyways. Hell, some may do it for free!

If companies continue to rely on bad ideas that never went anywhere to begin with, people will get bored. Ill tell you, I am bored out of my freaking mind right now. Bored people don’t buy products, and you can bet that this manufactured patch sig card is as stale as you can get it. I know they want to cheaply fill a product, but slapping a sticker on an amazingly designed card is a MUCH more profitable idea in my mind. I know I would take the aformentioned card over the manupatch card every single day of the week. Creativity and design is so important these days, that any cut corners will bite you in the ass. I guarantee that. Skipping on the important stuff may save a company money now, but it will cost more than one can imagine later down the road.