Talking to a friend about kickstarters and gave this advice. Not every product should do every thing. The way I think about it:

1) What is the product doing and who is its audience

2) What does that audience want that they dont know they want

3) How do you get them to want it

Its why when Ive been doing live reads I take it seriously when a book has a “what is an rpg” section. Not every book is for new players. Not every book is for experienced players. Some books should be luxury. Some books should be made to be written in the margins.

Once you accept that not every book is for everyone it opens up so many options. Creativity can be found in limitation. Know what your book is doing and who its for and you can do all sorts of interesting things. Think about this.

No ones going to toss around a $150 book. But if your book is cheap or easy to make print copies? A zine? Maybe you can do cutouts in the book. Have people cross out text as part of the game. Fold pages over with secret messages. Include sticker packs to add in and personalize.

If it IS expensive suddenly you can think about materials. Luxury isnt about word count. A rolex isnt significantly bigger than a timex. It just feels nicer. You can look at clothbound. Interesting slipcase designs. Go expensive because thats the point.

Grey Goose and Grey Poupon famously both started out neary failing as low to mid level brands. Without changing process or ingredients they updated the names to suggest sophistication, the bottle designs, increased the price. They sold better at higher prices with no changes.

Dinosaur Princesses has the book designed as a coloring book because its inexpensive and its for kids. It doesnt feel cheap. It feels considered.

Brand identity isnt about putting ads on facebook or tv or whatever. Its not about slick suits crunching numbers. Its about deciding who you want to buy your product and how you make those people happy. Limit your focus and you can do wonders. Thanks for reading and happy gaming!