Let's talk about product development

This is the Camo Story, but I think a big picture view at how we make something new. 

.

Here's the obvious part. It's starts with an inspiration. "I think we could do a Camo Tech and here's how I would approach it...."

.

Originally, it was an Inside Out Frit pipe. I met @hoffmanglass at a trade show after YEARS of being in love with his work. I asked some vague questions about his process. He launched into a step by step. I was blown away first by his openness and then by the skill required to use the techs he described to achieve the designs he has. Seriously, check this dude's work out!

.

Anyway, I thought, I can use that technique without stepping on his toes (or frankly without the unreal skill level) to make a Camo design. I hated it. We discounted those pipes and moved them along. 

.

More thinking. We want surface colors. We want to sandblast it. So we work. We discuss. Someone comes in on a random Tuesday and says "what if Camo is done like this..?"

.

Then one day it clicks. You solve the problem. This is my absolute FAVORITE part of the job. The moment you arrive at an answer that checks all the boxes!

We made a small batch of Camo, but the colors were wrong, but the Tech was right. Another color order. Another attempt and it's immediately apparent we nailed it. Pat and i made 4 Green Camo pieces in 4 of our shapes. Very slowly. It's awkward. We've unlocked the 'what' but not the process itself. We're close.

.

So, we make more. The idea grows. If we're doing Green Camo as the star of the show, why not have a few background characters. So we workshopped some color combo variants. Now we have to make 4 of each of those colors.

Now we're 20 pipes deep not including the Inside Out and the wrong color versions. The how has evolved and is now efficient and effective. Time to make 4 more Green Camos. 

.

All the while, we're thinking about where it fits "on the table" for Trade Shows for example. Guess how many we're going to sell relative to other Techs so we can make decisions on how many to make for inventory. We need to crunch some numbers to establish a price point. Then pictures. Logos. Content. A special piece to use as a Friday Drop. 

.

Months later, we're very excited to show off our finished product! 

Introducing Camo Tech