SURPRISE! (What We've Been Working On)
Last week we promised we would show you the surprise we've been working on for you.
But first, a bit of backstory.
During the campaign, we received messages/comments from a lot of you asking if we could include more graphic content in the book. You wanted to know if there would be pictures or illustrations, not JUST 99 shades of grey.
At the same time, we had others who resisted the idea, saying that the more we included outside just the 99 shades, the farther we were getting from the original idea, and the less funny the joke was going to be.
We went back and forth about what to do, and then two things happened that helped us make a decision.
First, our printer came back and said "We can print the 99 shades. But the darker they get, the more likely you are to have streaks in the print, especially if you are doing full-page blocks of solid ink. It's just not going to look good." This wasn't just one printer, either. We heard this over and over.
Second, we got a message from one of our backers, who contacted us when it was time to name his shade. He chose shade number 63, saying “I have a 1963 silver Stingray Corvette that my dad and I spent 10 years restoring before he passed.” he said. “It would be fun to name the color ‘Sebring Silver Stingray’ after the car.”
He went on to say, “I’d love to send a photo of the car if you’re still thinking about some backer provided content for the page.”
Once he sent in the picture and explained how much the car meant to him, and the significance it had for him in relation to his father, we decided to put in an illustration based on the picture.
Then we started getting other people who named their shade after their children, or a special memory, or something else that meant a lot to them. So we played around with illustrations for them too. Before we knew it, we'd made the decision to do 99 custom illustrations for the book.
Still, we didn't want this to become a book about the illustrations. This is ultimately a book about 99 shades. So here's what we did:
On the right-hand pages, you will find the shade name, the shade namer, the HEX, RGB, and CMYK values for the shade, and a bar of grey going from top to bottom along the outer edge of the book. This bar is rendered in the shade in question, so that as you flip through the book, the bar gets darker and darker (and the number moves down the page too.... just a little bonus).
On the left-hand pages, we've included a custom illustration based on the shade name, also rendered in the grey in question.
Thus, the book is still primarily about the greys, as it always has been. The illustrations are there to reinforce the greys, and to show an example of the shade. And also to make you smile and show you how much we love our backers.
Hopefully you guys like the illustrations. We can't wait to get the books in your hand. For a teaser, we've included a few examples below, including the one that started this whole thing.
P.S. Quick status update on the items from last week: We've received our PCN from the Library of Congress, finalized our arrangements with the printer, and are shipping off the files tomorrow! We'll let you know as soon as we hear a target arrival date, but things are moving along nicely. Our little baby is all grown up and headed off into the real world!
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Aug 22, 2012 -
Sep 15, 2012
- 6 created · 13 backed
- Has not connected Facebook
- Website: ridiculo.us
Pledge $1 or more
14 backers
OFFICIAL BDSM! Thanks for backing us! At this level, you have officially earned the title of BDSM! (Backer Donating Some Money)
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $5 or more
15 backers
NEW REWARD! DIGITAL GREYZINESS - At this level, you’ll get the digital version of 99 Shades of Grey. Includes pdf, mobi, and epub versions.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $10 or more
214 backers
PRE-ORDER! Not only are you a BDSM (Backer Donating Some Money), but you'll also receive your very own paperback copy of 99 Shades of Grey which can be proudly displayed on your coffee table or chained to your bookshelf. (add $5 for international shipping)
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $15 or more
99 backers All gone!
NAME THAT SHADE! At this level, you get to name one of the 99 shades included in the book (Name selection subject to common decency and our editorial guidelines. Page numbers given on first-come, first-served basis, so pledge early!). PLUS you get a copy of the book with your name in the acknowledgments. (add $5 for international shipping). UPDATE: If you want a t-shirt AND want to name a shade of grey, choose this tier and add $15 to your pledge. Thanks!
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $25 or more
45 backers
FIFTY SHIRTS OF GREY! - Okay, not really fifty. But you do get a limited edition, heather grey Ridiculo.us shirt. Not available anywhere else! Plus a paperback copy of the book and your name in the acknowledgments. UPDATE: If you want a shirt AND want to name a shade of grey, choose the $15 tier and add an additional $15 to your pledge. Thanks!
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $40 or more
23 backers
NEW REWARD! HARDCORE HARDCOVER - Get your very own hardcover copy of 99 Shades of Grey to display proudly in your home. PLUS we’ll put your name in the acknowledgments. PLUS you get the e-book.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $75 or more
6 backers Limited (93 of 99 left)
NEW REWARD! POSTER POWER PACK - Get your own limited-edition 99 Shades of Grey 24x36” poster (featuring all the shades and shade names), plus a hardcover copy, a copy of the e-book, and your name in the acknowledgments.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $99 or more
10 backers All gone!
LIMITED-EDITION HARDCOVER! At this level, you get a limited-edition hardcover copy of the book, plus FIVE paperback copies, plus a shirt, PLUS your name will be listed on the dedication page of the book. This tier is for serious BDSM's only. (Backers Donating Some Money)
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $249 or more
1 backer All gone!
HAIKU - LIGHT The book will be split into light greys, medium greys, and dark greys. On the title page of the LIGHT GREYS section, your haiku will be printed for all to see! Also includes a hardcover copy of the book, a poster, and your name listed as a contributing writer in the Library of Congress record!
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $249 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
HAIKU - MEDIUM The book will be split into light greys, medium greys, and dark greys. On the title page of the MEDIUM GREYS section, your haiku will be printed for all to see! Also includes a hardcover copy of the book, a poster, and your name listed as a contributing writer in the Library of Congress record!
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $249 or more
1 backer All gone!
HAIKU - DARK The book will be split into light greys, medium greys, and dark greys. On the title page of the DARK GREYS section, your haiku will be printed for all to see! Also includes a hardcover copy of the book, a poster, and your name listed as a contributing writer in the Library of Congress record!
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $999 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
THE DOMINATOR - SERIOUS BDSMs ONLY! At this level, you get 9 hardcovers, 9 shirts, 9 posters, AND you will be listed as the co-publisher of the book in the Library of Congress record.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012
Comments
Creator Mick Bou-Samra on October 27, 2012
Hi Guys, Thanks for explaining how the illustrations for people's name were designed. I'm looking forward to seeing the final product.
Congratulations in advance to what is going to be an awesome book.
Creator Ridiculo.us on October 19, 2012
Landon/Cory,
Okay, so we did a little digging and found that photoshop has some issues generating these values the same way each time (as Cory's experiment showed).
Luckily, we found another way to calculate the values that generates equal than values and calculates things more precisely. We recalculated the values and are in the process of sending the new files to the printer. Luckily we caught it early enough that it won't affect the production schedule at all.
Thanks for pointing this out. The other values were apparently close enough that photoshop thought they were good enough, but the new ones are mathematically perfect.
Still not sure why photoshop does this, but my guess is that it has something to do with the beginning of computers messing with our minds.
To answer Cory's question, we have ordered 99 additional copies which will be sold via our website once the books arrive. Great question!
Creator Coryi5 on October 19, 2012
actually never mind all together about my question. photoshop's cmyk values are in % and the values you list are the actual number (not %, not quite sure how to say that.) so the values that photoshop give un-percentized is: c = 0.62, m = 0.53, y = 0.51 k = 0.23. I now see that these are closer to zero than I previously thought. But still confused since the c,m, and y would be rounded up to 001.
If anyone could explain this that would be awesome. I'd just like to know if anyone was to ask me about it. Love the book samplers.
I'm sure it's been asked somewhere around here, but are you going to have a second printing of this book after the KS? From what I see now, I think I'm regretting only picking up one(or should have snagged a Hardback).
Creator Vincent M on October 19, 2012
Ridiculo.us team,
I want to thank you for the inclusion of a very special memory for me, even if the book is intended to be a joke. My intention was only to give the color #63 a personal name touch as pledged and the story provided was just for context. The page looks BEAUTIFUL and I can't wait to get my copies to share with friends!
This is an art project and you are the artists. We backers funded an idea for an artist to do what they do best, create. I can tell you I had no expectations of how these pages were to be designed other than the brief descriptions you provided. The tongue-in-cheek joke is still there and especially because the right side of the page will have the solid grey stripe, it will be easy for anyone to just 'flip through' and get the joke. A book of just grey's like you said would be a pick up put down kind of thing. What you have done now will draw people in to flipping though and enjoying every single page.
The 15 dollar pledge allowed backers to also be the 'artists' for this book. This to me is a fundamental reason for the success of many Kickstarter projects especially in the art category. It is not just the ideas you bring to the table but the ideas and input of others with a similar interest. When you engage the audience while still remaining in creative control you give the art life beyond your own eyes. Some of us are not creative minds and thus we leave the details up to you. Cheers on the brilliant way to not only fill some white space but to make it fun at the same time!
Thanks guys!
Creator Coryi5 on October 19, 2012
Never mind the wording of the last comment. What I meant to say is if you input the cmyk all the data matches up fine, but if you start with the hex or rgb, the cmyk is different.
Creator Coryi5 on October 19, 2012
Also.
I just tried inputting the cmyk, it then filled in the same RGB as you guys got, but the hex it gave was #5f6062. Hmmm...
Creator Landon Kryger on October 19, 2012
That is really weird. I work in the color industry for video display calibration but I don't hardly know anything about printed colors. I'd swear you have some setting wrong, but I don't use Photoshop enough to know what that setting might be.
Creator Coryi5 on October 19, 2012
Ridiculo.us,
I'm with Landon. Still confused. I opened photoshop and imputed the hex #5f6062. Photoshop spit back: r= 95, g= 96, b= 98, which is what you got, but also gave; c = 062, m = 053, y = 051 k = 023. What?
Please learn me something Ridiculo.us
Creator Brad Dobberfuhl on October 19, 2012
I dno why people are complaining. I like the illustrations - I think it gives the entire book a little extra character and appeal. Plus the pictures seem to carry the "tongue-in-cheek" nature of the names over into the illustrations. It doesn't detract from the name; it adds to it.
Creator Ridiculo.us on October 19, 2012
Landon,
To be honest, we're a little confused on that one too. The way those numbers were generated was by opening each shade in photoshop and pulling the respective values.
Despite the fact that the numbers should be the same, Photoshop told us they weren't. We have a strict policy of not arguing with computers, because they will one day rule over us as our robot overlords, and we are not looking for trouble.
At the very least, these numbers will get you exceptionally close to the shade on the page. The CMYK shade will obviously be right on, so in a worst-case scenario you could go by that.
Thanks for the question, and please don't get us in trouble with computers.
Creator Landon Kryger on October 19, 2012
I'm confused. Why are the RGB coordinates not the same. Red, green and blue should all have the same value for any grey scale color. Even if you choose a different white point, it would still be common sense to make their values all the same.
Creator Ridiculo.us on October 19, 2012
Michael (Stettes),
Thanks! We can't wait for you to see the book!
Creator Ridiculo.us on October 19, 2012
Michael,
Sorry you feel that way. At the end of the day, we can't please everyone all the time. We'd be happy to issue you a refund if you'd like. We don't feel that this is changing the concept at all, but we're not going to try and convince you if you've decided you don't like it. We want you to be happy with us, happy with the book, and happy in general. So if that means we part ways on this project, we understand. No hard feelings. Message us if you'd like to go that route.
Creator Michael McParland on October 19, 2012
Reading previous comments, it would appear that I will be in the minority, but I also oppose this change.
I was under the impression that if there wasn't solid pages of grey, then there would at least be a LOT of grey. I would have preferred a solid page of grey on each spread. If this is not physically possible then I would have preferred other avenues to get around it e.g changing the paper type, or looking at patterns that would fill the page with mostly grey, while sparing any issues with smearing such as stripes or a check pattern.
As it is now, it is a glorified in-joke for certain backers, which contains very little grey. It also now looks a children's colouring in book.
Ninety-nine shades of grey? Now more like 99% White!
Creator Michael C. Stettes on October 19, 2012
Guys, while the absurdity of a book filled simply with shades tickled me grey, it was, admittedly, a one note joke that may not have resulted in repeated viewings or lingering on the pages.
The illustrations are a really creative way to provide an additional source of the grey (without it looking bad like the printers indicated) and an additional source of enjoyment. I think it's a great idea. Thank you for your time and effort.
I am excited to see what you do with my shade. Rock on!
Creator Ridiculo.us on October 19, 2012
Friends,
We want to clarify a few things that seem to be concerning some of you.
First, there seems to be an assumption that the original idea for this book was to have solid pages of nothing but grey. That is not true. From the beginning (it's even in the video), each page would have to have the name of the shade and the name of the person who chose that name. In addition, we promised to include the RGB/HEX/CMYK values for each shade so that the shades could be easily replicated.
Thus, each page would have to have, at bare minimum, those five things (shade name, shade namer, HEX value, RGB value, CMYK value) and not JUST a solid sheet of color.
In the comments section of our project, we stated early on (in response to a question about whether the grey would be printed edge-to-edge or whether there would be pictures, etc.) that "As far as the content goes, we're keeping that under wraps for now. The grey won't be printed edge to edge, and it also won't just be simple blocks of grey. The rest is a surprise."
We made sure not to say "We're printing blocks of solid grey!" or to show mock-ups of what pages would look like, because we weren't sure what would be possible for the printers to do at that point, and we hadn't decided what layout would best represent the idea of 99 shades of grey. We also knew that the printer would probably have feedback that might change what was possible.
Our thinking behind the illustrations was not to CHANGE the original idea in any way. This is, was, and always has been, a book with 99 different shades of grey in it. Based on feedback from the printer on how the darker swatches would look, we decided against printing larger blocks of grey, because we want the books to look great for you.
The only thing we have added is a small illustration for each shade, which we intentionally placed on the opposite page so that it is not a part of the main page for that shade. It's a tiny bit of bonus content, off to the side.
The choice was not between printing the illustrations or printing giant blocks of grey. It was between printing illustrations or leaving the page blank. By using the illustrations, which naturally have areas of white space in them, we could show off the color (which is what the book is all about) while avoiding the problem of printing giant blocks, which the printer warned against.
If anything, we have realized that perhaps there were assumptions made about this project that we failed to clarify. For that, you have our apologies. We will make sure to clarify exactly what will be delivered on future projects.
For those who are worried that this changes the original idea into something different, fear not. As we stated in the update, this was, is, and always will be a book about shades of grey.
To Paul's point, we wanted this to be more than just something you'd flick through and then never look at again. Some of you invested hundreds of dollars in this project. We asked ourselves "How can we stay true to the idea of a book of grey shades, but still allow for people to interact with the book for more than a cursory flick if they so desire?"
There seems to be a concern that people who pick up the book will not understand that it is simply a book of grey shades. I don't see how that is possible (especially considering the breakup of the book into light/medium/dark greys, and the inclusion of hex codes, etc.). I think people are smart enough to get the joke, whether or not the illustrations are included.
For those who are concerned that our illustration will not exactly replicate the idea in your head, it's certainly possible. Even if we had worked with backers to give input, there's always a strong possibility (ask anyone who's ever worked with a graphic designer) that what you thought and what we thought you meant would be differ. In order to not delay the printing another several months by spending hours with each person about their illustration (which was a bonus, not part of the original reward), we did our best with each shade name to pick something that the average person could connect with the shade name.
Mick, in the case of shade names that were obviously a person's name, we didn't do an illustration in the sense of drawing some random picture, but rather did a type treatment of that name (rendering the name in a unique font or with a little extra pizzazz). Thus, when your son sees the illustration for his name, he will not see a random picture, but instead will see his name written in a cool way.
At the end of the day, it's difficult to convey how this all comes together simply by showing you three spreads from the book. To get the full effect, you really have to look at the whole thing together, which won't be possible til the books are printed. A few of you have even admitted "I'll probably love it when I get it, even if I'm not crazy about the idea now." We agree. Once you have the book in your hands and see the full effect of the changing sidebars, sliding numbers, and illustrations all together, I think you'll agree that we did justice to the original idea.
Think about it this way: doing 99 custom illustrations was a lot of work. It was work that nobody expected us to do, and that we weren't paid extra for. We wouldn't have put the time, effort, and energy into it if we thought it was going to distract from the book and make it something different or worse than it was meant to be. We did this to make the book better, and as someone who has seen the layout in its entirety, I can say with full confidence that the book is awesome, and it's about nothing more than 99 shades of awesome grey.
Creator Richard Morena on October 19, 2012
I was looking to put a naked image of myself doused in grey paint .... maybe its best you did pick the illustration ..lolol !!! also great idea on the HEX RGB CMYK !
I'm sure everyone rather you guys get everything right than just rush it out . loving it so far and looking forward to the finale !!!
Creator Paul Goodhead on October 19, 2012
I was initially skeptical about this, but with a little time to think about it I think it's a great idea. If the book was just literally a bunch of grey pages, it's be funny, but you'd only ever give it a cursory flick through. At least this way there is an actual reason (the illustration) to look at each page.
Also, nice touch with the HEX, RGB and CMYK codes in the corner, almost gives the book a catalogue feel, like you;re shopping for a shade of grey to use.
Creator Basia Madej on October 19, 2012
These illustrations are really cool (love the monster) and most likely I'm gonna really like the book when I see it, but sorry - I really dislike the fact that you didn't stick with the original idea. What I loved was the craziness of having book with just colored pages and how simple and brilliant it was. It was unique and the new version isn't - there is a plenty of books with cool images in it. This change makes it something totally different than it was supposed to be.
Creator Mick Bou-Samra on October 19, 2012
Hmm, I wish the shade backers could have had a little input into the images. I hope I will be able to explain to my son what the random image next to his name represents...
Creator Daniel Prince on October 19, 2012
So... let me get this right, 99 custom shades of grey. So the number I chose I can describe to you why I chose that and you will reflect it in the illustration correct? Because I chose theleftclick.com 38 based on my business' logo text color. It means a lot to me almost like a child in a way.
Creator BlueLucine on October 19, 2012
Man, now I'm even more excited for this! :D
Creator Ridiculo.us on October 18, 2012
Thanks Bill and Donald! We're so glad you like the idea!
Richard, the illustrations are already done for each shade. In order to keep this a surprise, we didn't let anybody know we were doing illustrations or get input on the images. Some are goofy, some are serious, and some are our best interpretation of what the shade name meant. We're sure you'll love them all!
Creator Donald Mullins on October 18, 2012
I like the art and can't believe you jumped into 99 custom illustrations. This is a testimony to your ridiculous creativity and commitment. WOW! I like the bar, love that the numbers slide as the color changes. Your little book is a great example of how a small idea with backing can be transformed into art and adventure. I expected nothing less from Abe!
Creator Richard Morena on October 18, 2012
Hello guys , is it to late to add an image to my selection ?
Creator Bill Bartlett on October 18, 2012
And in my opinion, the more to make this book AWESOME is better. I'm ABSOLUTELY satisfied with whatever you do. I'm glad to hear that you are refunding money to people who don't believe. Their loss!
Creator Bill Bartlett on October 18, 2012
I have faith that you guys were able to do my color justice! Tenebris Turris!
"You needn't die happy when your time comes, but you must die satisfied, for you have lived your life from the beginning to the end and ka is always served.” -SK
Creator Ridiculo.us on October 18, 2012
Cory,
No hints yet, but we've got something coming in November that you're going to love. Stay tuned for more info coming in the next week r two!
Creator Ridiculo.us on October 18, 2012
Josh,
No worries! Cool is Honest Abe's middle name!
We'll get that refund processed right away.
Creator Coryi5 on October 18, 2012
Awesome looking book. The only regret I have is that I didn't grab the "name that shade" pledge level. I love the the custom illustrations.
Any hints to what ridiculo.us might be KickStarting in the future?
Creator Ahab's Adventures on October 18, 2012
Josh if you read the update you would realize the printers are having a hard time with that much grey on a page and something had to be done about it .... this is still an amazing project! If you need a hug I am sure they would throw one in with the copy of the book ... this team seems genuine on why they had to make a change don't be a party pooper please :)
Creator Josh on October 18, 2012
Thanks for being cool about things. I should have sent a private message initially. Have fun with the book and congrats on the success
Creator MasterCosmo Solutions on October 18, 2012
That's Awesome! I'm glad that my Rock Paper MONSTERS! recommendation inspired some creative thinking :) I think this is a unique update to the project and I look forward to seeing what else you guys are planning.
For anyone that wants to understand what Rock Paper MONSTERS means, check out my page www.facebook.com/MasterCosmoSolutions,
Thanks for being absolutely Ridiculo.us!
Creator Jan Arthur Blomvik on October 18, 2012
I love these sample pages, the color codes makes the book retain the focus on the colors.
That said, i do agree that having the leftside completely covered in the chosen shade would work better with the joke.
Creator Ridiculo.us on October 18, 2012
Josh,
We're so sorry to hear that you feel that way.
At the end of the day, this is a book full of 99 shades of grey. That's the tongue-in-cheek joke that we started with, and that's what the book ended up as. For us, and for many of our backers, the joke isn't made any less funny by the fact that the shades have names and pictures.
We realize that we can never please everyone, but we will always err on the side of putting more time and energy towards a project, which is what we did here.
That said, we'd be happy to refund your pledge if you'd like. Send us a private message and we can work out the details of getting your money back to you!
Creator Josh on October 18, 2012
How do I express how monumentally dissatisfied I am?
Simply put, this isn't the project I agreed to fund.
The simple tongue in cheek concept is lost here. There should be restrictions on kick starter as to how a funded project can change the final product and its responsibility to its backers. I get that some might think this is fun, and it isn't a bad final book, but it isn't what I signed up for. Ridiculo.us indeed.
Creator Ridiculo.us on October 18, 2012
Kaolin,
Great question! On the lightest shades (1-12), we surrounded the illustrations with a darker shade so that you could see it clearly against the white of the page.
Creator Kaolin Fire on October 18, 2012
Never mind. Thoughtblip. La la la. AWESOME. Okay, going back to server recovery. :/
Creator Kaolin Fire on October 18, 2012
How hard to read is the lightest grey, though? I'm sure you thought of something. :)
Creator Kaolin Fire on October 18, 2012
That. Is. AWESOME :D