How To Review Your Redbubble Store

A audit of your Redbubble store will help you maintain a portfolio of high-quality art that's more likely to generate sales. I'll show you how I perform an audit of my store.

It's super easy to get caught up in an uploading frenzy on Redbubble, or any other print-on-demand store. On a superficial level, that totally makes sense.

More art = more chances to be viewed = more sales.
...Right?
(Maybe, but its much more nuanced than that.)

But if we are not thoughtful about what artworks represent us at our best, we can end up with collections that look lazy, unprofessional, and a major buyer turn-off. 

I'm going to do a self-review of a subset of products on my Redbubble store - clocks. I'm going to tale you though each one, and analyse what's  so and not-so-good about each one, and what action I'm gonna take.

Let's do it.

The 'Before'

Caution: Super-long screenshot of  my store below!

Right now (at the time of writing this article, 21 April 2020), I've got 44 clocks enabled in my store. My goal is to have the clocks that appear in my store be the best of the best, to look professional and of a high enough quality that I myself would want to buy them. And at the moment, that is not the case.

The Process

I'm going to evaluate each artwork based on 8 crucial characteristics...

• Is the artwork high quality and good enough to sell?
• Does the artwork suit the object it's on - in this case, a clock?
• Has the artwork been placed purposefully or just slapped on?
• Is the design too simple? Too busy? Is it pleasing to look at?
• Since it is a clock, does it need numbers?
• If the artwork is part of a collection, do all those clocks look like they belong together in a collection?
• Is the colour scheme suitable?
• Don't be afraid to 'murder your darlings'. I know its hard if you spent ages refining a design, but if it just doesn't work, and/or you don't  feel up to putting in the effort to make it work, be brave enough to let it go. Your other artworks will thank you! (And if you can't let it go, work to improve it!)

​
Sometimes these questions are hard to answer. Maybe you just get a gut feeling that a design isn't working, but can't decide why right now. That's okay! You can always disable the item now and re-enable it later.

​Time to jump in to the auditing process! Let's look at each clock one by one...
​

Support Main

Pros:

• Good enough to sell? Yes, because this is my best-selling artwork, I know people like it.
  
• Placed purposefully? Yes, I have made sure to scale the artwork so it doesn't cover the numbers, and its centred.
  
• Numbers? Yes, it has numbers that are fairly easy to read (could have more contrast)
• Colour scheme? Yes, a harmonious colour scheme of blue and yellow. And I picked clock hands that are blue to go with the scheme too.

Cons:​

• Pleasing to look at? Perhaps not. The background might be too busy. And the signature placement kinda looks awkward

Other: Suit the product? Well the text isn't right in the middle of the clock, which is good. 
Action: 
Keep for now. In future, simplify background, increase contrast of numbers, and move signature somewhere else

Other Gaming Mains Artworks

Since these artworks are all part of a set, most of the feedback I gave for Support Main will apply to these as well.

​DPS Main

Tank Main

​Chaos Main

Support Main Colouring Book
​

Disable for now. Add numbers

Support Legend
​

Lighten number shadow

Support Legend Colouring Book

Drain Main

Give numbers and background similar to others

Dyed Hair

​Blue Hair Don't Care | Silver Hair Don't Care
I don't think this design, no matter the colour,  suits being on a clock.
Action: Disable both

Dripping Words

Creep | Weirdo | Witch
Pro: I like a good drippy font
Con: Having a word just slapped on a clock doesn't look good
Action: Disable all of these. In the future, make clocks that have drippy numbers.
​

Adventure Time

Minimalist Finn, Jake, Marceline and Princess Bubblegum

Pro: Designs are very cute and could work without needing numbers
​Cons: Market is primarily for kids, who would probably need the numbers to read the time.
​Action: Keep all. Make a duplicate of one of these clocks, add numbers, and see if it looks good.

Marceline Living Room Pixel Art
I don't think this hexagonal isometric pixel art really suits being on a clock... I'm actually not sure if it's strong enough for sale, period.
Action: Disable

Pew Pew Mew

Pew Pew Mew V1
Art looks very lazily slapped on.
Action: Disable. 
​
Pew Pew Mew V2
The second design is definately more appealing than the first. But the purple background doesn't really go with the cat in my opinion.
Action: Keep for now. Change the background colour.

Borderlands Fan Art

With the first clock, featuring a grid of four artwork, I don't think having a square inside a circle looks very good. 
Action: Disable.
With the solo portrait, I like this one a lot, I'm just concerned it's not quite positioned right.
Action: Keep for now. Move artwork a bit to the right?

All The Spooky Ones

Heathen
I'm not satisfied with this design. The combo of the art and the numbers looks a bit...dorky? Childish? Hard to say exactly. 
Action: Disable for now.

Spoopy
The design looks very busy to me. Hard to read. Perhaps this is another design that simply doesn't suit being a clock.
Action: Disable.

Cast Me Away
The art looks a bit slapped-on. And I've been working on a HD remake of this artwork, so it would be a waste to try and make this older version look good.
Action: Disable. Future HD version.

Gemini Soul
I don't think the style of the numbers goes with the cartoonish nature of the art. Additionally, I don't really like the half-transparent pink behind the numbers. Again, doesn't go with the style.
​Action: Disable.

Dark Demon Schoolgirl
This is another example for me where the art plus the numbers equals a dorky look.
Action: Disable

Let's Talk To Spitits
This design has the potential to look very good on a clock, because numbers are an essential part of the design. Right now, it looks a bit too busy.
Action: Keep for now. Redesign the artwork so that the numbers of the ouija board become the clock's numbers. Rearrange and possibly remove other parts accordingly.

Weeping Moon
This design originally had a flat purple background. I changed it to this cloudy one because I felt the former was too boring and simple. But I'm not satisfied with this one either. It looks too bright and acidic too me. But I have yet to think of anything more suitable.
Action: Disable.

Pentagram Tome
I really like the simplicity of this design. The only possible con is that is is rather dark, which could make it hard for people to see when shopping online.
Action: Keep. In the future, try lighter versions, and experiment with adding numbers.

Golden Time
This is the only design I've ever made that was only meant to be a clock. It's based on a wristwatch I found in a council cleanup pile. I really worked hard to make the number ring look like metal. I'm proud of this design and don't want to change it. My only disappointment is that Redbubble doesn't offer a colour for the hands like bronze, to suit the artwork better.
Action: Keep

Goth Gamer Girl
This is a design that I think simply doesn't suit being on a clock. The face and neck will be covered by the hands of the clock, and I don't think the subject matter, the torso of a goth gamer girl, needs to be on a clock.
Action: Disable.

Text-Based Designs

Artist
Boring-looking, hands cover the words, I don't like this at all
Action: Disable

#GYMLIFE
Again, the hands of the clock will cover the words. There is some kind of potential here, but I'm not sure what to do with it right now.
Action: Disable

Time to Take My Gamer Vitamins
I have struggled a lot with this clock. The original artwork includes a pill bottle with game-controller-shaped pills coming out. I tried having that art on the clock in many forms, and it never looked good. But without that, the words lack context. Also, picking a background colour was very challenging. Overall, I think this one should be put to rest.
Action: Disable

Paintings

​Token of My Gratitude | Me of Me
I only uploaded these one day ago. I think they both look good, but I could be biased due to how recently I've worked with them. I like how they fill up the space, and become like art that happens to also be functional.
Action: Keep

Everything Else

80s Alien
I'm ambivalent about this one. But I like the colour scheme and the numbers.
Action: Keep. In the future, make a just-numbers version.

Don't Torture Yourself, Darling - That's My Job
I don't think this design suits being on a clock.
Action: Disable

Jessica's Head
Does anyone want to buy a clock with my little head peeking out from the bottom? Unlikely.
Action: Disable

I Love Knitting
The placement of the signature I think throws this design off-kilter. 
Action: Disable for now. Move/remove signature

Memphis Cats

I don't mind this design. But I think its too busy to try and put numbers on.
Action: Keep

School Daze

This is an artwork that is verging on not good enough to sell, for me. It doesn't do enough. And as a clock, I think it's a flop.
Action: Disable / Set artwork to Private

The Thinker

It doesn't feel right. I need to play with this one more. Maybe get rid of the numbers. make the whole artwork bigger and rotate it to a playful angle?
Action: Disable for now

Total artworks to disable: 24

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The 'After Disabling A Bunch of Stuff' Redbubble Store

After this audit, I now have 21 clocks that I am proud to have for sale on my Redbubble store. You can see all the clocks I have for sale up close and personal by clicking here.

Not only are these the highest-quality clocks, meaning a greater likelihood of someone liking/buying, but by reducing the overall number it makes it easier for people to browse. No need to scroll through dozens of sub-par designs.

Conclusion

I hope that watching me purge a lot of things from my Redbubble store helps you in refining your own collections, and putting out the best Redbubble store you can.
If you have any questions about improving your Redbubble store, please leave a comment!

Peace, love and sunshine,
Jessica xx

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