This 2012 update is a little late seeing how it's already March! The first year of Vector Mill was really great. There has been really awesome feedback on the site and the resources. After a year of building crates I have a better understanding of how the site and crates will function in 2012. There will be some changes but nothing too drastic I think.

Crate Schedule

The first change is the crates' release schedule. When Vector Mill was originally launched I intended to release a crate every month. It's probably pretty obvious to everyone that this didn't happen. In order to keep the crate quality the highest possible, I will have to spend more than a month on a crate. Even if I didn't have other client work, blog posts, and random projects I wouldn't be able to create a crate a month. I'm thinking I will create around 4-5 a year.

Crate Themes

Last year I created crates with a bunch of disparate elements but going forward I will explore themed crates. More specifically, I would like to explore major art movements of the 20th century. Again, this is the idea but we will see how it turns out. The first themed crate is Mid-Century Modern and to tell you the truth, I think it's the best crate yet.

Crate Price

With the new themed crate comes a lot of research and development. Much more than the previous crates. Moreover, the Mid-Century Modern Crate is of higher quality. Because of these factors, I'm raising the price of a crate to $50. I know a price hike is no fun and I'm not trying to rip anyone off, but this is what I believe this artwork is worth. In reality the combined price of the elements from other vendors can far exceed $50. Again, I understand not everyone can afford this price so I hope to provide more contests and sales to help out.

Random Crates

In addition to the themed crates, I hope to release one or two random crates similar to the avatar creator. Some that are a little more self contained and cheaper.

I hope none of this news is too shocking but if you have any questions, just let me know!