Small artists are currently dependent on existing social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr or DeviantArt, to name a few, to expand their follower base.
While these platforms have billions of users that make it possible for someone to find their favourite artists, the very fact that these platforms are cluttered make it difficult for creators to be found.
Most of these services rely on an algorithm that determines what content is shown on a users’ feed. However, the current algorithm prefers posts that have more interactions, which means only already-popular creators get pushed to the top. The lesser-known artists continue to remain… less known.
For some, art may be a form of unwinding after a long day, but for others, art is what puts bread on their plates. For such people, the unforgiving algorithm does more harm than good.
Without the distracting explore pages, BentoBox gets straight to business. Inspired by the Japanese food item of the same name, BentoBox has everything divided into neat little categories. In general, there will be a total of 4 tabs- commissions, auctions, free resources and events.
The commission tab requires artists to upload an ad stating their art style, preferred medium, rules and of course, prices.
The auction tab will allow artists to put up adoptables which will later be sold to the highest bidder at the end of a set time period.
The free resources tab is a category for artists by artists. Artists can upload tutorials, brushes, templates or similar things for free for others to use.
Finally, the events tab is the place where all seasonal contests/challenges will take place. Based on their participation, users will be awarded ranks and badges. Who decides the winner? If the contest is hosted by a company or an artist, they choose the winner. However, if it is hosted by the staff, the ranks are decided by community votes.
“What is the purpose of these ranks and badges?” you may ask. These will be of help if someone is using the platform as a portfolio.
Speaking of portfolios, the service does have a feature where artists can upload their artworks to show off their skills. Once again, this is only for those using the platform for employment.
What if you’re not an artist?
- …yet. Looking to dip your feet into the world of visual arts? The free resources tab is just for you.
Are you a:
- Customer? The exhaustive list of filters will help you find just the artist you need.
- Company? You can use the platform to hire artists part/full-time, or you can even host contests for the same purpose.
We have everyone’s needs covered here. Now that the features have been explained, it’s time to take a look at some behind-the-scenes parameters and questions.
What’s the need for such a service? Is it relevant enough? What about similar services in the market?
As stated earlier, the way the current platforms function make it hard for full-time artists to make a living. While BentoBox is not a replacement or alternative to those services, it is a platform for artists and their skills to be found and seen.
Artists have expressed their displeasure with the current system, especially with new (and irrelevant) features rolling out forcing them to adapt in order to survive. Many are already looking for an alternative.
Another app/service that is focused on artists is Artfol. However, it is a relatively new platform and only time can tell how successful it will be. Currently, it has seen a great turnout in the number of artists signing up, and some popular art accounts have been advocating for it as well.
The difference between BentoBox and other similar platforms is that BentoBox does not store a user’s previous interactions to generate recommendations. The goal is the complete opposite- to leave everything in the hands of the user.
Growth plan: As for making sure that BentoBox is widely used, various artists from already known platforms can be contacted and briefed about the platform.
The website can be advertised through Google Ads and other forms of advertising include a discord server dedicated towards regularly publishing development news.
As there is no feed/recommended page on BentoBox, it does not have to make use of flashy algorithms to calculate what the user may like. So how does it work?
BentoBox will purely rely on the filters entered by a user to generate search results. Since the suggestions won’t be influenced by the customer’s purchase history, there is no need of complex AI algorithms.
A basic search algorithm will be deployed, which will match the entered filters to the posts containing those filters (which will be entered by the artists during uploading their work). The order in which the posts will be displayed will depend on how much they match the filters.
However, most of the technical expertise is required in the construction of the service. Proficiency in HTML, CSS, UI/UX, JavaScript, Django and Firebase would be required to create the web service.
In order to expand to Android and iOS, knowledge of Java and Swift will be necessary.
What is the production budget and user pricing?
The budget would be approximately $20,000 to $40,000 (source), excluding human resources. Moreover, if the user base grows rapidly, the cost to maintain the server(s) may also increase.
As BentoBox does not involve the usage of AI models, the budget will be considerably lower as compared to platforms that make use of explore page.
Users will not be required in order to create an account and use the service. However in order to cover up the production cost, companies that want to host contests through the platform will have to purchase a “business account”, which will be priced at $50- $100. The cost will also be balanced through ads on the website.
Future plans, possible risks and milestones
If the planning for BentoBox starts in early 2021 and the team stays active throughout the year, the service can be set to be released somewhere around 2025. That is, if there’s no unexpected setbacks.
Possible hiccups that can be encountered-
- before starting: Insufficient funds, team not having enough technical knowledge to start working on the idea
- during progress: People may lose interest in the project if it’s not released soon, a similar service may be released; deadline for release could be extended
- after release: Artists may not want to use a new platform causing hype to die down; servers may overload causing lags
Milestones:
- The early years would be dedicated to polishing the service, reducing the number of bugs etc.
- When there are enough users, development for Android and iOS will be started
- If the service is a success, big-name companies can even be contacted for partnerships and events.