The Astral Planner Prototype is Here!
The first prototype for The Astral Planner is here!
Earlier last week we revealed the first glimpse of our first prototype for The Astral Planner on our Instagram and we are thrilled with the response and feedback we have received so far! Due to covid-19 and Chicago still being on lockdown, we will have to delay scheduling any professional photoshoots for our official product photography until the beginning of June. However, because the A S T R A L community has been with us, following, and supporting our journey since last year, it was important for me to grab my canon camera and give it my best shot in snapping a few sneak peaks to share with our Astral Fam.
Overall, the quality of the planner is absolutely stunning! I couldn’t be more pleased with the integrity of the materials and durability of the construction. It was important for me to not only create a beautiful, monochromatic product that had an unspoken air of luxury around it, that would appeal to both men and women, but also create a planner that would withstand daily use for a year and still look as beautiful as it did on day one. What also turned out to be unexpectedly special and “on-brand”, was the premium black linen cover I chose. If you look at the photo below, the way the fibers within the linen catch the sun light, it almost looks like little stars are scattered across a black, night sky on the cover.
[ a s · t r a l ]
( adj. ) of, connected with, resembling, pertaining to, or proceeding from the stars.
3 MONTHS UNTIL LAUNCH…
We will be doing one more round of prototypes to address a couple small changes I am exploring in making for the final version. I will list them out below and please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. After all, this product is being made for all of you and I want to ensure it meets all of your expectations. Do you love the sample as is? Do you agree with the below changes?
Cover: I am currently in the process of designing a new cover for The Astral Planner, which will display our logo in a more prominent way on the front. At first, I wanted to keep the cover extremely minimal with only the year and planner title but my husband (who works in Marketing) was actually the one that recommended I incorporate the logo on the front because most paper planners do not a have a “design logo” so in that essence, The Astral Planner is unique and we should show it off.
Paper Weight: I have opted to go with a slightly less thicker paper for the inner pages. Initially, I was concerned about pens or markers bleeding through the pages so I opted for a heavier weight paper but after receiving the first prototype it turned out to be not necessary. The printer also sent over a stack of a lower weight paper and after thoroughly testing it with markers, sharpies, and pens, we’ve learned that there is no bleed through happening so the lower weight paper will work just fine and in a way, even better because it makes the planner weigh less as well.
Rounded Corners: And finally, the last little change I plan on making is to do smaller rounded corners for the cover than the current prototype. Though, that may be such a small change that it might not be overly noticeable to the naked eye.
Pre-orders: The date on which pre-orders will open up has already been pre-determined but before making an official announcement, I want to ensure the second prototype goes well and there are no more unforeseen circumstances due to the current situation with the virus that could potentially cause delay. We will also be releasing a detailed blog that outlines the details and production/delivery timeline for pre-orders. Subscribers will be the first to receive this news so if you would like to stay up to date, consider signing up to our Newsletter.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
With that said, please let me know what you think in the comments below or feel free to send me an email to elena@astralplanner.com. And of course, I would be most appreciative and grateful if you would share our website or this blog post with your social network! Encourage your friends, family, fellow organization and astrology lovers to sign up to our Wait List to ensure we’re able to bring this project to life!
Thank you all. I am so grateful for all of you in the A S T R A L community and am looking forward to our launch!
x
Elena Bobysheva
Founder of A S T R A L