Resources

The ADDIE Model as a Guide to NFT Collaboration

More on ADDIE here: https://www.instructionaldesign.org/models/addie/

ADDIE

Analysis > Design > Development > Implementation > Evaluation – each step feeds into the next, and returns to the beginning

Using this framework as a guide to collaboration in NFT development can help you flesh out ideas around roles, responsibilities, and expected outcomes. This list is a synopsis of findings - common questions and challenges, if you will, from prior collaborative experience.

ANALYSIS:

What is your goal?
Who is your audience?
Art to sell, or art to express – are you trying to capture a trend, or an emotion?
What makes you want to work with a particular artist – capitalizing on their success is an acceptable reason, just be honest about it – but recognize that the efforts have to be equal, to the extent possible. What about their ART intrigues you?
What are your strengths and weaknesses, what do you bring to the table?
- If you don’t consider yourself a good marketer, or to have limited reach/followers, be open about that – if one side has to pick up the slack, they need to know in advance in order to make good decisions
How does your work complement or work with theirs?
Example questions: How would a non-digital artist work with a digital? Photographer with painter? Psychedelic with watercolor?
What is your time frame?
- Consider the overall effort of collaboration as an investment, primarily in publicity and increasing marketshare. It can also strengthen your friendships!

DESIGN:

What form will your product take?
Is there a format, palette, or theme you are trying to maintain? A message you are trying to convey?
Are you blending pieces, or creating separately? Do either (or both) of you have an AI program (such as MidJourney) that can easily blend?
- If no, that’s not an obstacle, but you need to communicate who and how blending will be done, if one or the other doesn’t have access to a program
Keywords?
Attributes?
- Recommend –ar 2:3 or 3:2, art other than square seems to have more value/desirability

DEVELOPMENT:

Identify your communication protocol - and have a backup. For example, if you are communicating via Twitter DM, and one of you isn't "verified", you may get limited for a day...figure out Twitter/Discord/Email early. Remember that in some cases, your partner could be a day ahead (or behind) you in terms of applicable time zone - be prepared to be patient.
How many pieces from each artist?
What price point?
- Remember that the market right now is a BEAR. It seems that, on Tezos anyway, 5xtz is a key threshold on 1/1, 1xtz perhaps on 10/10. Each artist must be comfortable with the price point you establish
- Remember that you will be splitting proceeds, so all of this work will gain you only HALF of what you might think…
What format – 1/1, LE, OE? Combination? If a combination, determine pricing for each setup
Organization – Cloud, Drive, Dropbox, Trello, as examples
- Keep notes, files, and art in an organized, pre-communicated file system. Everyone works differently, some are more organized than others. A great deal of communication is required to complete a collab, break it down into manageable bites
- One suggestion: identify all keywords/tags in advance, listed in order, separated by a comma – then you can copy/paste into Objkt and it will auto-populate
- Identify Linked Wallets
Identify required/chosen licensing parameters
Identify royalty split – max 25% total, varying schools of thought regarding royalty %, this should be discussed.
Use low res to create a framework and choose art, upscale finished product before minting
- Over-produce, then work together to choose strongest pieces. Be prepared to discuss why you feel one piece is better than another – offer constructive criticism, remember, BOTH of your success relies on great product
How will you market? Any additional resources required? Collage, video, gif. music? Hashtags?

IMPLEMENTATION:

Be prepared to load up as contemporaneously as possible – both artists as close to same time as possible – some followers may jump into a collection before fully minted and pick pieces before collection is complete
Recommend doing all mints in one sitting, easier to implement copy/paste process
Using Objkt as an example – new collection? Created by whom?
- - When one artist creates, they must invite the other to the collection – be sure to wait until the invitation has been accepted before minting to the collection, otherwise both artists won’t be linked. You have to wait for the other to accept via wallet, and it can take 30 minutes or more for the option to appear in your dropdown list
Mint Piece(s), include all agreed parameters
List pieces - Use Advanced Listing to ensure split is appropriate
Start marketing, maintain a schedule

EVALUATION:

Take notes along the way
What went well? What didn’t?
Where can improvements be made?
How can you capitalize on success?
You should be planning your next move while planning this project – don’t sit back! Stay engaged!

In summary – you could use this outline to help you flesh out your business plan, or to use as a (relatively) concise way to make a proposal to your co-collaborator. Simply edit to answer the questions/observations as they come up in order, ADDIE.

It’s a business proposition – be prepared to back it up and sell it like one!

Good luck, and always feel free you reach out with questions!

Outrageous Cat

Special Thanks to https://twitter.com/ClaireFirley for helping to flesh this out!