"Developing a single product takes a lot of time and money. 
Wadiz Funding was a huge help in securing the initial mass production costs during funding."

There’s a maker whose funding campaigns always elicit an involuntary “Wow!” whenever they launch. Combining ingenious designs with practicality that seamlessly integrates into everyday life, this maker captivates supporters with every funding campaign—and thanks to that, they’ve successfully gathered over 1,800 supporters across three funding campaigns. We’d like to introduce Monthly Maker, a new project launched with the ambition to introduce a new product on wadiz once a month. 

PILLOW – The World’s Smallest Bookstand

• July 4, 2018–August 10, 2018
• 13,959,100 KRW of funding raised
• 826 supporters

※ These funding results were achieved through the above campaign and do not apply to all projects

Wadiz: Hello, Maker! First, could you please introduce Monthly Maker?

Monthly Maker: Hello! One product a month—that’s Monthly Maker. Monthly Maker is a project that introduces one fun and innovative product each month through wadiz. Starting with the “Book Pillow,” which recently completed its funding campaign, we’re preparing to unveil a variety of Rewards, including desk accessories and design products. 

Wadiz: I’m already curious about Monthly Maker’s next creation! Is there a specific reason you want to introduce products through wadiz every month?

Monthly Maker: First of all, there are so, so many products we want to make. So, while we were wondering how to handle them all, we ended up wanting to bring every single one of them to the world. We thought wadiz would make that possible. 

The reason our initial funding goal is somewhat higher than other projects is that if the campaign fails, we can assume the world doesn’t want these products and stop development. 

We started our Monthly Maker activities as a six-month limited project, but if the response is good, we’ll probably keep going. I really hope that happens.

The funding results shown above are from the aforementioned project and do not apply to all projects.

Wa: This time, you’ve gathered over 800 supporters for the 30g Pillow bookstand. Could you briefly explain what Pillow is for those who aren’t familiar with it?

Moon: “Pillow” is a bookstand designed for people who read. It’s a 10 cm, 30g portable bookstand for those who find traditional, heavy, and bulky bookstands inconvenient to carry around and want to read in a more comfortable position. It creates a comfortable reading environment wherever you are.

Wa: When I thought of bookstands, I only imagined the heavy solid-wood ones I used to carry around as a child, but seeing Pillow changed my mind. Was there a specific reason you created the Pillow bookstand?

Moon: I love reading books at libraries and bookstores. When I’d place a book on a desk and read with my head tilted toward the ceiling, my neck and lower back would start to ache almost immediately, so I’d either hold the book in my hands or stack four or five books and lean against them to read. 

I wondered if there was a way to make this posture more comfortable, and that’s when I came up with the Pillow. In short, I created it because “I wanted to read comfortably.”

Wa: I think the reason the Pillow has become so popular is probably because of its cute and charming design.

Moon: Yes, since I made the Pillow because I disliked heavy bookstands myself, I came up with a design with the reader in mind. 

Existing bookstands primarily focus on viewing angle and page stabilization, but they’re more like tools for people who study by fixing a specific page to absorb the content, rather than for those who simply read for pleasure.

I noticed that a key characteristic of readers is that their hands never leave the book—they need to keep both hands close to the book, ready to turn the page at any moment. So, I boldly removed the page-holding mechanism from the product design. 

Once I did that, I realized all that was needed was a support mechanism to adjust the viewing angle. So I tried to make it as simple and compact as possible.

Wa: Since this is a product with a completely new design, I imagine you went through a lot of trial and error before finalizing it. 

Mun: Yes. I made gradual adjustments through 14 prototypes. I’m the type of person who needs to physically touch something to see what’s wrong and where it can be improved.

At first, I focused on usability to make it work more conveniently and simply, and later I concentrated on refining the design and reducing the size.

* These are the funding results achieved through the above funding project.

Wa: This is already your third funding campaign on wadiz. What? 

Mun: My job is to continuously create innovative products. As you might imagine, developing a single product requires a lot of time and money, but if I can gauge approximate demand before moving into mass production, it’s a huge help in setting the direction for product development. 

That’s why I first considered wadiz, and the fact that I can secure enough funds to cover initial mass production costs is a huge advantage.

Wa: You must have met many different supporters through your various funding campaigns—is there a particular supporter or story that stands out in your memory?

There was one supporter who received their Rewards and sent detailed feedback via email. They shared the inconveniences they encountered while actually using the product, suggested improvements, and even sent photos of themselves using it—all while including a message of cheer. 

During our three funding campaigns on wadiz, this supporter participated in all three. I think they’ll probably join our fourth campaign as well :) It’s because of supporters like this that we’re able to make our products more robust and useful.

Wa: I think products designed with the user’s perspective in mind resonate most deeply with those who use them. Just looking at the comments from this funding campaign’s supporters, I could see how much cheer there was. What do supporters mean to Monthly Maker?

Monthly Maker: They’re people we’re endlessly grateful for. They’re indispensable to us—they generously invest their time and money so that we at Monthly Maker can shape our future.

Wa: Actually, there are many channels available for selling innovative products! There must be other channels where you could reach more consumers—is there a specific reason you chose wadiz?

Moon: wadiz isn’t just a sales channel—it’s a platform where we can communicate directly with supporters and consumers. For product developers like us, I believe it means much more than just a sales channel. 

Not only can we sell our products, but we also receive detailed feedback, cheering support, and ideas we can implement right away. Thanks to these countless benefits, I think we’ll likely continue to launch new products through wadiz in the future. 

Wa: I can’t wait to see Monthly Maker’s next project! Since you visit us every month, would you recommend wadiz funding to other makers?

Of course. Compared to early last year when I ran my first funding campaign, far more supporters and makers are now using wadiz regularly. I think even more people will discover it as time goes on. That’s because wadiz is constantly evolving as well. 

Wa: Wow, thank you! We’ll continue to grow alongside our makers at wadiz :) As a maker who’s experienced multiple successes, could you share a word of advice for other makers?

It feels a bit awkward to call it “advice,” but doing your best to promote your funding project so that more people can learn about it is far more important than you might expect. Don’t be shy—do your very best to let the world know about the project you’ve created. The more people who see it, the more support you’ll receive.

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