On Wednesday, Kickstarter announced the launch of a new feature called Spotlight. Spotlight will showcase projects that were successfully supported via the crowdfunding site in what looks to be an inherent marketing move. Furthered by the fact that Spotlight will replace the usually static web page a project leaves behind once it is funded with a brightly designed profile timeline, it will now also show updated contact information as well as Twitter and Facebook page details. This may seem like an “oh-duh” move for Kickstarter but it is a big one, nonetheless.
The new Squarespace-like profile platform enables companies, creators and/or projects to tell their side of the story. Details like how its product came to be, background history and how it got funded through Kickstarter, will be a prominent aspect of this feature.
Most importantly, Spotlight will give prominent project owners better control over the look and feel of their individual campaign page. This is truly a new way for Kickstarter to build its community through content promotion.
As your project comes to life, Spotlight lets you control its look & feel. Be inspired: http://t.co/HtQmIF2kag pic.twitter.com/rM99kzvN4u
— Kickstarter (@kickstarter) March 25, 2015
From a design perspective, Spotlight is a huge upgrade from the traditional content-block, mini-column, vertical text box format we have come to sympathetically associate with Kickstarter. That being said, it would be incorrect to suggest that Spotlight will serve as a total website redesign — at least based on the information currently available. For many startups this could mean a new profile page that better illustrates company growth better than Facebook or Twitter ever could.
If things go well with this launch, Spotlight could build out what a “funding story” means. And that script, which meshes entrepreneurial dreams with hopeful dollars signs, will always play a central role in startup culture. Whether it catches on though is an entirely different question. One thing is for sure, however, without a base of loyal users its community will be worthless. Lucky for Kickstarter, a newly bootstrapped company is born every day.
