Minecraft YouTuber Dream has explained why he chose a ‘simplistic’ style of merchandise after he was criticized for his line of merch being “boring.”
Dream is one of the biggest names in Minecraft on YouTube and Twitch. Having risen to fame with his ‘Minecraft Manhunt’ series, Dream also established the Dream SMP, which has seen big names such as Tommyinnit, Karl Jacobs and Tubbo all battle it out on the same Minecraft server.
With all this fame, Dream took it upon himself to produce a line of merchandise and capitalize on his success. But the response has been mixed.
Dream’s brand is very simple. His recognizable logo is a plain smiley face on a white background, that he drew himself in MS Paint. His merch follows this branding, but some fans have been disappointed with the simplistic designs.
After previously downplaying the controversy by memeing people who wear Nike, Adidas and Supreme branding, Dream explained why he prefers the simple style of branding.
“I don’t mind most of my merch being simple because people like it, and that’s my brand,” he said. “My Youtube PFP is drawn in paint as well. Simplicity can be good sometimes. If it’s not your preference, don’t buy it.”
He was also accused of overplaying the effort he put into creating the merch by using Shopify – a template creator for an online store. Dream rebutted this accusation and explained how he worked hard to set up his own manufacturer from scratch in the middle of a global outbreak.
“Most people do merchandising through a company that mass produces clothing and designs for millions and millions, or outsource to printing companies,” he explained.
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“I spent a huge investment on getting my own place to print, distribute, support, and manage merchandise, completely independently. This meant purchasing a building, purchasing printing and packaging equipment, hiring dozens of employees at fair wages and good conditions.
“I wanted to make the overall merch experience top tier for my fans and be able to do a lot more in the future. That’s what I meant and most people misunderstood it as making out “setting up Shopify” as a complicated manner.”
I mentioned that I do things myself, and people pointed out that Shopify was used and didn't seem to understand what I meant.
Most people do merchandising through a company that mass produces clothing and designs for millions and millions, or outsources to printing companies—
— dream (@dreamwastaken) March 6, 2021
It’s clear Dream wants his merch to reflect his branding, but he didn’t shy away from the idea of producing more extravagant merch in the future.
“I’ll do much more complex designs though at milestones,” he added.
“At the end of the day, it’s merch and it’s to support your favorite creator. I like the smile because it’s happy and simple and you can wear it without it being obviously Youtuber merch.”
Exactly what these milestones are is unclear, but he seems to reach a new one every week. On March 4, fans started a hashtag in a bid to get his YouTube channel to 19 million subscribers – but he might be saving these designs for something truly unbelievable.
