The BrickLink Designer Program is making a comeback, and the first series of the new, permanent program has just been announced. Building on the success of the BDP 2021 Invitational, this program is set to bring even more creativity and innovation to the world of LEGO building.
BDP Serie 1: the timeline
The timeline for Series 1 of the BrickLink Designer Program is as follows:
In 2022, designers are invited to create their designs in Studio, following the Submission Guidelines.
From February 1-28, 2023, designers will have a 4-week window to submit their designs. The deadline for submissions is February 28, 2023 at noon Pacific US time.
From March 7-31, 2023, all BrickLink members will be able to vote for their favorite submissions. This crowd vote will be taken into consideration alongside the BDP’s internal selection criteria as the team determines which designs will move on to crowdfunding.
In April and May 2023, the BDP team will review all submissions, considering factors such as building experience, brand fit, and crowd favorites. The five Series 1 designs will be announced in late May 2023, and the fan designers will work with the BDP team to prepare the designs for production.
In February 2024, BrickLink members will have the opportunity to pre-order their favorite sets, with a limit of 2 sets per household. If a set receives more than 3,000 pre-orders, it will be produced in a limited, one-time run of up to 20,000 sets.
Production is expected to begin in the summer or fall of 2024, with orders ready to ship approximately 6 months after pre-ordering. Please note that actual dates and shipping times may vary.
BrickLink Designer Program guidelines
The BrickLink Designer Program (BDP) has released guidelines for creating digital LEGO designs using Studio and uploading them as a .io file.
Designs should be built using the BDP Series 1 Palette, which may be subject to change, and the Collision, Snap, and Stability features should be turned on while building. Designs should also be appropriate for a family-friendly audience and not include intellectual property belonging to others, particularly the LEGO Group.
Model sizes should be between 400 and 4,000 parts and optimized to use the fewest number of parts possible. Only parts from the current official BDP palette should be used and bright colors may be used for contrast in building instructions, but rare colors should be avoided.
Designs should be stable and easy to build, with clear building instructions and packaging design. Designer names and contact information should be included in the .io file and designs should be saved in a single file.
In conclusion, get your LEGO bricks ready, because the BrickLink Designer Program is back and better than ever! Series 1 is coming your way, with the chance to design and possibly even sell your very own LEGO set. Just follow the guidelines (no Star Wars rip-offs, please) and submit your designs between February 1-28, 2023. And who knows, maybe your creation will be chosen as one of the five Series 1 sets and become a beloved LEGO set for years to come. Just don’t get your hopes up too high, because even the most talented LEGO masters can’t control the fickle nature of the LEGO-buying public. Good luck, brick builders!