Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Texan in Calgary for a while
Posts: 1361

Please post your questions about the design contest here.

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James Hromadka
Old Friend

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Campbell, CA
Posts: 3

How about a pro?

Be careful, doing this you get a lot of shlock and it some often more expensive than hiring a professional graphic designer for the job. Also, please disqualify anyone who would submit with the "evil swoosh" that has been so overdone in logos for the past few years. If you don't know what I mean, check out this page.

http://homepages.go.com/~lekowicz/library/logohell.html

Lets try something original instead of following trends.

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 20

Will the shirts be white in color?

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Sam

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: El Segundo,CA
Posts: 374

I think stickers and styli with Visorcentral logo would be nice.

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My Treo has more memory than I do.

Registered: May 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 1429

mousepads

Long time no post

For the mouse pad, could you please not use a thick foam mousepad. I find that the 3M Presice mousing serfice is VERY good, and I have like a very thin, somewhat stretchy, with rubber studs on the bottom, which is also very good. The foam mousepads stink.

hey I might actually buy something

-miradu2000
!17! days till my birthday

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 165

A few more specifics?

How many colors will be used for each item? 1, 2, 3, CMYK full color, etc? For all categories, should it be assumed that the mug/shirt/mousepad base color will be white?

Is this a logo redesign contest, or should entries all use the existing logo:



If we should use the existing logo, is there a high-resolution (or better yet, vector-based) copy of it available for download somewhere?

Is there a particular slogan that should be incorporated, or any that shouldn't be? (I can imagine many "visorcentral IS" variations, which might be a problem with Handspring)

I'm still not sure what VC is looking for; beyond the VisorCentral logo I'm having a hard time envisioning what else would go on these items.

Also, it might be a gesture of good faith to present each category winner with one item from each category... I'm sure you guys don't have a lot of cash lying around for promotions and giveaways, but you're soliciting product designs that will hopefully generating a lot of revenue for VC... and if the redesign of the logo is up for grabs that's a substantial contribution to the branding and identity of the web site on the part of the designer; one free shirt or mousepad or mug isn't a lot of incentive. I know this is really more for fun than anything, but coming up with good designs is a time investment (hey! it's cutting into my Quake 3 level design time! ) and a "set" of VC items would be a little more incentive than one alone.

That being said, I'm off to tinker with a mug design - a VC mug would look great on the shelf between my THX and "The Price is Right" mugs.

-Andy

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<br>"Form follows function - that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union" -Frank Lloyd Wright

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Oak Grove, Kentucky
Posts: 211

File format?

Hello,
What file format ( PCX, BMP, GIF, etc...) are you guys looking for?
Can you give a listing of "all" type file format for people to choose from.

Byron

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 35

they almost certainly want the file in .eps format, probably adobe illustrator format. they are probably going to use spot color so in the program set your colors as such. vector files are better because they scale better and provide infinite resolution and will look better when printed. this is my experience when creating art for t shirts at least.

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Chandler, AZ
Posts: 289

I ditto Usonian's reply/questions -- if you could let us know what your really looking for, that would be great -- I'd love to come up with a design but without a lot of knowledge on how your going to impliment the design its hard to develop the artwork.

Joe

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683

For the record, most professional Graphic Designers would frown upon this contest. This is called 'spec' work. Basically, you are asking people to work for free so you can get a wide body of work.

I STRONGLY suggest that the staff of visor central (and anyone thinking of entering the contest) read an article published by the AIGA on Spec work before they take the time to go forward with this contest:

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm?CategoryID=105

Now, is Spec work/design contests wrong? Well, that is only for the individual to decide. As for myself, I was fortunate enough to get seriously burned by design contests early in my career and now know enough to stay far away from them.

Would you ask a a group of contractors to build houses for free, so you could pick just one of them? When you go to a resturaunt, do you ask to have them cook 5 meals so you can sample them and pay for your favorite? When you built VisorCentral, did you ask 20 programmers to develop a web site so you could pick the 'best' one? Please don't insult the Graphic Design Industry like this...at least read the above article to get our perspective on this practice.

Just something to think about.

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Registered: Mar 2000
Location: NJ
Posts: 517

If you are going through with this, I suggest you give out some honorary mention prizes. Give the winners one of each item, like stated above, and give the runners up one item. You don't have to use these other logos, just show your appreciation for the artist's support. Since this work is so time consuming it would be a nice gesture to give out more prizes.

Registered: Aug 1999
Location: Inverness, FL
Posts: 428

First of, this contest is really more for fun than anything (As Usonian eloquently stated)

We have plenty of creative and competent graphic artists within our company that can easily design these graphics. However, in this case we wanted to try to involve the VisorCentral community in the process, since you would be the ones using the product.

Homer makes some good points about this contest (and the article is a great read), however we don't feel that the target for this contest are professional graphic designers which we would steal payable hours from, but rather amateurs artists with some free time playing around in Photoshop or Illustrator etc.

As an Internet Solutions consultant, I equally dislike 'spec' work. Often a client wants a detailed proposal on exactly what aspects of his business we could improve using Intranets etc, before he awards us the project. But it is exactly the information in that "proposal" that we earn our living doing.

Back to the contest; It is up to you if you want to be a part of the contest, and whatever drives you (money, recognition, fun, nothing-to-do-right-now) will determine if it is worth it.

So the bottom line is that this contest is targeted to people whose opportunity cost of participating is within reason for them.

Some Answers:

How many colors will be used for each item? 1, 2, 3, CMYK full color, etc? For all categories, should it be assumed that the mug/shirt/mousepad base color will be white? What file format ( PCX, BMP, GIF, etc...) are you guys looking for?

Yes, base color is white. All products will handle CMYK full color.

We might use a full service shop like CafePress.com for the products, so that we don't need to handle the logistics. Not sure on the quality of their products yet though.

If we go with CafePress, their "Pictures FAQ" is available at www.cafepress.com/cp/home/help/service_pictures.jsp

Is this a logo redesign contest, or should entries all use the existing logo.

We are very happy with our exiting logo, so the entries should keep the existing logo in some shape and form.
I will find a vector version of it an make available.

... show your appreciation for the artist's support

I am sure we can give away Visor accessories to the winners and runners up (cases, styli etc), in addition to "one of each item" as suggested. Let me get back on that one.

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<B>Marcus Adolfsson</B>
Editor

Registered: May 2000
Location:
Posts: 321

what ever happened to this?

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Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 1571

Fell by wayside

Like a lot of things at VC these days, it felt by the way side.

quote:

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Originally posted by jeff318
what ever happened to this?

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