Hi all, Having been a member of DP for a while now, and with around 90% of my posts being design related, I have seen enough threads which have vexed me to the point where I have decided to write a guide. This guide is aimed at helping contest holders and entrants do their part to ensure this forum runs effectively and that both parties get what they desire. Feel free to add your own points, as I am sure I'm not the only person here who has issues to raise. Who am I? I am an undergraduate University student of Graphic Design about to embark on my final year before graduating as a professional. This doesn't mean to say that I am more talented than any other person, more so that I am exposed to the learning of the subject full-time. As a student I am required to learn around the subject in order to improve my own skills and contribute to the design world. Many of the people reading this will be qualified, professional artists and will no doubt have their wisdom to share with us. Some will be very talented amateurs who enjoy designing for a hobby. However, there are many, many people who simply have no clue as to how this 'competition' style process should work. So here I offer my own guidance for both parties, and I hope you too shall offer yours... Holding The Contest When holding a contest, you are essentially looking for an idea. You are looking for an identity and for a group of creative brains to come up with an idea for your personal/business company or brand from which you will select your preferred design. As the contest holder you are responsible for how the competition is run, much like a referee in sport or a manager for a company. There are obvious differences and there are great similarities. Starting a contest is easy. You decide what you (or your client) are looking for and then you start a 'new topic' as you would in any of the other forums. It is how well you prepare this post which determines the results you will achieve from the entrants. Here are some points which should be followed... Choosing the Title: This is the first thing the entrant will see, and will often determine whether or not they decide to enter, or even look at the contest. Always include the Price/Reward you are offering - This is essentially what entrants are looking for and we do not want to have to open the thread to find out. If your budget is low, do not worry - there will always be people who work to smaller budgets and will help you out. Briefly describe what you are looking for. Always state whether you are looking for a logo, a banner, header, web template etc as people specialise in different things Always state the category. By this I mean stating whether the business is Tech/Sport/Kids etc - Entrants like to know (and some prefer) the different styles that come attached to certain areas. Always state the time frame available. If you need the logo in 24 hours, then say so. If the time frame is longer, then give a rough estimate. People, by nature of tradition, like to work to schedules. An example of a good title could be something similar to the following: Web 2.0 Logo needed for Tech website - 72 Hours - $40 Informative, descriptive, decisive. So now we have the title sorted, the next stage is the content or in the proper terms for this design forum - the Brief. The brief is perhaps the most important part to any contest. This is because it communicates what you are looking for, to the participants. I will very rarely enter a contest without a decent brief. The reason for this is because much of my time is wasted thinking about what you are thinking about. A good brief will reduce the number of questions that will be thrown at you, and create much more targeted submissions closer to whatever final result you envisioned. What should be in the Brief? A good brief should communicate, via words and visuals, the fundamentals of what it is you are after. This includes: The name of the brand/company/individual that the contest is for - For example, "This contest is for a company called ASM Insurance" The 'tagline' that needs to be included (if any) - For example "The tagline which needs to support this is: 'With you all the way'" This clearly states what wording is needed on the logo, it is vital you spell it right first time. Check, then check again. On we go... State the TYPE of media this is going to be. Is it for Web? Or is it for Print? - This is extremely important because there is a difference in visual quality. This is known as DPI and varies for on-screen and off-screen designs. For more information on what DPI is, please click here Hint: Consider the quality when requesting something for print. I've seen a lot of entrants (who probably know no better) adding 'drop-shadows', 'glows' etc on designs which are meant for a letterhead being printed on a basic home/office Ink Jet (or similar). This will NOT HAVE THE SAME QUALITY as you see on-screen. You are wasting your money if you select an image with detail like this - it will look ugly and amateur to anyone with half an eye for style. State the size of image you require. This is particularly important for web media. Try to state the size in pixels, for example 850x150. Hint: ALWAYS request vector format for logos. Vector images can be scaled to any size and will keep their quality. Raster images (JPEGs etc) will lose quality. Why pay for something with limitations in the size? If I wanted a logo, I would want to be able to print it at any size, knowing it will look exactly the same as the one I am looking at on-screen. The above will define the technical specifications for the designs. It will save designers time, and you money. On to the description... Try to add a description of what you are looking for from the entrants. By this I mean communicate what ideas you have with the people who can turn them into visuals. What colours do you want to see? What image do you want to portray? Do you prefer Bold, blocky type, or a more elegant approach? If you do not know what you are looking for, then explain it as best you can. Not describing anything will greatly reduce the number of decent entries, will spark off a flurry of questions and will generally open the door to some truly bizarre submissions. Do not be afraid to use visuals. If you like the style of an existing logo or image, then post links to them. Even mood pictures work: If the company is, for example, a French Restaurant then feel free to link to images of french cuisine, perhaps the province it originates from or the atmosphere it generates (Is it lively? Romantic? Casual?) - All these will help us designers come up with better designs for you Following the above will enhance your chances of finding something you (or your client) will like in the time frame you have set. There is no reason to lose out on a quality design because of a simple lack of communication. Lastly, always state how the winner will be paid. For example, "The winner will be paid by PayPal" Monitoring the contest So now you have your own contest being held, you will no doubt be eager to keep checking back and seeing if anyone has entered and whether or not their design is to your taste. The work doesn't stop here. It is pure and simple etiquette to offer feedback on each and every design submitted. The fact that a person has dedicated some of their time to your needs deserves at the very least, a sentence or two stating your thoughts on the design, how it could be improved, and whether or not it is what you are looking for. If you do not like a particular entry, there is no shame in saying that it is not what you're looking for. It is far ruder to encourage alterations to a design that you know deep down you are not going to choose. If you would like to see an example of very good feedback, then check out some of ProteinDude's contests - he is an example of a great contest holder and will almost always draw more entries to his contests than others because of his attention to looking it over. Last but not least, always leave a congratulations post stating the winner of the contest. This includes their username - there is nothing more suspicious than a mystery winner and it doesn't look good on your part. By stating the name, it gives participants a feeling of confidence that they have been fairly beaten, rather than a feeling of skepticism that a design may have been stolen or that the competition was for nothing. This also clarifies the end of the contest, rather than people checking back to see if they have won or not - posting the question which then tops the post above newer entries which are genuinely active. And now finally, (This is it, I promise) always thank everyone for entering your contest - they have dedicated their time to you, showing your gratitude is free and will most likely bring people to any more contests you hold in future. If you have anything to add, comments or flames - feel free I hope this helps people out in future and improves the contests on this board. I will also be doing the guide for contest entrants in the near future. Alex
I have to agree, awesome guide and I hope you do not mind but I have saved myself a copy and left you a +rep! Lucy x
Thankyou for all your compliments, they really are appreciated. I should have the entrants guide up tomorrow sometime and hopefully then we will see a change in the quality of posting