Magazine Ad *Project Over*

[Grizzly]

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I'm looking for an ad to run an a local magazine. Whatever we come up with here, I would like to run again in future issues, just modifying some of the text.

The magazine seems to only be able to accept tiff format, and the ad we will run will be 1165 x 864 in size. If Photoshop can output tiff, then psd format is fine, I have Photoshop and can save it accordingly. I'm not sure on this point though.

The advertisment is for racing pigeon software. The software allows the pigeon owners to keep track of pedigrees, pigeon statuses etc. Our website is www.comproware.com

Actually, I have uploaded an old ad that we made and ran to http://www.comproware.com/designoutpost/advert.doc to give you a better idea of the capabilities we are trying to advertise.

As for what should be in the ad, these are my thoughts:


- The ad will be black and white

- I would like the name "Hawkeye Loft Management System" and the website www.comproware.com to be prominant.

- There are a lot of points crammed into the ad I linked above. I don't think they are all necessary. The idea of the ad is to get the viewer interested, and then get them to visit the website.

- Key points that we do need are: "Australian made", "11 years of experience", "Multiple pedigree styles", "Extremely easy to use", "Drag and drop image support (2 images per bird)" (*** maybe that last one could be phrased better, I'll work on that ***) More items from my ad above if space permits.

- I'd like it to be eye catching, perhaps with a cartoon image of a pigeon and a computer. This is not a requirement, I'm just trying highlight the combination of pigeons and technology here as pigeon fanciers tend to be older than your average computer user. I'm completely open on how this combination of pigeons and technology is achieved.

That's about it I'd say. Any questions ask away. Deadline is January 9 as I need to get it to the magazine shortly after that for the next issue.

[Grizzly]

I've had a look at Photoshop and it can do tiff, so lets make the file format psd.

[Grizzly]

Was thinking some more on this, when I said black and white before, I geuss I meant greyscale.

If you want to see the ad we ran before in the actual magazine, it is on page 10 of this PDF http://www.pigeonjournal.com/DLoads/APRILMAG03.pdf There are 84 pages in this issue, probably not a modem friendly download.

[VisualSense]

Here's a design for your ad...
Let me know what you think. I know you mentioned putting some clip art or drawing of a pigeon but I always feel actual photos give a more professonal feeling. I can however also find clipart if you prefer.

-Diane :)

[Grizzly]

Hi Diane,

I like it. I think the dimensions are the wrong way around though. When I asked the magazine for the dimensions of the ad we are going to run, they said 1165 x 864 which I assumed to be 1165 width by 864 height? Its a half page ad, so I would expect the width to be greater than the height.

If you think actual photos look more professional, then by all means use them. After all, you're the professional at this ;) I like the look of them in what you have done here too.

There is something about the font in the big "Hawkeye" that I don't like, but I can't really put my finger on it. I think it is because its all capitals. By the way, in the ad we ran in April that I linked above, I really did not like the font! I have similar issues with font used for "www.comproware.com" at the bottom. I geuss I just don't like all caps fonts.

Can the "www.comproware.com" be more prominant as well?

I hope all this doesn't sound negative, because I do like it.

[Grizzly]

PS. Can you add "Built on" to "11 years of experience" to make it "Built on 11 years of experience". I see I posted it wrong in my original post. Thanks.

[Anne]

Here is my design. Hope you like it.

<img src='http://www.newfacedesign.net/designoutpost/ad/ad_50.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

Original size (http://www.newfacedesign.net/designoutpost/ad/ad.jpg)

Updated: The text has been increased. I have also given the text a lihgter colour in the original image (http://www.newfacedesign.net/designoutpost/ad/ad.jpg)

- Anne

[Grizzly]

Hi Anne,

Thanks for the entry. I like that one very much. Clean and simple, but gets the message across.

My only comment would be that I'm wondering if the words "Loft Management System" are a bit small and a viewer scanning over it might not realise what the ad is advertising at first? Is there a way to increase the size a bit?

[VisualSense]

Here are the changes you requested.
Let me know if this is what you were looking for :)
-Diane

[Anne]

I have updated the ad. Look at the post above

- Anne

[VisualSense]

Here's another idea.....
-Diane

[Grizzly]

Very nice, both of them.

Anne: Thanks, seems better to me. I really like the pigeon in yours, it seems like he is looking at the laptop screen.

Diane: Can we change the image on the computer screen easily? I'm thinking of a dummy pedigree from the program. Any pigeon fancier viewing the ad would recognise a mock up of a pedigree on the screen and instantly understand what the program is all about. I really like your first one. I'm not so crazy about the second one, it doesn't really tie in computers which I'm trying to do.

[VisualSense]

And one more.....
-Diane

[VisualSense]

Yeah, if you have something specific you'd like to see on the computer screen, upload it here and I can drop it in....
-Diane

[Grizzly]

Hi Diane, This (http://www.comproware.com/hawkeye/reports/ped5gen/ped5gen.htm) is a sample of a pedigree output from the program. Maybe it can be dropped straight in and look ok. If not, I was thinking of something that represents the cascading boxes for the birds that are the parents of the birds before them.

I like the third one you've done, it ties together all the concepts nicely. I'll have a look at some old copies of the magazine, I remember thinking once that ads that were primarily black did not display well when the mag was printed. I'm keen to see the pedigree on the screen though, I think we might be onto something there.

[VisualSense]

Here's the screen with the program in there.....
Let me know if you like.....
-Diane

[Grizzly]

Wow, I'm sorry to say I don't like it.

I love it! :P

I can't think of anything else to do to it, and its definitely my favourite of the 3 you have done. I like the way the black one looks, I just don't think the black one will print well due to the lower end paper the magazine is printed on.

[VisualSense]

That's great to hear! :D
I did do one other for you to see, the black ad made white with the pedigree software added in...
Let me know if there is anything you'd like changed or would like to see! Thanks
-Diane

[jonmulk]

I like print design (a rarity on this site, somewhat!). Expect an entry from me soon!

[jonmulk]

As promised, here's my entry. Please advise.


Cheers,



Jon

[ElKootcho]

A bit off topic from the contest but I downloaded the magazine and noticed that many of the ads in there have close ups of the birds eye. What's up with that?

Based on the entries posted, you're certainly going to have the nicest ad in the publication! :tup:

[Grizzly]

Diane: I like your latest one as well, its tough to decide which ones of yours I like best, #5 or #6 as posted in this thread. Do you know what kind of bird that is in #6? It doesn't look like the typical pigeon pictures I've seen?

Jon: There is something about the little squares running up and down the right side that I find a bit, umm, distracting, I think. Hard to explain. But I do like the way they tie in with the picture in the middle, and the bullets on the left. Also, do you know what kind of bird that is in the middle?

ElKootcho: The close up of the eyes, one of which is on the pedigree images Diane and Jon have placed on the computer screens in their entries, are used by pigeon fanciers to predict the abilities of the pigeons. People who have studied these 'eye signs' have linked certain eye characteristics to the ability of the birds to find their way home, their endurance and how far they will be able to race, and how fast they will be able to fly. I have very little knowledge on the subject, other than to know that is the purpose of these close up photos. I agree with you on having the nicest ad in the magazine, any entry in this contest would be suitable and stand out against the other ads in the magazine.

[jonmulk]

Thanks for the feedback, Grizzly. I'll amend the design in a bit to get rid of the squares.

As far as I know, the bird in the middle is a pigeon... it was one of the results of a picture search on http://www.sxc.hu Just type in "pigeon" :)

[Virgil]

Hello :)

Here is my first post to your contest. I placed "Hawkeye" in the middle because I think it draws attention this way, also, I used a bigger font so it can be easy to read.
Also I separated the "11 years..." from the other text, it can be easily observed, it's an important detail ;)

Best regards,
Gilles.

[jonmulk]

Quick note to say that I've made the requested amendments to my design above.

Cheers,


Jon

[VisualSense]

Well, it took a little researching, but the pigeon used in ad #6 is a Nicobar Pigeon.
There's more info on them at this site: http://www.honoluluzoo.org/nicobar_pigeon.htm

I thought it was an impressive looking bird.

-Diane :)

[Grizzly]

Deadline modification: I would like to change the deadline for this contest to January 8 North America time, due to the date/time difference to me, that will actually be January 9 in Australia which was my original intent.

I'll post some more feedback on the recent submissions in a little while, just trying to pull some information together for it.

[Grizzly]

Gilles: Thanks for the entry, a little different approach than the others, and meets all the things I requested in my original post. The name "Hawkeye" is very prominant, as is the web site address, and I like the fact that you made "Built on 11 years...." a bit bigger than the rest. I like it.

Jon: Thanks for the changes. I think what was bothering me before was that the squares were drawing my eye away from the picture of the pedigree on the screen, which I think is an important feature.

For the ads that have pictures of pigeons in them, I'm going to upload some pictures of racing pigeons to our site and will post back here with the location once its done. The people who would be buying our program will instantly be able to tell the difference between racing pigeons and other types of pigeons. As we are marketing racing pigeon related software, I think we should stick to displaying racing pigeons. Although I agree the Nicobar in Diane's ad does make for an impressive looking feature.

[Grizzly]

As promised, photos here http://www.comproware.com/pigeons

[VisualSense]

Here's the ad with one of the racing pigeons in there :)
-Diane

[Grizzly]

Thats excellent, thanks!

[VisualSense]

And here's the other one... I made some minor adjustments to it.
(bolded the web address... lighten gray box)
-Diane

[Grizzly]

Oh great, that makes it even harder to choose a favourite between those two! ;) Very nice work.

[VisualSense]

ah, just run em both!! :D

[Virgil]

Hello again :) ,

Here's another design. I used your racing pigeons in this design, kept the text with "11 years of experience", also added "software by comproware"(and not just for the sake of the rhyme ;) ) - now it's easy identified..
And I could't help to add a patriotic feel ;) - now they know it's made in Australia.

Best regards,
Gilles.

[Virgil]

Or like this :)

[Grizzly]

Wow, thats really nice too. I love the image of the Australian continent in the background. Those are great Gilles, you've just made my decision a lot harder! :angry: :P

[Virgil]

:rolleyes: :D

[Virgil]

;)

[Grizzly]

Thats a good one too. Personally, I like the flatscreen and keyboard one better, but I'd have to think about what would be more appealing to readers.

I think we have enough quality ads with actual racing pigeons in them (ie. Diane's and Gille's) to say that the winner will come from those. I've shown the entries so far to somebody who knows racing pigeons, and as predicted, they instantly picked up on characteristics of the racing pigeons and "oohhh'ed" and "awww'ed" at them. An exception would be Diane's latest version of the ad with the faded birds in the background and the screen and mouse, even though it doesn't have a photo of a racing pigeon in it, it's still getting votes over here.

I can't believe how far this contest has come since my original post. I was thinking about some cartoon characters and some text, now we have incorporated quality photos of quality birds, and elements of the program itself.

Now please stop posting such high quality entries so I can have half a chance at making a decision! ;)

Just kidding, everybody is of course free to do whatever they want. :P

[Virgil]

Changed the fonts a bit :)

[Anne]

You've probably found your favorite by now but I've decided to give it one more try.

<img src='http://www.newfacedesign.net/designoutpost/ad/ad_2.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

[Virgil]

One more try :)

[Grizzly]

I've just come into work this morning, its January 9th here, so I geuss I will have to choose a winner. I've kind of been dreading this because each and every entry submitted has been of high calibre and would meet our needs.

I've mentioned this before, but I'll say it again, I am amazed at how much the competition evolved over the course of it. What I originally imagined is nothing like what we have ended up with. Of course, what we have ended up with is far superior.

Regarding the latest entries:

Anne: I think I like your first entry the best out of your 2, it is neat, clean, and simple, yet gets the message across and covers everything I requested in the original post.

Gilles: Out of your entries, I would say the 3rd one is my favourite of yours. I love the way you incorporated Australia into the background.

But in the end, I have to select a contest winner and that is Diane aka VisualSense. Your ads meet and exceed everything we expected, I like the fonts and images you have used, they have an certain elegance to them, and the impossible to explain in words "Wow" factor. I knew we were onto a good thing when I found myself laying awake at night thinking about how good the ads would look printed in the magazine. We have not actually been able to decide which of yours to run. Personally I like your last entry the best, but apparently the bird in the second last ad you posted here is of extremely high calibre and people who know about these things have spotted that right away. I might go flip a coin or something to decide between those two. Since its morning here, give us some time to make up our minds.

Thank you to everybody who entered the contest. This was my first contest at DO, and I am extremely impressed.

[ElKootcho]

Nice work Diane. :tup:

Grizzly - I'm amazed at the constant barrage of quality layouts entered into your contest. Every one of them was a viable candidate and each would've put your company head and shoulders above the other magazine advertisers. Now was that 50 bux well spent or what? B)

[Grizzly]

<!--QuoteBegin-ElKootcho+Jan 8 2004, 03:56 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (ElKootcho @ Jan 8 2004, 03:56 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->
Grizzly - I'm amazed at the constant barrage of quality layouts entered into your contest. [/b][/quote]
You and me both!

By the time you take the exchange rate into consideration, it comes out to about 70 bucks, but definitely money well spent. :D

[VisualSense]

Very cool! :D
Just let me know which one when you've decided and I'll send it over!
Thanks!
-Diane

[Grizzly]

Hi Diane, I have been unable to contact some of the people I need to talk to, will try to have a decision for you as soon as possible. We need to place the ad this weekend to make next month's issue, so I will get back to you asap.

[Grizzly]

Hi Diane,

We've finally made a decision. We'll go with the one with the racing pigeon in it ie. the one on page 2 of this thread, last post on that page. I'll PM you my email address to send it to.