T-Shirt Design for our Forum Junkies *Project Over*

[vei]

Hello, (Admin code added by Palmer - Y410702F)

I like the concept of this site and I liked many of the designs in the gallery. So, we want to give it a shot for a new T-Shirt design. The prize for this one is $100 USD.

We want to reward our loyal posters at forums.somd.com by giving them cool T-Shirts. The common term for our power users is "Forum Junkie." We want the shirts to be cool & colorful. Humor is preferred, but we will consider any concepts that will turn people's heads. Something people will be proud to wear.

We are a community site. Language in the forums ranges from G to R rated. However, we need to portray ourselves in a positive light. Therefore, no objectionable language, objectionable images or drug references.

The url needs to be in the design for self-promotion ( http://forums.somd.com/ ). Our standard logo is at the top left of every page on the site. We know that it is very "hard." Therefore, it is not a requirement to incorporate the logo into the design. However, if you can find a slick way to blend it, or a derivation of it, into the design, go for it.

We're looking forward to seeing what you come up with! Please let us know if you have any questions. Good Luck!

[ElKootcho]

I'm gathering from a quick look at your site that your forums cover just about every topic imaginable. So, is it safe to assume that the design should be rather generic (don't read this as "plain"!)? In other words, your forums don't have a single common thread, correct?

Also, do you have a limit on the number of colors that can be used? Obviously the more colors, the more expensive to make. You may want to speak with your local screen printer to work out those details before these design get to far. Based on costs, you may want to limit the design to 2 or 3 colors or, if money is no object :D , even more colors may be desirable. Just a couple of thoughts.

I'll get working on this soon as will the other designers, I'm sure. Good luck! I hope you get lots of great choices to choose from.

[vei]

The topics in the forums range from A-Z. The central theme of the site is Southern Maryland (SoMd). Some attributes of somd are:

- We are surrounded by water on three sides:
- water sports are popular (fishing, boating, sailing, skiing)
- many watermen making a living (crabs, oysters, fishing)
- eating crabs and oysters is a passtime

- The area is rural.
- The Navy has a high technology Air Center here (fighter jets, test pilot school (many astronauts have trained there)). It is the largest employer and many of our readers work there or for contractors.
- Because of the Navy, the area has a transient element. Many new people always moving in. They come to our forums for info on the area and to make new friends.
- Prior to the Navy's presence the area's industry was Tobacco farming and Commercial Fishing/crabbing/oysters.
- Washington, D.C. is 60 miles away. A fair number of our readers work in the city.

That's a good abstract about the area we serve.

Let me get back to you on the color issue.

[vei]

OK, let's go with a 4-color process, so we can have as colorful a design as we like.

[DeeJay]

Hi all - this is Vei's partner. Just a word about our forum members - most of them are real die-hards. They wig out a bit if they have to go a whole day without checking out the forums. *lol* On the few occasions where we've had to sit someone in "time-out" because of language or inappropriate content, they send me emails BEGGING me to reconsider and wanting to know the exact time I'll let them back on. Many of them have been posting with us for over 6 years and most have great senses of humor.

So if that helps you get some ideas, great!

[Liz]

Hey - I'll probably toss my hat into this one in the next week or so.

I'm a marylander myself (Born in Annapolis - and living over on the eastern shore currently), so this one should be fun. :)

[ElKootcho]

Oh yeah, a couple more questions:
1: Do you have a deadline in mind for this contest? I think it helps the designers if you do.
2: Is your logo available for download somewhere in Hi-Rez format? I'd like to incorporate the logo if I can and if I don't have to recreate it from scratch, so much the better for everyone!

[vei]

We did not have a deadline in mind. What would everyone suggest? 2 weeks?

I have attached a PSD file of the logo to this post.

[Palmer]

2 weeks is reasonable, you can always extend it if needed.

[vei]

OK, let's set a deadline of 24-MARCH-2003. We'll make a decision on that date. If someone is close and needs another day or 2, we can extend it if you let us know ahead of time. Thanks for all of the feedback!

[ElKootcho]

I'll have something to post in the nextday or two B)

[Huhhso]

Hi here are some concepts that I have for T-shirts.
Let me know what you think.
(They are all in vector,so sizing and color changes will not be a problem)
Thanks! :D

[vei]

Thanks for the input Huhhso,

I think we are looking for something a little more involved and colorful. I didn't want to throw out too many initial constraints and end up missing out on a good idea someone might have otherwise had. So, I'll probably wait until I see the other drafts before providing any additional specific direction. One thing - it is crucial to work in the url, "forums.somd.com" (no "http://" please).

Thanks again for the input!

[ElKootcho]

Don't think I've forgotten about your project, guys. I've been crazy-busy and will have something to post soon. :D

[QSDA]

Could you please give us like a day or two from today?

[Palmer]

Wow! I can't believe the deadline on this came so soon! You guys have seriously neglected this contest. Vei, please extend the deadline and I'll try to pry the designers out of the logo forum to enter your contest.

I'm very sorry about the lack of participation :(

[Palmer]

Vei, I put a note in the designers private forum about this contest. You can expect more entries. Once again, I apologise profusely. Are you going to extend the deadline?

[vei]

How about the end of the week, 28-APR.

Did we ask for too much or did we just catch everyone at a bad time?

[Palmer]

No you didn't ask for too much. It just somehow got overlooked. We're embarrassed. :blush: Probably because there's so much going on in the logo and template forums. Anyway, excuses aside, the extension is more than generous and it won't happen again. :)

[john]

What do you think?

[vei]

Before we got started, I had envisioned something like a cartoon cell full of vibrant colors - Futurama is an excellent example of what I was thinking (relative to the type and use of color).

I really didn't want to give too much direction until after the first round is in so I don't discourage someone who might have otherwise have had a good idea.

However, if you want to follow a cartoon theme, one thought is to go back and read DeeJay's post regarding her characterization of the users. Many users also refer to her as the "Board Mommy" if that helps.

But again, if someone is already working on a different concept, please don't let my initial concept discourage your ideas.

[john]

Dont know if around there has any aliens, but thought it looked cool anyways.

[chelle]

Image removed

[TwistedNewMedia]

Youll have my entry tommrow.

[TwistedNewMedia]

I did this drawing of a "forum junkie" dude. hehe if you like it I can color it and touch it up a bit. Let me know your thoughts.

[DeeJay]

Great entries! Here's what we like so far:

John's "I'm a Forum Junkie" one - cute and simple, the right mood.

Chelle's design is beautiful but it doesn't say "forums" to me. That's maybe something we'd buy from her for a regular Somd.com t-shirt.

Ubergerlgeek's little guy is cute and more what we're going for in the way of portraying our forum junkies.

We want something colorful and assertive. Something that says, "I am a Southern Maryland Online Forum Junkie. My life revolves around these forums and I break out in hives if I have to go a day without interacting with my forum buddies." *lol* Maybe a couple of cartoon people with various forum personalities - the flamer, the vamp, the know-it-all, Mr. Sensible, the crybaby, the ditz, the confessor, etc.

Does this help or are we being too ticky?

[vei]

I think DeeJay hit the nail on the head. A collection of cartoon characters/caricatures of the various personality types all going at it in a room (basically all talking/reacting at the same time). Maybe a simple slogan like: "Don't Miss This! forums.somd.com". Perhaps make it look like a cartoon cell. Also be nice to work our logo in casually - maybe everyone is sitting around a table and the table top is our logo or it could be a flag in the room or maybe a picture on the wall.

[TwistedNewMedia]

Yeah that helps alot! Ill try to come up with something, although drawing with a mouse is a bit tricky. Would you be able to describe the characters looks a little more, like the vamp, the flamer? all the ones you mentioned.

[DeeJay]

Gosh, let's see:

The Vamp - flirts with all the guys and makes sexually suggestive posts. Comes on as a major hoochie but in real life is probably a mousy, timid little thing. Always a female.

The Flamer - never misses an opportunity to get into an argument with someone. Name-calling is a common trait. They are frequently the ones who break in newbies and have to sit in time-out. Comes on all wild and angry, but probably has a domineering wife and boss in real life. Usually male.

The Know-It-All - this person knows EVERYTHING. No matter what the topic - politics, child rearing, dating, computers - this type has ALL the answers. I get a mental picture of Dear Abby. Could be male or female.

Mr. Sensible - Never flames, never fights, never name-calls. Always has facts (with links) to back up their opinion. My mental picture of these types is George Will but could be male or female.

The Crybaby - they jump on with provocative statements, then get upset when someone refutes them. They take everything personally, whether it was directed at them or not, and think everyone picks on them. They proclaim that they're leaving and NEVER coming back - we see them again in a day or two. This is the person most likely to report a post, whether the post deserved it or not. Could be male or female.

The Ditz - this is the person most likely to ask where chemical plants grow (which was an actual post *lol*). They're the ones who start threads like "What is your favorite flower?" Think Melody from Josie and the Pussycats. Could be male or female, though.

The Confessor - nothing is too private or personal that these people won't share it with the board. They'll tell you when they lost their virginity and under exactly what circumstances. They'll tell you that their husband is impotent. Almost always a female.

The Spell Checker - this is the person who's main contribution is to correct people's spelling, grammar and punctuation. They are also the one who will jump on it if someone starts a thread about a topic that's already being discussed elsewhere on the board. Think of an old, crotchety teacher or something.

That about sums them up. I'm getting a picture of our junkies looking at their t-shirts going, "Look! There's Jazz, there's Ken, there's Cattitude, there's Pixie..." *lol*

[Zoe]

Hi Deejay,

Have you thought of maybe having a T-Shirt for each personality?

Saying something like

I am Mr. Sensible
Picture here

A TOTAL forum Junkie
from Southern Maryland Online
forums.somd.com

Then members could either choose which T-shirt they wanted or even buy them from you.

[vei]

Hi demex,

Having more than one shirt would be beyond our budget. We'd like to stick with the "Looney Bin" concept where all the personalities are shown "interacting" with one another.

[chelle]

image removed

[TwistedNewMedia]

:unsure:

[TwistedNewMedia]

Heres an example on a t-shirt.

[vei]

Hi Guys, we've been putting out fires all day. We'll get back to you with some constructive comments soon. Thanks for all the submissions!

[vei]

Hi Guys, Sorry for the delay getting back to you. Things have been a little nuts here.

Looks like chelle & Uber are the only two that are going to go the last mile, so I'll address the comments towards the 2 designs above. If anyone else wants to jump in with a final stab, please do.

- uber, the number of characters you have portrayed is about right. chelle, you're a little shy on head count.

- chelle, your characters show some good animation/action - the action portrayed by the guy on the right is especially good. Uber, your far left and far right chars show good action. If you could change the expressions on the middle three to depict everyone in a heated conversation, you'll prob nail it on the head.

- both - the logo looks a little distorted. Need to have that placed so it has original colors and aspect ratio.

- Uber, need to work in the url forums.somd.com. The font selection will be tricky. chelle, I don't think the url is going to work on a diag up at the top like you have it now.

- chelle, you might want to drop the green ellipse - maybe have them just appear to be on the logo - maybe drop the bodies in order to fit a bigger crowd. If you could work in the text "Forum Junkie", that would be good.

- Uber, "Forum Junkie" looks good. The trick will be how to work in the url placement and font selection.

We'll let you off the hook after this next rendition :) Please let us know if you need anything from us. Thanks to all for your efforts and time. We'll probably be back in the future for other projects and may refer other clients here too. Cheers!

[vei]

One last thing, the T-Shirt was a nice touch - gives us a good idea what ut will really look like.

[TwistedNewMedia]

:eek:

[vei]

Looks like you're our man Uber.

I'm not sure which of the 2 we like best, so DJ and I will discuss it in the a.m.

I'm not familiar with the process from this point. Do we get a final tweak or is that something we'll have to pay you extra for. Also, I should have asked before we started, but I hope the delivery will be a PhotoShop file?

If possible, we'd like to move all final discussions off-line.

[TwistedNewMedia]

I have pm'ed you with further info. Yes an any further tweaking I will gladly do . Thanks:)

[cre8or]

Hello Vei,
Just thought I'd put my 2-cents in. I've been gone awhile, but when I read the " Forum Personality" list, I thought I'd scratch something together quick to run past you.
Please keep in mind this is just a rough, I just sketched 'em out about 15 minutes ago, and assembled them quickly. If it strikes your fancy, I'll create some nice clean art suitable for screenprinting.
Anyways, just in case my illustrative skills are lacking I'll describe the group:
(Left to Right)
The Vamp, Mr. Sensible, the Flame (with or without flaming hair), the Spellchecker (complete with Dictionary),
the Confessor (with Rosary -- I'm not sure if that's PC or if its "religious profiling"), Mr. Know-It-All, and the Ditz. Oh yeah, that's the Crybaby in the corner.

I'm not sure if I'm too late-- looks like the original deadline was March 24th, then extended to April 28th(?)

Again, I'd like to stress that in my attempt to express my idea "NOW", I'm just posting the preliminary rough I'll probably post a cleaner version (in COLOUR) within the next day or so. (Unless you've already picked your winner from the earlier entries).

Lemme know.

:D

[Zoe]

Hi All,

Please note that for a few days this competition is on hold. :)

Thanks

[vei]

Hi All,

It looks like I goofed. I had previously extended the deadline to APR 28 while meaning MAR 28. So, thinking we would not get any more entries, we picked Uber's entry. Now we have a new entry which really fits what we are looking for. Uber has very graciously allowed us to change our minds and go with cre8or. Our public apologies and appreciation to her.

Palmer, I don't know what your policies are from this point on, but we're declaring this one closed. We will work with cre8or directly to get the final design.

[Zoe]

There has been some confusion over this competition.

Cre8or has won the competition with a close follow-up being Uber.

Congratulations to you both.

[cre8or]

Thank you Demex (and Ubergerlgeek).
I just thought I'd post the finished art.

[TwistedNewMedia]

wow ,sweet vei!