Billboard Design Contest!!!!!

[AGD]

AO Artists,

In a cunning marketing ploy we have snagged the roadside billboard 100 feet before you turn into the fairground for the Amateur Open!!

EVERYONE that comes to the event will get an eyefull every day. With that said, I want my crack design team to come up with a killer layout for the thing and that means a contest! I'll give an RTpro to the winner.

I am going to open up the contest to any kind of artwork since we are looking for ideas not finished images. I would expect that we will probably be using photographs etc.

We will have you vote on the top 10 and then we will pick one to be the winner. There may be different considerations etc. in the way we must make the final decision. We will give more weight to snappy slogans than pics of players.

It may be that a certain image, say a guy with a marker, is used in several submissions. If two adds are alike, we will go with the first submission.

Usual rules apply, we can change the rules for any time for any reason. All submissions become the propery of AGD. You can not use anyone elses copywrited work. You must email your entries to contest@airgun.com. DO NOT post your entries here, that will mean you just gave your ideas to the world and you get disqualified. We will setup an entries page with all the layouts for you to judge later. Contest will run for about 14 days or less, we have to have finished art in by June 1st.

Do post questions here, I will asssign someone to answer your questions (Hexis and Synreal?)

AGD

Layout specifics:
set program image to 5" high and 11" wide
Printer res. 300 dpi
Final billboard is 5 foot high and 11 feet wide.

[FooTemps]

NO!!! I NEED TO FIND A SCANNER THAT ACTUALLY WORKS!!! MUST FIND SCANNER TO WIN RT PRO!!!

Also:
Does the pic have to be colored? If it doesn't I can just draw it all out and then just snap a pic of it...

[hitmanng]

Can I assume that like in the past you will except more than one entry per person?
Thanks
Hitmanng

[AGD]

more than one entry ok

hand drawn ok but make it really good. No chicken scratches.

AGD

[FooTemps]

Tom... When my comic character's are on the line I'll do a good job! lol... I'll try to make a billboard and work on the comic...

[DiRTyBuNNy]

what did you want th billboard to emphasize...AGD, or AO or the Extreme or ?????

[AGD]

I want people to think "that is a cool billboard" or "look at that! They have a billboard!!"

AGD

[SHAZAM]

please give direction as to what we are advertising AGD the new gun a general theme would be nice to know

[synreal]

Originally posted by AGD
Do post questions here, I will asssign someone to answer your questions (Hexis and Synreal?)


does we mean we can't play too ;) if so, i have no problem lending a hand with running this. let me know either way

btw, for you non photoshop people, your submission needs to be 3300x1500 pixels.

templates - <a href = "http://www.synreal.net/users/syn/agd_billboard_template.zip">photoshop and gif</a>

-james

[Puddleglum]

Re-vamping the AGD Logo to make it a little more modern would really get people thinking. People would see it and say,"Hey!! AGD re-did their logo......looks like they're moving ahead." When in fact AGD is far ahead of everyone else. Then there should be a couple of really nice looking Extreme's or SFL's and maybe an RT Pro on either side of the AGD Logo. It would show people that AGD is a company of innovation and is not stuck in the past and they are very much a presence in the technilogical field of paintball.

I'll see if I can do a little drawing. Let me know what you think.

[Skoad]

what format do you want them sent in as?

Mmmmmm....RTpro....*drools*

[synreal]

High quality JPEGs are fine

[Top Secret]

Don't know if you have someone to make it yet Tom, but my family runs a nationwide sign company and would more than likely be capable of making the sign. :cool: Otherwise, I'll send a billboard design one way or the other. *drools at thought of another mag*

[synreal]

The easiest way to save a Photoshop file to a web safe format is to use the "Save for Web" item under the file menu, this will let you pick which format (gif, jpg, png) and quality you would like to export your file with.

Just a few points to think about when you start to work on designs:

<li>keep your layout simple, whoever looks at it will either driving or walking by and can't/won't focus on the billboard for more than a few seconds (limit the amount of verbage you display)</li>
<li>make sure that any text you put into the design will be able to be read from afar, with ease (we don't want to cause pileups from people squinting at our ads)</li>
<li>keep it clean ;)</li>

[Jonno06]

im not gonna send an entry,but i think ti would be a good idea for the sign to have bright colors.....bright colors always make people look......

[CRASHKING]

also put something for AO on there

[luke]

I think I have a cool slogan, but I'm not an artist, would you consider this minus any photography as a valid entry?

[synreal]

Originally posted by luke
I think I have a cool slogan, but I'm not an artist, would you consider this minus any photography as a valid entry?

I believe Tom is looking for ideas that can readily be ported into an actual billboard. If I were you, I'd think about visuals to go with your slogan try to rough out a design layout to accompany your slogan.

[ProjectMag]

This is the IAO in Pittsburgh in August right?

[Skoad]

I need clearance from AO to put it on my billboard!!

[FreshmanBob]

whens the deadline?

[meanelvis]

i was wondering-- if we have to have the submission format be so large, would it be possible to obtain a vector-based file of the AGD logo? or, if that's not an option, a large-format logo?

thanks!

[shartley]

meanelvis

Keep in mind that this is a "concept" contest. How sharp the logo looks is not an issue... a good hand drawn entry with clear ideas and concepts can win as easily as a fancy computer designed one. ;) All ideas will be redone, not duplicated larger.

[Hexis]

Also, if you look in the PDF documents you can use the vector based logo in there to make an arbitrarily large pixel based logo. Just open the file in Photoshop and pick a dpi. Photoshop will render the page and you can Cut & Paste from there into your contest entry.

You will have to experiment with the dpi to get the size you want. You can start large and scale down in Photoshop pretty easily.

[Hexis]

The deadline for all contest entries is 11:59pm Sunday May 19th.

That gives you this weekend, next week and next weekend to work on things.

Please have your entries emailed to contest@airgun.com by then.

[FutureMagOwner]

not sure tom if someone posted this but...

my favorite paintball pics are the following

that pic of the guy withthe black magic that used to be on the worr website(it was green palleted with a cool pose) and a real cool pic of a hyper ball field with a guy jumping over the top of one of the black tubes and shooting someone crawling on the ground

i figured you could get something cool like that with a mag in the pic

and then have a pic of a mag on the lower right and then the agd lion above it



heres basically what it would look like

and also unlike the pic the action sceen would be a bit wider(sorta panoramic)


please like my idea the most i think it goes with your company style and i really want an rt pro(i also need it since i practically desimated my autococker, and i need a gun that i can play with while i get that working[btw of course then the rt would be better than my cocker and i would make great use of the rt!!!!])

[FutureMagOwner]

ahh yes i found a good pic that might work

something like that i dont have any good pics in action but i know you do and ao memebers must have them.


and as my name says i dont have a mag so this would be a very nice way to let me in the family officaly

[FutureMagOwner]

whoops sry didnt see you wanted me to email it

and i emailed you with my brucelee0123@yahoo.com address so you know it wasnt someone who stole my idea or anything

[thei3ug]

I just want to understand what you're looking for.

"Effective" advertising, or ads that look flashy and such.

What I mean is the comparasin of the "drink coke" advertisements and the etrade ads during the superbowl. One sells product, one is artistic.

[FooTemps]

Effective ads...

Hmm... cool looking, girls, maybe flashy, eye catching... get the point?

[shartley]

I just want to understand what you're looking for.

"Effective" advertising, or ads that look flashy and such.

What I mean is the comparasin of the "drink coke" advertisements and the etrade ads during the superbowl. One sells product, one is artistic.
If I may….

This is one problem that I was afraid of. They are not looking for superbowl ads, Magazine Ads, etc. they are looking for billboard design… a totally different beast.

Yes they are still Ads, but they are not the same type of ad. Nor are they for the same purpose. Billboards are quite different than any other type of Ad out there. The “space” for them is the largest you can normally use, BUT the content tends to be the LEAST. And this is because of the placement, and purpose of the Ads.

They are like Bus and Truck Ads. They are meant to be viewed at a glance, and for a very limited period of time. So, you are not looking to overload the viewer with things that they will never read. The easiest way to ruin a good Billboard is to put too much information on it.

People should focus on style, major content, color/design, concept, and branding (the use of the AGD logo). You want to say ONE thing, and say it clear. You also do not want to lose what you are trying to say in too much “clutter” (over designed). This contest is a great example of “simplicity sells”, and the use of design restraint.

I hope this helps answer your question.

I also advise people not focus on a product, but sell the company. Sell the image of AGD, and the products will follow. And being that this billboard will be placed outside an event, selling the image of AGD will probably be the most effective use of the space, over trying to push only one product.

(Hexis and synreal: I hope you don’t mind my posting. I am not trying to step on toes.)

[meanelvis]

Originally posted by shartley
meanelvis

Keep in mind that this is a "concept" contest. How sharp the logo looks is not an issue... a good hand drawn entry with clear ideas and concepts can win as easily as a fancy computer designed one. ;) All ideas will be redone, not duplicated larger.

gracias-- i submitted my first one, which is in your (or whoever judges) hands. it was right at 1 mb and really didnt have that much graphical stuff- i hope you guys' mail server can handle all these submissions!

by the way, agreed on all points on the post previous to this one.. billboard design should snatch your attention and alert you to the company logo or slogan in the course of less than 1 second. simplicity and focus > * when it comes to billboard design :)

[thei3ug]

Originally posted by shartley


They are like Bus and Truck Ads. They are meant to be viewed at a glance, and for a very limited period of time. So, you are not looking to overload the viewer with things that they will never read. The easiest way to ruin a good Billboard is to put too much information on it.

People should focus on style, major content, color/design, concept, and branding (the use of the AGD logo). You want to say ONE thing, and say it clear. You also do not want to lose what you are trying to say in too much “clutter” (over designed). This contest is a great example of “simplicity sells”, and the use of design restraint.


Shartley, you have no idea how much it helps to hear someone say that.
I'm something of an advertisement fan/critic. It seems, even in billboards, it has become popular to make some abstract reference to an unrelated issue, and not even put a brand name on as if we're supposed to figure it out.
Either that or they cram it with so much text I have no idea WHO is supposed to read it at 60 mph.
I love advertising, and I keep thinking... "man, i could make a killing in this market with morons making ads like this."
Then I realize... someone has to contract them.

[Restola]

since it will all be redone, and not "blown up", we can use copywrited images or pictures we didnt take or give credit for right? (im not talking about the COKE logo, i mean stuff we find online)

[synreal]

Originally posted by Restola
since it will all be redone, and not "blown up", we can use copywrited images or pictures we didnt take or give credit for right? (im not talking about the COKE logo, i mean stuff we find online)

i don't see a problem with using existing photos as a place holder as long as:

a) AGD could replicate a similar photo
b) the image isn't another artist's work (i.e. don't use some of Ron Stern's work for your backdrop)
c) Don't try to slap some text over an existing, well layed out ad, and call it your own.

i don't think tom expects everyone to have access to supermodels and high quality action stills, but he expects the work/ideas to be your own. let us know what is not your work though when submitting entries.

[FutureMagOwner]

can you give use a current top ten?(hopfully me hopefully me hopefully me:D) also im wondering if they got even read the 2 or 3 emails i sent

[KamikazePenguin]

I sent mine, and I think it looks quite nice...

here's hoping!:)

[Vex]

What happened to the whole "put a hot babe in the ad?" I haven't logged on for a couple of days, but what's the verdict? I'm not going to put a "hot chick" in my ad because that's really not what paintball is about. Sure, I like hot chicks, but I don't think about them when I'm playing. Anyway, I've already got some ads made up from when I took my desktop publishing class last year. They are really good ads, and I'd like to submit them.

:confused:

[FooTemps]

Here's a good idea for all of guys, not girls, trying to make a billboard design...

1. Use ONE, ONLY ONE, hot girl obviously showing the mag
2. CONTRASTING AGD LOGO FROM BACKGROUND
3. Fairly Plain background... It could be a field or maybe even a blank color in the back...

I might as well add a general Idea

1. Have a catchy logo
2. Have a sloagan
3. Have pic that is easy to just glance at quickly...

edit...
::I know the general outline for a good billboard is very unspecific but it gives good room for creativity::

[soilent green]

changing the logo will make people say oh they must be haveing trouble selling thier product not help it that logo is great and it stands for quality and it always will if you change it its like saying "Our qaulity has changed"

[AGD]

*****important ***********

When sending in your submissions. PLEASE use your AO handle as the file name followed by a number if you are submitting more that one. We are not responsible if we get your entry mixed up or it gets lost because we have to change the file name. Do NOT resend old drawings we are renaming the ones we have.

AGD

[hitech]

Originally posted by AGD
When sending in your submissions. PLEASE use your AO handle as the file name followed by a number if you are submitting more that one...

Doh!:eek: Here's to hoping mine doesn't get lost. Doh!:eek:

[The Frymarker]

Sorry about that guys......I should have known better!


Oh well

[FreshmanBob]

aw man i already sent mine in w/ my real name last night, but my e mail has my AO handle in it

should i resend or anything?

[pbstu]

anyone got a large picture of the AGD logo? black and white or color, doesnt matter.



stu.

[KamikazePenguin]

Just because i'm paranoid, is there any way you could post a list of entries you recieved? (doesn't help that my e-mail provider is crappy and I don't trust them)

Thanks :)

[KamikazePenguin]

Logo:

[ubooze]

Dang! Today is the 19th....stupid stupid UBOOZE!! I'll try to enter my drawing soon, though it may be late.

P.S.: Oh, and if you would like to donate your RT gun aftre you win you canb send it to 132 Iwish St. ...lol

[FutureMagOwner]

isnt it over? who won did i win? maybe i should check my email! or did they say they were doing a vote i forgot

[shartley]

I won... sorry I thought AGD announced it already.

<font size="-2">Just kidding.. I did not even enter. HeeHee</font>

[synreal]

Originally posted by shartley
I won... sorry I thought AGD announced it already.

<font size="-2">Just kidding.. I did not even enter. HeeHee</font>

&lt;insert file="pimpSlap.bin" target="shartley"&gt;

After all of the entries are received there will be a vote on which one the board likes the best

[FutureMagOwner]

ooo then everyone vote on mine mine rock and i need the rt pro!!!

[johnny_boy]

Well,

I entered, and don't even own a mag, and I just signed up for the forums a mere 2 minutes ago :p

hehe, well, if I win I will be a mag owner though.



John

[HoppysMag]

welcome to AO... have a good time...

[FutureMagOwner]

welcome i think you will find this forum to be one of the best on the internet(the best i ahve ever been on)

[johnny_boy]

Well, I have been lurking for quite some time now, and just got around to registering :) This contest thing just gave me the reson to do it.

[AGD]

Contest will be closing Tuesday night the 21th (tommorow). Get those entries in!!

AGD

[MrMag]

hey tom, how do i make mine 300dpi? will i be disqualified if it isnt?

[RT_Luver]

where is this amatuer open going to be?

[AGD]

Contest now closed, please standby for display thread.

AGD