Picaboo is looking to add several new Flat 5”x 7” New Year’s card designs to our card collection. Our customers typically send New Year’s cards after the Christmas/Hanukkah holidays as a happy new year greeting to friends and family. Design themes and messaging should be non-religious and should not mention any particular holiday.

Our customers include a family photo (or several) on their New Year’s cards. All submissions must have at least one photo. You can include layouts with up to 6 photos.

All designs should include space for the traditional New Year’s card details:
o New Year’s message
o Family name or signature line

We are looking to award up to 25 winners if there are enough designs that we like so submit as many as you like.

All files must meet the requirements below or payment will be withheld until correct files are provided. Be sure to follow ALL of the instructions.

File Requirements
General Requirements:
• Designs must be created in Illustrator.
• Designs must be created in RGB.
• Card designs can be portrait or landscape orientation.
• Designs must be created using the attached templates. If you are using Illustrator version 6, use the standard templates. If you are using Illustrator versions 3, 4, or 5, use the CS3 templates. We do not support versions prior to Illustrator CS3.
• Place components on the appropriate layers set up in the provided templates.
o Editable Text – This is the text that the customer will enter when creating their New Year’s card. Be sure to follow ALL text requirements.
o Overlays – Overlays are any graphical element(s) that lay on top of a photo(s) with the exception of stroke borders.
o Photos – These are photos that the customer will add to customize their New Year’s card, as well as any stroke borders you may wish to add. Be sure to follow ALL photo requirements.
o Background – The Background should include all design elements that are not editable text, overlays, or photos. This includes any graphical elements and text that are fixed (in other words, text that cannot be customized by the customer when creating their New Year’s card).
• The design must bleed full to all edges through the crop zone area and be sure to keep important details of your design within the provided guides.
• Be sure all elements are individual vector elements grouped by the same fill/stroke for easy color editing.
• Do not use pattern swatches without converting them as stated above.
• Note that if your design is accepted and you are using a vector element generated from a rasterized image, we will ask you to include the original high-resolution raster image file in the final design submittal.
• PRECISELY align all text/elements as appropriate for the design.
• Elements may overlay on top of photos. Use the “Overlays” layer for these design elements.
• Be sure colors that are intended to be the same color truly are a match (check RGB values)
• Keep all elements unlocked.
• Create thumbnail of design in JPG format excluding the crop zone in addition to submitting the AI file. If your design has a white background, include a drop shadow around the JPG.

Photo Requirements:
• Designs may include 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 photos.
• Photos can be different sizes and orientations.
• Use the provided stock images and embed them in your AI file.
• Photos can be square, rectangles, circles, ovals, or hearts. Other shapes are not permitted for this contest.
• Embed all photos.

Text Requirements:
• If you create text as a fixed design embellishment (meaning it will be the same for every customer and will not be customized by the customer), it can be any font. This text will be on the Background or Overlay layer of your design.
• If you create text that will be variable and editable by the customer, it must be an allowed font. Use the exact versions of the allowed fonts (in attached zipped list). This text will be on the Editable Text layer of your design.
• Use “Area Text Boxes” (click and drag to create text box, then type) rather than “Point Type Text Boxes” (click and type) for editable text.
• Create a new text box for each change in font/size/color etc.
• Do not group text.
• Do not change the kerning (spacing) on any editable text.
• Do not assign “All Caps” etc. (keep Standard Vertical Roman Alignment)