Summary
- Status
- won
- Status Comment
- Congratulations to the winner, Simon!
- Entries
- 163
- Prize
- $200
- Details
-
A closer look at this contest
- Created:
- Tue, 13 Nov 2007 03:11:15 +0000
- Ends:
- Tue, 20 Nov 2007 03:11:15 +0000
- Modified:
- Wed, 04 Jun 2008 01:45:35 +0000
- Last Feedback:
- Wed, 28 Nov 2007 05:28:26 +0000
- Comments:
- 33
- Feedback:
- 57
- Designers:
- 47
- Brief Summary
-
We're releasing a new series of books called "The Ultimate Reference", and want to develop a new style of cover. The theme for this cover is "simple and elegant". Please see the full brief for more details...
- Brand Name
- SitePoint
- Description
-
- Accepted File Formats
- Vector Formats (.eps, .pdf or .ai)
Your design needs to adopt a less-is-more approach. What I want to see is good use of fine lines, fonts, and layout. What I don't want to see are complex gradients/patterns or heavy use of imagery. If you do want to use some sort of texture, maybe use a watermarked representation of the technology that the book applies to (e.g. CSS).
The desired outcome is a simple, elegant, well balanced design that will make our books stand out in a bookstore.
There are three design elements: the front cover, the back cover, and the spine.
Front cover:
Title: The Ultimate CSS Reference
SitePoint Logo: http://www.sitepoint.com/logos/sitepoint-logos.zip
Author Names: Two names
Size: 7" X 9"Spine:
Title: The Ultimate CSS Reference
SitePoint Logo: http://www.sitepoint.com/logos/sitepoint-logos.zip
Author Names: Two names
Size: 1.5" X 9"Back cover:
There are three main elements to the page: the author bios, the descriptive section, and the barcodes. Please see the following file for an example of the content elements that will need to be included on the back cover. The design is up to you.
http://www.sitepoint.com/downloads/javascript1-final-final-final-final.pdf
Size: 7" X 9"Color:
The three colours at your disposal are white, orange (PANTONE: Orange 021 C or CMYK O, 53, 100, 0) and blue (PANTONE 2955 C or CMYK 100, 45, 0, 37).You can find all of our other book covers here:
http://www.sitepoint.com/books/But we're looking for something different to what we've traditionally created, so don't base your design on what we've already got.
On top of the prize, if your design is successful then you'll receive acknowledgment in the book, as well as copies of the final product.
Good luck!
- Print Guidelines
-
* Please clarify if the contest holder's requirements differ.
- File Types
-
The final design should be provided in one of the following file formats:
Type Extension Note Adobe Illustrator Document *.ai Recommended Adobe Photoshop Document *.psd Recommended Portable Document Format *.pdf Recommended (Encapsulated) PostScript File *.eps, *.ps TIFF Image *.tif, *.tiff - Document Size
-
Common document dimensions have been provided below.
- Business Cards
-
Full Bleed Size
- 3.54” × 2.05”
- 90mm × 52mm
- 1062 × 615 pixels
- 3.43” × 1.93”
- 87mm × 49mm
- 1028 × 579 pixels
- Letterhead
-
Full Bleed Size
- 8.63” × 11.10”
- 219mm × 282mm
- 2588 × 3331 pixels
- 8.50” × 10.98”
- 216mm × 279mm
- 2551 × 3295 pixels
- Return Address
Labels -
Full Bleed Size
- 2.78” × 0.94”
- 71mm × 24mm
- 835 × 283 pixels
- 2.66” × 0.83”
- 68mm × 21mm
- 799 × 248 pixels
- Resolution
- Resolution refers to the number of dots per inch (dpi), or the amount of detail the image has.
- Most documents prepared for upload should be 300 dpi at 100% of the final print size. Higher resolution means a more detailed image, and also a larger file and longer upload time.
- Bleed
- The very edges of the document are called the bleed area. To prevent an unwanted white border from showing at the edge of your document, be sure to extend any background colors or design elements all the way to the edge.
- Trim Marks
- Trim lines are the finished size of the document. The document is cut close to the trim line, but because of the mechanical tolerances involved in printing, the actual cut can happen anywhere between the bleeds and the safe margin. This is why it is important to keep your text and important images within the safe margin.
- Full Bleed vs.
Trim Size -
When to create your document at the full bleed size
If you are working in an illustration program (such as Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw) or a photo editing program (Such as Adobe Photoshop or Corel Photo-Paint), we recommend that you create your document at the full bleed size. This will prevent any white edges from showing at the borders after the final product is trimmed. -
When to create your document at the trim size
If you are working in a layout program (such as QuarkXPress or Adobe InDesign) we recommend that you create your document at the trim size and include the specified amount of bleed for your product (.137”). When you export your document as a PDF for upload, make sure to include the bleed in your output settings so that the final upload PDF document is at the full bleed size for your product. - Safe Area &
Safe Margins - The safe margins are borders that are definitely inside the place where the cut will take place. Please remember to keep all important information, like names, addresses, phone numbers or logos within the safe margin (at least .137” from the edge) to ensure that they aren’t cut off when your document is trimmed.
- Color
- CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) are colors used in the printing process, whereas RGB (Red, Green and Blue) are colors used by screen displays, such as your monitor.
- All artwork should be CMYK, Pantone Spot, or Greyscale. This ensures the colors you see on the screen most closely match the final printed product. If you create your document in RGB, the colors in your printed product may vary slightly. Many of the bright values produced by your monitor cannot be reproduced in print.
- RGB, Index, or Duotone should be avoided.
- Avoid more than 300% total ink density. Too much ink can cause appearance issues, such as muddy colors or ink puddling.
-
There's more than one black… and different blacks print
with very different results.
- 100% K
- Use this black for all text and line work. This will minimize any small dots (from other colors) that may appear around the edges of your text.
- 100% K, 45% C
- Use this black for a deep black background. This avoids drying and scuffing problems due to too much ink coverage.
- default black
- Avoid this black. While it may be suitable for a website or screen-based graphics, it is not suitable for print due to misregistration, scuffing, and drying issues.
- Converting Fonts
to Outlines - Text can be converted to curves (paths) in some graphics programs. This will fix upload errors that result when fonts are not embedded in your file. Following these easy steps will help ensure that your text prints clearly.
-
How to convert fonts to outlines in Adobe Illustrator
- Select all text
- From the Type menu: Type › Create Outlines
- Note how the text now has an outlined path selection
- Save a copy and upload
- Actions
- Badges