Summary
- Status
- won
- Status Comment
- Congratulations to the winner, jcontreras!
- Entries
- 112
- Prize
- $425
- Details
-
A closer look at this contest
- Created:
- Thu, 19 Jun 2008 01:46:03 +0000
- Ends:
- Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:46:03 +0000
- Modified:
- Thu, 19 Jun 2008 01:46:03 +0000
- Last Feedback:
- Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:36:57 +0000
- Comments:
- 28
- Feedback:
- 57
- Designers:
- 26
- Brief Summary
-
Need a striking and eye-catching design (front and back) for a DVD about our Solar System.
The video is full of breathtaking photographs from NASA spacecraft, and the cover should reflect the content.
- Brand Name
- Description
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This DVD is the first in a series. Therefore, there should be one or more elements that can be repeated on subsequent volumes to establish continuity. This could be the font style and first part of the title, or it could be something more than that. It’s up to you.
The video itself has a lot of photographs of our Solar System’s planets and moons. It uses Adobe’s Trajan Pro typeface for internal titling and captions. You don’t have to use Trajan necessarily -- this is just to point out that for the cover, a font that’s excessively modern probably won’t work.
The title of the video is “What You Aren’t Being Told About Astronomy, Volume I: Our Created Solar System”.
We’ve uploaded some images you might consider using. They’re at http://www.creationastronomy.com/art.
Note: one of the files provided (Columbia_Moon.jpg) should not be included as-is on the front cover. It would be too similar to the cover of another DVD already on the market. If you can find a different use for it (or pieces of it), that would be OK.
If you find other images you want to use, please make sure they are public domain, and that we can verify this. We’re willing to buy stock photography or images if they're necessary (and inexpensive), but since most NASA images are public domain, hopefully this won't be needed.
If you have a specific idea that would require an image you can't find, post a request and we'll try to find it for you. We know the NASA image databases pretty well. Please do your best to describe exactly what you're looking for. (Example: I want a photo of the Moon, looking across dramatic terrain, and taken from a low altitude above the Moon's surface looking out toward space, with the horizon at a 45 degree angle going up from left to right.) Or, if you want a higher-resolution version of an image you've already found, point us to the URL of the lower-res version. However, either way there's obviously no guarantee that we'll be able to find what you want.
Also at www.creationastronomy.com/art, you’ll find:
- a headshot of the author (headshot.tif)
- the copy for the back cover (backcover.txt).
The dimensions for the final design are 3236 pixels wide by 2173 high. This includes a spine in the middle (165 pixels wide). The cover will be printed at 300 dpi. (For interim mockups, lower resolutions are fine, of course.)
We might ask for minor revisions after the contest ends. (In particular, a physicist is currently reviewing this video, and his comments will be inserted into the back cover copy if they’re brief and received in time.)
Final delivery will be as a PNG, along with the layered project file. If you can supply an Adobe InDesign INDD file (version 2.0 and above), that would be ideal. Otherwise, a PSD will work too.
If you wish to submit a front cover design first for feedback before spending time on a matching spine and back, that would be fine. We're happy to give guidance on the front cover first, as long as enough time remains for a proper treatment of the back and spine too.
- Wants
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- Clean and elegant design. It should communicate the beauty, awe, and grandeur of the planets in our Solar System.
- Don't Wants
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- A too-futuristic or science fiction look.
- Artwork about far-away planets orbiting other stars.
- Too large of an emphasis on galaxies, nebulae, or stars. Using them as background is OK (if it's done subtly). But the focal point of the design should have something to do with planets, moons, and/or our Sun.
- Print Guidelines
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* Please clarify if the contest holder's requirements differ.
- File Types
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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
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Common document dimensions have been provided below.
- Business Cards
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Full Bleed Size
- 3.54” × 2.05”
- 90mm × 52mm
- 1062 × 615 pixels
- 3.43” × 1.93”
- 87mm × 49mm
- 1028 × 579 pixels
- Letterhead
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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.
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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