2 x banner ad contest + $85 in prizes

[domino66]

Hi all, first time poster here...I mentioned to a friend that I wanted a flash banner for my site, and he suggested this 'design contest' forum...great concept, and I like a lot of the work I see.

Here's a description of the project; forgive me for being a little wordy, but I like being as descriptive as I can.

The Project: TWO banner ads (468x60) for (Link or image removed at op request)
It's an affiliate site for some online poker sites, and also has a lot of great poker-related content that I think will especially appeal to law students, young lawyers...actually pretty much any student should find it very interesting, although it only generates income when people open accounts at the poker sites via my links. I'm going to be purchasing banner ad space on various other sites.

So I want two banners, one a Flash banner that I have a pretty specific idea for below ($50 prize), and a non-Flash banner that you can feel free to be a bit more creative with ($35). Both should be 468x60, and the winning banner for each can come from different participants.
I also might select $20 runner-ups if there are a lot of great ideas that I'd like to use, but that will be at my discretion.

Deadline: Sunday, Aug. 6th, although I hope it will close earlier if I decide on a winner sooner...I'm offering a tad bit more money than seems to be typical for a project like this in the hopes that I can get something final within 48 hours.

The 468x60 Flash banner:
Here's the idea I'd like to see made a reality (and a brief explanation to get your head into it). In law school, everybody has a laptop...it's more or less essential for law school these days. We use them in class, in the library, everywhere we're studying...but they're also a bit of a curse because they're such an obvious distraction for playing games, IM'ing, online poker (if you're into that sort of thing), etc.

So here's the idea...I want the scene to be something like a row of a few computer screens, as though students were sitting in the library side by side, and I want the flash banner to pan to the right, showing the first two students diligently using their computers to take notes in word, or whatever, and when the display centers on the 3rd computer screen it shows him playing online poker. You can get a screenshot for what the online poker table should look like on the "Party Poker site review" page from the (Link or image removed at op request) site. I was thinking that each student/computer screen could be "separated" with a stack of law school books between them, with the titles of law school subjects (e.g. crim law, torts, contracts) on the spine.
So I know the above was verbose, but I hope I communicated the gist of it: I just want a scene sort of making fun of law students who use their laptops to play online poker...beyond that you've got a little bit of leeway. I know that 468x60 is kind of small, but i'm hoping you'll be able to make it work...i was thinking that if you only showed the computer screens with two hands on it (as opposed to a view from actually BEHIND the student's back), it would save some space...

Here's the 2nd NON-Flash banner project, and you've got a little more leeway to be creative here...I'll just give a few guidelines nonetheless:

> The site's theme is twofold: law school & poker, so I'm looking for a banner that somehow incorporates each of these. For example, check out the main page at (Link or image removed at op request)-- I really like that flash animation that my designer created for me with the law books on one side of the scales, which tip as poker chips fly in from off-screen. The projected audience is relatively computer-savvy law students, or past/future law students...

> The things you might mention in the banner ad: Site Reviews, Bonus Codes, Interviews, Poker Strategy...keep it to those 4 I would say.

> As far as design elements, I'll just brainstorm a few law-school / poker related themes for those of you who are unfamiliar with law school, but again I'll say that you're free to come up with something completely on your own: poker chips, long hours in the library, big/heavy/expensive law books, judges, gavels, long essays, very competitive students, very nerdy, poker nights with friends, scales of justice, the supreme court, etc. etc...obviously you're not going to use all of these, just wanted to get the creative juices flowing. you can also look at the website to get a feel for it / the overall theme.

If you'd like to bounce an idea off me on the forum before you start working on it, I'll try to get back to you ASAP.

That's it! I'll try to be as attentive as I can and check this forum every hour or two to give feedback to all participants. Thanks in advance for your efforts!

 

[jackieh1791]

My first try for the static banner...

Another try...

 

[domino66]

Thanks Jackie, here's my comments:

1) First banner: I'm not so crazy about, b/c the background is a little too "busy"...there's just too much going on, it detracts from the banner's content.

2) I like the 2nd one better. I still think there's a little too much going on in the background...e.g. I know that it's player cards, but the red outline around LawSchoolPoker sort of melts into the red background color. Is the "Click Here!" really necessary? Seems that it doesn't really do much other than take up space that we could make more efficient use of (although how, i'm just not sure). I like the law books on the left, though! And the 4 categories on the bottom are nice, although I would center them instead of having them aligned to the left.

Thanks for your efforts so far!

 

[domino66]

hey all, hope some more designers will join this contest soon. Thought I'd post a picture of my current banner ad (which I'm not crazy about at all and need to improve on). maybe that will get people's creative juices flowing. The theme(s) of the site are really interesting, so I'm sure you'll come up with something great .

(Link or image removed at op request)

 

[jackieh1791]

Hi. Thanks for the feedback. I'll give it another shot in a little while.

 

[jackieh1791]

I revised the second one a little...

Well since no one has entered the animated contest yet, I'll give it a shot. I could not for the life of me find a photo like you had in mind, so I came up with my own idea. Feel free to say you hate it, I won't be insulted.

 

[domino66]

Thanks for the revisions Jackie.

Yes, I realize that my first request for the animated one was pretty specific, and possibly pretty hard to do...it was a specific idea that I had, and I can sort of picture what it might look like in my mind, but that doesn't mean it would be easy to implement.

#1 -- much better then the previous 2; FYI, however, "Poker Strategies" should be "Poker Strategy"...singular. The only thing I'm not all that crazy about is the font for " (Link or image removed at op request)" It's not bad...but it's just kind of "plain jane", and it doesn't contrast enough with the whiteness of the King of Hearts to its right. Perhaps some sort of border / more prominent shadow effect would make it a little more eyecatching...do you have any diploma-style font (like the one I use on the main page of (Link or image removed at op request)) ? That may or may not look good...

#2) Not quite what I had in mind, but I do like the "not what your parents had in mind / secret" theme, very cute...and very apropos re: how law students feel when they stealthily play online poker in class...let me brainstorm a little bit more about this idea, and hopefully I'll come up with some more targeted feedback on that one later today (i am on the other side of the world, so that's why i'm leaving feedback in the wee hours of USA timezones).

Still hoping other people might have a crack at this...(not to disparage your attempts, jackie, of course, it's just good to have some variety / options to select from)

 

[Fran]

Here's my entry:

(Link or image removed at op request)

 

[domino66]

Hi Fran...hmmm...I replied but it doesn't seem to be showing up now, so I'll try to re-type what I wrote earlier.

Not a bad entry. My first reaction is that the color scheme for the cards isn't right. Hearts are supposed to be red, not black. I don't mind the flashing categories, in fact I like the fact that they kind of draw attention to the banner, but the font is too small...I know what they say, because it's my site, but I don't want my readers squinting to have to read them...then again I understand you can't make them too much bigger (at least not positioned as they are) otherwise they might be too distracting.

I was also thinking that there isn't any law-school themed content in it...I am hoping that the winning banner will incorporate both themes of my site: 1) poker, and 2) law school. I do like how clean/uncluttered it is, though.

 

[Fran]

Here's an edited version:

(Link or image removed at op request)

I hope you like this one more than the last

 

[ami]

Here is my first flash banner entry....

(Link or image removed at op request)


and animated gif banner...
(Link or image removed at op request)

 

[domino66]

Hi ami. Nice entries, here's my feedback.

ANIMATED GIF BANNER:

I like it I like the arching curves, and the way the table juts out in the center. Very slick looking. Here are a couple possible areas for improvement.

1) First of all, I didn't realize it until now, but the gaming table you have there isn't actually displaying a poker game...rather it's some sort of casino table game...are you familiar with texas hold'em? That's the poker game that's currently the most popular, so it would be nice if the rounded table jutting out there displayed a scene from an actual poker table rather than whatever casino game you currently show.

2) Where you wrote " (Link or image removed at op request), this is kind of nitpicky, but I think important: it's not entirely clear that the name of the site is (Link or image removed at op request) ...in fact, some readers might think that the site they'd be taken to is just "poker.com" do you see what I mean? It's not clear that the text on the upper and lower lines is all part of one address...the branding of my site is very important to me (because there are so many sites with "poker" in their names)...so I want there to be no doubt in my readers' minds that they're looking at a banner for (Link or image removed at op request)...did that make sense? Sorry, I am new at giving banner feedback, so I'm doing my best.

3) Lastly, On the right hand side of that banner, I like the listing of the 4 categories, the only comment I have is that it's a little 'plain'. E.g. is there some way of presenting those 4 things instead of just dropping them onto the banner in static form? Here's just 1 idea, although I don't know how it would look: what if only 1 of the 4 were displayed at a time, and they rotated one by one to occupy that right-hand slot...that would also allow you to use bigger pictures of the suits to their left.

(also, is it just me, or is the rounded black arch on the right and left sides not quite smooth? e.g. there are just a couple spots where it looks a little flattened...sorry, nitpicky again, I know)

I see a ton of potential in your banner, which is why I was so thorough with my suggestions, not to overly criticize it!


FLASH BANNER

Wow, you clearly know what you're doing! Very impressive, even though not entirely what I had in mind. I'm going to do my best to give you good feedback, although let me preface it by saying that since I'm not even entirely sure what's POSSIBLE with Flash, I might not be able to be as specific as I'd like...but I'll leave that up to you.

My first thought is that there's an awful lot going on...that's not necessarily a bad thing, but there's some things that don't seem to quite 'belong'. For example, partway through the animation there's an arrow and then a gavel appears in the middle of the green table for no apparent reason. I like that you used the "scales of justice" image that was on my site, but again, it doesn't quite seem to 'fit' with the rest of the banner. I'm just trying to wrap my head around the "story" that the banner ad tells. (BTW, am I getting to theoretical, or asking too much?) So there's 3 people sitting around a poker table with laptops...ok so far, although it's not really clear why 3 people would have laptops around a poker table...the zooming in/out really blew my mind...very impressive (although maybe that's really easy for a programmer like you).

I'm going to suggest an idea here, and I'd like you to tell me whether you think it's possible...and I only think it might be because of the impressive animation I've already seen in your banner:

What about a scene with 3 or 4 people sitting around a table (sort of like you already have it), and the camera view first starts out distant (again, like you have it), and then zooms in and pans around to show what is on each person's laptop. On the first 2 you can have taking notes / typing in Words, and then on the third it would show the guy playing online poker. This is actually a pretty funny scene, because in law school, there are 3 or 4-person study groups where people get together to talk about the material, and set up their laptops just like the scene you show...it would be funny if two of them were working diligently, and the 3rd were playing online poker. That's sort of like the scene I described in my original request/post.

Whew, alright, I hope the above was helpful. If I seemed overly verbose in my feedback, it's because you impressed me, and opened my mind to the kinds of things that are possible (esp. re: Flash banners).

I am happy to provide more specific feedback if you would like, but I've written enough for now.

 

[Fran]

I'll have another go at the animated banner today

Edit:

Sorry about the bad quality.

 

[ami]

Ok Here is Requested Possible changes in flash banner i have made for you...

Pls check flash banner here....

(Link or image removed at op request)

here is animated gif banner

(Link or image removed at op request)

 

[lovinspugs]

Hello,
Is this project still open? If so, I believe the deadline is tomorrow so as I have a day off I will try my best and participate! Looks like fun!

Thank you,
Sara

 

[domino66]

Hello,
Is this project still open? If so, I believe the deadline is tomorrow so as I have a day off I will try my best and participate! Looks like fun!

Thank you,
Sara

Yes, project is still open for another 36 hours...I will pick the winner(s) when I wake up on Monday morning. (EST)

 

[domino66]

Thanks for all your work guys. 24 more hours and I'll pick a winner.

Ami, some suggestions for your banners.

The animated GIF one first:
I like it better than the first one...only suggestion is that I think the (Link or image removed at op request) text on the left-hand side is a tad too small...I realize that you shrunk it down in response to my previous comment that before it wasn't clear that (Link or image removed at op request) were all part and parcel of the same address, so you put them all on the same line. May I sheepishly concede that I actually liked it more in your first banner...I want the user to immediately see that it's a banner for Law School Poker...perhaps you could just tweak the way you had it first so that there's a little less contrast between (Link or image removed at op request) on the lower line. Perhaps "Poker.com" should at least be in the same color...and without so much of a size disparity...just want to keep the general theme the same for both lines of text so that it's clear that it's all part and parcel of the same address.
Can I also make one more request of you for this banner? In browsing some of the previous contests, I saw an effect that I thought was pretty cool. Go to this thread, and look at the entry by "ezrap".
http://www.namepros.com/design-contests/212842-banner-ads-for-online-rpg-40-a.html?highlight=banner

See how the letters sort of highlight one-by-one? I really like that effect, and wonder whether you might incorporate it into the (Link or image removed at op request) text. I think it might make the banner a tad more eye-catching/dynamic since we did away with the "Click Here" flashing things.


Now for the FLASH banner.

Wow. You're blowing my mind with those effects, but perhaps that's all just routine for designers such as yourself.

Here are my requests, although I'm darn impressed by what you have so far.

1) Where did you get that screenshot for the poker table? Was that on my site somewhere? Can I request that you use a different one instead? This one:
(Link or image removed at op request)
It's a tad more colorful (the one you used was a modified/simpler screenshot, but not the one that people would immediately associate with Party Poker...the one I linked to just above is much better.

2) Instead of the text that you have "Site for poker playing law school students and graduates", can you instead display (Link or image removed at op request) there? I realized that the name of my site doesn't really appear until at least 10 or 15 seconds into the banner ad; I want to put it in front of the reader sooner than that, and that text ("Site for poker-playing...") isn't really necessary...so instead of that can you display (Link or image removed at op request) in some sort of eye-catching manner?

3) Very lastly, I love what you've done with the scales of justice/balance, but might it be possible to have a few more chips stacked on the left-hand side there? I realized that you currently have it as what appears on the site, but I find that with the banner being so much smaller than an actual browser window, it's not really clear (for a first-time viewer) that those are poker-chips on the left-hand side...I don't need it to be tooooo obvious or over-sized...just perhaps a few more chips (or if a smallish stack looks better, that might work too).

Other than that, simply awesome, I love it. You've got serious talent.

 

[jackieh1791]

Here's another try at the non-flash banner...

(Link or image removed at op request)

 

[ami]

Here is Requested Flash banner complete...

(Link or image removed at op request)

Animated gif banner

(Link or image removed at op request)

thanks

 

[ami]

* Animated gif banner *

(Link or image removed at op request)