Dash of Inspiration: March 2017 Design Challenge

March is rolling in and this California artist hopes it brings more sun than rain and snow! Let’s have some fun with our imagination this month …

Theme: Create Your Own Superhero

Requirements:

• Imagery should be appropriate for the recipients.Superheroes can be any living being from young to old, from feathers to fur, or from alien to monster – just be creative and unique!
• CAUTION: Do your diligent research to ensure you are not infringing on any copyright version of a superhero such as; Superman, etc.
• Your superhero must match the overall message, occasion, and recipient.
• Blank verse will not be considered for entry in this challenge.

NOTE: Please keep in mind that “super hero” in the design or metadata is not permitted as it is a trademark of Marvel and DC Comics.  However separate by a comma is “super, hero”is accepted.

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Entry Deadline: Friday, March 31^st

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How to Enter: Post the PID (card number) and the URL (public storefront link – please WAIT for the card to be available in the public marketplace, please DO NOT post a link to your Manage Cards area) as a post in the challenge blog. We’ll forward your entry to the jury.

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Category:

Any category that is well-suited for your superhero message.

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Rules:

• Submission must meet GCU’s Submission Guidelines and be Approved through the usual Review Cycle– Fast Track your submission with this in the Notes to Reviewer: March Design Challenge Submission here is the link to the blog post: (include THIS blog post URL)
• Only ONE card per artist per challenge.
• Submissions must be NEW, no existing designs.
• Your entry must meet the Challenge Requirements and Theme or it will not be included in the challenge.
• Stock Card Creations entries will not be accepted.
• Your designs should differ from those already offered in the categories above to offer shoppers a variety of choices, not more of the same.

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BLIND Judging: We hope each of you enters every month. Entries are submitted anonymously for judging by the GCU Challenge Jury which means that before and during the challenge, judges do not have any way of knowing what artist is behind each entry. This eliminates any and all concerns with ‘favoritism’. Results will post on the Community Blog. The jury will judge the entries on the following criteria:

• How well the card meets the Challenge Requirements and Theme.
• How well the card speaks to the Category the artist chooses for the card submission.
• Creativity, Execution and Marketability.

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Winners: 1st Place:

• The winning designer’s card and store will be featured on the GCU Public Blog – the blog which customers view and follow.
• As well as featured on the GCU Public Facebook Page – nearly 46,000 followers, now THAT’S exposure!
• The winning card will be Design of the Day following the announcement of the winners (within 48-hours).
  

  EXCEPTION: Horizontal (landscape) cards may not be featured as DOD due to GCU Home Page space restrictions. In these cases, GCU will choose a different vertically oriented card from your store to feature as DOD. Thank you for your understanding and apologies for this limitation.

• The winning card will be added to the Greeting Card Universe Design Challenge Winners Pinterest Board – currently GCU’s Pinterest Page followers: 2K!
• The winning card, should the artist choose, may be referenced in a new series by the winning artist and he/she may Fast Track all cards in the new series (being sure to give the Challenge URL and winning card PID in your Notes to Reviewer for each card in this series).
• Winning card will be included in a marketing email to over 100,000 customers!
• NEW starting this month, GCU will create a Meet the Team board for the winning artist under the Pinterest GCU account where the winning artist will be able to pin and promote her own storefront and all that makes them a unique card designer and one of GCU’s artistic community team member.
• Winning card will be posted on GCU’s Instagram with 2,000 followers and counting!
• GCU will create a Meet the Team board for the winning artist under the Pinterest GCU account where the winning artist will be able to pin and promote her own storefront and all that makes them a unique card designer and one of GCU’s artistic community team member.

2^nd Place:

• Your submission will be Design of the Day the following week of announcing the Challenge winners (within 7-days).
  

  EXCEPTION: Horizontal (landscape) cards may not be featured as DOD due to GCU Home Page space restrictions. In these cases, GCU will choose a different vertically oriented card from your store to feature as DOD. Thank you for your understanding and apologies for this limitation.

• Your card will be added to the Greeting Card Universe Design Challenge Winners Pinterest Board.
• Winning card will be included in a marketing email to over 100,000 customers!
• Winning card will be posted on GCU’s Instagram with 2,000 followers and counting!

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Tips:

Check out these tips, tricks, freebies, and tutorials from our own GCU Community Blog which might be helpful in this month’s Challenge.

• Nuts and Bolts: Homework Always Pays Off
• Dash of Inspiration: Don’t be a Copy Cat
• Tips and Tricks: Sources and Credit
• Nuts and Bolts: The Right Image
• Dash of Inspiration: Marketability – Occasion/Gender/Age Specific

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Be inspired to create and learn something new!

I am the volunteer ‘artist’ for my local wildlife rehabilitation non-profit organization who after designing their new logo a couple of years ago, they requested I create a superhero mascot for them to gain the attention of a ‘younger’ crowd. So, this is Tri County Wildlife Care’s new mascot “T.C.” – this was my inspiration for this challenge. Though not a card, I hope it offers inspiration to create your own superhero and put it to great use!

©Doreen Erhardt and Tri County Wildlife Care