I’m going to need your input in setting up this contest. We’re going to have to give instructions to the designers on what to do and what not to do. We’re also going to have to leave this as open as possible for the designers because I’m not going to be able to guide them to the final design by myself like they’re probably used to. The reason is because this is a group project and I’m sure you all wouldn’t like it very much if I alone instructed them to design what I personally liked. Maybe we can make up for this by linking them to a thread on this forum where everyone can comment on the designs or make suggestions, since only one person (me) can control the account. There needs to be a way for all of you to offer input to the designers and that may be a good way.
The below image shows you exactly what needs to be filled out in order to set up the contest. I’ve numbered the important parts that need to be discussed and offered my opinions on them below. Before we start though, check out this sample contest so you know exactly what it might look like when it’s finished.
1. This is a coin logo, so there probably shouldn’t be a name on it, besides some optional text like Peer to Peer for example. I think this field can be left blank.
2. I think this field can also be left blank. BitcoinFridge came up with some slogans a while ago, but they won’t be shown on the coin itself.
3. Here we need to describe what Peercoin is and how it differs from Bitcoin. I think somebody more knowledgeable than me on Peercoin should write this up. It shouldn’t be too technical. Somebody who doesn’t know about Bitcoin should be able to understand it. I think it should start off by saying that Peercoin is a revolutionary new cryptocurrency, briefly explain what cryptocoins are and then explain the advantages it has over Bitcoin such as its energy efficiency. It should probably be about 2-3 paragraphs long.
4. The closest match I could find in the list was Accounting & Financial.
5. Either emblem or pictorial mark is a good match here I think. We just need to make sure they don’t write out Peercoin on the logo. That can be mentioned in the notes. Do you agree with these or do you think others should be included as well?
6. I think we can list the Bitcoin and Litecoin logos here as samples.
7. For this one I have no idea what to put beyond that it needs to be a simplistic design. What should we do here? Go ahead and use Paint to mark the values and explain why you think it should be that way.
8. The overall colors should be gold or silver, like any other valuable coin, but I think we should make it clear that other colors can be added in. For example, if we’re trying to convey eco-friendliness maybe they can do it without the leaf design by adding green somewhere on the logo. So I think we should say the main colors have to be gold or silver, but that they can add other colors to the mix if necessary.
9. At least right now the logo will mainly be used online, but farther into the future it may be used on other types of materials. Which ones do you think I should check? I’m not sure if this section matters too much, but they’re asking so I have to put down something.
10. Are these the only file formats that are needed?
11. In this area I can include the designs we’ve currently been working with, the ones I posted on the donation page.
12. NOTES: This is the most important section. This is where we give out detailed instructions to the designers on what we want and I think it’s something we really need to discuss. We need to come to a consensus about what we’re really trying to accomplish here. Here are some important questions to think about…
A. Should we stick with the current symbol we’ve been working with in our designs with the two P’s superimposed over each other with the line connecting them at the bottom? Or should we allow the designers the freedom to change the symbol? This is one thing that I think we should be strict on. I personally love the symbol we have now and don’t think it can get much better than this. I also believe Sunny wanted it to look this way. This should be a constant in all designs in my opinion.
B. Should we abandon the leaf? The purpose of the leaf in the logo was to convey the energy efficiency of ppc as opposed to Bitcoin. I personally love the leaf and really wanted to keep it in there, but I forced myself to ask some hard questions. A eco-friendly message is great right now because all the other coins are energy hogs, but what about in the future? What happens in the future if energy efficient coins become the norm and Bitcoin is no longer an issue. The leaf messaging suddenly loses its meaning and becomes outdated. If we really want this logo to stand the test of time, I think we should follow the lead of Bitcoin and Litecoin and simplify the logo to focus in on the letter symbol and not anything that would distract away from it. Just check out their logos, very simple and focused on the letter symbol…
If we go this simplified route, should we allow the designers to include any text, which could distract away from the main symbol? All designs should probably be face down shots, unless they want to make angle shots in addition to the face down shots. I think that’s enough to start a discussion. If you can think of anymore questions that we need to answer, go ahead and post them.