[CLOSED] Graphics for NEW Bitcoin Social Network

[nyusternie]

BTC Village Needs A Creative Touch
https://www.btcvillage.nl/

BACKGROUND:
I've been following Bitcoin for a few years now, checking in from time to time to see how well the technology is progressing. I've been off assignment since November and have been devoting the majority of my free time into delving deeper into this rabbit hole. Honestly, most of what I've seen has been ugly (very, very ugly), but every now and then I see a promise of salvation that keeps me digging deeper. I'm starting to feel like I'm running out of air and that its time to call for support.

PURPOSE:
To build a platform that Bitcoin developers can leverage for their individual goals, dreams, what have you. The platform will hopefully resolve the majority of the technical difficulties that come with building and operating a successful Bitcoin-based business (ie. security, reliability, scalability, customer service, etc).

SCOPE OF WORK:
I would normally use services like oDesk for my outsourcing work, however, considering the nature of this project, I am determined to build a team of Bitcoin-friendly contractors.  Currently, I'm in need of graphic designers who can help in creating an identity for this project.  Initially, I am looking for:

• Logo / Icon (256px by 256px)
• Facebook Cover (851px by 315px)
• Background Image (1600px by 1200px)

From this forum, I've discovered 2 quality designers TimboDesign and BIGMERVE who appear to be more than capable of handling this task.  However, I was inspired by this post https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=137747 to offer a bounty for this request. I'd like to offer anyone with graphic design experience to contribute to this project. At the moment, I will commit 5 BTC to this task, however, this is VERY flexible and I would be more than willing to split and/or increase the bounty based on the response received.

Some Basic Rules:

• submissions must be posted to this thread before Friday, February 1st 00:00 EST
• submissions must contain a link to a PNG (preferred) and/or a high resolution JPEG
• we reserve the right not to pick any submission
• we reserve the right to edit the chosen submission to fit our needs
• by participating in the bounty you agree that you waive all your rights related to the design and that we can use it for our product (we will be fair if your ideas are incorporated by not wholly selected)

Some Additional Info:
The brand should obviously emphasize social (friends, community and enjoyment). We'd like to use the Bitcoin icon with the "double" lines BTC in ALL graphics. Take a look at some of the graphics we have now (taken from http://carbonism.deviantart.com/gallery/) for some ideas. You can also visit our Facebook Page at BTC Village (FYI - we're just short of the 25 likes we need to create a custom url).

Thank you for your time and effort!
Cheers!

Shomari

EDIT (Tuesday, Jan 29th @ 10:50PM EST):
A second Round has been added with an additional 5BTC reward

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[Timbo925]

Had some time so made something to simple but clean.
Used to V to make a landscape in the background. Used friendly colors for a good feeling to the logo.

[Beefsock]

Hey nyusternie,

I'm a graphic designer and would love to take on this project, however time is money so I usually only take on projects that are guaranteed to pay. If you are interested please visit my signature link and if you like my work drop me a line, I have a degree in graphic design/advertising to back my work. Also, you should require the logo be a vector file (.ai) even if you receive it in a different format. Having something that you can scale to any size and easily alter colors with is super useful. Anyway, good luck with your bitcoin social network!

[BIGMERVE]

I'll get started right away. Do you have a time limit for this?

[dpcman]

Hmm, I'll have a swing at this 

[nyusternie]

I'm a graphic designer and would love to take on this project, however time is money so I usually only take on projects that are guaranteed to pay. If you are interested please visit my signature link and if you like my work drop me a line, I have a degree in graphic design/advertising to back my work.

I completely understand. However, this is a new frontier for me and the bounty system seems to work for others in this community, so I figured I'd give it a try.  Worst case, I knew I could always fall-back to my oDesk contractors.  But, so far I think the feedback has pretty good, so I'm glad I went this route. I really can't promise anything, but I feel that I am pretty fair in these sorts of situations and any contributions that you make would be compensated accordingly.

The community of Bitcoin-friendly graphic designers doesn't seem to be all that vast, so I don't see why the work that lies ahead can't be spread around to compliment each one's strengths. I envision having 2 or 3 full-time staffers to contribute to developing the platform as well as supporting the individual developers and their venues. As well as a directory for others in need of bitcoin-friendly talent for their own projects.

Also, you should require the logo be a vector file (.ai) even if you receive it in a different format. Having something that you can scale to any size and easily alter colors with is super useful. Anyway, good luck with your bitcoin social network!

You're absolutely right. I was just thinking short-sighted of the final format, but vectors ARE the better format (especially for their scalability). I really hate how clueless I am when it comes to graphic design.

Had some time so made something to simple but clean.
Used to V to make a landscape in the background. Used friendly colors for a good feeling to the logo.

Thanks Timbo! I know you're super busy now, so I want you to know how much I appreciate it.

Now that the graphics have gotten underway, I plan to focus 100% on completing the Developer's Center and the basic API for the platform. Its quite exciting how much great feedback I've gotten from the few developers I've contacted, but I'm very content on taking baby steps to see things through.  Please don't hesitate to ask me any questions and share your works-in-progress. As I said, I'll do my very best to be fair to all.

Thanks everyone,
Cheers!

[nyusternie]

I'll get started right away. Do you have a time limit for this?

Preferably by the end of next week for the initial graphics. I would especially like to have the Facebook Cover ASAP, so I can start preparing the marketing for that page.

Hmm, I'll have a swing at this 

looking forward to seeing your work dpcman

[artisbigshirts]

I will produce a work for this bounty, though I can only promise the logo for now.
The rest of the graphics will be created if it is chosen, of course.

[Timbo925]

An other one from me 

[nyusternie]

There is just so much to do, but I realize that I have to take some time to clarify the specifics of what I'm looking for.  I greatly appreciate all the feedback I've received thus far and a special thank to Timbo925 for the submissions thus far.

However, as several of you have stated (on the thread and via PM), the open nature of the Bounty system is not comfortable for you.

(I'm happy to be trying something new. And if it doesn't work out, then I'll try something else)

To help clarify. What I am most interested in is a "theme" for this new social website. So that myself and others can start building a brand image.  And I don't think a logo or an icon is going to express that well enough. So, I'd really like for those participating in this bounty to focus on the Facebook Cover, which should provide the space needed to be creative with your ideas.

I grabbed a few screenshots from FB (obviously just borrowed) to express some ideas:



1. The theme should be FUN (think Kongregate, where people come to play various games and interact socially with others).
2. Images/clipart depicting the types of venues we'll be hosting would be nice (i'll have more details soon).
3. As shown in the Rockstar Games (there should also be mention that the site is for 18 and over)

For those of you that have portfolio items that might already fit this description. Please post your work here. If it fits and its 100% originally YOUR work, then we can talk about a payment arrangement (which will be separate from this bounty).

Its still fairly early in the bounty, and I am encouraged by the response thus far that something good will come of this (maybe something great). Any and all suggestions on how I can improve the success of this bounty are always appreciated.

Thanks again for your support,
S.

[Vod]

I'm not a designer, but IMO if you're looking for that kind of quality, and there is only a chance you will pay for a particular piece of artwork, you need to offer a lot more than 5btc as a bounty.  No designer that can do that kind of artwork will do it on the off chance they will get $100.

[Beefsock]

I'm not a designer, but IMO if you're looking for that kind of quality, and there is only a chance you will pay for a particular piece of artwork, you need to offer a lot more than 5btc as a bounty.  No designer that can do that kind of artwork will do it on the off chance they will get $100.

This is pretty much the truth. One Facebook cover alone like the ones you've shown would likely cost you something like 30 bitcoins (if you could even find a designer to produce that quality of work for bitcoins). ($) Original artwork + ($) program knowledge + ($) skill of the actual designer. It adds up. An increased bounty would get you more responses, or you could just sift through the forums until you found a designer that you like and PM them asking them to create the designs for 5 bitcoins (you're very likely to get a bite this way, and if you like their work they will more than likely deliver). Also, saying that you reserve the right to not pick any submission makes people weary of even submitting anything at all. I understand that you could get really awful designs so this is there to save you the trouble of paying someone for garbage, but it definitely discourages people from submitting. Just my 2 cents!

[paraipan]

Have you tried Rugatu yet? People are more willing to help you out if they can be sure of getting paid, so thanks to the escrow option on Rugatu you can have your design in no time.

Check out some previous works:

http://www.rugatu.com/questions/452/can-you-pimp-rugatus-logo

http://www.rugatu.com/questions/2327/logo-design-contest-fennec-internet-services

http://www.rugatu.com/questions/4079/need-a-logo-designed

http://www.rugatu.com/questions/4358/can-you-make-this-logo-better


Will be here if you have any questions about how it.

[nyusternie]

I'm not a designer, but IMO if you're looking for that kind of quality, and there is only a chance you will pay for a particular piece of artwork, you need to offer a lot more than 5btc as a bounty.  No designer that can do that kind of artwork will do it on the off chance they will get $100.

You may be absolutely right.  I admittedly do NOT have a lot of experience in the Bitcion community.  Which is very much part of my objective here with this bounty. I want to understand the general market and talent pool that exists regarding Bitcoin-friendly developers. 

This is pretty much the truth. One Facebook cover alone like the ones you've shown would likely cost you something like 30 bitcoins (if you could even find a designer to produce that quality of work for bitcoins). ($) Original artwork + ($) program knowledge + ($) skill of the actual designer. It adds up.

Thanks for your input, but 30BTC would be way, way out of the question (given the current rates).  I know for absolute certainty that I can have this work done (as have quite often in the past) for much, much less. I will also admit that over the years, I may have been spoiled by the rates available from services like oDesk, which offer VAST pools of talent spanning across the globe.  Particularly, I have had great success working with graphic designers from the Phillapines (strong English skills, strong educational background, and extremely friendly service, even with tough demands).  Some of my best designers started at rates below $10/hour and I've increased that to over $30/hour over the years (as they've been consistent in providing efficient services - time is money).  What I love most, is that I can say (with my complete lack of gfx jargon), "just show me what you've got in mind" and the magically spit out phenomenal results. Yes, admittedly I've been spoiled.

I may have been hoping for too much here, but if I am anything its FLEXIBLE.  What I am looking for more than anything is the "potential" that exists from this community.  If I'm confident that you can make my vision come to life, I WILL come to some arrangement that is satisfactory to all parties.  What I am NOT willing to do is put blind faith (and more importantly abundant amounts of time) into trying and failing over and over until something "maybe" sticks.  For that, I would very quickly just fall back to my tried and tested oDesk contractors.

I have great respect for all of you who have put the time and commitment into mastering your craft.  And I would love nothing more than to support the Bitcoin community by hiring within.  I really do hope that there is someone willing to give this a shot (yes on faith), for I believe the rewards will be worth it in the end.  And just to restate, if anyone interested in this bounty has done any work "similar" to the samples I've posted above, please submit them here and I we can take it from there.  This is very important to me and if 5BTC won't cut, then I'll just have to go higher.

Cheers!
S.

[nyusternie]

Have you tried Rugatu yet? People are more willing to help you out if they can be sure of getting paid, so thanks to the escrow option on Rugatu you can have your design in no time.

Thanks for this info.  I did spend some time browsing this website, but I'm not sure if this is the route I'd really like to go.  Considering the feedback I've received (all valid and understood), I am looking into some alternatives that I will likely propose early next week.

Thanks again,
S.

[Beefsock]

Thanks for your input, but 30BTC would be way, way out of the question (given the current rates).  I know for absolute certainty that I can have this work done (as have quite often in the past) for much, much less. I will also admit that over the years, I may have been spoiled by the rates available from services like oDesk, which offer VAST pools of talent spanning across the globe.  Particularly, I have had great success working with graphic designers from the Phillapines (strong English skills, strong educational background, and extremely friendly service, even with tough demands).  Some of my best designers started at rates below $10/hour and I've increased that to over $30/hour over the years (as they've been consistent in providing efficient services - time is money).  What I love most, is that I can say (with my complete lack of gfx jargon), "just show me what you've got in mind" and the magically spit out phenomenal results. Yes, admittedly I've been spoiled.

I may have been hoping for too much here, but if I am anything its FLEXIBLE.  What I am looking for more than anything is the "potential" that exists from this community.  If I'm confident that you can make my vision come to life, I WILL come to some arrangement that is satisfactory to all parties.  What I am NOT willing to do is put blind faith (and more importantly abundant amounts of time) into trying and failing over and over until something "maybe" sticks.  For that, I would very quickly just fall back to my tried and tested oDesk contractors.

I have great respect for all of you who have put the time and commitment into mastering your craft.  And I would love nothing more than to support the Bitcoin community by hiring within.  I really do hope that there is someone willing to give this a shot (yes on faith), for I believe the rewards will be worth it in the end.  And just to restate, if anyone interested in this bounty has done any work "similar" to the samples I've posted above, please submit them here and I we can take it from there.  This is very important to me and if 5BTC won't cut, then I'll just have to go higher.

Cheers!
S.

It's simply not true. The quality of those facebook pictures would take quite a while to complete. You can find a random guy from India to make it for you on oDesk for like a dollar an hour, but you're dreaming if you think you can just find someone that could be paid tons more working for those game companies (producing HIGH quality work), doing work for a small amount in a crypto-currency.

I understand your method with the bounty, but YOU have eyes too! You can search for a designer and look through their entire portfolio. If it seems like work you like and seems like it would fit with your current project (in this case btc village) then just toss them a message. People that are serious about their profession will do what they can to make you happy, and people that aren't will float away in the wind.

I personally think 5 BTC is a good price for this project. But not a good price for a bounty. Like I said in order for the higher-end designers to jump in there needs to be a better reward since for them there is an increased risk. Unfortunately, someone could be in the field for 10 years with a beautiful design and the bounty go to someone in highschool with an awful design just because it has a dog in it. And you like dogs. I've seen stuff like this happen all too often, sometimes clients have great ideas and are so innovative, other times they pick the worsts possible design.

Anyway, I have an idea for this logo and will be watching this thread to see where it goes.  

[paraipan]

...

Thanks for this info.  I did spend some time browsing this website, but I'm not sure if this is the route I'd really like to go...

You welcome, although I would really like to know, what is it you don't like about such a service?

[deepceleron]

This is a contest, not a bounty. More like a lottery, because a contest usually has a winner.

Some Basic Rules:

• submissions must be posted to this thread before Friday, February 1st 00:00 EST
• submissions must contain a link to a PNG (preferred) and/or a high resolution JPEG
• we reserve the right not to pick any submission
• we reserve the right to edit the chosen submission to fit our needs
• by participating in the bounty you agree that you waive all your rights related to the design and that we can use it for our product (we will be fair if your ideas are incorporated by not wholly selected)

So you don't have to pay anything, but you want the right to use any design submitted? Sounds fair.

I think it's time for the forum to start having rules about this kind of "bounty", starting with the funds being held in escrow before someone can advertise such a solicitation for others to do free work for them.

[nyusternie]

I don't like imagery for 4 ~ 12 years olds being sold to 18+ olds so I'll skip your offer. I don't wanna help with turning everyone into adolescents.

hahaha, fair enough, but you have clearly missed my point in posting those screenshots.  its the quality and format not the content that I wished to represent.

It's simply not true. The quality of those facebook pictures would take quite a while to complete. You can find a random guy from India to make it for you on oDesk for like a dollar an hour, but you're dreaming if you think you can just find someone that could be paid tons more working for those game companies (producing HIGH quality work), doing work for a small amount in a crypto-currency.

I understand your method with the bounty, but YOU have eyes too! You can search for a designer and look through their entire portfolio. If it seems like work you like and seems like it would fit with your current project (in this case btc village) then just toss them a message. People that are serious about their profession will do what they can to make you happy, and people that aren't will float away in the wind.

I personally think 5 BTC is a good price for this project. But not a good price for a bounty. Like I said in order for the higher-end designers to jump in there needs to be a better reward since for them there is an increased risk. Unfortunately, someone could be in the field for 10 years with a beautiful design and the bounty go to someone in highschool with an awful design just because it has a dog in it. And you like dogs. I've seen stuff like this happen all too often, sometimes clients have great ideas and are so innovative, other times they pick the worsts possible design.

Anyway, I have an idea for this logo and will be watching this thread to see where it goes. 

I made the point of mentioning the Phillapines, specifically because of my extremely positive experiences working with their graphic designers.  And yes, I've tried the "random guy from India", the late night coders from Russia, the eager students from China as well as the California techies. I've also worked with several professional graphic houses, so I really do feel that I know what I'm talking about when pricing out this project.

Please consider that I'm just a startup here, and not a AAA game studio.  So, I'm also reaching out to those who would be looking to grow with the company by starting from the ground up. Putting the scams and schemes aside, there does exist a tremendous opportunity in this young economy that many may jump to take advantage of. I really do hope you consider making a contribution to this effort.

You welcome, although I would really like to know, what is it you don't like about such a service?

I didn't say I didn't like it. I actually found it to be quite interesting. I'd just prefer to run this bounty on BitcoinTalk. I'd maybe consider the site for other things Bitcoin-related.

This is a contest, not a bounty. More like a lottery, because a contest usually has a winner.

You can call it whatever you want.  I simply took it upon myself to try something new (but has been done by others with some success) in an effort to gain a greater knowledge of talent potential in the Bitcoin community. No, its not perfect. But I'm here to listen and learn so next time I can do it better.

So you don't have to pay anything, but you want the right to use any design submitted? Sounds fair.

• by participating in the bounty you agree that you waive all your rights related to the design
  

this I grabbed from here https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=137747.0. From my understanding, these guys have lot of experience dealing with this forum and it seemed to make sense to me.

I think it's time for the forum to start having rules about this kind of "bounty", starting with the funds being held in escrow before someone can advertise such a solicitation for others to do free work for them.

I didn't see any "rules", which I think would have made things a hell of a lot easier for me.  an escrow is precisely what I would like to put in place ASAP.  However, I'm trying to set it up through BTC Village (as a test for what will certainly be a service offered by the website).

Anyway, I've been up for about 30 hours now, so I hope this post all made sense. In lighter news, I've made some great progress prototyping the Android client (responsive for phone and tablet) and I just got some good news from a game dev who would like to explore the platform. I'm happy.

Thanks everyone,
S.

[dieselmeister]

It's simply not true. The quality of those facebook pictures would take quite a while to complete. You can find a random guy from India to make it for you on oDesk for like a dollar an hour, but you're dreaming if you think you can just find someone that could be paid tons more working for those game companies (producing HIGH quality work), doing work for a small amount in a crypto-currency.

I understand your method with the bounty, but YOU have eyes too! You can search for a designer and look through their entire portfolio. If it seems like work you like and seems like it would fit with your current project (in this case btc village) then just toss them a message. People that are serious about their profession will do what they can to make you happy, and people that aren't will float away in the wind.

I personally think 5 BTC is a good price for this project. But not a good price for a bounty. Like I said in order for the higher-end designers to jump in there needs to be a better reward since for them there is an increased risk. Unfortunately, someone could be in the field for 10 years with a beautiful design and the bounty go to someone in highschool with an awful design just because it has a dog in it. And you like dogs. I've seen stuff like this happen all too often, sometimes clients have great ideas and are so innovative, other times they pick the worsts possible design.

Anyway, I have an idea for this logo and will be watching this thread to see where it goes.  

rofl ... like i said ... "streethookers" ... "suck my dick for 1 BTC, or i find another one, who did this..."