I know some of you are already thinking about your holiday cards. And if you weren’t already, you are now. ; )
If you were around here a year ago, you might remember that we offered FREE digital templates here on beckyhiggins.com. Remember these?
I’d like to keep the tradition alive and offer you free digital holiday card templates again. All you have to do is digitally drop in a favorite picture and that’s it! Hooray for simplifying some things in our life, right?
So here’s the twist: I’m opening this up to YOU. If you are a graphic designer, or even if you have enough experience with Photoshop to know what you’re doing, I’d love for you to come up with one of our newly offered designs! If your card design is chosen, you’ll win:
1. Project Life
2. Spotlight on my blog
3. $100. That comes in handy this time of year, no?
Are you up for the challenge? Do you know someone with design skills that would be interested? (Direct them here.) This contest is open to anyone and everyone, no matter your industry or experience. I just want to see your best holiday card design. The winning 3-5 designs will be the digital holiday card templates that are offered on beckyhiggins.com this year. They’ll be available as free downloads for everyone to use as they wish.
…………….
{ the nitty-gritty }
1. All artwork must be original art. You can’t use any paper or embellishments from digital kits.
2. Each design must be submitted as a 5×7 and 4×6. {Added note: Thanks to reader “Lori” for also adding that Costco will print custom JPGs in their special 6″ x 7.5″ greeting card prints. Sooo … please submit in that size as well!)
3. The orientation can be either horizontal or vertical.
4. Include the year (2010) somewhere in the design and perhaps a title or caption that is holiday-related.
5. Files must be saved as 300 dpi png files.
6. You must leave a blank space where the photo is to be placed. The photo should be prominent in the design.
7. As for style, well … that’s up to you. You’re the designer. But since I will be personally choosing the winning designs, I’ll give you a tip on what will likely stand out to me: Clean and uncluttered.
8. The deadline for submissions is November 6th; that’s next Saturday.
9. Email submissions to submissions@beckyhiggins.com
10. No more than two designs per person.
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All that said, I seriously can’t wait to see what you come up with! Good luck!
Added note: I have no rules about who you are and if we know each other. This is open to everyone. So whether you happen to be a personal friend or if you’ve never even heard of me before today … you have equal chances. I just want the coolest cards to share with my readers and my bias is only about the design itself. : )
Another added note regarding fonts: Please be mindful of copyrights. Your safest bet is to use generic fonts like the Arials, Helveticas, Geogias, etc. Be sure to save your layered files for any slight changes you may be asked to make.
Tags: contest, digital, graphic design, holiday cards
what a great idea! I can’t wait to see what people come up with!
Hey Becky, this sounds fun! What is the deadline for entries?
This could be fun. What’s the worst that could happen. I don’t win? Either way I hope you get a ton of entries, one might even be mine.
Oops, just read again and saw it! Thanks!
This is great! I’m not a designer but can’t wait to see what is offered! I don’t know if clean and uncluttered meshes with a collage – but I LOVE that type of card. Several casual snapshots from the year that depict what we did, rather than just one photo.
Brilliant idea, Becky!q
awesome idea becky! and I am very happy you are offering free cards again this year. I couldn’t stop creating cards last year for our family…we had like 6 different cards to send…you rock!
Fabulous idea! WIsh I knew how to do it. I can’t wait to see what people come up with.
How about making a template for 6 x 7.5 so that we can upload at Costco? (they have a blank card that you can use your own design). I love the prices of Costco photo cards, but I hate that I usually end up choosing something that at least two or three of my friends have also used. I know you love Costco. So how about Costco sized love?
Thank you for doing this.
ooohhh! this is good! I like the Costco idea! I didn’t realize they had a blank card option. Thanks for the heads up. Maybe i should start a design now since both kids are napping
Lori, Lori, Lori. BRILLIANT thinking! I just looked into that and you’re right! Thank you, thoughtful reader. MANY will thank you for this. I’ll add a note in my post now. : )
THANK YOU! I’m so excited to see what gets chosen.
What a fabulous idea! I don’t even know what a png file is, but I’m anxious to see what folks come up with!
I am anxious to enter this challenge! It’s on! Thanks for the opportunity
so cool. Thanks!
What a super idea!! hmmmm…..
So excited! I will get working on mine after this busy Halloween weekend.
I’m so excited to design for this one – thanks for the opportunity!
Awesome idea! I can’t wait to see the top entries! I used one of your cards last year – had them printed at Snapfish for super cheap! I would love it if at least one of the cards available this year has a religious message on it. We like to testify that JESUS is the Reason for the Christmas season!
Thanks for offering these again this year! It’s so fun and thoughtful of you!
Ooh I agree, that would be awesome!! I’d love it if someone could include Christ in CHRISTmas
You are such a generous person, Becky! Thanks for these offers, I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with
Can the design have more than one photo? (Did I miss that somewhere?)
Thanks!
I’m not saying that you CAN’T do this, but I do have a preference for one, large picture. That said, I’m open-minded and if there are multi-photo designs that just work really well, then great!
This might be a dumb question, but when you say “all artwork must be original” does that include brushes?
Not a dumb question. I think brushes are fine.
Becky, thanks for this fun challenge! What about fonts…I know there have been lots of questions already and I hate to take more of your time, it’s just if a card were going to be free to the public and mass-produced, is there a legal issue there? Even free fonts and brushes have copyrights. Can we use your font?
Thanks Natalie. Each designer needs to honor copyrights and be mindful of that, absolutely.
And yes, you can absolutely use my fonts. : )
I am very excited for this. I am not a designer but I used and LOVED your christmas cards last year!!! So excited to see our choices this year! Thank you!
This is so exciting! I’m a graphic designer and I’d love to participate in this. What a cool contest.
This is great! A friend of mine saw this and directed me here
Can’t wait to get started!
LOVE !! the costco idea.
Happy about the Costco size as well!!! It makes the family pictures look so much larger and since they are rectangular, they mail for the same prize as the 4×6. Can’t wait to see this!
What a great contest, wish I had the skills to enter but I will still win by being able to download the winning design!!! Can’t wait to see the talent!
Hi Becky,
Great little competition!
Is this open for Australian residents by any chance?
Absolutely! It doesn’t matter where you live. It’s all digital. : )
I’m not sure how to accomplish rule #1 without being a graphic designer?
This is awesome!! Will this be for the new 2011 Project Life.
Hope so!! I’m excited to see that one.
I can’t wait to see, I could use a template for my cards this year:)
So excited about this! I don’t design but I’m thrilled that I can possibly have great template to use for Christmas cards this year! I second and third the idea of Costco size. Great! So…I’m clueless. How do I do this??!! Do I wait til the chosen template is announced? I assume there will be instructions there? Sorry, you can tell how tech savvy I am!
Looking forward to the results! Fun
I wasn’t quick enough last year. Is there any way we can get free downloads of last year’s designs as well? Thanks! Jenn
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