The Difference between a Pessimist and an Optimist
There’s an old saying that states the difference between a pessimist and an optimist is how they view a glass of water; it’s either half-full or half-empty.

And of course, if an existentialist were in the room, he would just drink the water…

One famous American inventor and statesman said:

“I haven’t failed; I’ve had 10,000 ideas that didn’t work.”

……………………………………………..////………………- Benjamin Franklin

Design a Positive Poster
Positive-Posters.com likes this sort of optimistic view and is basing its International Poster Competition on the theme of “A Glass Half Full.” According to the sponsors:

“We would like you to design a positive poster in response to this theme. Judges will be looking for original concepts, lateral thinking and inspired designs. The poster will be up in Melbourne [Australia] streets, so keep in mind it should also standout against the city landscape.”

Contest Details
The general entry rules for submitted poster designs to this contest are:

* Design a poster in portrait mode with the theme “A Glass Half Full.”
* The physical size of the poster should be in CMYK, 300dpi, and A1 ….size (594 x 841mm).
* Upload a digital version of your poster in A3 size with a resolution of ….72dpi.
* Include a brief description of your design and how it fulfills the contest ….theme (100 words maximum).
* Only one entry per person is allowed.

Judging and Prizes
Entries that are approved by the contest submissions coordinator will be uploaded to Positive Posters’ online gallery. From these entries, 30 finalists will be selected. Six international judges will review the final submissions and select the winners.

The following prizes will be awarded to the winners:

First Place

* 3,500 copies of the first place winning design will be printed and pasted up on the streets of ….Melbourne, Australia.
* 1-Adobe CS5, 1-Wacom Intuos 4 Tablet, 1-IdN Feature Article & Subscription,1- Spook Mag ….Subscription, 1-Pantone Color Bridge, 1-KeepCup

Second and Third Place

* 1-IdN Subscription, 1-KeepCup

Contest Website Links and Information
The following links provide important details about this contest:

Official Positive Poster Website
General Contest Guidelines
Contest Entry Form
Complete Contest Rules (Downloadable PDF file)

This contest requires no entry fee. The deadline for submissions is September 10, 2010.

All Things Button
Button badges can be fashion statements, humorous, politically motivated or just plain fun. Virtually all of us have worn a button badge at one time or another.

The wearing of button badges was highlighted in a scene in the comedy film Office Space, where Jennifer Aniston’s character is severely criticized by her restaurant manager for not having enough “flair” or button badges on her uniform.

Stereohype.com, an online graphic art and fashion boutique, is demonstrating its support and love of button badges by holding its 6^th Annual Stereohype Button Badge Design Competition.

If you are a graphic designer, an illustrator or someone who just likes to design, this competition is just for you.

The Contest Rules
Button badge artwork can be up to 22mm in diameter. The actual size of the button badge is 35mm. (See the links below for the design templates.

Each entrant may submit up to three different button designs to the contest. The sponsors prefer sets of three but are also interested in single pieces as well.

Submissions should adhere to the following guidelines for artwork:

* All design colors should be in CYMK
* Only PSD (Photoshop) files will be excepted
* Submit only ONE PSD file per artwork.
* Designs in color should be in hi-res (300dpi)
* Black and white or grayscale designs should be in 900dpi resolution
* Submit your entry in the “set of three” or “single badge” category

Prizes
The winners of this competition will receive various products from Stereohype such as t-shirts, samples of your winning design on button badges, and discounts on merchandise from Stereohype.

The prizes for the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th place winners vary. For a complete listing of awards see the links below.

Contest Links and Other Information
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Official Stereohype.com Contest Site
Contest Rules and Design Templates (downloadable PDF file)
Former Contest Winning Designs for Inspiration
Photoshop Template File for Color Entries (downloadable Photoshop file)
Photoshop Template File for Black and White Entries
(downloadable Photoshop file)

The deadline for entries for this contest is September 14, 2010. There are no entry fees for this contest. All submissions should be uploaded to submit [at] stereohype.com.

Where Do You Go to Escape?
Many of us work in some capacity, go to school or in some cases do both. These daily routines can sometimes be hectic.

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to leave the pressures of everyday life whenever we wanted to?

The popular children’s story, James and the Giant Peach, describes how a little boy was able to escape his troubles and go on the adventure of his life by sailing away on a magical peach.
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We may not have access to a magical peach to leave our problems behind but we do have the ability to occasionally daydream and imagine wonderful places to go to. Use your imagination and talent to illustrate and draw for the James and the Giant Peach Daydream Contest.

The Contest
What magical land would you escape to and what would it look like? That’s what Disney Studios wants to know. The contest sponsor states:

“For this contest, put yourself in James’ shoes and show us where you go to escape the real world! Illustrate the magical landscape of your daydreams and let us see where your imagination takes you.

“Adventures this big don’t grow on trees, so let your imagination soar to Giant-Peach proportions!”

Some of the contest guidelines are:

* Entrants must be at least 13 years old to enter.
* The submission must be free of watermarks or artist signatures.
* Submitted art must be in gif, png, or jpg file formats.
* Entries may be done in any art medium.
* Only online entries will qualify for this contest.
* To enter this contest you must be a registered member of …deviantART.com

Judging
There will be 25 semi-finalists selected from all entries by a panel of judges from the deviantART staff.

Three winners will be selected from the pool of semi-finalists by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.
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Submissions will be judged on:

* Originality
* Creative Interpretation of the Theme (”Illustrate the magical landscape of your daydreams and ….show where your imagination takes you.”)
* Technical Skill

Prizes

First Place

* $800
* James and the Giant Peach Special Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack
* 8,000 deviantART Points
* One year Premium Membership to deviantART

Second Place

* $600
* James and the Giant Peach Special Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack
* 6,000 deviantART Points
* One year Premium Membership to deviantART

Third Place

* $400
* James and the Giant Peach Special Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack
* 4,000 deviantART Points
* One year Premium Membership to deviantART

Contest Links and Information
Here are some of the links you’ll need in order to enter this contest:

Official Contest Site
Contest Rules and Guidelines
Registration to deviantART Membership (free) is needed to enter contest.

This contest has no entry fee. The deadline for entries is August 8, 2010.

Qt Isn’t Just Cute
You may not recognize the term “Qt” but this framework development tool is used to create software that runs electronic devices and consumer items.

You’ll find Qt hard at work in products such as cell phones, coffee makers, laptops, printers, digital photo frames, touch screens, air traffic control systems and even special effects for movies.

The Qt (pronounced “cute” or “cutie”) Developer Days Conference 2010 is gearing up for its event to help applications developers learn more about the power and versatility of Qt.

The Qt conference will be held at two locations: Munich, Germany; and San Francisco, California; in October and November, respectively.

To help kick off the conferences the organizers are asking for submissions from designers to create an official Qt  t-shirt that will be passed out to the attendees.

The Contest Details
This contest is straightforward. The contest sponsors state:

“Whip out your watercolors, markers, crayons, digital design programs or whatever, and design a super-duper fresh 2010 Qt Developer Days t-shirt.

“If you win, your design/idea will be blasted on over a thousand t-shirts given away at this year’s Qt Developer Days event, and of course, you will get a free pass to this year’s conference.”

Basic Guidelines for Submission
The following rules are some of the guidelines for this contest. For a complete listing, see the information links in this article.

* Do not endorse any companies, firms or products etc. in ….your design that are outside of Qt and Nokia registered ….trademarks.
* Use only approved Qt logos if you are including this ….graphic in your t-shirt motif. Logo guidelines can be found ….by going to the Nokia.com site.
* It isn’t mandatory to use the official Qt logo for your ….t-shirt graphic.
* Incorporating the Nokia Qt brand colors is recommended ….but not required.
* Designs with profanity, religious or gang symbols will be ….disqualified.
* The winning design becomes the property of Nokia.

Contest Links and Information
For important information regarding this contest follow these links:

The Official Qt Contest Website
Complete Contest Rules and Guidelines
Official Qt Logos for Download
Brand Palette Colors
Contest Entry Form

This contest is open to all developers and designers. There is no entry fee. The contest deadline is July 30, 2010.

“Danger, Danger, Danger Will Robinson!”
Most fans of science fiction recognize these words as the warning mantra from the robot of the classic television series Lost in Space.

The show was produced in the mid 1960s but through the magic of syndication and DVD boxed sets the classic series continues to be popular with fans, new and old alike.

The fascination with robots has been a mainstay for the imaginations of individuals in science, literature and the general public.

Robots are now a part of our daily lives, although a great deal of their contributions is unseen. Robots assemble our cars, fabricate household appliances and are essential in the production of electronics, consumer goods, and pharmaceuticals.

But what will robots of the future do? Will they be involved in the social aspects of our lives rather than just automatons that assemble products?

The International Conference on Social Robots (ICSR) believes that the importance of the social function of robots is where robotics is heading and is announcing an open call for ideas and designs of what the robots of the future will be like.

The Contest
The sponsors want your unique ideas of how robots will interact with humans. Will they become electronic friends, robots that can tend to our children or act as sports competitors? The ICSR states:

“We invite you (not limited to Industrial Design undergrad, graduate & professionals) to create [design] a social robot (robot interactions) for the year 2020, an age where intelligent social robots built with consilience (unity of different knowledge) will gray the boundaries of human & machine interaction.”

Your submission should demonstrate visually and through written descriptions how your design fulfills the contest theme of the social robot while also adhering to Asimov’s 3 Laws of Robotics.  Contest entries must include:

* A passport photo of the applicant. (35×45mm, jpeg)
* PDF document (no more than 3 pages) with visuals and an overview of your concept
* Related materials that explain the creative process of your entry and any innovative aspects ….related to your robot design.

Full submissions guidelines can be found in the submission links section of this article.

Judging Criteria and Prizes
A jury will select three winners based upon “originality, quality of content and impact of message. The jury will award designs and concepts which best meet the judging criteria mentioned in the brief.”

Cash awards will be given to three winners:

First Prize: $1,000 USD
Second Prize: $500 USD
Third Prize: $200 USD

In addition, a select number of entries will be chosen for fabrication into 1:5 scale models.

Important Contest Links and Information
Only one submission is allowed per contestant. This competition has no entry fee. Please follow these links for contest information and details:

Sponsor’s Official Webpage
Robot Contest Brief
Complete Contest Guidelines and Rules (PDF Document)
Social Robotics Laboratory Website

The deadline for entries is September 1, 2010.

What Type of Type Do You Like?
Or to put it another way, what are your favorite fonts? Are you a Helvetica fan?  Or perhaps you like using esoteric fonts such as Mongolian Baiti or Comic Sans MS in your graphic designs?

If you are like many graphic designers, you have an extensive collection of fonts in your arsenal of design tools.

Finding just the right font is not only satisfying, but essential to a good design that utilizes typefaces as a major component in the overall scope and look of the graphics.

Some designers have created their own custom fonts for enjoyment or for use in specific design projects.

If this sounds like you, there is an opportunity to compete with other “fontphiles” in a font design competition.

A “Fontastic” Font Contest
The Society of Typographic Aficionados (SOTA) is announcing a call for submissions in its TypeGallery 2010 Font Design Competition.

SOTA’s TypeGallery serves as a typeface showcase for new font designs. Winning entries are displayed at the annual TypeCon convention and on SOTA’s Web site.

To submit your original typefaces for this contest ,follow these guidelines:

* Your typeface must have been created, published or updated ….between July 2009 - August 2010.
* Submit a traditional specimen or typographic design piece ….using your font.
* Entries may be in black and white or color.
* Maximum artwork dimension is 11X17″ or A3.
* Submissions must be flush mounted on 11×17″ foam core. ….
* Two mounted copies of each entry are required.
* Digital files of your font must be included with your entry. ….(See guideline link)
* Up to three submissions per entrant or company are allowed.

Mail your mounted entries and additional required items to:

Linda Dare/TypeCon
c/o Otis College of Art and Design
9045 Lincoln Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90045 USA

Important Contest Links and Information
There is a $15 entry fee per submission. Follow these links for more details about the TypeGallery Contest:

Contest Overview and Submission Form (PDF document)
Submission Guidelines
SOTA Website
TypeCon Convention Web site

The contest deadline is August 5, 2010.
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