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Call-to-arms to all designers!!!

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We are looking for new Banners and logo to the TechNet WIKI for 2018!

We are in the last month of the year 2017, and this is not just the end of another year but is a new beginning with year 2018... New Year is all about NEW... new beginning, new desires, new thoughts, and NEW DESIGNING

All you have to do is create new image(s) for our TechNet Wiki Group (banners and/or Logo), publish your files in the TechNet Wiki Group on Facebook, get feedback from the community, and once it is ready register your images to the contest, and upload the image to OneDrive. For more information keep reading...

The last date for sharing Banners and Logo is not yet decided but you are asked to make sure that you are ready till December 31st 2017. We request all TechNet Wiki Members kindly share your banner/logo in the Facebook group as soon as possible. Please keep reading on How to post your work.

It's time to test your design skills!

The winning banners for 2017

Background

During online and offline activities of the TechNet community, we are using images to promote the TechNet Wiki in general and in order to improve the visual affect. For example images can be used to improve the looks & feel of announcements, blogs, articles, and even offline use like presentations. Banners are usually presents on top of posts and Logo is use for the content.

First official "Microsoft TechNet Wiki group on Facebook" was created on July 16, 2014. At the end of 2015 we announced our first "Call-to-arms to all designers", in order to get new banner for 2016, and we continue the same tradition since. During the last year we used all the images sent by the community to promote the TechNet Wiki and our work, and not just the image, which was selected as our new Banners. The winners of the best images contest for 2017 can be seen in the contest winners announcement blog here.

How to Post your work?

Step 1: Create image according to the Banner Guidelines, or Logo Guidelines. You can create as many images as you want and we encourage you to do so. Moreover, you can upload and register several versions of the image as well.

  • The name of the image is used as the image ID. Therefore it must be unique and follow this format:
    <your name>_<unique number>.jpg
    For example: RonenAriely_01.jpg
  • Avoid copyright infringement! You must avoid using images that are not yours when you create a Facebook banner, unless you have the proper licence. There are a lot of free images online published under different "Creative Commons licenses" - you can use advance search in order to find images that come with a licence that fit your use, and always confirm the licence.

Step 2: Upload the image(s) to the Facebook group for feedback.

  • Image that will not be presented on Facebook, will not get into the contest, even if it is registered here!
  • Make sure that one of the team see the message and provide you with a private link for OneDrive. Each participant will get a link to upload and manage his images on OneDrive.
  • Do not share your link! This is a personal link and anything that is done with the link is under your name.

Step 3: Once the image is ready, register the image on the Wiki registration page.

On the same time upload the original image to our OneDrive, using the link provided for you in step 2 (If you prefer then you can send your files directly to Ronen Ariely, Syed Shanu, or Gaurav Aroraa in private).

Step 4: New!  We will give the community a chance to vote for the Images. The community votes will be taken under configuration and will guide us to the top images.

Step 5: Finally one logo will be selected from the top images, by our TechNet Wiki Council members.

Place your logo today and mark your history with our TechNet Wiki.

The banners must fit for the TechNet Wiki Group on Facebook. Therefore you must follow Facebook guidelines for group's banners. Unfortunately, from time to time, Facebook changed their format including the size for cover photo, which is used by groups. The images which were created for last year do not fit for current format. Moreover, standard cover photo (personal page) size is not the same as the cover photo on a group. The dimensions of a group photo are 820 x 428.

Important! Facebook interface adds a management panel at the top of the image (a blue panel with search text box, link to your personal page, link to home page, and several buttons), and it also adds a management panel at the bottom of the image (a white panel with options like Joined, Notifications, Share, and More). Therefore you should leave some space in the upper and the bottom of the image.

It is highly recommended to test your work on Facebook group, in order to see how it fits into the overall design of the page. For this purpose, you can open a new group on Facebook, for testing.

Logo Guidelines

The logo is a small square icon version, which should fit as logo for any purpose from stickers to T-shirt and online posts.

  • The Logo image should be about 56x56 pix.
  • The background must be one color, so we could make it transparent if needed (You can post a version which has transparent background).
TNWiki, the final frontier– Ronen Ariely,[Personal Site] [Blog] [Facebook] [Linkedin]
THOR - it begins... – Gaurav Aroraa,[Personal Site] [Blog] [Facebook] [Linkedin]
tnwlogo_3 Share with Care,Yours Wiki Ninja– Syed Shanu,[MSDN Profile] [MVP Profile] [Facebook] [Twitter]

Comments

  • Anonymous
    December 06, 2017
    Thank you for sharing Ronen.Its time to show our design skills Ninjas,We have short time and lets rock to add our Banner and Logo images for next year and also for futuer TechNet Wiki blog use.Be the winner of best banner and logos and mark your name in TechANet Wiki History.
    • Anonymous
      December 06, 2017
      I saw your first banner you submitted on Facebook :-)Looks great SYED!
  • Anonymous
    December 06, 2017
    Nice to see that finally, it is initiated. Thanks Ronen for the nice post. This is the time to show our designing skills, its obvious that all devs would not be designers but we should show our X-factor. Lets rock the world and welcome Year-2018
    • Anonymous
      December 08, 2017
      Yes... But I wonder what a professional designer can do better. Last year we have several banners that looks very professional, and I start to see the same trend this year with some banners that are shown in our the Facebook group :-)
      • Anonymous
        December 09, 2017
        Thats what we called community. A community is one that pick numerous hidden talents.
  • Anonymous
    December 14, 2017
    Wow.. thanks you Ronen, Syed and Gaurav for organize this. I am seeing many folks are participating and interesting in this competition. Till now very nice banners are uploaded.. :)
    • Anonymous
      December 14, 2017
      Yes, I saw about 20 very nice images which were sent already :-)There are some works that looks really professional and there are some great creative ideas. I do hope to get more images so we will be able to use them next year. Any attempt is welcome, it does not have to look professional... just people need to do their best - sometimes with some feedback from the community these become the best images in the end :-)
  • Anonymous
    December 14, 2017
    You can download this template and use PowerPoint to create your banner: https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/Create-banners-using-28546c6f
  • Anonymous
    December 16, 2017
    Thanks to Ronen, Syed and Gaurav for organizing this and accepting one of my design last year. This type of activity gave me a platform to explore and enhance my design skills as well. It's time for new designers to create Logo and banners.
    • Anonymous
      December 16, 2017
      You understand that we have great expectations from you to create a banner for 2018. We loved your banners for 2017 and now we know you can do a great job :-)