Photoshop Contest! Design a TPR Twitter Background

[Not For Sale]

Remember submissions need to be a zip file.

[traincrossin]

^Yup, just wondering what people thought of it so far since i'm a beginner at this. When are entries due by?

[King of Ka]

I think in the next couple of weeks/months Twitter is rolling out a new layout, so most current designs won't work after the change...

[davisal771]

^I think it is Gadzooks, if not hopefully one of the other moderators will chime in.

Yeah, I don't have that font and I can't find it online.

Does anyone know what it is and where I can find it?

[gisco]

Gadzook font. Searching is your friend.

gadzoox_999_124.zip

[davisal771]

^ Thank you!

[AdventureGho]

After a few revisions, I think the text on the left should now be in the proper position.

TPR Twitter Background Submission - 2nd Attempt.zip

[Not For Sale]

.

[lankanboy101]

Here's mine!

 

Mod Edit: Uploaded entry so people could comment on it.

TwitterTemplate.zip

Edited September 24, 2010 by gisco

[MG]

Here's mine in ZIP

tprlarge.jpg.zip

[gisco]

.

The name running down the left side is ok but the rest of the page?

Isn't it Theme Park Review not Club TPR we are making this for?

[traincrossin]

I'm still working on some things, but here's how it looks so far on the new Twitter.

TPRtwitter.zip

Please download this and then take a screenshot so I know what it looks like for other people. It will help me tweak things!

[lankanboy101]

.

I though they are on and the same, so I chose that. Well...here's one that contains both

TwitterTemplate copy.zip

[Wes]

Hi guys,

This is Wes. I help Robb do a lot of the graphics stuff for TPR. As such, he trusts me and my opinion and as such, I am going to give a bit of feedback on what has been submitted thus far.

 

First off, the NUMBER ONE RULE should ALWAYS BE:

LISTEN TO YOUR CLIENT!!!!!

 

Here's something Robb posted a few pages ago:

I'll be honest. I've never been a fan of the "ghosted photos of roller coasters" look. I think every other coaster website in the world uses that and therefore TPR never will.

 

Just look at some of the designs and images TPR uses already. Our trip shirts, Club TPR logo, TPRTM banners, etc.

 

You don't see anything on TPR that looks like thus because it doesn't stand out.

 

Many of you are submitting the same sort of dark background with silhouetted/ghosted rides that lots of other coaster sites do quite a bit. This simply isn't TPR. Like Robb said, look at some of TPR's stuff and try to understand our visual style. We're not trying to replicate ACN or Westcoaster here.

 

TPR should be upbeat and fun. It doesn't have to hit you over the head with WACKY or be too cartoony, but it should be fun. It also doesn't have to be overly complex either, as it is a background for a Twitter page, it shouldn't be busy.

 

I hope this helps.

[Jds03]

What is the deadline for submissions?

[Not For Sale]

^There's no hard deadline, but when we don't see anything substantial for a day or so that we'll open it up to voting. My guess is this would happen on or around Wednesday.

[Angry_Gumball]

I'm sure I'll be doing more with this but here's a start with what I have going...perhaps I'm on the right track? My inspiration was TPR's Donkey but wanted to make one of my own with the traditional 'crooked mouth' look. I know that TPR members (and Admins) are very fond of Intamins as noted with iSpeed, Expidition GeForce, Maverick, etc. Traditionally, I've seen TPR event shirts as having a cartoony style to them without being overly cartoony (Like the Midwest shirt w/ scarecrow, UK shirt with the double-decker bus, etc).

 

Before I carry on, maybe some critique? I know that the right is pretty bare and can use something to balance it out. I'm not bothering with the center as I'm sure that will be all covered with all of the tweets.

I do have some other ideas in the works as well but will take a stab with this first.

[Wes]

Honestly that donkey looks like he's got a mental handicap and I don't think it works for TPR.

 

The design itself is too big for the new-and-improved Twitter web layout. We need a design that will function in the narrower spaces of Twitter's redesign.

[Angry_Gumball]

So about these Twitter dimensions, it looks like there's a variety of different appearances it's going to take on based on one's monitor size. Do I just go with a 'medium-size' resolution then? I'm a tad confused. Looking at the template I found, a 1024x768 resolution's going to cut most of the background out. I guess it's safe to assume no one's using that resolution these days. In the mean time, I'm going to try another idea I had in mind.

[fatdaddy]

^^I thought it was supposed to be a kinda/might/could be a good background, that may or may not and probably won't be used exactly, just getting an idea of what might look good as a TPR background contest. Instead of a exact/we will use it contest.

 

P.S. I like the retarded/drunk donkey.

[Wes]

So about these Twitter dimensions, it looks like there's a variety of different appearances it's going to take on based on one's monitor size. Do I just go with a 'medium-size' resolution then? I'm a tad confused. Looking at the template I found, a 1024x768 resolution's going to cut most of the background out. I guess it's safe to assume no one's using that resolution these days. In the mean time, I'm going to try another idea I had in mind.

 

Some screens are that small. Think netbooks, tablets, phones...these are devices people are going to be using to look at internet content. Giant 27" monitors are going to be more rare than 7"-9" tablet screens in the next few years. Not that a good design can't cater to both.

 

I know the new Twitter redesign really cramps a more traditional approach, but I also think it makes you think out of the box a little bit. You're not going to be able to get away with traditional big graphical elements or text to "sell" the TPR. You just need to evoke it. Twitter has the option of either having a singular background image or tiling a smaller one, so think about that too.

 

As always, the background should be the BACKGROUND, it's a place the content is resting on. It shouldn't be busy or overpowering. People are there to read our goofy 140 character messages, not look at ghosted pictures of roller coasters or big overpowering images. While something like the Club TPR logo or membership card were making a STATEMENT about the visual identity of that brand, this is just an accent on a page. An important one, but not an over-the-top one.

 

I hope this makes sense. I've been sick for the past few days and sometimes I feel like I'm rambling like a mad man.

 

Think colors, simple patterns, shapes.

[davisal771]

Thanks for the tips Wes. So taking a minimalist approach would be best then.

[Wes]

Do what you think works best given the constraints of Twitter. My two cents, as always. Maybe someone will blow us away with a really bold background and prove everything I say wrong.

[Angry_Gumball]

Minimalist Attempt Uno. Inspiration off of the TPR:TM cover though, I think over time it could be distracting as it doesn't really serve a purpose other than just being there. Background's just a simple texture. I have another sample with a TPR pattern...but the more I look at it, the more it reminds me of those gangster/bling jackets/hats you see that has a logo repeated on it.

 

I realize you mentioned about keeping the background as minimalist as possible, would a simple TPR logo get cut off? To me, I kind of feel that the TPR needs to be somewhere and not just some accent colors by it's self. It would be like seeing a fast food restaurant with a red/yellow scheme but no golden arches.

Simple "Diagonals" pattern

And the TPR "Bling" pattern

[Vekoma Fan Boy]

^I like everything except the "bling" and diagonal lines. Is there anything else you could do with that space? The logo repetition just looks odd, and the diagonal lines seem too distracting (and at the same time uninteresting) to me.