It’s years out of date, so I’ve been considering either closing or updating the WWdN Cafepress store. I can’t design for shit, though, and even if I could, I don’t have time to do it.
Rather than just close it down, I thought I’d pose a question here: I’m sure there are lots of good designers and creative people who read my blog, so if I had a contest to design things like shirts and stickers and stuff, would anyone be interested in participating?
The winner would get a signed Happiest Days hardback and credit + links to the winner’s website, blog, store, whatever.
I would probably use the “Hey, that’s awesome!” method of choosing a winner, which may lead to two or even three designs making it into the store. All winning designs would get the same book + credit + link prize, of course.
I’d have to find some contest rules to use somewhere, but it would probably be one of those things where you hold onto the rights to your submission, and I get a royalty-free license to use it commercially until the sun burns out, etc., so it’s kind of like work for hire, I guess.
I don’t know if this is the best idea in the world, so let me know what you think in the comments, mmmkay?
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I think it’s a great idea, but I will leave the creativity to the creative types.
BTW – just finished JUST A GEEK (you signed it for me at the Festival of Books), and it was, as they say in my native homeland, wicked awesome!
I’m a designer, it sounds like fun to me, I’d do it, why don’t you try it and see what happens?
Hell yeah…I run a freelance design business…Wet Frog Studios…and I’d love to take part in some sort of contest. Keep me posted! [www.wetfrogstudios.com]
I think the idea might be ok, if the terms were adjusted a little. Since, in your original proposal, the creator is maintaining the rights to their creation, what’s to prevent them from selling it in their own store and undercutting you once they’ve gotten whatever publicity they can from you? I know your motto is “don’t be a dick” and that the majority of the people who frequent this site probably wouldn’t do this. Let’s be honest, though; this is the internet. I’m just trying to point out possible issues.
You know, every time you use the word “awesome” I can’t help but think… “like a hot dog”
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0rYT0YvQ3hs
Sorry, I haven’t taken the time to figure out if I can post a true linky link…
I registered an account today, after having followed your blog on and off for the past year, just to tell you that 🙂
I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
That being said, I think this is a great idea…that also being said, I agree with a previous poster; I would highly recommend in the rules somewhere that YOU gain total control and ownership over anything that you choose…it’s the smart business thing to do.
You are so on, man. Yeth, pleathe.
Sounds like a great idea, though my talent doesn’t completely lie in that area…
This idea rocks, and you should roll with it.
I agree – sounds like a great idea. Also agree with keep the ownership control of the winners as a just in case sort of thing.
Sounds like a great work-avoidance program to me (for those of us who don’t doodle-for-pay but love-to-doodle). A great way for fans to give back and get swag in return.
I would, and I release all my work that’s not work-for-hire under a CC license (BY-NC-SA, usually, but I’d go BY-C-SA for this.)
I don’t know whether I’d be able to come up with anything, but I think it would be a fun idea!
that is certainly a terrific idea. =)
LOVE it! 😀
I think it’s a great idea, though as a designer, I would like to keep control of my own design because I never know when I might need it for something even if it’s just a mash up of old designs. Your original idea of you getting royalty free rights appeals more to me.
In terms of “what if the designer sells it in their own shop”. If you are concerned about that you can have the designer sign a variation on a non compete clause.
But really unless the designer has much more google fu than your webpages your’s is going to be what’s found first even if you had two shirts put up.
I’d throw some designs your way, sounds like fun.
Alternate prize for contest winners – playing an NPC in a tabletop gaming session?
Cheers
Wil,
IANAL, just a member of GAG, but what you’re looking for is an all-rights contract, where the artist gives up any rights to any income generated by the image, apart from a single payment up front (usually). Work-for-hire strips the creator of authorship as well as rights to the income generated by the image, which isn’t quite what you’re looking for.
Normally, I’m not too keen on either type of work, but since it’s you, and you can be counted on to not be a dick — sure, I’d be game for a contest.
Don’t know how feasible this is, but I rather like the idea of the winner getting some compensation if, for instance, sales/profits reach “x” amount. Or you could say something like 5 cents for every sale, but that you only pay out once it reaches $25 each time. (A place called Anthology Builder has a set up like that where payouts only occur when the “account” reaches $20.)
I’m not competing, so this isn’t self-interest. I just thought it would be a nice way to reward the winner(s), without obligating yourself to shelling out lots of cash if nothing much happens.
I would so be up for that. I’ve been very bad about doing artsy things lately and as long as I got to use it in my portfolio, I’d be happy to.
Jonathan Coulton did a shirt contest recently, and the results were amazing. I think he used Pixish, but that’s the extent of my half-remembered knowledge.
I like the overall idea. CafePress charges a lot of money for what they do.
There are places you can order items in lots of 20, 50, 100 and get a far better price -and selection. Of course you’d have to store and ship the stuff, but then you’d also have it handy to take with you to shows.
I also like the idea of a contest or ongoing contests, or whatever. I would view an entry as fun stuff, and wouldn’t mind handing over copyrights in exchange for a mention in the blog and an the ability to have a signature/url in the image itself.
I think it sounds like a great idea, but I’m not necessarily the most talented person in the visual arts sense. I’d certainly give it a shot though.
I am a sucker for designing t-shirts for people that are cool. I will get to work. Just give me a deadline.
Turn the idea into a business instead of a contest. Order “small” batches of shirts and sell them on your conference tours. Pay the designers a share of shirts sold. Maybe you order in lots of 100 and pay the designer when the batch has sold.
You’ll end up attacting the best design talent that way. By making small batches you’ll make the shirts more valuable for the buyers.
i think thats a great idea! my manthing might just be interested!
It’s been awhile since I had looked at the cafepress link, so it was a pleasant surprise to be reminded of how much the Klingon in the first panel of “Klingon Con Trauma” looks like Robert O’Reilly playing Gowron. Very nice! 🙂
Wil: I’m a designer. And would love to submit. As a rabid artists’ rights advocate, I’d note some distinctions to rights-holding:
Specify your right to use the design as unlimited (in terms of time, geography, media, whatever), exclusive (so I can’t use it and sell knockoffs of your own shirt, or sell the design to another client) and non-transferable (so you can’t sell my design to Buy-n-Large). I retain copyright and other moral rights (so I can say “hey, I made that! isn’t that cool?”). Everybody is happy. And it’s not work for hire, so we won’t think you’re screwing us over. yay!
Of course if it’s so cool that I think I could make a million bucks on it myself, I’ll print my own, and submit something else to you in the first place. ;P
I would be down. Bring it.
I’m a designer for a living, and I’d like to think some of us take satisfaction in helping someone we’re a fan of in lieu of T-Shirt revenue.
I’m down for it, Wil. Make with some specifics!
May I also suggest you poke around at spreadshirt.com…
Hi Wil,
Though design contest sound like a great idea, many of us in the design community find that this type of work demeans our profession.
Here’s a link to a quick overview of the position.
Not wanting to pile on or anything, but this felt like a teachable moment.
Well, this is an overwhelming response. Thanks, everyone. Maybe we’re going to go ahead and do this thing.
Let me address a few things:
Foley’s comment is entirely reasonable; I’d never write something for someone for free, unless I was getting some other form of compensation. (People ask me to contribute to their blog all the time, just because it would be neat; I always decline, but when if I got a chance to do something like be a boingboing editor for a week, I’d do that in a heartbeat, for obvious reasons. This is why I thought I’d offer publicity and a signed book as compensation.) I didn’t even consider that it would offend, but thinking about it now, I totally respect that some designers would feel disrespected or demeaned by my idea, and I totally support and understand those designers not participating.
See, if I had the money to pay someone for the work, I’d do that, but since the store isn’t a real big part of my business model (selling books is) I don’t have any budget to spend on it. To be clear: if this sort of thing offends you, please accept my apology; it’s not my intention to diminish your profession.
Next: I didn’t realize that work for hire took away one’s authorship. That’s not my intention, at all. You’d still own it, I’d just have a royalty-free license to use it. If you want to compete with me on your own, I don’t have a problem with that. I wouldn’t want to stop someone, for example, from selling their winning design at a show or online or whatever.
Third: I don’t think profit-sharing will work for a couple of reasons: first, the profit margin is extremely thin. I make about five bucks per item, so it’s mostly a promotional thing. I think the biggest check I ever got from Cafepress was around 280 bucks, so I’m not getting rich on this. Also, it would give me the responsibility of keeping and making available sales records, and that’s a bunch of work I don’t want to do.
Last: I’ve got to leave for this audition, but I’ll be back later (after my next post auto-pushes at 4:30!) and I’ll do my best to answer any other comments or questions.
Your idea sounds great. Might as well try it out! I would be interested to see how creative everyone will be with their designs.
I personally am not a huge fan of design contests. Good design takes a significant investment of the designers time and effort, and it is not a worthwhile for a professional designer (who has other work paying work) to risk doing that for free. I am sure you will receive entries, but they will not be of the same quality as if you had hired a designer. Without a quality product you will only sell tshirts to “true fans” who would have bought them no matter what, so you might as well stick with doing it yourself.
If you are interested in more information see:
http://www.no-spec.com/articles/design-contests/
I think your best bet would be to select a designer whose work you admire and ask them if they would be interested in designing a shirt for you. You are not a non-profit, so it is not really fair to ask for something pro-bono, but because of your fan base I think you could work out a deal for something low cost in exchange for mutually beneficial publicity.
Totally! Con-test! Con-test! Con-test!
And I’d suggest having more than one winner, ’cause more shirts=more.. um… shirts.
y’know, to sell…
I’m all over this. 🙂
Sounds like a good idea Wil. If I were to win, could you send me an autographed copy of one of my Kirk vs. Picard scripts, preferably the one with the heroic Wes dialog, “Of those who fall”? They’re still up on my fanlib site here http://www.fanlib.com/user/profile.do?userId=kdhbj
I’m gonna geek out on you here just for a second regarding my fanlib submissions, only because I haven’t read them in quite awhile. In The Guardians Repose – Alternate Ending, Kirk was forced to fire on the Enterprise D because Enterprise D cut communications and severed the networked shield emitter, exposing the Enterprise to the Guardian planet, so Kirk targeted the tractor beam, I got some flack for that. And Wes holding his ground, against Lore, what could anyone do? Injured, Wes kills Lore’s son Galen. In the end it turned out to be a Romulan simulation. And last of all, Picard asking for Troi because he just got mind frelled and needed some counseling. Anyway, cynthiab* at fanlib tore me a new asshole over it, but as I studied her review, it was pretty apparent that she never read the whole script, nor any Epictetus, and she didn’t watch the show either. There. I said it. whew! (takes a breath) LOLLOLOL
I’d totally do it!
I remember this being brought up in the comments a few months ago. I say go for it – you’re always amusing the hell out of us, now it’s our turn.
Hey…some of the comments here are terrible. For one, you should consider this as an opportunity to do a little professional networking with somebody who’s been established in the entertainment industry for 20+ plus years. Gee wiz, wouldn’t you want that on your resume? I sure as hell would. At the very least, if nothing ever came of it, you could always say, “I designed the current line of coffee mugs and t-shirts for Wil Wheaton.” damn…that’s sweet! What’s the matter with you guys?
One other thing, opportunities are very in life. When I was 19 in 1990, going to acting school in Fresno. I had a guy and his mother try hard to motivate me to pursue an acting career and stay positive. Today, if you imdb that guy, Doug Jone’s, you’ll see a laundry list of stuff he’s done since, including Hellboy 1 & 2, and the Hobbit sometime next year….kind of puts things into perspective.
very rare…opportunities are very rare.
typos…I need a new keyboard.
I won’t do any contest. (Why is detailed here: http://www.no-spec.com/ )
If, however, you offered me one (1) copy of each title of your books currently in print, I’d certainly design something for you. (Better terms no one else would get.)
If, that is, you think I could provide an appropriate design.
But I don’t do design contests.
“I sure as hell would.”
I don’t live in California. And honestly, I’m kind of done with graphic design for projects other than those I’m really interested in.
The whole “it’s a good opportunity” benefit is more vapor than substance. Fact is, contests are not a good way to get great design. Going to a great designer is a way to get great design. Most designers really worth their salt will simply not participate in contests.
(If I’m commissioned for a job, I like to see that it gets used. Most other designers see it the same way.)
(Man, that was an awful way to break lurkage. Ah, well. It needed to be said.)
iheartbunnies, something to keep in mind is that generally only designers have favorite designers, let alone are able to recognize a designer at 20 paces. My take on Wil’s post was that he was asking if he had any readers who were, as it happens, professional designers, and if so, how they’d feel about doing what amounts to donating their work (via the vehicle of a contest and subsequent all-rights contract).
The design contest idea is getting a kneejerk response, I think. And, not entirely without cause — they’ve been horribly abused in the last few years as ways to get art out of artists for free. That said — we think nothing of forking over cash to enter the Spectrum or Communication Arts contests for a chance at publicity. That fee works out to a certain percentage of our hourly rate that we’d be charging a paying client, and keeps us from paying work — but we do it nonetheless, because those are reputable contests, and winning them means publicity for our work. Wil is likewise reputable, and a person of integrity, which is why I’m willing to enter a contest, if he has one.
Wil, if you decide to avoid the whole design contest idea, but still have designs done — it might be worth thinking about asking your readers who are professionals to post links to their online portfolios, for you to take a look at. Then, once you find someone whose style you like, talk with them about the possibility of designs for the Café Press items, in return for whatever you can afford.
This makes me wish I were visually creative, but alas I’m not. I think it’s a great idea!
I agree with VT there is a difference between what Wil is asking for and the shmucks at 99design.com are doing. I don’t think the no-spec mantra applies here. As a designer if I have the free time and an idea I would enter. I think to get the best results you should give some sort of guidelines like a theme or something. Have some sort of criteria that you will be judging on and make that known before hand. And Wil, If I were you I also would be aware of the rules and laws governing contests because they can very from state to state, nationally and internationally. And with the internet reaching a wide global audience, I would hate to see you set yourself up for a lawsuit.
Wil…dude…
You could always go to http://www.wreckamovie.com to get a positive community response. The Wreck a Movie site is a platform created by the makers of StarWreck:In the Pirkinning for internet community involvement. I myself have been participating in the pre and post-productions of two different movies. Some of the task’s included making desktops for your pc, and some writing. I’m sure Samuli and Timo would love to add you. Get a hold of them…here’s an example of some posters I made for them.
http://www.wreckamovie.com/system/shot_medias/0000/0158/mySaunaPoster2.jpg
http://www.wreckamovie.com/system/shot_medias/0000/0168/mySaunaPoster4.jpg
That sounds awesome.
Jeesh, people, if you don’t want to participate, just move on. I’m not sure that I will do it either, but I’m not going to knock Wil for asking. Besides, it never hurts to pad the portfolio and resume with a little extra good stuff.