Challenge Summary
Welcome to 3DSystems - Background Graphic Theme Design Challenge. In this challenge, we are looking for your help in exploring some graphic themes that fit within the 3D Systems brand and that can be used across different communications from presentations to web site designs as background elements.
We are looking for the topcoder design community to show us your exploration in the concepts given below.
Round 1
Initial Design Concepts for checkpoint review.
Feel free to add any other additional information/screens which are necessary to explain your texture concept.
Round 2
Final Design Concepts with any checkpoint feedback implemented
Feel free to add any other additional screens which are necessary to explain your texture concept.
The purpose of this challenge is to come up with full bleed two dimensional graphics, these images will be used as foreground and background elements on the web and in presentations, that will subtlety add texture to 3D Systems Brand DNA.
Background Information:
As you design these graphics let your inspiration be informed by the difference between “traditional manufacturing,” and the new era of digital fabrication and 3D Printing.
- With traditional manufacturing the more complex a form becomes, the more expensive it is to make. Cutting, turning, drilling, bending, forging - each process is applied as an external force to define the final shape. When the form’s complexity reaches a certain point, it can become impossible or impractical to make.
- Conversely, with 3D Printing shape complexity is free. In fact, complex forms can be faster, stronger, and cheaper to manufacture. Rather than exerting brute force on an object, the form is created layer by layer in an additive fashion. Through this process objects are translated effortlessly from a digital design environment to a physical object. They transform from bits to atoms and emerge from abstraction to actual. This great virtue of 3D printing is also deeply beautiful. It not only more closely resembles natural forms, but also contains an unmistakable technological through line. How can you represent this as a two dimensional graphic, how can you use pattern, contrast, and complex forms to subtly illustrate this shift in the way we make things? Consider the soft irregular curvature of the Art Nouveau movement? Did they emerge from the handmade localized manufacturing methods of that time period? Was the stark, mechanized, angular symmetry of Art Deco the Industrial Revolution’s response to Art Nouveau? Do the manufacturing methods of the day influence the look and feel, of the prevailing motifs? We think so? Are we now seeing a merging of these aesthetics as digital fabrication enters the mainstream? A coming together of natural and mechanical? A reconciliation of handmade and industrial?
Take a look at the Pinterest Board that we hope inspires you to visually explore this convergence. We need you to create full bleed two dimensional graphics. These images will be used as foreground and background elements on the web and in presentations, that will add texture to 3D Systems Brand DNA.
Good luck and we can’t wait to see what the TopCoder community contributes to this project!
IMPORTANT! Design Considerations:
- The texture design you are coming up with need to be inline with the existing 3DSystems branding, Do your research and view 3DSystems sites.
- Your designs will need to work primarily in black and white.
- We are looking for you to create designs that are either vector or Hi-Resolution PSD’s
- Attached a PDF of samples that the client has pulled together as inspiration, please DO NOT COPY.
- We had provided design inspirations for each of the items that you will be designing, use it as an inspiration and please DO NOT COPY!
References:
Please go through some of the texture patterns to help you get an idea, please use it as a reference and DO NOT COPY them..
https://www.pinterest.com/materialstjohn/complexity-is-free/
3DSystems Existing Assets:
We will provide you with some 3DSystems brand assets to help you work your graphics into our existing look and feel.
- 3DSPRINT Look & Feel (please find a complete zip of all the files within this google folder named as "3DSPRINT Look and Feel.zip")
Required Texture Themes:
Some areas we want to see highlighted are how complexity can emerge through pattern and simple forms. Tileable textures, single surfaces, topology representations, and volume representations are all worthy areas of experimentation.
We are looking for your pick 3 to 5 or more pattern concepts from any of themes given below (please find examples of these themes in the attached PDF)
- Complexity (the more complex form of 3D structure)
- Patterns (Geometric Patterns, Abstract patterns, 3D Patterns, etc..- feel free to explore more on this)
- Simplicity (a simple form of 3D structure)
- Surface (This is a continuous curve 3D structure)
- Topology (This is generally illustrated by 3D mesh design and is bound to have topological properties which includes connectedness, contunity and boundaries)
- Volume (This depicts the volume of the 3D object or region of space)
- Micro (This refers to minute details within a 3D object)
- Macro (This refers to the details within the 3D object that can be of a larger size)
- Background and Forground is just an example against a black and white backgrounds!
If you have any questions regarding the requirements, feel free to let us know in the forums.
Target Audience:
- Growing 3D Printing audience
Judging Criteria:
- How well you explore themes and capture your ideas visually
- Cleanliness of your graphics and design
Submission & Source Files:
Preview Image
Please create your preview image as one (1) 1024x1024px JPG or PNG file in RGB color mode at 72dpi and place a screenshot of your submission within it.
Submission File
Submit JPG/PNG for your submission files.
Source Files
All original source files of the submitted design. Files should be created in Adobe Photoshop and saved as layered PSD file, or Adobe Illustrator as a layered AI file.
Final Fixes
As part of the final fixes phase you may be asked to modify your graphics (sizes or colors) or modify overall colors. We may ask you to update your design or graphics based on checkpoint feedback.
Please read the challenge specification carefully and watch the forums for any questions or feedback concerning this challenge. It is important that you monitor any updates provided by the client or Studio Admins in the forums. Please post any questions you might have for the client in the forums.