Signature of the Month Contest Generic Discussion Thread

[Larthak]

Originally Posted by Dist

Then what benefit do you see from the titles like '' Graphic Designer '' ... '' Artist '' .. or even a '' Fansubber '' ?

Think about it; there is a difference between being part of a larger group and being THE ONLY ONE. One says things about what you like (AniSuki member, graphic designer, fansubber) while the other just shows how much you value something that doesn't really have any worth...at least not here. It's not like SOTM is some world-class contest. Best kept simple and fun. No need to make it a pain to maintain for the organizers or a privilege for the contestants.

[hao-sama]

can i put something in the silhouette?

i mean, if it's originally a silhouette, can i clipping mask some stuff in it?

[Frailty]

^as long as it doesn't remove the essence of the person/object being a silhouette then it's fine
and as long as that the silhouette is the focus of the sig

oh and I never knew you were also a forumer here

[hao-sama]

i'm an old member D: i'm not much of a poster though.

thanks for the answer!

[The Drunk Demoman]

If you guys have a doubt about biased votes, then maybe the best option is to PM entries, so people don't know signature owners.

Just putting it out there, I myself dont mind public entries.

[White Fatalis]

I've got a suggestion for the next SOTM Theme.

Easter - Easter is coming up.
Religion - There's something happening called "Lent", it's going on for 40 days until Easter, this is mainly for Catholics. But doesn't have to be Christianity, can be other Religions.

[Daniel E.]

Originally Posted by White Fatalis

I've got a suggestion for the next SOTM Theme.

The theme for each SOTM has always been picked by the winner(s) of the previous edition.

[Mittwoch]

About that, I've noticed that apparently the entries mostly chosen by people are the ones that depict anime/ drawings; despite of better execution or not. Does the signature have to fit in the anime theme as well?

[Dist]

Isn't that simply because this is an anime forum, meaning our interests focus mostly on anime so we find anime signatures better over anything else ?

Or maybe it's just me .. but that's what I think anyway, and I actually find signatures kinda out of place here if they depict something else like real people or something.

Also not all voters are artists themselves so when it comes for voting, I just pick whatever pleases my eye and I don't really think about what exactly has been done to the signature.

[LKK]

Originally Posted by Mittwoch

Does the signature have to fit in the anime theme as well?

I have seen contests where anime/manga images are specifically required by the theme-giver and contests where non-anime/manga images are specifically allowed by the theme-giver. So my impression is that anime/manga is not a contest requirement per se but rather is at the discretion of theme-giver. However, because this is an anime forum with a secondary manga interest, I tend to vote for those images over others because it feels like they suit the forum better.

[ganbaru]

Originally Posted by Mittwoch

About that, I've noticed that apparently the entries mostly chosen by people are the ones that depict anime/ drawings; despite of better execution or not. Does the signature have to fit in the anime theme as well?

It isn't required unless the theme's chooser said so.
If peoples prefer anime/manga related sigatures? it's another question. It's a question of taste more than anything else.

[Mittwoch]

Well, thanks everybody for clarifying things up for me, apparently just because it's an anime forum, everything else not related to it is ignored, or at least that's how it sounds.

I'll make sure that my future entries are anime/manga based so it evens my chances.

Ty.

[Solace]

Originally Posted by Dist

I just pick whatever pleases my eye and I don't really think about what exactly has been done to the signature.

Most people vote like this, or they vote because it's a character they like. They don't really vote specifically for the best use of technique, unless it is something that wows them.

It isn't that non-anime is undesired though. I've seen plenty of entries with non-anime renders receive high voting numbers. It's more a matter of impressing voters with something that really catches their eye when they scroll through the entry list.

I don't really make many signatures with real life people, but the one I did enter for the SOTM did pretty well (second place actually):



So really, ymmw.

[Rennir]

@Mittowoch: I wouldn't say that it lowers your chances per se, honestly I think that using non-anime entries shows that people have a wide range of styles and aren't limited to anime. But I agree that sometimes the best signatures in terms of composition, execution, lighting, and other elements in tag designing don't win. In the SOTM's defense, AS is an anime site; not a gfx-oriented site. If you want contests that aren't just anime, you should visit some gfx sites for their SOTM or SOTW

[Larthak]

Originally Posted by Rennir

But I agree that sometimes the best signatures in terms of composition, execution, lighting, and other elements in tag designing don't win. In the SOTM's defense, AS is an anime site; not a gfx-oriented site. If you want contests that aren't just anime, you should visit some gfx sites for their SOTM or SOTW

The whole struggle with AniSuki's SOTM contest is people are way too biased. What if a contestant is in your friends list? Or a respected member of the community? What happens if he/she used a favorite anime character of yours?

Originally Posted by Mittwoch

Well, thanks everybody for clarifying things up for me, apparently just because it's an anime forum, everything else not related to it is ignored, or at least that's how it sounds.

I'll make sure that my future entries are anime/manga based so it evens my chances.

Ty.

Btw, Mittwoch; I'd rather you use whatever you want to use, instead of being forced to doing anime-only stuff. Don't limit yourself, your sigs are beautiful. Just because they might not warrant more votes...that shouldn't stop you from doing what you like. The whole point of this is to have fun.

[Solace]

~The Future of the SOTM~

At some point I knew this would happen, I'm pleased it took this long. Actually, I'm proud. Three years of something I never expected to last more than a few months, the SOTM has become a fixture of AnimeSuki.

However we should be honest here. Excitement for the SOTM isn't what it used to be. The number of entrants over the last year is often not even half of what it was back in the day. Recent contests have at most 15, maybe 20 entries, compared to the 50+ of years past. Has quality suffered? Nay, I say. But interest has.

It has come to the point, in my mind, where a community decision has to be made. Do we let the SOTM take a break, possibly ending it on a somewhat good note? Do we keep going as is, until entries dry up completely? Or do we change things up a bit, maybe retool the format? Admittedly it has been a while since we've looked at how the contest is run. Perhaps some changes might help regain interest, who knows.

Let me know what you think.

[KiNA]

For me personally.. the interest of making a signature dont seem to exciting anymore. so thats probably the reason why I havent even participating anymore.

2ndly, at first, there's a bunch of us, strictly flying the animated sig flag. Me, Rika, Endrance, MitsuAoi to name a few, and I enjoyed locking horns with them.. With them missing, I stand against the majority favourite. Not person, but signature style. Pretty yes, but overall brings nothing new to the table. Its a bit stale IMO.

As for voting, I'll be honest. 'm strictly biased to animated sig and my waifus

If you want to ask my opinion on whether we should continue or not.. my advice, if we still garner a few new contestants every new SOTM, then I say yes..one of the original motive of it is exactly that... OTOH.. if its just the regulars.. then perhaps it is time for it to hibernate.

[Larthak]

Personally, I see it as a decline in active fan-artists on the site, not the interest itself. We're in a bit of a dry season, that's all. The regulars of earlier years sticked together, had a healthy rivalry going on (yes, I'm looking at you, GIF-tists) and then...just left this hobby in favour of something else. And there's not enough new guys to fill the gap.

Maybe shut it down for half a year, then kick off with a new banner contest, that'd spark our interest and use the hype for relaunching SOTM (might consider resetting the themes as well)?

[NorthernFallout]

Originally Posted by Larthak

Personally, I see it as a decline in active fan-artists on the site, not the interest itself.

I'd second this, and just taking the example of myself. GFX just isn't my focus anymore as it once was. I'm still interested in entering SOTM, but for various reasons just can't gather the motivation to do it. Instead I take the passive time to vote.

So echoing the others, perhaps a break wouldn't be too bad, though personally it's either or. Otoh, let the creativity surge until it boils over and then let it explode into a rainbow with pink ponies in a super-duper SOTM is an alternative.

[ganbaru]

The idea of taking a short breack followed of something special for starting back look like a good idea to me... but there's a risk than a breack might kill the SOTM, given than the ''slowing down'' have started with what happen when we had the banner contest, no ?

But the thing is, many of the older signature maker have gone into ''hibernation'' ( kind of ) and many of the news one don't participe