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OwlBoy · Mar 29, 2004, 09:36 PM

And the MacThemes.net Contest will be over!

Burn the mid-night oil boys (and gals?)

-Owl

WICKEDfour · Mar 29, 2004, 10:18 PM

Ooh yeah. I remember February 1st...

I'm sure glad I'm only judging this time! No pressure.

Though I must admit, whoever wins one of the top six places is going to be drowning in software and money either way.

NetworkShadow · Mar 29, 2004, 10:28 PM

Got mine sent a few hours ago.

Holigen · Mar 29, 2004, 10:40 PM

This is gonna be fun!!!

bluevertical · Mar 29, 2004, 10:44 PM

looking forward to this one too! damn i love themes....

OwlBoy · Mar 29, 2004, 10:46 PM

Anyone else gonna make a custom sig for the contest?

"Vote for Garnet!"

-Owl

Holigen · Mar 29, 2004, 10:49 PM

Thats not a bad idea...

Ya, I probably will. Although I dont have a mockup submitted. Ya, umm, vote for Garnet!

Oh, btw, bv, do you have a mockup in the contest?

OwlBoy · Mar 29, 2004, 10:50 PM

Originally posted by Holigen:
Thats not a bad idea...

Ya, I probably will. Although I dont have a mockup submitted. Ya, umm, vote for Garnet!

Oh, btw, bv, do you have a mockup in the contest?

Yup!

My sig is all you will see of it till the contest shows it.

-Owl

Holigen · Mar 29, 2004, 10:57 PM

Whew, I think I did a pretty good job at recreating your sig owl. It took a while though. I hope its a good one!

Sage · Mar 29, 2004, 11:22 PM

Hooligan – Erm, your sig's link is a bit off.

Well, unfortunately, I haven't finished by submission, so I'll have to hold off until the next contest. Too much homework, I tell ya!

mac15 · Mar 29, 2004, 11:22 PM

I think Sascha and NetworkShadow will take it home, its a battle between them for first place. Don't believe me? Well you'll just have to wait to see the quality of their themes

And to honest Garnet don't stand a chance against them . No hard feelings

NetworkShadow · Mar 29, 2004, 11:34 PM

Originally posted by mac15:
I think Sascha and NetworkShadow will take it home, its a battle between them for first place. Don't believe me? Well you'll just have to wait to see the quality of their themes

And to honest Garnet don't stand a chance against them . No hard feelings

Thanks mac15, I just hope the best theme wins even if it's not mine.

Holigen · Mar 29, 2004, 11:41 PM

There we go

OwlBoy · Mar 29, 2004, 11:43 PM

hehe, I am flattered your using my sig..

-Owl

OwlBoy · Mar 29, 2004, 11:45 PM

Originally posted by mac15:
I think Sascha and NetworkShadow will take it home, its a battle between them for first place. Don't believe me? Well you'll just have to wait to see the quality of their themes

And to honest Garnet don't stand a chance against them . No hard feelings

Oh, I am sure. Garnet is a very basic mock-up. It would need a bit of polish for the final theme if it was picked.

I had fun making it, and it will be fun to see my stuff up next to everyone else's. Best of luck to all!

-Owl

mac15 · Mar 29, 2004, 11:58 PM

Aslong as you had fun thats all that matters

NetworkShadow · Mar 30, 2004, 12:04 AM

Well I haven't heard back from phill yet, but I got my mockup in at about 6:30 here by email. He kept bugging me about the mockup so I'd suspect he's looking out for it.

OwlBoy · 12:21 AM

I wonder how long it will be before we will see them on the site...

[edit: silly me, site says Wednesday

]

-Owl

Dace · 07:30 AM

Vote for my theme: XOSX ....please. I promise to reduce taxes

idle · Mar 30, 2004, 04:55 AM

are you guys as nervous as i am? strange how slowly these days pass by...

[ idle. ]

phillryu · Mar 30, 2004, 06:45 AM

Dace, please remove that link. I made a few public by accident, but I'd like to keep it closed for the panel to vote for now.

Networkshadow, I did get it. I just went to bed last night at 9

The rest of you guys, hang tight! You DEFINITELY won't be disappointed. And trust me, we have the big guys (Sascha, Xanthic, etc.) but there are definitely some showstoppers by guys I never heard of. So don't be too sure of yourself mac15

mac15 · Mar 30, 2004, 07:20 AM

Well now I'm not sure anymore. Talking to Phills thrown me off track

swiz · Mar 30, 2004, 07:59 AM

The best I have seen are from people Ive never heard of. There are some really fantastic themes in the bunch.

codywalton · Mar 30, 2004, 08:06 AM

I took a look through that link Dace posted (sorry Phill, couldn't stop myself), and most of those themes are really really good. Too good, in fact. They make my entry look like day-old crap. There's no way I'll even come close to winning.

I wouldn't be surprised if mine comes in last place... That's some TOUGH competition. I'd don't think I'll be able to enter next time.

At least we will get six new great themes...

NetworkShadow · Mar 30, 2004, 08:58 AM

Originally posted by codywalton:
At least we will get six new great themes...

That's the way I look at it even if I don't win. There's really no way to lose because of that. 6 chances too are quite good.

phillryu · Mar 30, 2004, 09:04 AM

Cody, the competition will indeed be tough, but what you will get out of it no matter what, is, constructive feedback by top themers and readers. Right now, the panel is going through round 2 of the entries to give feedback, critique, praise, etc. and yours is in that batch.

And those entries you saw were part of round 1, which , among other things, included some of my personal favorites. My personal opinion doesn't count. There are over 40 entries. The quality varies. Luckily, most are pretty good

phillryu · Mar 30, 2004, 09:07 AM

And believe it or not, I love the entries sooo much...

That I'm still looking for more themers.

. I'm always working for you, remember that!

NetworkShadow · Mar 30, 2004, 10:17 AM

Get a lot yesterday with mine?

Heady · 11:16 AM

I hope mine arrived in time. I sent it at 11:54 PM EST yesterday

Yeah, last-minute.

-Heady

Cerbero · Mar 30, 2004, 12:29 PM

Didn't find any time to finnish mine.. Ohwell.
Good luck to everyone! Looking forward to seeing all the mockups.

wibs · Mar 30, 2004, 12:32 PM

I'd just like to chime in and say that these mockups are freekin' awesome.

That is all.

phillryu · Mar 30, 2004, 12:57 PM

Originally posted by Cerbero:
Didn't find any time to finnish mine.. Ohwell.
Good luck to everyone! Looking forward to seeing all the mockups.

There will always be another one. Muhuhauaua.

fireside · Mar 30, 2004, 01:40 PM

i dont think its fair that people who have already make themes can submit and still win. why? because they lose a really big part of the prize (making the theme with another themer) and they already have nice themes out and know how things work with themes and stuff (not to mention they probably already have most of the prizes). i just don't think that its fair to the other people who have submitted and they're up against these big shot "pro" graphic artists while most other submitters are "amateur" graphic artists, not even graphic artists at all.

Synotic · Mar 30, 2004, 03:11 PM

Originally posted by fireside:
i dont think its fair that people who have already make themes can submit and still win. why? because they lose a really big part of the prize (making the theme with another themer) and they already have nice themes out and know how things work with themes and stuff (not to mention they probably already have most of the prizes). i just don't think that its fair to the other people who have submitted and they're up against these big shot "pro" graphic artists while most other submitters are "amateur" graphic artists, not even graphic artists at all.

"Can"... I think only one actual themer submitted a mockup...

iOliverC · Mar 30, 2004, 03:14 PM

Originally posted by fireside:
i dont think its fair that people who have already make themes can submit and still win. why? because they lose a really big part of the prize (making the theme with another themer) and they already have nice themes out and know how things work with themes and stuff (not to mention they probably already have most of the prizes). i just don't think that its fair to the other people who have submitted and they're up against these big shot "pro" graphic artists while most other submitters are "amateur" graphic artists, not even graphic artists at all.

I think its a chance for any person who's got an idea for a theme, but doesn't have the time/skill/other to create a theme. You can't really hold the 'pro' artists back, just because they are well-known for their graphics. I still think one of the unknown guys will win.

fireside · Mar 30, 2004, 03:21 PM

Originally posted by iOliverC:
I think its a chance for any person who's got an idea for a theme, but doesn't have the time/skill/other to create a theme. You can't really hold the 'pro' artists back, just because they are well-known for their graphics. I still think one of the unknown guys will win.

well how am i supposed to compete with someone like Sasha (RAD-E8) or Xanthic when it comes to photoshop?

Fonzie · Mar 30, 2004, 03:21 PM

What's the fun in only letting 6 entries win ? I say; make them ALL into themes. hell yeah. LOL kidding. No wait..... I'm not kidding

Fonzie · Mar 30, 2004, 03:23 PM

Originally posted by fireside:
well how am i supposed to compete with someone like Sasha (RAD-E8) or Xanthic when it comes to photoshop?

that's the fun of competing

No, you're right. But sometimes life/Photoshop/ThemePark is just tough. I know.

wibs · Mar 30, 2004, 03:32 PM

Originally posted by fireside:
well how am i supposed to compete with someone like Sasha (RAD-E8) or Xanthic when it comes to photoshop?

One of the big complaints after Unsanity's contest was the lack of good themes by good themers. I agreed with those complaints, despite me benefiting because of it. The point of a contest is not to make the n00bs feel better about themselves, it's for the spirit of competition to push people to try new things and come up with some crazy and unique designs.

I'm all for supporting people wanting to get into theming for the first time, but a contest is not necessarily the best way to do it. And really, at worst every single mockup is getting constructive criticism from people like swiz and max.

And using Sasha as an example isn't a great one... he's an amazing graphic artist, no question, but at first you said you didn't want established themers involved. Well, Sasha has never made a theme. Having previously done some that people liked shouldn't immediately cut you out of the contest, I think those people should be encouraged the most to enter.

Well, there are my $.02.

fireside · Mar 30, 2004, 03:39 PM

Originally posted by wibs:
One of the big complaints after Unsanity's contest was the lack of good themes by good themers. I agreed with those complaints, despite me benefiting because of it. The point of a contest is not to make the n00bs feel better about themselves, it's for the spirit of competition to push people to try new things and come up with some crazy and unique designs.

I'm all for supporting people wanting to get into theming for the first time, but a contest is not necessarily the best way to do it. And really, at worst every single mockup is getting constructive criticism from people like swiz and max.

And using Sasha as an example isn't a great one... he's an amazing graphic artist, no question, but at first you said you didn't want established themers involved. Well, Sasha has never made a theme. Having previously done some that people liked shouldn't immediately cut you out of the contest, I think those people should be encouraged the most to enter.

Well, there are my $.02.

i meant themers and/or skilled graphic artists. graphic artists know what goes together with what, and how things will look after long periods of time, like themers. i'm just saying that there should be a "pro" contest and an "amateur" contest. i for one, feel that if my mockup is shown next to Xanthics, Mike Mattas's or any other great graphic artist, its not going to look very good, because they know what they're doing, while someone like myself doesn't really.

Dave-o� · Mar 30, 2004, 03:47 PM

Originally posted by fireside:
i meant themers and/or skilled graphic artists. graphic artists know what goes together with what, and how things will look after long periods of time, like themers. i'm just saying that there should be a "pro" contest and an "amateur" contest. i for one, feel that if my mockup is shown next to Xanthics, Mike Mattas's or any other great graphic artist, its not going to look very good, because they know what they're doing, while someone like myself doesn't really.

(Gets up on the soap box)
Just because a person is a designer by trade doesn't make them an instant themer pro. I am in the design trade and went through several mock-ups before walking away from it. It's not only about design, skill, and creativity but also about the use of a theme within the limits set forth by the operating system. If you have a good understanding of what you can do in a 20 pixel x 20 pixel space, your theme is gong to be that much better. I work mostly on print design and my skills were no help in working that small.
(Leaves the soap box)

codywalton · Mar 30, 2004, 03:52 PM

Originally posted by fireside:
i meant themers and/or skilled graphic artists. graphic artists know what goes together with what, and how things will look after long periods of time, like themers. i'm just saying that there should be a "pro" contest and an "amateur" contest. i for one, feel that if my mockup is shown next to Xanthics, Mike Mattas's or any other great graphic artist, its not going to look very good, because they know what they're doing, while someone like myself doesn't really.

I for one, think that having two categories for the next contest is a great idea. One for "pro artists" (not necessarily themers) who have more experience with design, and another contests for "amateurs" or "novices" who don't have the same design skills. It would be more fair.

brianwilson · Mar 30, 2004, 04:00 PM

Originally posted by fireside:
.... i'm just saying that there should be a "pro" contest and an "amateur" contest. ...

What defines the difference between "pro" and "amateur" ?

No offense, but there is no way to do what you ask.

Speaking unofficially of course since Unsanity is just a sponsor in this one - the whole point is to generate some excitement in the community, a new crop of ideas, give a good chance for those ideas to become theme reality, and have fun.

phillryu · Mar 30, 2004, 04:04 PM

I really wish I could do pro/amateur, but as Brian pointed out, it's pretty impossible to do. What if a pro decided to enter amateur? How am I supposed to know he's not pro? Do I disqualify his mockup if it's 'too good'? It gets into very shaky grounds here. Hey, at least about 6 themers are held up judging or creating themes, when they could've entered

codywalton · Mar 30, 2004, 04:05 PM

Originally posted by brianwilson:
What defines the difference between "pro" and "amateur" ?

No offense, but there is no way to do what you ask.

Speaking unofficially of course since Unsanity is just a sponsor in this one - the whole point is to generate some excitement in the community, a new crop of ideas, give a good chance for those ideas to become theme reality, and have fun.

I think if you are allready known in the mac community for your design skills, that qualifies you as a "pro", weather you deisgn icons, desktops, themes, websites, print ads, or whatever. Everyone else is an "amateur".

wibs · Mar 30, 2004, 04:26 PM

Originally posted by codywalton:
I think if you are allready known in the mac community for your design skills, that qualifies you as a "pro", weather you deisgn icons, desktops, themes, websites, print ads, or whatever. Everyone else is an "amateur".

How well known? I'll take myself as an example. I am, by any standard, a photoshop hack. But I've released a theme, I've gotten some fan mail, and a small number of people know about me. Does this make me a pro? (that's rhetorical, don't need to answer that, heh)

Let's look at quandarry. He's done themes, he just doesn't release them, so his abilities aren't really known. Is he a pro?

The line is just too fuzzy. The only way to do it would be to have people choose which side of the contest they want to enter, and the "amateur" side would need significantly worse prizes to prevent the unscrupulous of the graphic gods from entering it, although even that isn't great... If someone figures they can get about 6th in the pro section, but first in the amateur, they might go amateur anyway if 1st place there is worth more than 6th place in pro.

The best way to handle it is the simplest. You give the best theme the first prize, the second best the second prize, and the third best the third prize. Any other bracketing of entries leads to problems, and problems lead to complaints, and complaints lead to nobody having a good time.

phillryu · Mar 30, 2004, 04:30 PM

And by the way, there are plenty of great entries by people I had never heard of. So I can't see it really working.

Fonzie · Mar 30, 2004, 04:30 PM

damn, i'm an amateur. oh well. must....carry....on. Oh and check out my "need help" thread.

swiz · Mar 30, 2004, 05:12 PM

Originally posted by phillryu:
And by the way, there are plenty of great entries by people I had never heard of. So I can't see it really working.

I echo this, my favorites are by people I have never seen anything from. They'd kick my butt.

Twister · Mar 30, 2004, 05:18 PM

i haven't read all of this.... i just skimmed

... but i think some of the pro themes SUCK and some of the amateur themes ROCK. It's a matter of taste i suppose, but I can't see how Pro vs Amateur would really make that much difference. Example: Jet Black is a PRO theme and I don't care for it. To dark and looks unusable. But Good Gray (that's amateur right?) is awesome in my world.