Graphic Design Contests

**camperjohn** · 02-12-2005, 02:31 AM

Hi, I have a website that has skins for homepages. The skins are really cool and I've done 50 skins in the last few weeks. I'm all skinned out and am looking for an artist that would like to make more skins since I offically have reached creative burnout.

For a programmer, creative burnout comes pretty quick.

1) Here is the site:

http://www.homepagepal.com

2) Here you can browse the current skins:

http://www.homepagepal.com/skins.php

3) Here is where you can learn how to make a skin and submit a skin. Download the example ZIP file.

http://www.homepagepal.com/submitski...roduction.html

Of coarse I pay money, and making skins is really easy. It's just 4 images and maybe a CSS file. I can make a skin in about 20 minutes.

I would like to know how much someone would charge to make 50 or so skins. Off the top of my head, I am thinking only about $5 per skin (hey it's only 1 image, a background, and two text images).

Since I can make 3 an hour, that would be $15 bucks an hour. If you make a whack of them on Saturday, you could make $150 no problem.

Does that sound reasonable? Maybe you can look at how easy/difficult it is to make a skin and say yes you'll do it, or say I'm out of my tree. I'm probably out of my tree. I have done 50 skins. So it isn't that tough.

john@mccarthy.net

**Line** · 02-12-2005, 02:35 AM

I think $5 a skin is too cheap. Some people will do it but for pro's it's really not good.

I would give a bit more.

Looks like fun though.

-Line

**Jake** · 02-12-2005, 02:53 AM

5 bucks is perfect, they look easy as pie to make.
So, we can just make 'em and if you like 'em we can get 5 bucks?

I'll start poking around in it tomorrow.

**martian2k4** · 02-12-2005, 11:02 AM

I will make a few skins for ya tomorrow

**camperjohn** · 02-12-2005, 11:48 AM

Well the first one is the only hard one because you will need to delete it after you reliaze "oh crap, I didnt realize this or that". But they are really easy as pie once you have inspiration. So I think$5 is not that unreasonable.

I walk around my house and I get 100 ideas. Mirrors, paintings, then oh, the TV, then the Star Trek Panel, then whatever. For me it's inspiration on what to make.

I spent 1 year working in my office before I finally looked at my wall and noticed a whiteboard that has been there since I bought my house. BAM another idea. 5 minutes later I have another skin.

So yes, if you just make a few skins, then PM me here or email me, I will drop you $5 per skin. If it sux *** I will tell you, but hey if they are cool and you make 3 and never return to the site - easy $15. Paypal?

john@mccarthy.net

**martian2k4** · 02-12-2005, 11:53 AM

Do we need to slice them or will you do that?

**hackySack** · 02-12-2005, 12:40 PM

What a good idea

, looks interesting, might give it a shot too

**camperjohn** · 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by martian2k4

Do we need to slice them or will you do that?

Well sort of - you just make the 4 images (or 5 if you do a workspace image) and use the tool on the website to upload them. Then you can preview it, see if it turned out how you thought it would.

**martian2k4** · 02-12-2005, 04:55 PM

ok thats kew i will make a few tomorrow

**camperjohn** · 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Line

I think $5 a skin is too cheap. Some people will do it but for pro's it's really not good.
-Line

Well I tried it myself this Saturday just to confirm I am not whacked. I made 5 new skins in about an hour. Now I admit I know exactly how to do it, how to test it, how to delete it when I screw up and re-upload it.

But if an amateur can do the first one in an hour, then 3 the next hour, then 5 an hour after that I think $5 per skins is not bad.

Check out my "Corkboard, Stereo7 and 404" skins at http://www.homepagepal.com/skins.php. I really like the XboX skin.

**Line** · 05:53 PM

I must say this, HomePagePal.com site is pretty cool tool camperjohn
I just tried it out and I think alot of people will find it useful. The great part is you don't even have to download anything. You just use it and it works straight through your site. It's very easy to understand and it can be done in seconds. As far as I can tell it looks like it doesn't install anything into your browser either like some of those other browser hacks.

Curious though is your only revenue made through the site via the banner ad in the top right of the homepage editor screen? or are you getting anything for click through's of the links people put as their homepage? If that's too much information to give, I'll understand if you don't give an answer.

Anyhow, nice job on the site. It worked very fast and it was very cool.

If only I was a programmer!!!

-Line

**Line** · 02-12-2005, 06:04 PM

Also,
I think this site will bring in alot of traffic to you. I'm curious right now if a designer submits a design for $5.00. Other than their name being shown as the designer of the template, does the designer get any other rights or royalty fees?

-Line

**CasaPages** · 02-12-2005, 06:32 PM

this thing is hot. Little buggy but HOT

**camperjohn** · 02-12-2005, 06:36 PM

1) At the moment, I am just getting revenue from Google Asense. I had banners up, but redesigned the front end and the banners went away. Soon I will code my own Google Adsense and people can post their own banners. Then I will go back to my own banners since Google shaves way too much.

There are several cool things you can do with a "dynamic homepage that people design themselves". Imagine if you had the right to put stuff in people's favorites list, and they didn't mind, and if you could see what was in their favorites list...Imagine if you could modify their favorites list, and they didn't mind...do you think you could sell clicks from those to webmasters? Yup, I think I can too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Line

Also,
I think this site will bring in alot of traffic to you. I'm curious right now if a designer submits a design for $5.00. Other than their name being shown as the designer of the template, does the designer get any other rights or royalty fees?

-Line

It's only an image. I don't really care. I could claim that I own it, since I did pay them. If they gave it to me on the pretense that they would get royalies then I would. But if they sell it to me for $5 then that's that. Welcome to the modern world. You can't sell a car for $500, have the new owner paint it then sue because now it's worth more. Tough, you sold it.

They could claim artistic rights, but it's only a stupid $5 image. They can sue me, cause I ain't gunna sue them over $5. If they upload it and want it take it down, they can sue me to take it down, or give me my $5 back. I can't think of anything more hardcore to say. :-(

**Line** · 02-12-2005, 07:12 PM

I was thinking, say for example they click where it says "artwork name" by "designer". If they clicked on the designers name they could go to the designers page on homepagepal.com and they could get info about the designer and how to contact them.

-Line

**camperjohn** · 02-12-2005, 07:28 PM

Hmm, yeah I could do that. I guess I could add a profile page for each member. I already have a profile page that the member himself sees, but I guess I could make a public one as well.

Oh, Oh, he could also put his website in the Notes from Author area. Everyone will see that. Each skin has a notes about it. Even though I have not really used it yet.

**Dark-Skys99** · 02-13-2005, 08:43 AM

Thanks alot for the payment

$20 for 4 skins... great!

Worth giving it a try

**angele803** · 02-15-2005, 10:45 PM

I tried to submit one I made. Let me know if I did it right and I would love to work on some more.
Stephanie

**camperjohn** · 02-23-2005, 02:10 PM

I've added some more options and cleaned up the javascript, give it a try now...