Design this site


After three years, it's time for a complete redesign of Overheard in New York - and a great opportunity for an up-and-coming designer to get some visibility. All you have to do is send us a new design for the site's front page. The winning design gets $2000, endless props, prominent credit on the site, your picture and bio listed on the site's (upcoming) team page -- whatever we need to do to make you happy. What do you have to do? Just email design@overheardinnewyork.com to let us know you want to enter the contest, and then send us your final design by September 1st.

Here are the requirements.

  1. Half of our readers have 1024x768 screens, so the design should be optimized for that size.
  2. We're kind of attached to that blue color on the front, so that ought to be in there, somewhere.
  3. We like the rotating pictures of New York that are on top, but they can be resized or replaced or used differently.
  4. There has to be space for ads -- that's how we're going to come up with the money to pay you! -- both in a right column and a banner on the top.
Everything else -- using our logo, our organization, anything else -- is optional. You can completely redesign the site, the sky is the limit.

Can't wait to see what you come up with! If you have questions or want more details, drop us a line.

Team Overheard
design@overheardinnewyork.com

Here are some common questions we've been getting, and our answers--let us know if you have any other questions that aren't answered here:
  • Can I redo the logo? Sure!
  • If I want to use the current logo, can you send me a copy of it? Sure!
  • Do I need to create an HTML version of the site? No, an image of your design is fine. The winning contestant will need to convert his design to HTML and CSS for us.
  • Will I need to integrate the design with your site? Nope--we just need the HTML of the winning design and we'll take it from there.
  • Do I need to include the randomized images of NY in the exact size/shape/position you have them now? No, not at all.
  • Will I need to takes lots of pictures of NY or convert pictures to be used with the randomization? No, leave that to us--you just need to include one in your proposed design, and we'll convert the other images to that size and shape and add in our randomization software.
  • Is the banner ad in addition to the rotating images of NY in the image on the top? Yes; and remember, the rotating images of NY don't necessarily need to be on the top, and the banner ad shouldn't be too prominent.
  • What size is the banner ad? 728x90 pixels.
  • Is the banner ad in addition to the ads in the right column? Yes
  • Do I need to keep the same links that are on the site now? Yes, but you can change around the position, placement and everything about them. Note that the links should ideally be in text, so that we can easily change them.
  • Do you like CSS? We love CSS.
  • Should I use Flash? Definitely not!
  • Does the background and main color need to be blue? No, not at all. In fact, the background shouldn't be blue, since it will be hard to read. But you should include the blue in the site somewhere, even if it's not that prominent.
  • Does it need to be the same shade of blue on the background now? Yes, that's the whole point.
  • What don't you like about the current site? It's hard to read and it looks very 1999-ish.
  • Can I show you versions and ideas I have for the design, before the deadline to get your feedback? Sure!
  • Is there a limit on the number of designs I can submit? No!
  • Do I have to be the USA? No, you can be anywhere in the world. If you win, we'll find a way to get the money to you.
  • Can the design be resolution independent? Yes.
  • Can part of the design be the way in which the NY images rotate? Yes.
  • Can I use Javascript? Yes, definitely.
  • Can I use PHP? Depends. The pages will be output as flat HTML pages. We're not going to run all of the pages as PHP. But, if there is something you want to do that requires PHP (or Perl), then we might be able to have a script that does something for that part. If you decide to use PHP for something on the page, then tell us about it and we'll tell you if there's a way that we can integrate what you want to do into the technical infrastructure.
Any other questions not listed here? Ask away!