Why are Tigerprint doing these competitions?
At Tigerprint we are always on the look out for fresh and exciting new design talent to work with. We believe that our design competitions provide a fantastic opportunity for everyone including students and graduates to demonstrate their design talents. It’s also a great way for you to get an insight to what it’s like to work on a live commercial design brief.
How do the competitions work?
It's like this:
1. Each month we launch an exciting new design brief.
2. You submit a great design that follows the brief to the competition.
3. We judge all the designs and the overall winner will receive a prize of £200 plus the possibility of seeing their design in a future Marks & Spencer range.
4. We also select up to four runners up each of whom receive feedback on their design and an exciting runner up prize.
What other competitions have there been?
See the designs and get the scoop in the Winner and runner up gallery.
Please check out our past competitions here.
How can I get competition updates?
We provide lots of updates and will answer your competition questions on our Facebook page. Become a fan of "Tigerprint Design Competition," and the updates will go straight to your profile. On the page you can also share your entry and get feedback from other fans, if you'd like.
Who is eligible to participate in the competitions?
Each contest is open to all persons, age 18 or older as of the first day of submission.
Do I have to live in the U.K. to enter?
Nope! You sure don't. The competitions are open to our international friends, too! We'll accept submissions in English from all over the globe. We've had a few international winners of the competition which is completely fine the only issue being we can't offer a placement at our studio as part of the prize if applicable – our budgets not that big :-(
Can I enter more than one design in each competition?
That depends on the specific competition brief. We usually allow each entrant to submit five designs per competition. However please ensure you read each specific competition page to get the most up to date information.
Can I enter another competition if I've already been a winner?
Why, yes! We'd be thrilled to see your winning entries keep coming our way!
How do I know if Tigerprint received my submission?
When we get your submission, you will receive an e-mail confirming we got it. Please add [email protected] to your contact list in your e-mail address book, so your inbox doesn't mistake our e-mails for junk. Because junk they are not!
How do I make sure my design file type is correct?
Make sure to save your design as a .jpg in RGB color format. Our system will not accept design files saved in CMYK color format.
I’ve submitted by design entry which is now on display in the on-line gallery. But why is it just a black square?
That will most likely be because you've submitted your design in CMYK format rather than RGB.
Can I submit a photo or image I found through an Internet search?
Probably not. A photo or image may seem like it's "out there" on the Internet, but it can't be reproduced on a Tigerprint product without permission from the photographer and legal release forms covering prominent persons and places in the shot (like someones house). This includes anything from stock houses or labeled as "royalty free." Unless you're willing to go the distance and secure all those forms, it's best just to stick to your own stuff.
Anything I should avoid in my submission that could get me disqualified?
YES. Aside from needing to be a high enough resolution/dpi to print well, we will review entries for any trademark or brand name that is prominent (think logos, shop-bought props, recognizable locations, and trademarked or branded items) and could lead the owner of that trademark to object. If you're submitting a photo, it needs to be taken by you, or you need to have permission from the person who did. You will also need permission to photograph the people or animals in the photo. If they are kids or pets, get permission from their parents or owners. (If you're chosen as a winner, we'll send you official model release forms but please, oh please, get their permission before you send in the photo.)
Also, at the judges' discretion, entries including unsuitable content, insufficient image resolution, non-English language entries, sexually explicit or inappropriate content, descriptions or images of people or animals in unsafe conditions or content that is in violation of third party rights (including, but not limited to, copyrights) will be immediately disqualified. Tigerprint will use its sole discretion in determining whether an entry should be disqualified.
Do you have any design tips to help me?
Why, yes. And here they are.
Will my design be changed in any way by Tigerprint?
Tigerprint do reserve the right to make any modifications to a winning entry after acquiring a signed release form from the creator. More often than not our Design Managers will have a particular look/ format in mind which means your design will need to be adapted to suit. This is not a reflection on you as a designer but on what we create to be commercially successful. It is a true reflection of our working process in the design studio here at Tigerprint.
Can I submit a design that doesn't relate to the current competition?
No, but you can put it in your pocket and save it for a rainy day. And by rainy day, we mean future competitions that might better suit your design.
Can I enter the same photo or design in more than one competition?
Yes, you may enter your photo or design in more than one competition, even if it has been a previous winner. However please make sure before submitting that it answers the brief fully to be in with a good chance of success.
JUDGING
How will the designs be judged?
Ask yourself these 3 things when you are designing for the competition:
1. Does it stick to the BRIEF?—Does your design deliver what the competition calls for?
If the competition calls for surface pattern deliver beautiful pattern. If it calls for hand drawn type show us your best handwriting, you get the idea. Otherwise, your design will be disqualified.
2. Is it COMMERCIAL?—Could you imagine it in store at Marks & Spencer?
Imagine all the different people that walk into Marks & Spencer. Will a lot of them be able to appreciate and buy your design to send to one of their friends or family? No? Then, keep trying until you've got a real crowd-pleaser.
Is it YOURS?—Be true to yourself!
Ultimataely we want to see fresh and innovative designs. Make sure you have fun and experiment but stay true and only submit your own original work.
WINNERS & PRIZES
How are the winners chosen?
A panel of Tigerprint judges who really know their stuff will choose the top designs from all eligible entries. Entries will be judged based on whether they stick to the brief as well as on their commercial appeal. We will usually select one winner and up to four runners up.
What happens if I'm selected as a winner in the competition?
We'll contact you on judging day via email! We'll then need you to fill out some mighty important information about yourself and get all your legal paperwork and model release forms signed. And we need you to do so rather quickly (72 hours, to be exact), so we can officially call you a winner.
If I’m a winner, when will I hear the good news?
If you are pronounced a winner by our wise council of judges, they will email you a.s.a.p. after the final day of judging. Keep tabs on the judging progress on our site and Facebook page. We’ll be sharing lots of behind-the-scenes tidbits, and you’ll know to expect an email on judging day. Once we’ve contacted the winner and runners up we will announce the results to the rest of the world (via the website and the vast world of social media).
How many winners are chosen for each competition?
Most of the time we will only select one winner and up to four runners up. However if you guys WOW us we may select more! In addition we often contact designers after the competition to either purchase their design or brief them to work with us - all very exciting. Please note that we won't pick any designs just to fill a certain number of spots. So simply WOW us, and you'll have nothing to worry about!
How do you decide which designs go into a range for Marks & Spencer?
Just as we do for judging, a group of experienced Tigerprinters get together to decide the right mix of designs to include in our ranges and ultimately sell in stores. They consider things like the "look" and "feel" of each design and how commercial it is.
What are the prizes?
If you are chosen as a winner, you will receive £200 and the possibility that your design may be used in a future range. Where this is the happy case we will endeavor to provide samples of your designs but please note we usually work around a year in advance so you may have to wait a little while.
In addition we often invite entrants from the competitions to join us on placements in our West Yorkshire design studio or simply to bring in their portfolio and show us the stuff their made of!
Where can I buy the winning designs?
If one of our entrant’s designs makes it to store we will always notify the individual and make a big song and dance about it over our social media platforms. If it does make it to store you’ll find it at www.marksandspencer.com
How do I get a job at Tigerprint?
You can start by heading over to www.tigerprint.uk.com/jobs/to see the current employment opportunities. Also you may want to take a look at some of the profiles of our existing designers to learn a bit more about us www.tigerprint.uk.com/designer-profiles/
Got any other questions?
Please do contact the team who will be more than happy to assist at: [email protected]
