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For the past two years we have run community-promotion ads on other SE sites (graduated only), promoting this community. The current ad we're using is this:

our ad for other communities

In addition, now that we have graduated we can run ads on our own site. Candidate ad topics include:

  • the blog (direct link to the blog, to encourage readership)
  • writing for the blog, maybe something like this EL&U ad
  • the sandbox, aimed at new askers
  • any external resources that we have found useful for worldbuilding (map-making sites, for example)

Either way, we need images for these ads. And we can't just reuse last year's, because the size requirements have changed. Community ads will now be 300px wide by 250px high.

So, what ads do we want to make, both for ourselves and to run elsewhere? Do you have ideas for art to fit the new size requirements? Please share.

Soon there will be a separate post calling for submissions for community-promotion ads. This is not that post. I'm posting this now so that people can get started with drafting ads and adjusting -- or replacing, if we think it's time for a change -- our current external ad.

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  • $\begingroup$ That image, by the way, is fantastic. That planet clearly had something terrifying happen to it. Rethemed it makes a great "in construction" look. $\endgroup$
    – Draco18s no longer trusts SE
    Jan 12, 2016 at 21:54
  • $\begingroup$ @Draco18s It looks like it could be a paint-over of the Death Star 2: vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/e/ee/… The shapes of the missing, scarred, and darkened areas are uncannily similar. $\endgroup$
    – Slipp D. Thompson
    Jan 13, 2016 at 8:29
  • $\begingroup$ @SlippD.Thompson I wondered if that was the case, but I wasn't entirely sure. $\endgroup$
    – Draco18s no longer trusts SE
    Jan 13, 2016 at 15:19

9 Answers 9

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This is a proposal for an alternate ad to use in conjunction with this one (as in, use both, but on different sites). I was thinking this could be used as a replacement for the ad on RPG.SE. enter image description here

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Ad currently used (in 2017) on

See this question for community's approval.

enter image description here

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World In Progress

This is the original ad slightly modified to fit the new size requirements.

Submitted on RPG

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    $\begingroup$ The folks from RPG asked us about a new ad for their site. I move that we go ahead and submit this there. $\endgroup$
    – Monica Cellio
    Jan 19, 2016 at 2:57
  • $\begingroup$ @MonicaCellio go for it; if we come up with a better one we can always re-submit. $\endgroup$
    – ArtOfCode
    Jan 19, 2016 at 17:12
  • $\begingroup$ And we're live on RPG. That was fast! $\endgroup$
    – Monica Cellio
    Jan 19, 2016 at 18:42
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    $\begingroup$ We should submit it on writers as well, maybe some other places? $\endgroup$
    – Tim B
    Jan 22, 2016 at 17:25
  • $\begingroup$ @TimE feel free to submit it on any communities you see fit. $\endgroup$
    – overactor
    Jan 22, 2016 at 20:29
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external ad

Candidate external ad, based on an example in a highly-voted design suggestion.

Update: So far I've been unable to confirm usage rights on the image. It's on a bunch of "download free wallpaper" sites, but that's not the same as republishing and it's not attributed.

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Another idea for the blog:

enter image description here

Wording mostly stolen from the EL&U blog ad; images are two header images from our blog, and the blog logo (which I have high-res versions of, if anybody wants one to make an ad with).

Font is Fairview, which is the font our logo is based off.

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    $\begingroup$ I really like that :) $\endgroup$
    – Tim B
    Jan 19, 2016 at 17:26
  • $\begingroup$ I suggest adding this to the call for community ads, where if it reaches 6 votes it'll be part of the rotation. $\endgroup$
    – Monica Cellio
    Jan 19, 2016 at 19:15
  • $\begingroup$ @MonicaCellio done $\endgroup$
    – ArtOfCode
    Jan 19, 2016 at 19:22
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My artistic skills are non-existent, so I cobbled this together in Paint just as an illustration of concept, or to inspire someone with better art skills, not intended to be a final design.

enter image description here

The idea is for advertising the Worldbuilding Sandbox. The intention is to show a pair of hands sculpting a globe within a child's sandbox. At the top, the globe should look finished, then fade in level of detail toward the bottom, where it is just sand. The globe could be earth-like, but would probably be better as an abstract fantasy globe.

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  • $\begingroup$ Cool idea. It'll also need some text -- something like "want help developing your question? try the sandbox!" but less verbose probably. $\endgroup$
    – Monica Cellio
    Jan 14, 2016 at 21:21
  • $\begingroup$ What about "Building a question?" for the text. $\endgroup$
    – wizzwizz4
    Jan 21, 2016 at 18:57
  • $\begingroup$ I am creating an SVG image of this, where the globe will be easily substitutable for other globes, such as an abstract fantasy globe. $\endgroup$
    – wizzwizz4
    Jan 21, 2016 at 21:56
  • $\begingroup$ @wizzwizz4: Awesome! Can't wait to see. Feel free to add as an edit here, if you choose. $\endgroup$
    – cobaltduck
    Jan 21, 2016 at 21:59
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    $\begingroup$ We could maybe use the new logo from the site design thread as the planet in this image once the site design is finalized. $\endgroup$
    – Tim B
    Jan 22, 2016 at 17:26
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And here's a general ad for Worldbuilding:

enter image description here

Background image is from a blog that says all its posts are public domain. Main font is once again Fairview, secondary font is Quartz MS.

Posted on SciFi, on the suggestion of a few people in chat.

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    $\begingroup$ While I do really like this I agree with the comment from sci-fi that the "Welcome to Oskeron" text distracts from the main message. $\endgroup$
    – Tim B
    Jan 22, 2016 at 17:28
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Something like this might work for the Universe Factory:

enter image description here

enter image description here

enter image description here

I've now managed to add metadata (mainly the information about used images; IIUC needed to comply with the license, since the community ad doesn't have additional descriptive text to it) to the image; the following is the resulting file (visually identical, but with metadata):

enter image description here

Images used in the creation of this:

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    $\begingroup$ OK, I've added now another version based on version 2, with "dark glow" around all text, and "The Worldbuilding community blog" as text (it's now two lines). $\endgroup$
    – celtschk
    Jan 18, 2016 at 20:19
  • $\begingroup$ I've now added also a suggestion for the version asking for contributors. $\endgroup$
    – celtschk
    Jan 18, 2016 at 20:25
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    $\begingroup$ Glow is perfect, brings out the logo. Text on first might be good bigger. Text on second maybe. "Contributors wanted. The worldbuilding community blog." $\endgroup$
    – Tim B
    Jan 18, 2016 at 21:34
  • $\begingroup$ Thanks for the updates! I agree with Tim that the glow is perfect. I wonder if we should make the blog ad and the blog-writers-wanted ad a little more different from each other, just so people don't pattern-match the art and blog logo and miss that they're different. Swapping the text and logo, or putting "contributors wanted" above the logo (so moving it down a bit) could do the trick. These are just ideas; I'm not a graphic designer. Thanks again for your work on this! $\endgroup$
    – Monica Cellio
    Jan 18, 2016 at 23:51
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    $\begingroup$ Maybe go with the ArtOfCode one for contributing and use this one to advertise the blog itself? $\endgroup$
    – Tim B
    Jan 19, 2016 at 17:27
  • $\begingroup$ I suggest adding #4 ("the Worldbuilding community blog") to the call for community ads; if it reaches 6 votes there it'll be live. $\endgroup$
    – Monica Cellio
    Jan 19, 2016 at 19:15
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    $\begingroup$ @TimB: I've now added a new version of the blog ad with bigger text. I didn't make a new version of the contribution ad, as ArtOfCode's ad is already on the call-for-ads page. $\endgroup$
    – celtschk
    Jan 19, 2016 at 21:43
  • $\begingroup$ Looks great :) nice one $\endgroup$
    – Tim B
    Jan 19, 2016 at 22:09
  • $\begingroup$ Looks great! Want to go ahead and add that last one as an answer to the call for community ads? $\endgroup$
    – Monica Cellio
    Jan 20, 2016 at 4:23
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    $\begingroup$ @MonicaCellio: Done. Mouseover Tagline: Visit Universe Factory $\endgroup$
    – celtschk
    Jan 20, 2016 at 7:04
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I don't have a picture, but I do have a suggestion.

"Brave the wild sands of raw questions and use the Sandbox!"

Just an idea to make a wordplay with "Sandbox."

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