There is a famous biblical passage that reads: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Whether or not that’s true in general (spoilers: it isn’t), it is certainly true in the case of my request for a new banner for the blog. I have been overwhelmed with the level of creativity and generosity demonstrated by the readers here, and you have the most sincere thanks that I can muster from my godless, soulless core. I have boiled down the multitude of submissions to 5 of my favourites:
#1 – From T. Pilser
The watermark in the background is famed black freethinker Frederick Douglass.
#2 – From Stephanie Zvan
I like the use of the sickle as the C.
#3 – From Morby
Clean, elegant, and the 3D version of the fist is very cool.
#4 – From vacuumslayer
Certifiably badass. Vacuumslayer has offered to customize it a bit, so I may try to work the quote in there somewhere.
#5 – From William
I thought a banner with my face on it would creep me out, but I like the cartoon version of me.
It’s a tough decision, so I am going to throw it open to a vote. In the comments section, please indicate your preference. Whichever design gets the most votes will become the new banner for the website.
Once again, my deepest gratitude to everyone who participated in this contest. I was certainly not expecting such an outpouring of top-notch design and creativity. You all make me proud to be doing this.
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82 comments
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Andrew G.
November 15, 2011 at 12:01 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Your image links for #1 and #2 seem to go to gmail and not to somewhere that actually works.
thedudediogenes
November 15, 2011 at 12:17 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
1 and 2 aren’t appearing for me, for some reason, but I vote 3 or 5.
Crommunist
November 15, 2011 at 12:25 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I hope I have fixed the problem of the 2 missing images.
Ian
November 15, 2011 at 12:32 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
They all look fantastic. I don’t have a vote, but I’d suggest offering copies of your CD to all these finishing.
Thomas Lawson
November 15, 2011 at 12:33 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I’m kind of partial to the Golden Age of Freethought, so I like the Douglass one, but #3 has the pop a blog needs.
sg
November 15, 2011 at 12:40 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
my ranked preferences from most to least favorite:
4, 5, 1, 2, 3
rwahrens
November 15, 2011 at 12:51 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#1
All of them look good, though.
Cuttlefish
November 15, 2011 at 12:56 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I vote for all of them–at one point, FtB were supposed to have the capability of rotating banners, like PZ still has over at his other (scienceblogs) location.
For just one, I vote #1–best use of the “A”, and I like the Douglass background.
Jenny Draper
November 15, 2011 at 12:59 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I like 2 and 4. Also, you should have picked a shorter quote.
abeille
November 15, 2011 at 1:10 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I really like 4.
Almulhida
November 15, 2011 at 1:18 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hmm I think I’m gonna go with 1. The Hitchens quote is most legible on that one.
John McKay
November 15, 2011 at 1:23 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I vote for #2.
Nentuaby
November 15, 2011 at 1:24 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I vote #5. I really like the little caricature bit.
thaismcrc
November 15, 2011 at 1:51 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#2 is the best by far
Michael Swanson)
November 15, 2011 at 2:15 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#3
yaoi_myantidrug
November 15, 2011 at 2:18 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Number 4 is amazeballs.
Sphex
November 15, 2011 at 2:22 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I vote for 2 or 4… But they’re all really good, so I second the “rotating banners” wish.
Learninglate
November 15, 2011 at 2:28 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Number 1 for me. Love the A and love Frederick Douglas.
unbound
November 15, 2011 at 2:38 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#4
Aliasalpha
November 15, 2011 at 2:45 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#1 is very nice & stylish but the quote makes it too busy
#2 is really distinctive, still a lot going on but nicely broken up
#3 is also too busy but I like the adherence to the current colour scheme
#4 is extremely nice but the words The & Manifesto need to stand out a bit more.
#5 Looks really cool but again the quote makes it too busy.
Overall, as good as the quote is, I think its just too long for a banner and I think that all 4 of the quote-enabled banners would benefit from its removal. Assuming, however, that the quote is viewed an essential component, the only one where it looks reanonably good is in #2 so that gets my vote
Josh
November 15, 2011 at 2:53 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
4
Jamie
November 15, 2011 at 2:54 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
My vote is for Number 4 as well – seriously great stuff.
And another vote for those saying the quote is too long for a banner
Kareth
November 15, 2011 at 3:03 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I like #2 the best. It is visually striking, the colors have enough contrast for it to still be easily readable, and it manages to look clean and simple even though there is actually still a lot going on visually.
Makoto
November 15, 2011 at 3:06 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#2 (Stephanie Zvan) is my favorite, but #1 (T. Pilser) is also pretty cool.
Alethea H. Claw
November 15, 2011 at 3:21 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#2. Classic communist style, both west and east, and it works in the quote in a consistent way.
1 is easier to read, and I like the watermark, but the quote being left-ragged is just messy.
3 & 5 are too busy. The cartoon you is very cute; perhaps you could use it elsewhere.
4 looks beautiful, but also looks like a promo for a cool horror movie.
shouldbeworking
November 15, 2011 at 3:27 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I like #5. The caricature reminds me of the smiling, strong workers of the collective on the propaganda posters. Just like you toiling away for the good of the people.
dpearson
November 15, 2011 at 3:37 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#1 with #4 as a close second.
Riptide
November 15, 2011 at 3:56 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I definitely vote for the second one (as it works best with the quote, I think, and I love the quote, too).
devinmcanelly
November 15, 2011 at 4:01 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#4 looks pretty sweet.
#1 just looks awesome though.
wvbishop
November 15, 2011 at 4:06 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I like #4, but make the letters pop a bit better, then add small watermark of Frederick Douglass… like you really wanted artistic commentary.
Lauren
November 15, 2011 at 4:59 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
3!
neptis
November 15, 2011 at 6:00 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#3 as well. #5 looks nice, but the quote is just too much.
Enkidum
November 15, 2011 at 6:16 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
3!
Tisha Irwin
November 15, 2011 at 6:30 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
3
Julia
November 15, 2011 at 6:54 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I would absolutely love 2 if the quote were in a more-readable font.
If that’s not doable, 1.
Izzy Leonard
November 15, 2011 at 6:59 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#2
Jen
November 15, 2011 at 7:16 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Love 5!
Simon B
November 15, 2011 at 7:31 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
4 or 5
Gordon
November 15, 2011 at 9:41 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Do you need to pick one? Or can you cycle therough them all?
Kev
November 15, 2011 at 9:49 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Big fan of 3. LOVE the pop of the 3D fist. Only minus for me is how Hitch’s name stands out too much.
If not 3 then 1.
Hertta
November 15, 2011 at 10:08 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#5
chrisj
November 15, 2011 at 11:50 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I like 1 best, but they’re all good.
VeritasKnight
November 15, 2011 at 1:02 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I have to be straight-up honest here, Crommunist, and tell you that I don’t like any of these. I think they’re all too cluttered. But if you force me to choose, I vote for #2. It’s the cleanest of the images, imo, and I like the colour and font schemes.
anthony
November 15, 2011 at 1:15 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#4, because, and I couldn’t agree more, it’s “[c]ertifiably badass.”
Johnny Vector
November 15, 2011 at 1:24 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
4, all the way.
Lauren Ipsum
November 15, 2011 at 2:45 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
2, then 4, although I prefer rotating banners.
Soulless Realist
November 15, 2011 at 3:26 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
This is a tough one because they’re all good. But my vote is on #3!
bunnyhugger
November 15, 2011 at 3:46 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#4 or #5, in that order of preference
fastlane
November 15, 2011 at 4:17 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
4,3,1,2,5.
I think you should do an instant run off election. =P
I really think you should rotate them, or randomize them, the way PZ did (does?).
Brian Lynchehaun
November 15, 2011 at 4:36 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Ranked preference (all within the ‘awesome’ range
):
3, 1, 5, 4, 2.
Flimsyman
November 15, 2011 at 5:47 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hm, all are great, but in order of my preference:
1. Quote is most readable, and Frederick Douglass is four dozen kinds of badass.
3. Colors are clean and awesome, and I agree that the fist is great in this one.
2. I also like the colors and sickle “C” in this one.
4.
5.
MadScutter
November 15, 2011 at 5:50 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
In order of preference:
3,1,4,2,5
smacr
November 15, 2011 at 6:09 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#3
wren
November 15, 2011 at 6:51 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I’m split between 1 and 3.
Cheers
sidhe3141
November 15, 2011 at 6:53 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
2 or 5.
annesauer
November 15, 2011 at 7:35 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
My vote goes to #2.
Parse
November 15, 2011 at 8:36 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
In order, my choices would be 1, 4, 3, 2, 5, though any of them would be excellent choices.
My thoughts on each:
1) High contrast, clear font, and the inclusion of Frederick Douglass is a nice bonus. Incorporating the ‘A’ in the fist into the blog name helps draw your eye to the fact that there’s a letter there, and isn’t just the standard Black Power fist
2) I want to like this one more than I do. I really like the C/fist, and the whole Soviet Russia feel, but the combination of the color scheme and the font make it difficult to read, and grating to my eyes.
3) Clean and well-designed. It’s the little details that make it shine – the slight gradient of the background, the 3D shading on the fist, the use of a serif font, the use of shadows where the letters hang over the background. I’d try to find a way to add a dash before Hitchen’s name, to show that the quote is by him, and not the blog.
4) I like the combination of the normal, serif font and the ‘signature’. I think this is the ‘artsy-est’ of the banners, and I like the overall appearance of it.
5) I like the layout, the cartoon, and the color scheme (the darker red and the gradient helps reduce the shock that Stephanie’s gives) – I just don’t like the chosen font.
etherial
November 16, 2011 at 4:27 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
3 is my favorite, though I think you need a more thorough stylistic overhaul.
sally
November 16, 2011 at 6:48 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#4…by a mile.
Eric
November 16, 2011 at 7:31 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I would go with number 1, it has a certain stoic class to it. That being said, I would like number 2 more if it was just a little bit darker over all, everything is just a little too bright for my tastes.
I also like number 3 but I think it has too much of a “Red Shoe Diaries” feel to it. Which, while being perfect for soft-core porn, doesn’t really fit with the blog.
Eric
November 16, 2011 at 7:33 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Oops, I meant number 4 for that “soft-core porn” comment. No offense intended to the makers of number 4, or the makers of number 3 which may have felt horribly offended by my mistake.
Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort
November 16, 2011 at 7:51 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
5 and then 1
Donovan
November 16, 2011 at 8:54 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
4
marianna
November 16, 2011 at 9:04 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#2. This is gorgeous and eye-catching, and the typeface is unusual but still very easy to read. Immediately brought to mind Soviet propaganda posters from the first half of the 20th century in its graphic elements and bold use of color. There’s just something extra special about this one…
Daniel Schealler
November 16, 2011 at 9:42 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#5, definitely
Sneffy
November 16, 2011 at 11:48 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#1 or #2
Xexilf
November 17, 2011 at 1:30 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
4, all the way.
sithrazer
November 17, 2011 at 2:50 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I like number 2 and number 4. I can’t really put one ahead of the other.
ildi
November 17, 2011 at 2:54 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
4
GenghisFaun
November 17, 2011 at 3:01 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
It’s a tough choice, but put me down for # 1, please.
machintelligence
November 17, 2011 at 3:12 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I like 4 best.
Herr Mann
November 17, 2011 at 3:27 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I like #4.
baryogenesis
November 17, 2011 at 3:36 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#4 for sure
WMDKitty
November 17, 2011 at 5:24 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I like #4.
Vx
November 17, 2011 at 6:56 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#2! Use #2!
Manly Bowler
November 17, 2011 at 8:39 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
5, 2, 1, 4, 3. To be honest, instead of banner 3 I only see a message that it has been deleted, so there’s that.
You might want to fix it.
aspidoscelis
November 17, 2011 at 8:48 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#1.
you_monster
November 17, 2011 at 6:28 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#1, got to love Douglas.
Sean Boyd
November 19, 2011 at 2:38 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#2 gets my vote. Using the fist as a hammer is perfect.
theophontes, Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane Wielding Tardigrade
November 19, 2011 at 3:21 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#2
But I also like the cartoon in #5. Perhaps you could use it as your avitar (though it would be fun to add a little red star to your hat)
Rikitiki
November 20, 2011 at 6:20 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
#2, definitely. The semblance to old Russian propaganda posters is AWESOME. The Frederick Douglass (#1) is a nice touch, but the black&white just isn’t as eye-catching and dynamic as #2.
SushiMPLS
November 21, 2011 at 8:14 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Gotta do a #2