Thanks to all those who participated in the banner contest! All submissions are top notch and worthy of recognition. Now I need your help in deciding which one to use for the All Things Aquatic banner. The poll will be open for 7 days. Thanks for your vote! The submissions are as follows and in numerical order from top to bottom:

# 1 for me

They all look like they were made by the same person.

Quite possibly the same programming, but I assure you, not the same person!

Submission 3 &4 MUST be the same person, or we have some serious copyright infringement on hand...

submission 3 &4 must be the same person, or we have some serious copyright infringement on hand...

+1

The last one is to small for me to see.

To me the fishes eyes look evil. I like #1 with a different fish without the evil eyes.

Joe

Submission 3 &4 MUST be the same person, or we have some serious copyright infringement on hand...

+1

number one is the better one but needs work on the eyes

Truly a well done job by all. No matter who wins, you all deserve an honorable mention.

They all look brilliant! :)

Questions - and they are SERIOUS considerations for my vote...

#1 - Do you have a logo for your store? If so, which banner has your logo in it? Branding your company consistently is a major piece of successful marketing.

#2 - If not, then which banner would you want to become your store's logo - to be used in all branding applications?

#3 - If so, if none of the banners have your logo, then why not?

Sorry - thinking in terms of what's best for a company just comes naturally to me and it's where my head is when it comes to advertising.

Hope this helps - it's not meant to criticize anyone's work - it's questions that I am asking.

Questions - and they are SERIOUS considerations for my vote...

#1 - Do you have a logo for your store? If so, which banner has your logo in it? Branding your company consistently is a major piece of successful marketing.

I do not currently have a logo for the store. I was getting some help with that, and we came up with an awesome idea, it seems creation reef had my original idea first, oh well! I do want to use the banner for my co's logo, signage, bus. cards, etc., if it is suitable.

#2 - If not, then which banner would you want to become your store's logo - to be used in all branding applications?

I actually like them all, but I think #5 is my personal fav. I like the bubbles, and the letters.

#3 - If so, if none of the banners have your logo, then why not?

I have no logo yet, that's why the contest. I am in no way an artist, and cannot accomplish this on my own.

Sorry - thinking in terms of what's best for a company just comes naturally to me and it's where my head is when it comes to advertising.

Hope this helps - it's not meant to criticize anyone's work - it's questions that I am asking.

I need all the help I can get sometimes. I like hearing others opinions, it sometimes helps me to make a better decision. Thanks for your input.

If you are planning to gather your logo from the winning banner, be sure to get a couple things from the winner:

1 - The source file that was used to build the banner and all files used in its creation (fish, bubbles, etc...) in their original format.

2 - The fonts used in the banner

3 - Vector graphics of everything used in the banner if at all possible.

Have a graphic artist convert the logo part of the banner into at least two formats: full color, and black and white (not grayscale). You want them to provide these to you in vector format and in high-resolution JPG format.

If the graphic artist doesn't understand how to get you a vector format, then get another graphic artist (make sure you provide them with the three items listed above). Vector art is as basic for graphic artists as knowing that using clorox is not a good way to kill hair algae.

My preference is a combination of 4 and 5. I like the letters in 4 - it's an easy to read font which is so commonly used that it will be easy for a graphic artist or anyone else to be able to use even if you don't have the font to give to them.

I like the fish in number 5 - a bright yellow contrasts well with a dark/semi-dark blue background. Make very sure to get a vector version of that fish (or whatever fish you are using). As far as the bubbles on that background, get a much larger picture made with a lot of the bubbles all over the artwork.

Why vector art? It can be resized al over the place and still look the same. Regular internet art (jpgs) looks great on screen, but not so great in print. If you try to enlarge it, it gets fuzzy and jagged (or "pixelated" as we say in Graphicese.")

Let me know if you need help rounding these things up and I'll see what I can do for you.

I can assist with the graphic artist position. just let me know. send me a PM.

Come on guys, poll gets closed on Monday!! Need more votes!

Two more day to vote!!!