Unframed is our way of getting fresh art from passionate artists onto Nutcase helmets. In the first year of Unframed, we worked with three great artists and produced three unique designs.
This is our second Unframed season, and we are casting a very wide, global net to get a great variety of talented designers and artists to submit art for helmet designs. Thus far we have over 30 entries from artists from France, Canada, Chile, Germany, UK, Australia, Columbia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, and the U.S.
And it’s not too late to add a few more artists and countries to that list.
Unframed artwork by Sandra Ramirez
We’re in the countdown now, with just two days remaining for artists to submit. However, we’ve realized that many artists feel a bit stymied, believing that their submissions must be a finished helmet design.
That’s not the case – we want to see passion, concepts, ideas, and lots of quirky goodness, but the artwork does not have to be perfectly ‘helmet-ready.’ In fact, turning concepts and rough sketches into super fun and funky designs is what we do best, and it’s part of the process an artist will go through with us – in other words, taking the concept from fantastic art idea to finished helmet is a bonus of being chosen.
So to make sure everyone who wants to enter can easily do so, below you’ll find our mini-FAQ that spells out in a bit more detail what we’re looking for. (And if you want to try to get inside the minds of the Nutcase judges, read this!)
Q: Does it have to be a final design?
A: We want passion, variety, freshness, and fun. We’ll help the winning artists translate 2D artwork to 3D helmets.
Q: How do I submit?
A: We’ll take you through it – start right here.
Q: Are there style requirements?
A: The only real requirement for the initial submission is that it truly reflects the artist’s unique style, and that the work is done on the Helmet Design Template.
Q: How many colors can I use?
A: That’s up to the artist. Looking at the winning designs its clear that the first three Unframed artists used color in very different and striking ways.
Q: Do I have to be a professional artist?
A: No, but winning the 2015 Unframed contest can help boost an artist’s work to a more global audience through our outreach, our network of international helmet distributors, and our efforts at the Eurobike and Interbike bicycle shows.
Q: Is there an age restriction?
A: Anybody can be chosen to work with Nutcase on a helmet design, and win the $1000 award. However, we are not set up to travel with minors to the tradeshows in Germany and the US.
Q: Can someone from another country submit?
A: Please!
The first three Unframed artists’ helmets.
A: We would prefer to see a great concept and other pieces from an entered artist’s portfolio rather than excess submissions from one artist.
A: An idea or example that goes where no helmet graphics have gone before
A: Our in-house panel of judges.
Artist at work – Ray Moore.
Q: What do I get?
A: The winning entry gets the winner $1,000 in prize money for delivery of final art files, plus the possibility to join us on an expenses-paid journey to create art at a 2015 bicycle show. Best of all, the winning artist becomes an honorary Nutcase.
Q: Does it cost to enter?
A: Only your time and imagination.
Q: I entered last year, can I enter again this year?
A: Yes – unless you’ve already won.