Student Design Competition Q&A: What's this "Made-Up" Character in Your Rules?

Student Design Competition Q&A: What's this

Q.jpgI'm interested in entering work in the News Magazine and Entertainment Magazine categories of your Student Design Competition. I noticed in the News category, it says our story can feature a real person or "somebody you've made up." If I want to feature a fictional character that already exists, would that be acceptable?

And in the Entertainment category, it says the person being featured doesn't have to be a "real celebrity" ... can you explain this a little more? 




A.jpgYou're right, that IS confusing! But let's see if we can clarify for you...

In regards to the News category: When we say "it can be a real person or somebody you've made up", we simply mean the sky is the limit! If you'd like your layout to feature a well-known celebrity, go for it! If you'd like it to feature a character from a novel or movie ... say Katniss Everdeen ... that's great too! Or if you want to create your own persona, that's totally good! 

In the Entertainment Magazine category, the situation is similar. It could be a real celebrity or it could be an imaginary one, either from your own mind or a character someone else has created. 

But why would anyone create an entirely new person, you ask? The reason we include this as an option is to give you creative freedom. A large part of your design will be your imagery, either as photography or illustration. If you're featuring a known person or character, then your imagery will be somewhat limited. The Entertainment category actually requires you to create your own photography or illustrations of the person. Can you create a photo of a well-known celebrity? Perhaps. But it's a whole lot easier and allows for a lot more creativity if you create your own character ... have a friend pose as your made-up person. Or simply draw this imaginary being. 

So, if you have a clever idea on how to photograph/illustrate someone well-known, we'd love to see it! But otherwise, don't hesitate to simply make someone up ... as long you treat the faux/imaginary characters as if they were as real as the celebrities, you'll be on target!


Got another question? Check out all our FAQs on the competition details page here, or email us at spdstudentoutreach@gmail.com.
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