2012-2013 Decal Design Competition Kicks Off

Columns

by ARLnow.com October 17, 2011 at 3:58 pm 3,518 39 Comments

The Arlington County Treasurer’s Office is asking for entries for its 2012-2013 Vehicle Decal Design Competition. The contest, now in its eighth year, is open to all high school students who live in Arlington.

“The competition will give you the opportunity to practice your design skills as well as participate in the workings of local government,” the Treasurer’s Office said in a letter to high school students. “The winning decal design will be displayed on the windshields of over 155,000 vehicles in Arlington, and will become part of the Arlington decal exhibit located at the county administrative building.”

Students are asked to submit their design as a JPEG file, either via email or via CD. The design must be in a resolution no less than 300 DPI. The final decal measures 1.5 inches by 2.25 inches. More detailed instructions are available on the county’s web site.

Entries for the contest must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 23. Four finalists will be chosen by a “Citizens’ Panel” and will be announced in the Sun Gazette newspaper on Thursday, Dec. 8. Sun Gazette readers will then vote for a winning design, which is expected to be announced on Jan. 24, 2012.

The finalists will each receive a $500 savings bond.

This year’s competition winner was “Hume, Sweet Hume,” by Wakefield High School student Maya Giacobbe.

Smitty

When I am elected treasurer, we will get rid of the decal. I am not running on the basis of experience, my platform is that I will scrap the decal. I can figure out the rest when elected. Who’s with me?
- MC 703
  
  What is your position on 7-11 hotdog condiments?
  - CW
    
    Smitty, don’t answer the question. Hire me to consult on the matter. It’s one of my areas of expertise.
- brendan
  
  you mean scrape?
GetReal

the decal doesn’t bother me as much as the zone parking sticker. i wish they’d put the zone parking back on the decal like they did a few years ago. any ideas why they made it a separate sticker?
- Novanglus
  
  Because zone parking permits aren’t automatic or free anymore — there’s a limit to how many cars each house can have, and there’s a fee for each car. So it requires a separate sticker, provided by the transportation division instead of the Treasurer.
  - brendan
    
    unfortunately correct.
John Fontain

For something light-hearted, how about a photo of the Weenie Beenie in Shirlington?

For something highly political, how about a photo of the vacant and run down lot that Wal Mart is eyeing.
- Thes
  
  You just need to find a high school student and put them up to it.
Novanglus

For HS students who are better at art than math, that’s 675 pixels by 450 pixels.
- brendan
  
  I love how they insist on 300dpi…
  
  dpi is kind of a bs submission req to begin with, (you can convert a 72 dpi into a 300dpi file w/ two clicks) and the decals are probably printed at 60dpi, if that.
Ernesto

some fun ones from last time… http://flic.kr/s/aHsjtphkRA

perhaps another arlnow commentariat competition?
- WinnerWinnerChickenDinner
  
  I win…
  
  http://www.arlnow.com/2011/08/17/clearest-photos-yet-of-serial-bank-robbery-suspect/
Laura

As an Arlingtonian and designer, I am opposed to this idea. How about government agencies start paying us creatives for good work instead of instilling in minors early on that doing work and HOPING you get something for your hard work is par for the course. I’m all for volunteering your time and efforts, but this is something that should be paid for, given the fees charged for obtaining and renewing one of these.
- brendan
  
  robble, robble…
  
  this is one small project. and despite the sometimes questionable outcome, it’s kind of cool that they have this open to local students. In terms of work — plenty of other design projects for the county, though one look at their RFPs and you’ll lose interest quick. (absurd amount of bs meant to discourage small businesses)
Godwin

How about a brown flip, stomping on a human face, forever and ever?
SomeGuy

Any word on how one gets on the “Citizens’ Panel?”
Flying Spaghetti Monster

Perhaps a contest to see who can capture the greatest number of traffic calming obstacles in one photo? Or a nice snapshot of a slip lane that hasn’t been obliterated yet.
Jim

Kill the Decal!
R

This year’s competition winner was “Hume, Sweet Hume,”…
JamesE

I believe the sticker should reflect how I feel every time I get the property tax bill.
- Lubed Annually
  
  I think we have a winner!
- Tre
  
  boom
  - ArlingtonSeesYou
    
    LOVE this! HAHAH!
  - Larchmont
    
    Awesome!
- Johnny Utah
  
  thats what i thought about too.
- Overgrown Bush
  
  +10!
- Bluemontsince1961
  
  That’s the truth, JamesE.
Dss10

Something like this….I

http://www.indianvillage.org/images/edalogo.jpg
Bobby

I suggest a using a photo of an intersection without a traffic light – they’re becoming rare in Arlington.
Just Me

My comment was not accepted, I guess we cant speak our mind.
BigSpender

So we pay $30 so Arlington can outsource the sticker design to kids.. nice.
Charlie

This is the dumbest use of time for the dumbest contest with the dumbest result for the dumbest sticker we don’t actually need.
APSnumberone

I agree. It doesn’t actually show that you paid your property tax, because it is mailed with the bill.
TCE

… go with the Courthouse Plaza Clock sticker… it’s always wrong or not working….
Overgrown Bush

Other local governments have eliminated the sticker. Please save us the pain of scraping the old sticker off each year, and also give us a little bit more viewable area through the windshield.
- Bluemontsince1961
  
  I second it, Overgrown Bush.
IT Rover

Why, oh why do we still need to have a county sticker on the windshield? Why, oh why do we still need to have a county sticker on the windshield? Why, oh why do we still need to have a county sticker on the windshield? Why, oh why do we still need to have a county sticker on the windshield? Why, oh why do we still need to have a county sticker on the windshield? Why, oh why do we still need to have a county sticker on the windshield? Why, oh why do we still need to have a county sticker on the windshield? Why, oh why do we still need to have a county sticker on the windshield?
chickenswantbeer

put the Westover Beer Garden on the sticker!

Subscribe to our mailing list