CONTEST: Design the first TalkRadar print ad!

Handy with a mouse? Fancy yourself a quality Photoshop wizard? Then you best step up and enter the TalkRadar Ad contest, which challenges you to design our filthy, stupid podcast's very first print advertisement. One lucky winner will see their ad run in an issue of Official Xbox Magazine and PlayStation: The Official Magazine this fall (just in time for the holiday rush!). Only one will win, and two runners up will recieve coupon codes for ourSpreadshirt Store, but rest assured we'll post the best in an article further down the road.

What you need to do

Create a print ad for TalkRadar and submita .JPG of thefinished file to contest@gamesradar.com. Sounds easy, but there are some guidelines to follow, and man are they ever boring!

-Must include the TalkRadar logo, which you can downloadhere

-You need to convey that this is a podcast, and that it posts Fridays on GamesRadar and iTunes

-GamesRadar logos and art are fine, but NO outside stuff. No other company logos or art - we don't own that!

-Needs to convey the attitude and irreverence of TalkRadar, why it's the best goddam podcast out there

-And on that note, you'll want to avoid some of the naughtier words heard in TalkRadar

-But feel free to use the hosts names and images, many of which can be found in our hugefan art thread

-Keep in mind you're designing this for a national magazine. It needs to hook people who've never heard of the show

-You'll need to submit two versions, as OXM and PTOM have different size requirements. For OXM, the bleed size is 8 1/4'' x 10 3/4'', with a trim size of 8'' x 10 1/2''. For PTOM, the bleed is 8 5/8'' x 10 3/4'', with a trim size of 8 3/8'' x 10 1/2''. Bleed is the entire image, trim is what you see in the magazine itself after it's been, well, trimmed.

-The winner will have to submit the final,print-quality version in another format. Photoshop users, submit PDF files at 300 dpi. InDesign users should submit as a PDF-X. Make sure you use high-res assets for the ad too, as this will run as a full page in a magazine. Google image search won't be enough!

Consider some of these classic bits of fan art as inspiration. They're missing some of the key info that an ad would contain, and probably contain some copyrighted material, but the general look and feel are on point. Also check ourfan art threadfor other ideas, and theTalkRadar Compendinarium, which links to every single podcast page. They contain all the images of the hosts you'll ever need.


From: JohnRabbit


From: Twishart


From: KREATIVEassassin (dear Mr Patterson is no longer with us)


From: Hatebreeder


From: Batman5273


From: Vagrant

Head to the next page to read a whole mess of legalese. The short version: Open to US and Canada residents only, don't submit someone else's work or work you've entered somewhere before, and please for the love of Kratos include your contact information in your email submission. Deadline is August 11, winners chosen on August 13, we'll notify you via your contact email.And if you're under 17, why you gotta make this harder by being a minor? Then we have to do all that age verification stuff.

That about wraps it up. You've helped TalkRadar cling to life for two years - now's the chance tomake it grow!


Some of the best fan art we've ever seen


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Brett Elston

A fomer Executive Editor at GamesRadar, Brett also contributed content to many other Future gaming publications including Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine. Brett has worked at Capcom in several senior roles, is an experienced podcaster, and now works as a Senior Manager of Content Communications at PlayStation SIE.