So, we're off to a great start with the RYO and I thought we should have a thread for the challenge banners.

The idea with the banners is to give folks something they can post on their blogs so they can share the reading challenges they're taking part in.  We had many awesome bloggers post the WoGF banner on their sites last year and it really helped grow the challenge beyond our sphere of influence and brought many great new members to WWEnd.

A cool banner can bring people into your challenge just like a cool book cover grabs your attention at the bookstore.  To that end we can all help each other by contributing a bit of time and talent and it's just one more way we can participate in the reading challenges together.

• Challenge Hosts:  If you are hosting a challenge and you want a little help creating a snazzy banner to go with your challenge you can use this thread to look for ideas, inspiration and volunteers.
• Challenge Participants and Others:  If you've got some design talent and you want to lend a hand let folks know here as well.

Let me be the first to offer my assistance.  I've helped a couple members with their challenge banners already and I really enjoy making 'em so let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

Here ya go.  Let me know what you think.

I can help if anyone wants - I am not a professional designer, but can use my Adobe Elements to put something not to complex together.  Just leave a post for any requests.

Michael 

 You are most welcome. I'm glad you like it!

I've got this one going and if I get my home internet back on today I'll get it posted. I'm getting a little shaky being disconnected. My phone is keeping me from going bonkers but just barely. 

Here's what I came up with.  I modified your pic to use for the background.  Hope you like it.  If not let me know and I'll give it another go.

Hey, JS, for the banners you have to host the image off site and add a link to your hosted site banner on the challenge edit page.  We can't allow uploaded images through our firewall.  The alternative is to send the image to me via email and I'll add it to the site.

You're welcome!

I was messin' round with some of the new challenges and came up with a few banner ideas.  If you host one of these challenges and you like the banner let me know and I'll attach it to your challenge.

I've got the pic but have not come up with anything yet.

Cool.  It's there now and you can certainly replace it later if you get around to fleshing out your idea.  Heraldry symbols would be really cool.  Wish I had thought of that!

Challenge accepted.  Might take a few days.  This cold I've got is killing my creativity.

Nothing off the top of my head but I'll noodle on it a bit and see if I can come up with something.  Glad you like subliminal message in the other banner!  That gets right down to the root of it I think

Hi kwaidan66.  You set your challenge to start on Febuary 1st so it won't show on the list until then and you can't add books until then either.  It's something we're going to modify as soon as we can find the time.

The plan is to hide the public challenges from everyone but the challenge host (you in this case) until the kick off date.  You'll be able to edit and add books before hand so it's ready to go with examples on the date you specify as the start date.  Fingers crossed we can fix it this weekend!

How 'bout this?

I just added a couple more RYO banners.

I see the problem you're having with the creature banner.  It would be simple to go all horror on it but no spooky creatures is a bit tougher.  If something occurs to me to try and give it a go this weekend.

I'm glad you like the new ones and thanks for the kind words!  I'm having a lot of fun working on these banners.

Doc, the new banner looks great!  I've added it to the page so you're good to go.  I like how the RYO page is filling up with all these banners.  Lots of variety and color.  The banners give the challenges a bit of personality.

Hey, Jain, how about this?

I haven't forgotten about you, JS.  I've got a couple things in mind but nothing final yet. I'll try again over the weekend.

Cool beans and you are most welcome!  I'm the same with the old fashioned typewriters.  The mechanics are just beautiful.  I love the precision and symmetry of all those bent levers and rows of round keys.

So... here's an idea...

Allie - 2014-02-13 12:07 PM Thanks for the lovely banner for the 12 Awards/12 Months Challenge!

You're welcome!  Glad you like it.

I had a few ideas today for some new banners.  Ya'll let me know what you think of these.

Cool.  Glad you like.  I've added The Second Best to the challenge page.

dustydigger - 2014-02-17 2:56 AM Dave,thank you for the Pick and Mix banner..Not sure what is being picked and mixed,but they are surely mixed - nd very pretty. Great fun,and the title of the challenge plain to see! Thank you,and I am happy to have it as my banner.It was getting pretty lonely there,so few of us bannerless,looking enviously or pitifully at our neighbours Many thanks.

Well, it's not exactly clear is it?  I opted for pretty mostly but if you think of the glass balls as "worlds" that are all mixed up and you have to pick from so many beautiful shiny ones....  Yeah, it's pretty. 

I've got a few ideas for one that I can try. 

Cool!  You bet you can - that's what they're for.

Took a little longer than expected but here's an idea for the Creature Feature.  What do you think?

Daxxh, I'm out of town right now but I can help when I get back on the 14th. Sorry for the wait. All I have at present is an iPad so there's not much I can do. 

What daxxh means is that neither of us have permissions to store the image on WWE where the rest of the RYO Challenge images are:

https://www.worldswithoutend.com/challenges/

I would prefer that Dave upload the image to WWE so that I can delete it from Flickr.

You should be able to link to any offsite image as long as it's a full URL. The star field image there now is hosted offsite on NASA so it's obviously working. It must be that your image hosting service is blocking the offsite link.

When I see a new RYO go up I'll go grab the image and post it locally and change the image link. That way the pic will load faster and I know it won't go missing or get accidentally deleted.  Plus, our site is secure so an offsite image will sometimes throw a security warning, depending on browser and browser settings etc, up at the user which can be confusing. Originally they're all hosted offsite unless it's one that I've made for the challenge host. 

Yay! Thanks!

Please load this banner for the Books Read: 2014 Challenge when you have the chance, thanks!

Done deal.

Merci beaucoup, monsieur 

No problem on the banner and a great challenge.  Love me some space opera!  The issue with the images is that they sometimes don't show unless they're on a secure site to match ours.  I usually download them and put them on our site and update the link when I see 'em.

The sequel banner is back up too.  Cheers!

Jain, I tried to come up with a banner for the detective challenge awhile back but it never came together.  I had better luck this time.  I hope you like it.  Cheers.

Steve, I have updated the IJHTRMOTA banner and had a little fun with the Tolkien banner.  I hope you like it!