At Mysterium 2018, we introduced limited edition enamel pins for our attendees, which were later also briefly sold online. We plan to make another round of exclusive pins for Mysterium 2019, and we invite you to submit pin designs.
Pins will be either soft or hard enamel (please specify in your submission if you have a preference). They will be available to all attendees, and we may make extras available for purchase after the con. Additionally, if your design is selected, we’ll make sure you get a full set of whatever pins we make this year!
General Submission Rules
- Entries must be submitted to art@mysterium.net by February 15th 2019, unless special arrangements are made beforehand
- Please let us know how you would like to be credited
- Entries not meeting submission guidelines will be discarded, and the submitter notified
- Entries are to be kept confidential until after the winners are announced. Entries found posted in any public format prior to that date will be disqualified. (This includes publicly asking people to look at your entry elsewhere, but does not include privately asking people for help.)
- Direct screenshots from any of the games are not allowed
- The Committee reserves the right to make design adjustments as needed to facilitate manufacturing
- All submissions become the property of Cyan Worlds Inc.
- You may submit as many designs as you like
File Formats
Our preferred file formats are: .ai, .psd, .ps, .eps, .svg
We will also accept: .png, .pdf
Please do not submit: .gif, .bmp, .jpg, .doc
Design Requirements
- Vector art is greatly preferred over raster art
- Size – We are targeting 1.25″ pins (meaning the largest size in any dimension is 1.25″)
- Metal Finish – Select from black, gold, or silver for your metal lines
- Enamel Colors – Designs should have no more than 4 enamel colors
- If you have preferred Pantone colors, be sure to send us the numbers with your submission
- Avoid specialized processes. If you have a really-super-great idea that requires them, please talk to us first. Examples of specialized processes include
- Glitter, pearl, or glow-in-the-dark enamel
- Fine edge detail or internal cutouts
- Screen-printed super-fine details
- More than 4 colors
- 3D/contoured metal
Pin designs do not have to match the convention theme. Feel free to use any (family friendly) imagery from the fandom or Cyan’s games!
Here are examples of last-year’s pins, and their original artwork:
The arch pin is a hard-enamel pin, giving it a crisp and flat look. Notice how the super-thin enamel area in the center of the arch design ended up as solid metal
The Quab pin is a soft-enamel pin, giving it a bumpy appearance and feel. Soft-enamel is the only option if you want very small details (like sharp corners)
Additional Design Tips
- Individual colored areas must be fully separated by lines of metal, creating “pools” of enamel
- This includes a line of metal along the edge of the pin
- Metal lines should be at least 1mm thick, though thicker lines are better
- Enamel areas should be at least 2mm wide
- Avoid designs that rely on very sharp bends on edges. They will not come out as crisp as designed
- Avoid complicated edge designs and internal cutouts
- If in doubt, ask! This page is far from exhaustive, and we’re still learning about pin design ourselves
- That said, if you have a question please ask well in advance of the submission deadline!