Why the same design scores differently: template and presentation
A gallery is a wall, not a race track
Voters see designs next to each other, not one at a time. So an entry’s real competition isn’t another idea — it’s legibility on that wall.
The practical consequence: designs that can’t be told apart at thumbnail size get skipped in the first pass, however good their details are.
Framing and scale
Setting the shirt close to the edges — a scale that fills roughly three quarters of the frame — makes a visible difference in the preview. Too much surrounding space and the shirt shrinks.
If multiple images can be uploaded, the first one is the decision image: front view, flat angle, neutral ground. Details and mockups belong in later frames.
Consistent light
The most common presentation mistake: flat vector front, 3D render back. Two different lights make one design look like parts of two separate products.
Pick a single presentation language and hold it across every frame. Staying vector or going to render are both fine as long as the set is internally consistent.
The weight of the note
The description isn’t a place to defend the design; it’s a reading key. A good note says where things came from and stops there: “the wave on the body comes from the harbour skyline”.
Long manifestos backfire. Two sentences, one constraint, one reference — the voter is already reading the image.
Not submitting what isn’t ready
Because entry is one-shot, “I’ll send this for now and fix it later” isn’t an option. A strong idea sent with a half-finished presentation is spent for that week.
The next concept arrives every week. If it isn’t ready, waiting is a real strategy.
Takeaways
- The competition is legibility on the wall — can it be told apart at thumbnail size?
- The first image is the decision image: front view, flat angle, neutral ground.
- Pick one presentation language; a vector front with a rendered back splits the design.
- Keep the note to two sentences; entry is one-shot, so waiting is a real strategy.