• New Designers
• Designer Verification Process
  In order to validate all information, maintain fair contests for designers, satisfy legal requirements, reduce any and all fraud/infringemetns and to assure payments reach you (and on time) MycroBurst/LogoDesignGuru/LogoGuru all require proper account information and a copy of a valid ID.
  Please note: This information is for our validation ONLY. We would never share this information with anyone.
  
  Please update your account information by:
  1. Log-in to your account.. 2. In the designer panel, click "Account Details" on the left sidebar.3. Fill in the information.4. Send a copy of your ID (this could be a National Identity Card, a passport or a valid driver's license) to verification@MycroBurst.com (MycroBurst, LogoDesignGuru and LogoGuru are sister sites all owned by Guru Corporation). If you are under 18 years of age, please send us a copy of your parent or legal guardian's.
  
  Please note: Due to legal constraints, we must obtain this prior to sending your winning payment.
  
  We would like to say again that your information is for MycroBurst validation ONLY. We will never share this information with anyone.
  This updated information is crucial to make sure everything works for you.
• How can I use My Widget?
  You can use MyWidget to show off your design talents! Embed the widget into your blog or website to show your visitors what you've created, just like a portfolio of your designs. For step-by-step instruction on using the MyWidget app, visit our how-to video here
  
• What information/documents are required to sign up as a designer?
  Designers must fill in their "Account Details" under the "My Account" section at MycroBurst.com. These details must be accurate and filled in prior to participation in design contests. The designer must then email a scanned copy of their ID (this could be either a license, passport or National Identity Card – please only choose one) to verification@MycroBurst.com. The information from both must match. If a designer is under 18 years of age, they must send a scanned copy of a parent or legal guardian.
  
  Please note: Your information is for MycroBurst validation ONLY. We will never share this information with anyone. This information must be sent to us before any payments will be released to you.
  
• What fees do I have to pay, as a designer?
  There is no fee to participate in projects. All winning projects are subject to a 10% processing fee which will be deducted from the winning amount hence, you do not need to pay anything. The winning designer will receive the project amount minus the 10% processing fee. The designer is also responsible for paying any PayPal or other transaction costs.
  
  Here's an example: A designer wins a $399 project. The processing fee is 10% of that, which is $39.90. The amount the designer will receive after subtracting the processing fee looks like this. $399 - $39.9 (10%) = $ 359.10. Any designer that has qualified as a SuperDesigner, will have their processing fees reduced to 5%. Click here for more info on the SuperDesigner program and Click here for more info on our payment structure.
  

• Design Projects
• Read the Creative Brief!
  You have a much better chance of winning a design contest if you read the creative brief and all comments from the project holder. Use the brief as your roadmap to a successful design.
• Submit your Designs!
  Don't wait - Make sure you submit your designs to contests right away. If the project is expedited, you will need to be quick - Winners will generally be picked within 1-3 business days.
• Communicate
  Keep it simple, and communicate it clearly. If you have any questions or want clarification about a design brief, always communicate with the project holder. If you understand the project holder’s requirements and you will be able to submit better designs and have a better chance of winning.
• How to Submit a Design
  It is very easy to submit a design for any contest:
  
  1. Sign up for a free account at MycroBurst.com
  2. Go to the contest you want to enter and click the "Submit a Design" button
  3. Enter a description of your entry
  4. Choose the image you'd like to upload and enter into the project
  5. Enter the details of any licensed images you may be using
  6. Agree to the designer guidelines
  7. Click "Submit My Entry!"
  
  That's it. Your design has now been submitted to the project.
• Web Design Quality Control Checklist
  Below are the mandatory requirements for designers who submit a design to a web design project. Please review this list before and after the design process to help avoid any complications.
  
  1) Maximum width of the content area should not exceed 1000px.
  2) Fonts should be web friendly. Please avoid using more than 2-3 different fonts.
  a. Web safe fonts for both Mac & Windows:
        i. Arial
        ii. Comic Sans
        iii. Courier New
        iv. Georgia
        v. Impact
        vi. Palatino
        vii. Tahoma
        viii. Times New Roman
        ix. Trebuchet MS
        x. Verdana
  3) Template resolution should be 72 DPI.
  4) Layers of each section of the template should be kept in separate folders.
  5) Layers & folders should have their own unique names.
  6) Avoid adding effects on text.
  7) Ideal width of the background is 1500px.
  8) Do not add filters on images with watermarks.
  9) For images use "adjustment layers" option for brightness/contrast etc.
  10) Only use images from thinstockphotos.com until client requests different.
  
• Clipart – Don't Use It!
  We strongly urge designers NOT to use clipart. Project Holders are looking for custom designs that are totally unique and creative. Repeated use of the clip art will have a negative impact on your rating as a designer, and you will win fewer contests. Remember that project holders aren't going to be happy if they are legally pursued and sanctioned over copyright issues/disputes arising from your work. And that's an understatement you will be liable for any costs and damages they incur or suffer as a result!
• Stock Images / Stock Photos – Don't Use It!
  We recommend that you DO NOT use stock images. It is also HIGHLY suggested that you familiarize yourself with the rules regarding stock images. Failure to do so could result in a suspension, or even banning, of your design account. You are highly advised NOT to submit any kinds of stock art, free vectors or clipart to logo contests.
  
  If you decide to go against our recommendation you must:
  
  - Check with the source of your stock image or clipart to review the license. Please make sure if you do you use the image you use the image as per the terms and conditions listed by the source.
  - Declare your submission as a stock image or clipart. Use the comment box when uploading to discuss which part of your design is not your original work.
  
  Please Note: Most Project Holders won't want a design with stock images and/or clipart. For example: A logo with such can't be trademarked because it includes someone else's property.
  
  If you have used stock images or photos in a web design, or a graphic design project, you must inform the project holder if the design is chosen as a winning design. You will be obliged to provide all relevant details regarding the image. In order to use the same image, it will be the obligation of project holder to purchase the image from the source.
• MycroBurst Policy Regarding Stock Images and/or Clipart
  We recommend that you DO NOT use stock images or clipart. You are NOT to submit any kinds of stock art, free vectors or clipart to logo contests.
  
  If you decide to go against our recommendation you must:
  - Check with the source of your stock image or clipart to review the license. Please make sure if you do you use the image you use the image as per the terms and conditions listed by the source.
  
  - Declare your submission as a stock image or clipart. Use the comment box when uploading to discuss which part of your design is not your original work.
  
  Not adhering to these guidelines could lead to your account to being suspended and/or banned from MycroBurst.
  
  Please note: Most Project Holders won't want a design with stock images and/or clipart. Any legal issues that come to be over copyright issues will not make Project Holders happy. In the end, you the designer, will be responsible for costs and damages that they incur!
• Stationery designs – bleeds or no bleeds?
  A project holder may specify whether or not they would like a bleed to be included or not in their stationery project. If they don't specify, no bleeds are typically best for project holders. If your design has a bleed, this can be costly for project holders when they have their designs printed. Be sure to design any stationery projects, which include letterhead and envelopes, without a bleed. For more detailed information, click here.
• Am I obligated to make revisions to a design once a project is completed?
  Not if you don't want to. Most designers will usually do some alterations or minimal revisions for free, but will charge for involved revisions at a reasonable price. But, this isn't a requirement — it's up to you.
• Can the project holder ask me for a copy of my entry before the project ends?
  They can, but you don’t have to agree. Don’t send any files to the project holder until the project has been won and you have received a finalization alert.
• What happens to my entries if a project is refunded?
  When a project is refunded, your designs and any comments will be hidden from everyone — yourself, other users, and the project holder — and they will not be displayed again until Mycroburst unlocks the project. This is to protect designers from being plagiarized after a project holder has withdrawn the project.
• What is a Guaranteed Project?
  When a project holder guarantees a project it means they guarantee that they (the project holder) will be picking a winner, not MycroBurst. Project holders know that they are responsible for picking a winner when their contest is over. If they don't choose one right away, our support team goes to work. Our team will contact the project holder to be sure they choose a winner, as they committed to.
• Payment Schedule
  MycroBurst.com will pay the project prize to the winning designers on the following schedule:
  
  

  Projects finalized between the 1st and 10th of the month	Payment sent on the 14th of the month
  Project finalized between the 11th and the 20th of the month	Payment sent on the 24th of the month
  Project finalized between the 21st and the 30th/31st of the month	Payment sent on the 4th of the next month

  
  
  
  "PLEASE NOTE AS PER OUR STANDARD PROCESS AFTER RECEIVING FINAL FILES FROM THE DESIGNER IT TAKES ATLEAST 2-3 BUSINESS DAYS FOR OUR QUALITY CHECK/SOURCE FILES DEPARTMENT TO SEND THE FILES TO THE PROJECT HOLDER.
  
  MOREOVER, AFTER RECEIVING THE FINAL FILES THE CONTEST HOLDER CAN INVOKE ANY DESIGN ISSUES/TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT/OR ANY APPLICABLE DISAGREEMENT WITHIN 48 HOURS.
  
  THE ABOVE PAYMENT SCHEDULE WILL ONLY BE APPLICABLE ONCE THE FINAL FILES ARE SENT TO THE PROJECT HOLDER."
  
  * The above schedule dates are only applicable to business days
• Can you contact a Project Holder directly during a project?
  During the course of a project, you may contact a Project Holder directly in order to ask questions about a project. However, we ask that you respect their time and keep conversations relevant to the project. Any disrespectful or rude comments from any party could lead to expulsion from the site.
  
  Please use private messaging system in your MycroBurst panel to communicate, you are not permitted to contact them via personal email.
  
• How do I make revisions after a contest is locked if contacted by a contest holder?
  In the event that a contest holder makes a request after the contest is locked, you can submit the changes to support@mycroburst.com. In the subject line of your email, please identify the name of the contest and the username of the contest. Support will forward the concepts to the contest holder.
  
  If the contest holder is satisfied and would like to finalize the design, they will contact support@mycroburst.com or send you a private message. If chosen, you will send your final files to sourcefiles@mycroburst.com and forwarded to the contest holder.
  
  You are not obligated to make changes after the contest is over, but it is good business practice.
  
• What if the project is expedited?
  If it is an expedited project, then you will need to work fast. Expedited projects will generally finalize the winning design within 1-3 business days. We recommend that you try to submit your concepts within 24 hours.
  
• How do donations work?
  Project Holders award designers with donations to show them how much they appreciate their hard work! Donations can be awarded in $25, $50 & $100 increments.
  
  Any donation above $100 will be subjected to 10% MycroBurst payment fee. Furthermore, it's at management's discretion to charge 10% fee on lesser donations if an additional files have been exchanged in return to the donation in discussion.
  
• If I receive a donation am I obligated to send the files?
  Nope! You've received a donation just for the hard work that you've put into the contest! You will be required to send files if you are chosen as an additional winner and you accept the prize amount offered to you.
  
• How can I send large source files?
  Some time high resolution files are larger than an email send will allow. To send larger files, you can either compress (zipped file) your file and send it via email. If that is still too large, you can use a free, online file transferring service. Feel free to use http://mycroburst.wetransfer.com or https://www.yousendit.com. Please send these to sourcefiles@mycroburst.com and include your designer name, email address and contest name in the comment area.
  

• Design Violations
• What if another designer uses my design?
  It is common that a concept of the two designs can be similar to a certain extent and it should be probable between entries in the same project. However, if you think that your design has been unfairly copied by another designer, please report it to us at report@mycroburst.com with links to the designs and information about how they are similar.
• What is warning/trademark points and designer ban policy?
  To find out more about rules and regulations of warning/trademark point, please click here!
  
• What do I do if I see another designer has taken a concept I've seen before?
  One of the great things about our website is that it's public and all designers are held accountable for their work. If you see a concept or design that has been "lifted" or stolen, please report it immediately to report@mycroburst.com so we can remedy the situation.
  
  It is critical that our marketplace maintains credibility as a source for the best designers and original designs. By our designers helping us to keep our system "clean," we can grow our marketplace and help get you more business.
  

• Winnings & Payment
• If you are the Winning Designer…
  …Congratulations! You are just one step away from claiming your prize money.
  
  You will need to submit the finalized source files for the winning design – which may include small revisions that the project holder asks for. Make sure you submit your source files correctly, according to the winning project guidelines. Sending incorrect or unusable final design files may cause MycroBurst to charge you a fee for fixing your mistakes.
  
  Once your designs are submitted to the project holder, your claim will be ready for transfer.
• Do I have to send a W-9? What is a W-9?
  If you are a US Citizen and you win a project, you will be required to complete and return a W-9 form. We will submit this for tax purposes at year's end so you can file your 1099. This is required in order to remain compliant with US tax laws. All non-US citizens are not required to complete this at this stage.
  
• How do I get paid and Payment Methods?
  Once the source files are submitted and the project holder confirms that the correct files were received, MycroBurst will release your payment. Winning designers will be paid according to the MycroBurst payment schedule.
  
  All payments are made through our third-party payment disbursement partner.
  
  The following payment methods are available:
  
  Wire Transfer
  PayPal
  Cash via Western Union
  Direct Bank Deposit
  E-check
  
  Please note processing fees will apply to the payment option chosen in addition to our standard processing fee. It may vary from country to country.
  
  To check the payment options available for your country click the 'My Payment' tab at your designer account panel. Once you are there, go to 'Payment Method' and enter your information (which includes your current address). Once you finish and click next, you will see all options available for your country.
  
  Note: Please make sure you enter the correct address and country of your current residence.
  
  If you live in Pakistan, please email us at support@mycroburst.com for further information regarding available payment methods.
  
  IMPORTANT NOTE:
  Every designer is required to select the payment method once. Any change in payment method after initial selection should be notified to support@mycroburst.com. No notification to support regarding change in method may cause a delay or hold on your payment unless notified.
  
  Please avoid changing payment method/details very frequently.
  
  For payment methods please click here
• How do I know I'll get paid after transferring the copyright?
  The prize money is paid to Mycroburst before the design project is launched. The prize money for guaranteed projects cannot be withdrawn, and Mycroburst will only refunds non-guaranteed projects if they receive less than 30 entries, which does not happen frequently.
• Source Files Requirement for a Winning Design
  Below requirements are mandatory for the designer while sending out the final source files of the winning design.
  
  .AI and/or .FH: Adobe Illustrator and FreeHand – PMS/CMYK
  .EPS: Encapsulated Postscript - CMYK
  .PDF: Portable Document File - CMYK
  .PSD: Photoshop Document - RGB
  .PNG: Portable Network Graphics - RGB
  .JPG: Joint Photographic Experts Group - RGB
  .GIF: Graphic Interchange Format - RGB
  .TIF: Tagged Image File Format – CMYK
  
  * Spot colors can also be added upon client's request
  * Please only use "Pantone Solid Coated Shades"
  * "Embed/Convert to path" all of the fonts used in a logo including tag line
  
  Stationery Final Formats
  Commercial:
  • .AI and/or .FH: Adobe Illustrator and FreeHand – PMS/CMYK
  • .EPS: Encapsulated Postscript - CMYK
  • .PDF: Portable Document File - CMYK
  
  Desktop:
  • .JPG: Joint Photographic Experts Group - RGB
  • .PDF: Portable Document File - RGB
  
  Brochure/Other graphic design Final Formats
  Editable:
  • .AI and/or .FH: Adobe Illustrator and FreeHand – CMYK
  
  Printable:
  • .TIF: Tagged Image File Format – CMYK – 300 DPI
  
  Please Note: Each stationery item (letterhead, business card, envelope, etc) need to be sent as an individual file, with crop marks and bleeds for printing.
  
  Web related final files
  • .PSD
  • Images
  • Any other file used
  
  Compression Utility
  • For Windows: Win zip
  • For Mac: Stuff it
  
  Please add a file named "Information.txt" along with each set of final files for logo, stationery and brochure and include the following information:
  
  Colors:
  • PANTONE xxx C
  • PANTONE xxx C
  
  Or
  
  • Blue: C=100, M=80, Y=0, K=0
  • Orange: C=0, M=40, Y=100, K=0
  
  Fonts:
  • Imperator Bronze
  • Imperator Small Caps
  
  For more information on how to create the correct final files, read this article: http://blog.mycroburst.com/vector-vs-raster-showdown/
• Processing Fees
  All winning project are subject to a 10% processing fee which will be deducted from the project amount. The winning designer will get the project amount – 10% processing fees. (For example, if the project prize money is $299, the winning designer will get = $299 - $29.9 (10%) = $269.10 US Dollars)

FAQs for MycroBurst Clients

How It Works