Ask your inner designer to create an icon for ASK and win £150 worth of vouchers.

We are running a competition for you to design an icon that will be the shortcut link to the ASK portal. 

ASK is Imperial’s customer support portal where you can get Answers, Support and Knowledge.

Icons are the visual indicators that we all use to help us find and launch an application from our desktops or folders.

The winning icon design will be added to Imperial-managed PCs and Apple Mac computers, so that you can quickly and easily find ASK to get support from ICT, The Student Hub, Finance, the Library and many other services. It will also be utilised across the Software Hub and on the ASK portal.

Prize

As well as their winning design being rolled out across all Imperial computers, the winner will receive a:

• £100 voucher to spend at the Union Shop on the Sherfield walkway (South Kensington Campus)
• £50 voucher to spend at any Imperial-owned catering outlets

The winning design will be added to Imperial devices by May 2024. 

All entrants will be notified by email of the winner after the judging has been completed. The winner will be invited to collect their prize at a small celebratory event, where their photos and/or name will be used on social media.

Design guidance 

Please ensure when submitting your design to follow these instructions: 

• Artwork size is 256x256 pixels (this allows for downsizing dependent on device size)
• File format is .PNG
• Read Design guidelines for Windows app icons - Windows apps | Microsoft Learn for design advice to ensure colour accessibility
• Consider the new Imperial branding for colourways

The winning entry may be tweaked by the ICT Communications Team to ensure best fit, accessibility and that the Imperial brand has been adhered to. 

Where will my ASK icon go?

Your icon will feature on:

• All teaching cluster machine desktops, including library computers
• All non-teaching Imperial owned machines, on Windows 10 and 11, in the Start menu
• Imperial managed Mac computers in the Self-Service section
  
• As a shortcut icon on the Software Hub

Submitting your artwork 

Please submit your artwork as a .PNG File to ict-comms-team@imperial.ac.uk by Sunday 24 March 2024 at 23.59.

You may only submit up to three icon designs.

Judging

Judging will take place in April 2024.

Round 1

The ICT Communications Team will determine a shortlist of entries based on the following criteria:

• The design uses accessible colours and/or text and avoids complex or overly abstract forms  
• The design is inline with Imperial branding
• The value of Innovation – an innovative design has been created
• The icon is a clear visualisation of ASK - it is simple and easy to understand quickly
• The design is submitted by email to ict-comms-team@imperial.ac.uk by Sunday 24 March 2024 at 23.59
• App icon size is correct - 256x256px
• File format is correct - .PNG
• The design was created and submitted by an Imperial staff member or student

Names will be removed from entries to remove unconscious bias during the judging.

Round 2

The top three designs will move to the second phase of judging where a panel of judges from across Imperial, including student representatives, will score the designs against the following criteria:

• The design uses accessible colours and/or text and avoids complex or overly abstract forms
• The design is inline with Imperial branding
• The value of Innovation – an innovative design has been created
• The icon is a clear visualisation of ASK - it is simple and easy to understand quickly

T&Cs

We hope that you have some creative fun with this competition,  but you must read the small print to ensure you are happy to take part:

If you submit your artwork to ict-comms-team@imperial.ac.uk before the deadline of Sunday 24 March 2024 at 23.59 you are agreeing to the below terms and conditions: 

1. You are a student or employee of Imperial College London.
2. You have designed the artwork yourself and you are not submitting on behalf of someone else.
3. You have not paid a professional designer, AI or anyone else to create your submission. 
4. You can only submit up to three entries.
5. The winning entry may be tweaked to ensure best fit; accessibility and brand has been adhered to.
6. By submitting any design, artwork, or content to Imperial College London’s ICT Communications Team for the ASK icon competition, you acknowledge and agree that all intellectual property rights, including but not limited to copyrights, trademarks, and any other proprietary rights, arising from the winning submission shall be the exclusive property of Imperial College London.
7. Imperial College London shall have the perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works, distribute, and display the winning submission, in whole or in part, without any further approval or compensation to the competition entrant.
8. The winner confirms the use of their design, name and photo (if required) across Imperial College London social media platforms for the purpose of an ASK awareness campaign.
9. All submissions that are unsuccessful (i.e. not the winner) will be permanently deleted from the ICT Communications Team email inbox by June 2024.

Further support

If you have any questions about the competition or submissions please contact the ICT Communications Team.