Many artists create cards in collections or variations based on a same / similar design. This is an effective way to leverage your creative ideas & works.
To make the review of these cards efficient and to help artists with their creative flow and investment of time GCU introduced the Concept Review process in August 2013. It has proven to be very effective for both reviewers and artists.
Please see the details here:
In a nutshell:
- Only the concept card is permitted to be submitted for Fast Track review
- If & when the concept card is approved can the follow on / derivative designs be submitted (to save time the derivative designs shouldn’t even be created until the concept card is approved)
- The follow on cards should be submitted via regular review, not Fast Track AND MUST note in the Note to Reviewer the pid# of the approved concept card it is based on.
Important to Note:
Collections of derivative design cards based on a prior design that was previously approved but DID NOT go through the Concept Review process do not have the green-light to proceed. The artist runs the risk of the entire collection being returned for edits and / or declined especially if the original card was approved before GCU’s Submission Guidelines were established.
Although GCU does not require that the first card in a collection or series of like image cards be submitted first under Concept Review we STRONGLY recommend it. We understand that the inspiration to expand on or re-purpose an existing design may come later. If / when you know you will be creating a collection simply submit the first of the collection via Concept Review.
Lastly please note that this is not a blanket approval for all derivative submissions but for the basic image and concept. All other standards still apply to each and every submission.
It will save you a lot of time and anguish in the long run. Thank you!
Mindy / GCU Community Manager