Redesign an Outdated 90s Website and Win Adobe CS5 Web Premium!
Update: entries are now closed and we’re in the process of deciding on a winner! We’ll let you know who the lucky person is here on FreelanceSwitch shortly.
In partnership with Adobe Business Catalyst, FreelanceSwitch is launching a fun design competition with a humongous prize! The best redesign of a fictitious outdated 90s website, Mario’s Catering, will win a copy of Adobe CS5 Web Premium – valued at US $1,799 and available for your OS of choice.
Adobe CS5 Web Premium is a software bundle containing the newest versions of Adobe’s world famous design and media software. Hit the jump to learn more!
Up For Grabs
- Dreamweaver CS5
- Photoshop CS5
- Illustrator CS5
- Flash Professional CS5
- Fireworks CS5
- Flash Builder 4 Standard
- Flash Catalyst CS5
- Contribute CS5
- Acrobat 9 Pro
To win, you must submit the best redesign of the Mario’s Catering homepage (no sub-pages) before the 17th of November – that’s 2 weeks from today. While you don’t need to keep any visual elements from the design (photos, branding), you must use all the copy and links on the existing website.
Download website source files
The website hasn’t been redesigned since 1999 – and was probably not an example of good design or development even then! To win, you need to breathe new life into this outdated business with a complete redesign and rebranding of the homepage to bring it up to present day standards. Entries will be judged by the design team at Business Catalyst and several key members of the FSw team.
Our friends at Business Catalyst provide a web service that helps you build powerful Online Businesses for your clients. Because their #1 users are designers, they know a lot about what goes into good design!
To enter the competition, submit your full-resolution homepage redesign as a JPG screenshot to the FreelanceSwitch Flickr group and make sure to tag it ’90sredesign’ or we will not be able to find your entry. Remember, entries must be submitted before the 17th of November. Entries are open world-wide, except to Envato staff and Adobe employees.
Editor’s Note: This is a fictitious website that you’re redesigning purely for the fun of the competition. The winning redesign will not be used commercially and this competition does not, in any way, constitute spec work.
About Business Catalyst
Adobe Business Catalyst is a new hosted service that replaces 5 or more separate tools with one integrated solution. Incorporating web hosting, content management, eCommerce features, email marketing and built in customer management tools, Business Catalyst can help you accelerate your projects and increase your profit margins. Try it out for free at businesscatalyst.com.
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this is really interesting and i am in…
I don’t understand why anyone would use this over something awesome like BigCommerce? Adobe’s software all runs on Windows and is simply outdated.
I always find it funny to see the total disconnect between the writing on the home page of this site and all the advice given in the forums. Any time anyone brings up design competitions in the forum the unanimous vote is not to participate. Why participate and spend a bunch of your billable time in a competition that might get you paid in some fashion?
Little disappointed in FSW for trying to put professionals through this.
How about making the competition the upgrade of an actual 90′s website for a real catering business in Dallas. http://mariasfamilycatering.com/
I shivered when I saw that site.
oh. my. god.
It even has a scrolling title message o.O
Agreed. This is spec work. Why do you consistently run contests like this when you always post articles about how it takes advantage of freelancers? I am very disappointed.
Look at it as a way to practice, hone new skills, learn how to implement and tweak a new script, apply a design idea you’ve had in mind, teach yourself something you’ve wanted to know. And, bonus! in the process, you may actually win a cool prize — and recognition — to boot! I think it’s a great learning/practice opportunity, and I’m in. I like redesigning old, out of date sites and bringing them up to today’s standards and trends visually and functionally. I guess I’m a sucker for the classic ‘ugly duckling’ story! Thanks for posting this contest here.
While this is spec work (something I don’t like), I think it’s better for those of us that are starting out. I would hope that an established professional working in web design would already have their chosen software. (Legally.)
Besides, a design made for this contest can be used in other situations.
If you’re just starting out this could be a good way to get your talent noticed + win some expensive software. It’s up to each contestant to decide whether the amount of time they’d put into their entry is worth it.
I think the intent of this contest was just to show off with some fun designs for a made-up client, but I can understand where some of us might not consider it worth their time to participate. FreelanceSwitch staff certainly didn’t intend it to appear to support spec work, which is why we tried to make it clear that it was for a made-up client, the esteemed Mario.
Out of curiosity, how would you guys word design-oriented contest to avoid the spec connotation?
Awesome. The more of you who turn your nose up at this contest, leaves that much more chance for others like myself to win. I actually am an “established professional working in web design”. But in case you hadn’t noticed, it’s been a tough economy, and this particular “established professional working in web design” would love to (in addition to the practice, see above post) get a chance to upgrade software valued at thousands of dollars at no cost other than a little bit of my time. If we are truly professionals, then putting together an up-to-date home page design shouldn’t be a big deal nor strain our professional standards by that much, especially when it can potentially benefit ourselves. I just don’t get the snobby attitudes here? I refuse to do spec work also, for all the same reasons as you, but I just don’t see how that applies here? It’s a legitimate contest with a great prize, not a skeezy client looking to get something for nothing.
Why would Mario want to change his website? It looks friggin awesome!
With comic sans why would anyone want to change their design!
The flashy bits of text are equally awesome.
This is interesting, but I don’t do spec work.
Just say NO to spec work
What’s really funny here is all the people calling this competition “Spec Work” – you guys clearly have a massive misunderstanding of what spec work is and why you shouldn’t do it.
Spec work is when a client asks you to do professional work for them in order to decide whether or not they would like to pay you for it. If you’re not chosen, then you aren’t getting paid for your job and the client can take your work and go and use it anyway. This is bad – and as designers we shouldn’t do this.
What we have here, on the other hand, is a competition. It’s a competition to design a website for a fictional company which isn’t going to make any sort of profit from your design work. If you enter, you choose to do so with the understanding that this is for fun – not profit. You aren’t going to make a living from whatever the prize is, it’s just a prize.
Stop jumping on the “lolllll specwork!!! bandwagon” just because it’s so damn trendy.
Photographers enter photography competitions, writers enter writing competitions, film makers enter film making competitions. None of them do professional work for free either. Design is no different.
Let’s cut down on the snobbery and negativity towards something which has been carefully put together by a company who are trying to do something fun and exciting for the readers of their blog.
Thanks for the great explanation of the difference between competitions and spec work.
Everyone: Mario is not real, it’s not a real business – it’s just for fun!
I think most people just aren’t realizing it’s for a fake company. That’s the boat I was in.
John is dead on. Running a race to prove you’re the fastest isn’t viewed as being cheated out of energy, a battle of the bands competition isn’t viewed as a sneaky way to get artists to write music for you, so why is a design competition viewed in such a malicious light? Are we the only profession too good to be pitted against each other?
I’m very much anti spec work, but this is for a fake business….no one benefits from this other than the winning designer, and perhaps Freelance Switch a little for the traffic it will bring. (Which in effect, will actually benefit many more designers if Freelance Switch makes money from it, and puts that money back into providing more great content that helps designers.)
It’s not spec work if someone doesn’t benefit DIRECTLY from the design imo. Let’s chill folks
@JohnONolan – Thanks! I was beginning to feel like the lone ranger in here!
… and Brian Yerkes. Cheers!
agree with Riavon..design already looks cool…giving retro look today lol…I am in this is going to b some fun for sure…do i need to submit PSD or html?
So, do we just submit the redesigned PSD saved as JPG or do we need to code it too? Either way, I’ll participate.
“To enter the competition, submit your full-resolution homepage redesign as a JPG screenshot to the FreelanceSwitch Flickr group and make sure to tag it ’90sredesign’ or we will not be able to find your entry”
Just a jpeg it looks like
Seriously, this is not spec work. Let the people enjoy the competition. I know that real or not I love to see bad 90s designs erased forever!
This 1999 website uses @font-face and seems to have been exported from MS Word….
Yup! In the 90s, that kind of thing was OK
Come on, Freelanceswitch. You know better than to promote spec work!
You’re right–we do know better. Fortunately, this isn’t spec work!
I didn’t realize it was for a fake company, my bad!
No worries, Tommy, we’ve gone back and made it a little more clear.
Already have the software but this a nice contest for me as a starting webdesigner. Haven’t done a redesign yet but this is fun, I’m in.
I can’t fully agree with those saying this is spec work and ‘selling yourself short.’ I mean, you submit a flat JPEG for a fake store, a design that won’t get used. It’s for fun, exposure, and the chance to win some very expensive software. You know all of the stakes, and it’s 100% voluntary. I think a lot of the complainers are just typical freelancers – the idea of doing anything without getting a lot of dough just irks them. Makes sense, look at what most freelancers charge.
Gotta side with JohnONolan and Brian Yerkes. I, for one, am seriously thinking of doing this. Sounds like fun.
Awesome. I love re-designs – I’m in!
BTW it didn’t even cross my mind that this is spec-work. It’s a competition for a cool prize and no money involved, and it’s for FUN.
This is not spec work. It’s for a fictional company.
Still, it’s a waste of time for everyone except one person.
Let’s see, I could spend that time creating one flat comp for a redesign for a real client and have a 100% chance of getting enough money to pay for at least 50% of a new CS5 license. I like that math better. Even if you’re just starting out, your time is better spent looking for paying clients than betting in a contest like this.
It’s one page, a flat design, and it’s for fun. You don’t have to break your back making it (especially if you’re good and it comes naturally). This could be good exposure and practice for a beginner. And it could easily be done on top of all the client-hunting of which you speak.
p.s. No offense, but $900 for a one-page design as a flat image? IMO, you’re a bit of a rip-off if you’re being serious. You sound like just another “I’m worth hundreds of dollars per hour even when I first started because I’m me” kind of freelancers. Yeesh…
Wow, Carbon, you made a lot of assumptions there. To each his or her own.
Not really. I would say it’s closer to experience derived discernment after many, many years of dealing with fellow freelancers. Unless you’re being facetious about charging roughly $900 for a flat image of a single page design, which you by no means seemed to be, then my *cough* assumption *cough* in quotes becomes pretty understandable. And that’s just the part I placed within quotes. The rest of it is just observation. Case in point…
“I could spend that time creating one flat comp for a redesign for a real client and have a 100% chance of getting enough money to pay for at least 50% of a new CS5 license.” CS5 is roughly $1800. As said plenty of times already, that means roughly $900 for a flat image of a single page design. I opined that this is a rip-off, and I stand by that.
I can see this post getting a lot of attention. I say people who want to participate go for it, ones that don’t, sit back or better yet work on your paid projects.
How will all of my animated gifs and midi music show up in a flattened jpg file?
My thoughts exactly!
Personally I’ve been looking for a fun project to add to my portfolio that allowed me to just blow some steam but still have fun with… This was perfect timing.
Already submitted mine! http://www.flickr.com/photos/annedorko/5142157324/
Sounds like some recreational fun to me
At least if you have daily occuring nightmares like so-called self-titled “web masters” that aint able to set up their servers properly, disabling stuff like image upload inside a CMS of choice, etc. pp. (current client scenario)
Other things, like customers wanting some last-minute, “its just some quick, easily-done” changes, that take up to 6 hours and more, adding and adding up on features .. happy feature creep ahead!
No, this entirely looks and sounds like some real fun
cu, w0lf.
Im in, I think it will be a great exercise for my skills. Cheers!
The website is already awesome as it is
Naw naw, this needs some tag, think of the netscape 4 users
Aww, it filtered out the “blink” tag from my previous comment instead of just escaping the text
First, Gideon gets my vote for best comment so far.
Secondly, I don’t know if this was added after the initial article was posted, but the editor’s note should clear up the misconception that this is spec work:
Editor’s Note: This is a fictitious website that you’re redesigning purely for the fun of the competition. The winning redesign will not be used commercially and this competition does not, in any way, constitute spec work.
Lol at the existing website, this needs to be shot down ! hehe
Can I use comp images from Stock sites?
For one, it is not easy to make a site look so 90′s – it takes some serious effort
This is NOT spec work, this is a fictitious project, hence no client and no potential ‘payment’. It’s a competition and that’s what it is. Don’t confuse it.
If you don’t want to do it, then so bit, the more chance it leaves others to win.
@ Omar
Mate, the contest is not about to make the website look like a 90′s one, but to “breathe new life into this outdated business with a complete redesign and rebranding of the homepage to bring it up to present day standards.”. Be careful mate.
He is just saying that the people who made the website took a lot of effort to get the right 90′s look. That’s also why I said that it’s already awesome as it is. And thank you toekneebee
He is just saying that the people who made the 90′s site put some serious effort in getting the right 90′s feel
And I agree!
Can we submit multiple workups?
“While you don’t need to keep any visual elements from the design (photos, branding), you must use all the copy and links on the existing website.”
I’m sorry, English isn’t my primary language, could anyone confirm if this mean that all we need to keep are links and text?
Yes, exactly! Have fun with it!
this looks like fun! I’m new in this web design world , I’m glad to see that a lot of people think this is spec work, that means I have more chances to win! Hey I want adobe web premium!
Must say, I love these types of contests, it’s a true way of being purely creative
Best of luck to all!
Looks pretty fun and a great way to practice some techniques, with a nice prize if we win! Count me in!
Andrew
I think this would be great for students or those not full into the industry yet. Great way for them to get their hands on some new software.
Those already in the industry should already have the software they need, but I’m sure there are some who haven’t had a chance to upgrade to CS5, etc.
Personally I like all the ‘pro freelancers’ that wasted their free time commenting on here about how they don’t have enough free time to waste on this.
Just uploaded my attempt. Tell me what ya think:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55692217@N03/5159960272/sizes/l/in/photostream/
I really like it. Compact, to the point, dark and easy on the eyes, and the pizza stock fits in well.
Just submitted my entry, best of luck to all competitors
So, only 3 people so far? Come on, this is a fun contest
My work is on the way.
There are more than 3, you must have missed the others
I see 4 now. If there are more, can you drop me a link? I am very curious!
I checked here: http://www.flickr.com/search/groups/?m=pool&w=1414129%40N20&q=90sredesign
I uploaded my work…but I can´t find it iff I search for it by just using the tage…:(
http://www.flickr.com/photos/balidr/5167642193/
I hope you like it
Just uploaded my version! I hope more people join next week!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pestodesign/5169316560/
I found a real italian business in the 90′s lol. splash page that goes to under construction. http://www.phillyontherun.com
I find so many restaurant sites that look like these. And many of them are pizza places, too. But, alas, a lot of them are already being remade. I’ve had minimal success e-mailing them with offers because of this.
Just added my design, hope you like it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nionwebdesign/5177678551/
Here is mine Design:)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33484115@N04/5181719760/
Here is my Design:)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33484115@N04/5181719760/
Hi,
My design It is here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33484115@N04/5181764848/
Fore real
Awesome contest, i just wish i had bit more time – one of my friends yesterday told me that he found this comp, so i had only today to make anything.
Anyways – nice opportunity to challange/polish some of my n00b web-d skills
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephiking/5182643194/
when is the judging? … yes, i know, i’m an impatient little thing.
I have uploaded my design. But I have just signed up to Flickr, so it says:
“If your account is new, first you need to upload at least 5 public photos. After that minimum has been reached, then it shouldn’t take more than a few days until your photos appear in searches, groups”
I have uploaded 5 public photos. But, a few days? Isn’t it so long!
I hope, it won’t be problem.
By the way, my desing:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55967068@N05/5183317642/in/photostream/
Thought I would throw my hat into the ring. I’m posting the link here for feedback.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reecebutler/5182839927/
Just added mine a little while ago: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14110697@N02/5183247243/
Just added my time is 23:43 http://www.flickr.com/photos/7730633@N07/5184007614/
I made an entry…in Fireworks 2. I hope mine gets chosen, I NEED NEW SOFTWARE!!
Wow! So many great designs. I feel sorry for the judges who have to decide on a winner.
I’ve never used flikr before so opened a yahoo account so I can enter… I added mine yesterday but when I go on another computer I cant see it??
its under easthalldesign? Can anyone else see it? Why cant I?? V odd just hope the judges can??
I learned 2 things during the competition: most of us postpone finishing projects till the very last seconds. And that the best restaurant designs are the one, that make you hungry!
heres a dirct link so it is there?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55669521@N04/5181377781/
hey, I was wondering… Did the contest end already? Or can people still submit til the end of the day? Please let me know. Thanks!
I cannot say for sure, but people were submitting all day. It’s technically the 18th and people are still submitting. I guess it can’t hurt to try.
i’d also like to know if submissions are accepted today.
I made and submitted my design before but now it’s not showing up publicly on the stream, so here’s the direct link;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55759832@N03/5165964079/in/pool-freelanceswitch
looks great!
i have the same problem with flickr page… so here’s the direct link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47960229@N02/5185335360/
Thanks for the feedback guys, I totally gave up hope that mine would be accepted late, and stopped working on it. Seeing this makes me regret that lol. Next go around freelanceswitch.com should really put more structure on the deadline/rules. As well as just a minute detail about the site, although I know that the lack of info was just to spur the creative aspect of it. For example: Is Mario some guy that just learned about google’s extra juice for pagespeed, or does he just like shiny eye candy? Lol my mock up had drop shadows, highlights, and gradients galore
Dear Freelance Switch,
I definitely agree that there should have been an exact deadline listed like “11:59 pm november 16th pacific time – california” …
and also an exact time when you post the winner, so people aren’t going crazy hitting the refresh button because it says “shortly”
Argh! Post the winner already!
in case anyone didnt see the post on the front page – the winner and “shortlist” have been announced here.
http://freelanceswitch.com/general/redesign-an-outdated-90s-website-winner-announced/
Is this spec work?
(only joking)
Stephanie, thanks to show as the result of the contest.
All the redesings are a great job!