# Dev blog: Calling All EVE Online Designers - Fanfest 2018 Mouse mat Design Contest **URL:** \ **Category:** Dev Blogs\ **Tags:** contest, official, devblog\ **Created:** [February 1, 2018, 1:25pm UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703 "2018-02-01T13:25:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DeMichael\_Crimson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/demichael_crimson/32/514115_2.png) [@DeMichael\_Crimson](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/DeMichael_Crimson)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 11:40pm UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/21 "2018-02-01T23:40:43Z")
lol, no. Tis better to presume than to assume because when you assume, you make an ASS out of U and ME. Also according to the dictionary: Assume verb (used with object), assumed, assuming. to take for granted without proof: ---
**Author:** ![Zaknefeign\_DoUrden](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/zaknefeign_dourden/32/52413_2.png) [@Zaknefeign\_DoUrden](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/Zaknefeign_DoUrden)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 2:38am UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/22 "2018-02-02T02:38:37Z")
Pfft I’m not gonna give a frak about T-shirts until you buttholes give me back my TV and couch… Y’all already took away my in game browser and jukebox, wasn’t that enough buttholeness? ---
**Author:** ![elitatwo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/elitatwo/32/373473_2.png) [@elitatwo](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/elitatwo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 4:39am UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/23 "2018-02-02T04:39:36Z")
> [@Steve\_Ronuken](#): > > These days, you can get photoshop for $10 a month. Awesome. Where in gods name did I say, I want to buy photoshop? I said that photoshop is not the god format for pictures but everything that is not photoshop is excluded for no apparent reason. Jesus Christ, read dammit. ---
**Author:** ![Uriel\_Paradisi\_Anteovnuecci](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/uriel_paradisi_anteovnuecci/32/388691_2.png) [@Uriel\_Paradisi\_Anteovnuecci](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/Uriel_Paradisi_Anteovnuecci)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 5:39am UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/24 "2018-02-02T05:39:00Z")
I mean, GIMP is completely free and can export .psd files just fine ---
**Author:** ![Shailagh\_Rose](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/shailagh_rose/32/14667_2.png) [@Shailagh\_Rose](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/Shailagh_Rose)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 5:46am UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/25 "2018-02-02T05:46:33Z")
Its called a freaking **MOUSE PAD** Not a mouse freaking Mat Lol wtf is a mouse mat? Some hipster newage ■■■■? ---
**Author:** ![Sabriz\_Adoudel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/sabriz_adoudel/32/14017_2.png) [@Sabriz\_Adoudel](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/Sabriz_Adoudel)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 8:46am UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/26 "2018-02-02T08:46:44Z")
People without Photoshop can use GIMP, which is a free alternative that’s reasonably solid. (Yes, that is the program’s actual name, it’s a backronym, GNU Image Manipulation Program - search for that instead if you don’t want to look up gimps on your computer). Shipping on EVE store merch is too high for me to even bother looking there. Surely you can have it dropshipped via either AliExpress or Amazon instead. Not used Amazon a lot, but getting small parcels sent to Australia from China through AliExpress is cheap and I assume Amazon isn’t too different. ---
**Author:** ![Kyrandia\_Dax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/kyrandia_dax/32/244447_2.png) [@Kyrandia\_Dax](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/Kyrandia_Dax)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 2:39pm UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/27 "2018-02-02T14:39:31Z")
7.75"x8.25" - where 7.75 is the height or the width of the pad? ---
**Author:** ![Dior\_Ambraelle](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/dior_ambraelle/32/393685_2.png) [@Dior\_Ambraelle](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/Dior_Ambraelle)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 4:22pm UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/28 "2018-02-02T16:22:34Z")
I think it’s safe to assume (this seems like the word of the day) that the smaller number is the height. But wait! 7.75x8.25 is quite small isn’t it? Especially if you are a gamer. And the actual pad will be only 7.5x8? By the way everything in EVE is using the metric system, but this contest is using imperial. I know, it’s because of the DPI, but I still find it funny. ---
**Author:** ![Trixie\_Lawless](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/trixie_lawless/32/257491_2.png) [@Trixie\_Lawless](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/Trixie_Lawless)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/29 "2018-02-02T16:39:25Z")
Yeah… No thanks. Looked at the prices there one time, laughed and closed it. Haven’t been back since. Unless you guys start start using child labor and sweatshops (call Oprah if you need advice on the subject), ill continue to pass on the overpriced hoodies. ---
**Author:** ![CCP\_Guard](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/ccp_guard/32/16499_2.png) [@CCP\_Guard](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/CCP_Guard)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 5:26pm UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/30 "2018-02-02T17:26:20Z")
Simple explanation is that it wouldn’t be economical with the amounts of merch we’re moving. We used to run the store ourselves way back in the day and then we had the stock in Iceland, so we were shipping across the Atlantic both ways. Then we tried running it from our Atlanta office for a while and both those options ran at a loss. Our main goal with merch sales isn’t profit because even if EVE is the best game ever…not everyone knows that so it’s a niche operation to run a store with EVE merch 🙂 We think of it as a service but it has to pay for itself and not be a drain on our main operation which is making games. Since those days we’ve ran with partners. Partners take the load off us, they have all the deals and processes in place to run a store way more effectively than we do. They have multiple customers and that cuts down on the collective overhead, they have great relationships with suppliers so they can get everything faster and cheaper and in more variety than we could. We have a great partner now that’s very flexible and good to work with, but they’re US based and while that happens to be our biggest merch market, it means shipping across the pond is a pain. We’ll keep trying to figure that out but our conundrum has always been that we fall between the cracks a bit in terms of our market size. Global store providers tend to prefer customers that can bring them greater volumes of sale. It’s an extra service but one that we’d love to be able to provide equally, globally, and we’ll keep our eyes open for solutions. Hope that explains things a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Nana\_SkaIski](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/nana_skaiski/32/126779_2.png) [@Nana\_SkaIski](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/Nana_SkaIski)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 10:16pm UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/31 "2018-02-02T22:16:49Z")
That would fit nicely: [![](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/uploads/default/optimized/3X/4/4/44946ed1d5416f78ef062bf5caf2930fafb81242_1_666x500.jpg) ](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/uploads/default/optimized/3X/4/4/44946ed1d5416f78ef062bf5caf2930fafb81242_1_666x500.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Alderson\_Point](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/alderson_point/32/171891_2.png) [@Alderson\_Point](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/Alderson_Point)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 10:52pm UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/32 "2018-02-02T22:52:35Z")
In many countries that speak English, like … ooh I don’t know… like England, that is exactly what we call it because it certainly isn’t a pad. ---
**Author:** ![DeMichael\_Crimson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/demichael_crimson/32/514115_2.png) [@DeMichael\_Crimson](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/DeMichael_Crimson)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2018, 2:27am UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/33 "2018-02-03T02:27:24Z")
Well, here in America we call it a Mouse Pad. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Ronuken](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/steve_ronuken/32/373894_2.png) [@Steve\_Ronuken](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/Steve_Ronuken)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2018, 3:14am UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/34 "2018-02-03T03:14:58Z")
That’s your here, not my here. In English (British) it’s entirely right. And I don’t much care for English (Simplified) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Circumstantial\_Evidence](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/circumstantial_evidence/32/399551_2.png) [@Circumstantial\_Evidence](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/Circumstantial_Evidence)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2018, 3:46am UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/35 "2018-02-03T03:46:41Z")
I would accept ‘pad’ as a description of the old fashioned heavy weight foam rubber backed variety (e.g., “it’s padded!”) and ‘mat’ for thinner, non-padded versions. A chair mat for example, is something that solidifies or protects a carpeted surface so wheeled chairs can easily roll around. I believe Mouse _pads_ first came about because mice with roller balls in them would lose their grip on hard surfaces after a while… a higher-friction semi-firm cloth surface gave them something better to grip onto, while they accumulated lint and potato chips. (The… prototype for [Katamari Damacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katamari_Damacy)?) When mice went optical, the mousing surface could be just about anything. ---
**Author:** ![Shailagh\_Rose](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/shailagh_rose/32/14667_2.png) [@Shailagh\_Rose](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/Shailagh_Rose)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2018, 7:49am UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/36 "2018-02-03T07:49:43Z")
Good i am glad we all agree that this contest is about designing Mouse **PADS** The Dev even just stated that AMERICA USA USA USA is the merch stores largest purchasesers. So if Americans are largest Store base, PAD IT IS > [@CCP\_Guard](#): > > they’re US based and while that happens to be our biggest merch market ---
**Author:** ![DeMichael\_Crimson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/demichael_crimson/32/514115_2.png) [@DeMichael\_Crimson](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/DeMichael_Crimson)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2018, 8:57am UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/37 "2018-02-03T08:57:55Z")
OK, @CCP_Guard said it, I believe it and that settles it. ---
**Author:** ![Keno\_Skir](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/keno_skir/32/460582_2.png) [@Keno\_Skir](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/Keno_Skir)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2018, 9:34am UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/38 "2018-02-03T09:34:01Z")
> [@Shailagh\_Rose](#): > > Some hipster newage ■■■■? People used to call them mouse matts years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Dior\_Ambraelle](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/dior_ambraelle/32/393685_2.png) [@Dior\_Ambraelle](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/Dior_Ambraelle)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2018, 9:36am UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/39 "2018-02-03T09:36:41Z")
> [@CCP\_Guard](#): > > Our main goal with merch sales isn’t profit because even if EVE is the best game ever…not everyone knows that so it’s a niche operation to run a store with EVE merch 🙂 That’s exactly why you should design stuff that isn’t appealing only to people who know the game! The hats look cool and futuristic, even if you only make 4 color schemes with the empire (or even without any) logos, I’m sure you could sell them at gaming and other “nerd cons” without problem. Scale models are the same thing! People who are interested in models would buy them because the designs are cool, and this is something we don’t have yet, unlike tanks or airplanes by which the market is currently flooded. Yes, EVE is a niche game, but if you aim your merchandise to be a niche market _of an already niche market_, you won’t make anything but loss. ---
**Author:** ![zluq\_zabaa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/zluq_zabaa/32/19011_2.png) [@zluq\_zabaa](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/zluq_zabaa)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2018, 10:24am UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703/40 "2018-02-03T10:24:07Z")
> [@Shailagh\_Rose](#): > > Some hipster newage ■■■■? Britain, Hipsterland since 1066. [Previous page](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703.md?page=1) [Next page](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/dev-blog-calling-all-eve-online-designers-fanfest-2018-mouse-mat-design-contest/54703.md?page=3)