Your chance to work with María Medem on an illustrated calendar for 2020

Call for Collaboration is an It’s Nice That x Dropbox Paper project connecting creatives from across the world to collaborate on fun, fully commissioned creative projects. Each month we’ll spotlight the projects on It’s Nice that and show how Dropbox Paper helps these great ideas come to life.

For this month’s edition of our partnership Call for Collaboration with Dropbox Paper, graphic designers are being offered the rare chance to work with Spanish illustrator, María Medem. A beloved illustrator with several books, record sleeves and countless commissions under her belt, María doesn’t often find herself working collaboratively with other creatives, so there’s all the more reason to jump at the chance.

Looking to create a calendar for 2020 with her soon-to-be-chosen collaborator, María’s brief is open to any graphic designer who could help ideate themes to be discussed in the calendar’s visuals and aid its design. Looking forward to working closely with the designer, María is especially interested in how “I can adapt my drawings as much as possible for the design, I want them to be very integrated within it.”

Aside from these details, María is on the lookout for a creative who is “curious, has an interest in experimentation and the use of colour,” she tells It’s Nice That. “Also a big love for printed objects, and I wouldn’t mind if they have an insane passion for dogs.”

Considering illustration is quite a solitary practice, the majority of María’s experiences of collaboration have been through working on zines and books with friends. The illustrator adds that these experiences, although infrequent, leave her with a “renewed knowledge and interest, and with new strategies to approach work with,” she tells us. “In fact, now I think about it, every commission I get is a bit of a collaboration between the art director and I. You’re always looking to get to a point in common, trying to understand their interests and yours to get to something satisfying for both. And, you create something that most of the time would be impossible to create without the other person.”

With this attitude towards collaboration in mind, María’s mostly looking forward to the experience of working with someone she’s never met personally, “already something creatively new for me,” she adds, also pointing out how “this profession can be so lonely, always working on your own, it’s nice to have some company from time-to-time.”

If this sounds like a collaborative project your creative practice is suited to, you can find out all the details below!

How to enter

Choose examples of your existing work which demonstrates what Mariá is looking for to make this project come to life.

Upload your work on Instagram with #CallForCollaboration and @itsnicethat and tell us why you’d love to take part.

It’s Nice That and Mariá will pick one person from the submissions to take part in the collaboration on 30 October.

The collaboration to create the project will take place from 30 October – 26 November. You must be able to take part during these dates.

Important Information

This collaboration is fully commissioned, a fee will be agreed between It’s Nice That and the selected collaborator before the project begins.

We’re not asking people to create original work to enter; instead, we want you to showcase your existing work, ideas and talents.

Terms and Conditions

Entries to the Call For Collaboration project will be open from 12 pm GMT 22 October 2019 to 6 pm GMT 30 October 2019.

All entrants must enter examples of their work through the #CallForCollaboration on Instagram in order to be shortlisted for the project.

All creative work must legally belong to the individual uploading entry through copyright law.

It’s Nice That reserves the right to choose any individual to take part in #CallForCollaboration project.

The project is a paid commission. A fee will be decided between by It’s Nice That and the individual/individuals to be agreed upon in a contract separate from the terms and conditions listed here.

On being selected for the project, the chosen individual/individuals must be willing to sign a contract to deliver the work and assets affiliated with the campaign. Separate terms and conditions will be presented in this contract.

It’s Nice That and Dropbox are not liable to any costs or expenses affiliated with individuals submitting work to the #CallForCollaboration project. By entering this project, you release It’s Nice That, Dropbox, and Instagram from any claims or losses relating to the #CallForCollaboration project.

This project is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram. It’s Nice That is the sole sponsor of this project.

It’s Nice That and Dropbox hold no rights to publish entries made on #CallForCollaboration on any of its digital or print channels.

The individual/individuals who are chosen for the project may not exchange the commission fee for any alternative cash or prize.

By entering your work to #CallForCollaboration on Instagram, you submit that you have fully understood and agreed with the terms and conditions listed above.

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