FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• Membership
• Submitting Designs
• Scoring Designs
• Creative Classifieds
• Our T-shirts
• Placing Your Order
• Shipping
• Returns

 

Membership

Who can become a member?

Anyone can become a member of Artevist, and it never costs anything.

What's the make-up of the Artevist community?

Our membership can be divided into three groups:

• Artist of all types - professional and amateur.
• People involved with nonprofit organizations, especial those working in marketing and communications roles.
• Anyone who wants to make a difference and thinks that the arts and creative T-shirt design can help do that.

What does being a member entail?

It's up to you. You can be as involved and active as you like. That may mean submitting designs, scoring and commenting on those of others, or simply looking and reading about what is going on or seeing what's available in Our Store.

Can I change my user name?

Unfortunately, you won't be able to change your username once you've signed up. You'll have to cancel your existing account and create a new one.

Can I cancel my membership?

You can cancel your membership at any time. Simply email us at and we'll take care of it.

 

Submitting Designs

Do I have to be a professional artist to submit a design?

Not at all, you simply have to love design and be familiar enough with design software to: 1) create a great design, and 2) submit it in the required format. You'll find this information on the Contests Page.

How do I submit a design?

Submitting a design is very easy, but there are a few steps, so please have a look at the Contests Page as well as the individual contest's guidelines.

Why should I submit work on a speculative basis?

Many graphic artists refuse to engage in speculative work, and we fully respect that position. If that's the case, Artevist competitions probably aren't for you, but we'd still love it if you participated in our Forums and Classifieds.

We do feel that our contests compensate artists fairly by paying an up-front US$700 Usage Fee and retained ownership of your design, as Artevist only buys the right to commercialize your work for a period of two years.

We also encourage artists to sign their work and take advantage of the site's community functions to promote themselves and their art. This isn't always possible in conventional design work, where the artist is so often anonymous. Additionally, Artevist gives artists the ability to associate themselves with nonprofit organisations and the issues they represent.

 

Scoring Designs

Can anyone score submissions?

You have to be a member to score submissions, but Joining Artevist takes all of 30 seconds.

Does that mean non-artists are judging submissions?

Yes, it might. We believe that a healthy community should be open to all who support its goals. While artists may form the core of our community, we're also interested in hearing from people in the nonprofit world and those who simply want to see good design applied to important issues.

How are the winning submissions chosen?

We have two types of Contests, those initiated by Artevist and those initiated by nonprofit organizations. For our Contests, we rely on the feedback received from members through scoring and comments. Naturally, we also have to consider the design from a commercial perspective. Do we think it will sell?

This decision is based on our current inventory, the success of past designs and just a bit of subjective judgement. For instance, if we've already produced 5 global warming themed tees in a row, then we're probably not going to print a 6th right away.

Contests that are sponsored by a nonprofit organization follow a similar process, but the organization may want to have the final choice from the top scorers. If this is the case, it will be mentioned in the contest's guidelines.

Can I get my friends and family to vote for me?

Absolutely! You can get people to support your design anyway you choose. Bear in mind, however, that we do look at scoring patterns. This means that a design with wide support, being objectively scored and commented upon, may have a better chance of being chosen than one that's scoring a perfect '10'. Artevist is a place for great design and discussion, not personal popularity contests.

 

Creative Classifieds

What are the Classifieds for?

The Creative Classifieds are designed to allow Artevist members to connect professionally. We thought it would be a shame not to make this available to our global pool of talent and the nonprofit organizations that could use their help.

Who can post a Classified ad?

Both nonprofit organizations and artists can post ads looking for creative services or materials. Please keep in mind that it's not meant as a place to generally promote your services. Use your Member Profile and Portfolio to do that.

I work for a nonprofit: can I trust the Classifieds to find an artist?

When an artist responds to your Classified ad, chances are that artist has done so because they believe in the work of your organization and have some skill or insight that you could use. Artevist connects like-minded individuals.

Meeting an artist through Artevist is no different than more traditional means, and the Classifieds are simply one more global option. Artevist makes it easy for you to view an artist's work in their online Portfolio and learn a little bit about them. We encourage you to ask any artist for samples of work and references.

Can creative work be contracted long distance?

That really depends on the project and your own work style. Simple projects such as an illustration, short animation etc. can certainly be done long distance. These days, even basic websites are routinely designed over the phone and email. In many cases, an artist may already have the materials you're after such as a drawing, animation, etc. Complex projects such as a complete identity platform, large web site, etc., usually benefit from face-to-face contact. In the Classifieds, you can stipulate a local contact or if you want your ad open to anyone.

Is there a cost?

There is no cost to post or respond to a Classified ad.

How do I pay/get paid for work found through the Classifieds?

Once you've made a connection, it's up to you to negotiate payment details with the other party. Artevist is not involved in private negotiations or payments between its members.

How long will my Classified ad be visible?

Thirty (30) days from the date it's posted or the period you specify, whichever is less.

Can I edit or cancel a Classified ad?

You can cancel or repost an ad at any time through your Member Profile. If you want to edit your ad, simply cancel and repost it.

 

Our T-shirts

Please see the Our Store section for a detailed description of the ethically sourced and eco-friendly T-shirts we sell.

What is meant by limited edition?

We're never going to produce tens of thousands of Tees, it's just not our business model. By "limited" we mean that when a design is chosen for production, we'll estimate how many Tees we'll sell over six months, and currently that number is somewhere between 250 and 1,000 T-shirts of all styles and sizes. Six months is the longest we'll have a design available, and if the design sells out sooner, we won't produce more.

So you wont ever re-print designs?

We always want to give artists plenty of opportunity to have their designs produced and to keep our collection fresh and dynamic, so it's unlikely we'll reprint a design after the initial run. Having said that, if there's demand for a specific design that's not of a common theme (e.g. saving the Peruvian Cloud Forest) we will consider a reprint if no new designs are forthcoming. We always like to know which designs made an impact, so that maybe next time we'll promote them differently or simply make up more. Tell us in our Product Forum.

Why are some items out of stock?

For the reasons already mentioned, we produce only small quantities of each design. Typically, we print a single run of each so we have to guesstimate how many of each size and style we'll sell. Of course, we won't always get it right, and sometimes run out of something faster than anticipated.

Why are some designs not available on certain styles of T-shirt?

We use a couple of T-shirt suppliers and each have a number of garment types and styles. Sometimes Tees don't come in the right colour or they're simply not available at the time we need to print. Often, the design lends itself to one style/material over another. If you would like to see more of one type of product, please be sure to tell us in our Product Forum.

Are all of your T-shirts eco-friendly?

Yes. We won't produce products that are not in keeping with our strict environmental standards. All of our suppliers are certified organic and sweatshop free by independent organizations.

Where are your products made?

Our cotton T-shirts are made in the U.S., and bamboo/cotton Tees are made in the U.S. from fibre imported from China, who is the leading supplier of textile quality bamboo. We don't import garments from China (the largest source of T-shirts for the North American market), as we believe that local manufacture is a key to lowering our dependency on fossil fuels, and because of larger concerns about workplace and environmental standards in China. That's why we chose Bamboosa for our bamboo Tees, as they are one of the few companies that import just the bamboo fibre from China, but manufacture their Tees here in North America.

Isn't selling T-shirts just contributing to many of the problems the website claims to want to solve?

Yes and no. We truly believe rampant consumerism is Evil (with a capital E), but people still need to live and clothe themselves. We think our products help people do that and make a statement to others about how they view the world.

We also want to support artists who feel the same way, but who don't usually get a chance to say it. If you're going to buy a designer Tee then we hope you care about the artist who designed it, and their message. Kung-fu ladybugs and skulls don't count! We also hope that when you buy one of our Tees, you wear it for a long time and that it eventually is reused and recycled. That's another reason we like the REHANCE plastic-free printing process where there's none of the plastic ink that makes a typical tee no good for dusting!

 

Placing Your Order

Why are your prices in US dollars?

We are a Canadian company, but all of our T-shirts are made in the U.S., and U.S. dollars are simply the easiest currency to use and understand for the majority of our users. We may add other currencies in the future.

I'm nervous about using my credit card online. How secure is your website?

First, we never sell, lend or give your personal information to outside parties. Please see our Privacy Policy. Second, we never collect and store your credit card information as we rely on Beanstream for payment processing. Beanstream's sole business is online payment processing and internet security is their specialty - one which they provide to a host of large and small customers such as online retailers and financial institutions. And third, we use 256-bit SSL encryption verified by GeoTrust, to ensure that the transmission of your personal data is done using the latest encryption technology available.

As with any credit card transactions, you should review your credit card statements carefully every month. All purchases made at Artevist will show up as "Artevist Communications Inc." on your credit card statement.

Which credit cards do you accept?

We accept: VISA and MasterCard and are evaluating ways to accept as many other online payment options as possible.

Can I pay using PayPal?

Not at the moment, but we're looking into adding PayPal payment options. We won't have that up-and-running for another month or two. If you subscribe to our newsletter we'll let you know when that happens.

Can I make changes to my order?

A change to an order may be possible if it is done through an email request . Since we try to ship all orders within 1-3 days, any change requests have to reach us quickly, and we cannot guarantee that we'll see it in time to prevent your item from being shipped as ordered.

Changes that imply an additional charge, such as adding an item, are more complicated as we don't keep your credit card information on file. Again, please contact us immediately by email and we'll do what we can.

 

Shipping

Where do you ship from?

All of our T-shirts ship from Bamboosa's, Andrews, South Carolina facility.

How long will it take to process my order?

Providing your item is in stock, your order should ship within 3 business days. If we expect additional delays, we'll let you know by email.

Who do you use for shipping?

We generally use the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), and occasionally United Parcel Service (UPS). We are continually evaluating shipping options.

What are your average shipping times and costs?

The following are average times (business days), from the time your parcel is picked-up. We've chosen the best combination of price and speed to offer you two shipping options for each destination.

Shipping costs are calculated based on the number of T-shirts ordered. As with most shipping, there is an advantage to buying more than one.

* For a limited time, we're offering single rate standard shipping on all of our Tees. Take advantage of these reduced rates and by a T-shirt or two more!

Do you offer overnight shipping to Canada and international destinations?

If USPS's Priority Mail is still too slow, we can send your order by International Express Mail, but you have to request this by email before you place your order . We haven't built it into our system, as it's very expensive in relation to the products we're selling, and will surely be an exception rather than a rule.

Can you ship with UPS or FedEx?

Though we've actually had better experience with USPS, we can ship with UPS. FedEx would be an exception, but please send us an email before you place your order and we'll try to accommodate your request.

Can I track my parcel?

Tracking depends on the service used and destination. If you choose a trackable service, you'll receive tracking information in your Order Confirmation Email. You can then track your order through USPS's online service.

Are there any other charges?

Artevist is a Canadian company based in British Columbia, so anything mailed to a Canadian address will have 5% GST (13% HST in some Atlantic provinces) added to the total, and an address in British Columbia will have 7% Provincial Sales Tax added as well.

What about customs fees?

Artevist has no control over fees your country's customs authorities my charge. Everything we sell is manufactured in the U.S. so little or no duties usually apply on Canadian orders, but please consult with your customs authority before ordering if this is a concern.

 

Returns

What is your returns policy?

Artevist believes in no hassle returns because we want you to be totally happy with your Artevist T-shirt and experience. We know that no matter how easy we try and make online purchasing, there may be a need to return or exchange something for a variety of reasons.

Basically, if we've made an error and there is a problem with the product, it's been damaged in shipping, or you didn't receive exactly what you ordered, then we'll send you a replacement or refund your credit card, and pay for any shipping involved. On the other hand, if you've had a change of mind or want to exchange your T-shirt for another, then you'll have to ship the item back to us at your expense.

All returns or exchange requests must be made within 15 days of receipt of your order. After 15 days, sales are considered final. The actual return of the item can be done within 30 days. Any T-shirts that are "on sale" or "clearance" are final sale items and are not returnable. Items must be in as received condition so please no wearing or washing!

How do I return my purchase?

Please follow these steps to return your purchase:

• If you're an Artevist Member, go to your Profile and click on My Recent Orders. Your order will appear with a link to our online Returns Form. Simply complete the form and we'll respond as soon as possible.
• Send us an email - - with your name, order number (it can be found in your order confirmation email), a description of the item and a brief description of the problem.

We will process your return/exchange within 10 business days and notify you once we have done so. If you requested a refund, we will process it on the original credit card used for the purchase or through PayPal.

Please do not return your T-shirt until you've received instructions from us.

If we do instruct you to return the item(s), our return address is:

Artevist.com
c/o Bamboosa
PO Box 1239
32 Seaboard Road
Andrews, SC 29510
USA

You can always contact us about your order or any other issue at: .