~Keep the size in mind: designs should be suitable for a large, horizontal banner approx. 300x 100 cm (this is only an estimate - actual size is liable to change). Designs that are adaptable to different sizes (such as those with solid or easily extended backgrounds) are preferred.

~ Keep it relevant: designs should be asexuality-themed - for example, white, black, grey and purple are relevant, as the colors of the asexual pride flag, but a red theme would not be as relevant. If you wish to use symbols not usually associated with ace pride or the ace community, please explain why you chose them!

~ Keep it simple: Try not to make the design too complex, and consider it practically. A banner that is cluttered with too many colors and images will be distracting and hard to read. We want something that will be easily understandable at a glance, but still eye-catching and more interesting than just plain text on a solid color banner. Try to avoid using photos or pictures*
(If used, however, any original art that cannot be easily reproduced (i.e., anything fancier than basic shapes, stripes, gradients, or text) should be scalable to full banner size with a resolution of at least 300dpi in the final print size.)

~ Keep it clear: Writing other than the names listed in the requirements above is optional but must also be clear and readable. There should not be an excess of writing- keep it simple, concise and relevant. Text should also be readable from a distance.

~ Keep it general: Preferably, designs should be re-usable. Having a design with “World Pride 2012!” is all very well but is singular to that event and it is likely the finished banner may be used for years at events all around the UK and potentially even abroad.

~Keep the message in mind:  Be aware of the message your design conveys. Pride is huge opportunity to raise visibility, assert ourselves as legitimate and as representatives of our orientation, and designs should reflect that. Designs do not have to be super strict, but a design based on in-jokes like cake or Sherlock, for example, is unlikely to be taken as seriously by people not familiar with the asexual community.

~Keep it appropriate and legal: No profanity, swear words, or explicit content, please. In addition, please do not include copyrighted images or other trademarked logos or brands in your designs, with the exception of official AVEN symbols.

The Sun, a UK national newspaper, wishes to do an article on asexuals. They are looking to talk to 3-4 British asexuals, 18-35ish range. If you’re interested, please contact us immediately at aven.pt@gmail.com. The interviews would have to be this week, and would need to include your name and a professional photo - they’ll send someone. You would be paid for your time.

The author has assured us that he can run people’s quotes past them before publication, which will at least lessen the chance of people being quoted out of context.

Hello there

I’m a feature writer for The Sun in London and was very interested to read an article about asexuality on the BBC website.

Not many people in the office were aware of asexuals and I think it’s a fascinating topic which should be publicised more.

Would it be possible to be put in touch with three or four British asexual case studies who are willing to talk about their experiences? Naturally they would be photographed and named but we can pay a fee for their participation. 

Do let me know if this is something we can pull together. As a daily paper we’re always tight for time so I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kindest Regards,

David Lowe
Deputy Features Editor
The Sun

Aces, Graces, Demis, and Allies! AVENues wants YOU!

Avenues is a bimonthly online publication by and for the ace community, featuring articles, short stories, comics, real life experiences, interviews recipes, current events and more. 

But AVENues doesn’t write itself - that’s where you come in! AVENues is now looking for writers, photographers and artists to submit their work to AVENues. 

Although run through AVEN, AVENues is open to AVENites and non-AVENites alike, whether professional or amateur, ace or ally.

For submission info, plot ideas, past issues and more, see below.

After a long absence, AVENues is finally making a comeback. We’re working out the final details on a couple of things (mainly concerning which external sites we’ll be using to advertise the publication), but we’re ready to begin accepting submissions.

AVENues is still a bimonthly publication, and the same rules as before still apply. To get things started, however, a smaller April issue will be released to get everyone back in the swing of things (and to keep the future bimonthly schedule in order). The bimonthly releases will resume with the May/June issue. The submission deadline for the April issue is 20 March. If you miss the submission deadline, contact me and I’ll see what I can do.


Submission Guidelines

Send all submissions to newsletter@asexuality.org

Within your email, please include:

• Name (or name you want under your submission)
• AVEN name (if applicable)
• Title of your submission
• The file or link to the file (if the file is an image, please make sure it is large)

For an idea of what you can submit to AVENues, there is a list of possible submissions here.

AVENues Team Members
Strivna, +Arielle, michaeld, Cleander

Links

AVENues Homepage
Facebook Page

Previous Issues

May/June 2011
AVENues Archive 

greetings!

I’m Cleander, and I am a 19 year-old aromantic asexual.

I first found the ace community about 4 years ago, when I began questioning in early high school, and I started becoming actively involved about 2 years ago when I graduated high school and started coming out. I am now a flamingly open ace, and I am heavily involved in promoting asexuality visibility and education on my local campus.

Speaking of visibility, some of my past and ongoing projects include creating stickers for and marching in SF pride 2011, organizing workshops and screenings for asexual awareness week in my area, microblogging via tumblr, and working with local campus lgbtq groups to promote asexual visibility.

My main interests lie in following current academic research on asexuality, creating and making available more visibility materials, and promoting offline asexual visibility.

Outside of AVEN, I am a second-year linguistics student at UC Berkeley, though I originally hail from Southern California. In my free time, I enjoy reading manga, cooking delicious food, exploring urban areas, and costuming.

Here on tumblr, I also run my own personal ace-themed blog at Next Step: Cake, and other random things of interest as littlepaperfrogs.

p.s. - If you ever want help with vis/ed projects, or just want to say hi, feel free to drop me a line!