TREKCORE > THE OMEGA SECTOR > Signature Team

The origins of the Omega Sector Signature Team - or OSST for short - trace back to what you could consider the equivalent of an 'executive order' issued by co-webmaster Michael Broadhead (Virogen) on behalf of himself and Adam Walker on December 9, 2005. The order was simple: create some sleek looking signature images for board members to use. The person tasked with such was Omega Sector community leader, Doug Wilson (Frontier). Over the course of the next week, a number of individuals would be considered both from the staff at TrekCore, and from the Trekkie community at large. Frontier's first choice was an artist known as Klaus, an artist whom was already quite accomplished in the art of signatures. As luck would have it, Klaus agreed to take on the project, and the OSST (though it would not come to be dubbed as such until years later) was born.

Klaus had been creating signatures of his own for some time already. Being an official extension of the forums, however, the signatures Klaus would now be creating had to be both uniform and unequivocally a distinct part of the forums. Collaborating with one another, Frontier and Klaus settled upon a simple combination of elements as format. Dimensions of five hundred by one hundred pixels. A semi-transparent logo stamp across the left-hand two-fifths of the image. A simple yet elegant one pixel black, one pixel white border around the image to separate it from the forum background in a definitive manner without being over-bearing. A central focus, typically a character, and a central item of text related to that central focus. It was far from rocket science, but it wasn't as easy as it might sound.

The most common and persistent problem with making signatures is making things fit: in size, in location, in quality, in substance, in relation. Throwing together some images and text is easy - making it all look good and work together is a little more tricky, as anyone with experience will tell you. It can prove even more difficult when the creative process involves more than one person. Thankfully for Frontier (who by his own admission is a 'fanatical, tyrannical, stubborn task-master perfectionist') his collaborative partner had the patience of a saint. In the early days of the process, rarely did a signature get approved without a half-dozen modifications. Klaus would submit, Frontier would nit-pick, and back and forth the two would go until all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. The end results, though, where both appealing and popular.

After the initial success of Klaus as artist and Frontier as director, the team expanded to include one of the OS moderators, Doctor_Odd (Brian). For the next two years, little would change for the OSST - which still had not yet been dubbed such, as three people didn't quite seem to add up to a whole team. Though Frontier would demonstrate his own visual artistic skills by redesigning the Omega Sector forum ranks shortly after the signature project began in December of 2005, and would later reaffirm such visual instincts in May 2006 when he began his quest to create Star Trek themed avatars for the Omega Sector - an obsessive quest that would yield what may well be the largest collection of Star Trek avatars in existence, the total number of which currently stand at 3,395 as of January 2009 - he would not join the signature team beyond his directorial work until March of 2007.

It would not be until September of 2008 that the OSST would expand again to include new members startrekker39 (Sam) and Happy Russia (Gary). It would also be at this point, upon the inclusion of the teams fifth member, that the group would finally be dubbed the Omega Sector Signature Team. Though our resident da Vinci, Klaus, has been absent from duty for an extended period, his mass of contributions in both number of signatures and inspiration keep him a member of our team. We hope he some day returns to continue his work here. Thankfully, the creation continues, and in December of 2008, a milestone was reached as the Omega Sector uploaded its 250th signature. If you would like to learn more about the individual members of this elite team of artists, please continue reading their individual profiles below.

Frontier

Statment: This type of thing isn't really something that can be taught. You can teach certain parts of it, but not the whole process. It usually takes years to develop the ability. Thousands of hours of trial and error. Not to mention you're always learning on top of the basic skills. I learn new stuff all the time. I just learned something doing a signature recently. It can also be damn right frustrating because you get a visual of something you want to make in your head, and then you sometimes can't translate it into reality. There are some sig ideas I've had for years and, until I reach the right creative point, I won't even attempt to do them, because I know I'll fail.

It's like any other art, it's not something that comes naturally to all, or even most, or many. When it does come natural, you still have to work at it constantly to mold it from an innate ability to something refined. I've always been visually creative, since I was a kid. That said, I'm not to good at drawing. But I was good at aspects of drawing. So I kept at those aspects. Then the computer came along, and suddenly I had an outlet for my visual creativity that I couldn't achieve by my own hand. I've been working on photoshop-style art since I was 11, and it's only the past few years I've gotten to a decent level of skill. I'm still no where near as good as the best people who do it. I'd say I'm a 7 out of 10. But the space between 7 and 10 is the distance of light-years.

In the end it's less about technology, more about artistry. The technology is just the tool. Like the paint brush, like the pen, like the clay. When that's the case, it comes down to the simple equation: you either have it, or you don't. Like I said first off though, it's not something that can be taught.

As far as directing goes? Directing art, no matter your medium, is both more difficult in some ways and a lot easier in others. It's easy in that you just have to visualize, and not really impliment it - no, you get to leave that up to someone else. It's also harder because of things just like that, because you're not doing it, your telling someone else to. The hardest part about directing anything, or really anyone, is not letting yourself settle. Especially when you know something can be better. We're taught to be nice, to be supportive, to look for the good things about something. The direct, like to critique, you have to do the opposite. You have to tear something and sometimes someone down. Whether total or in part. You've both got to accept that, and make it clear to the other person it isn't personal but professional.

Klaus

Statment:
This Information is Not Yet Available.

doctor_odd

Statment: Art (be it music, visual art, performance art, etc.) can be taught, but only as art theory. Anybody can create art (which is simply expression in another language) but it takes a natural to create art that people can relate to, or art that people want to put on their walls. Anybody can learn the techniques, but there's so much more that we simply don't have words for in our limited language.

Quite a few people have asked the signature team how to create our signatures, but it does take a dose of natural talent. You either have it, or you don't. Let's put it this way: if you have to ask how to make something 'look good', you're not up for it. It's one thing to ask how an artist created a particular effect, but another thing entirely to ask an artist what looks 'good'.

Art is also a full time job. I know a lot of people say that artists get it easy- how could we be working as hard when we are painting or playing guitar? Well, let me tell you, staying up night after night trying to get a line in a song right, or to perfect the hair in a portrait, is tough. It might not be physical labour, but it's mental labour. It's not all soy lattes and turtlenecks. There's actual work to be done, if you're doing it right. Artists contribute as much to society as architects, plumbers, teachers and businessmen. The world would be a pretty dreary place if it weren't for art posters or rock music.

I am lucky to be working with such talented people as I do. If it weren't for Frontier, half of the signatures I supplied would look like crap. You see, every artist thinks they are working on their next great work- it takes an outside source to say “It's crap. Do it again.” It doesn't matter if it's a song or a signature, I always wait at least a week before I praise myself- I wouldn't want to become any more pretentious, after all. Happy Russia, startrekker39 and Klaus are all amazing at what they do. If you look closely, you can see that each of the five of us has developed our own unique style (even if Frontier might think my style is far too monochrome).

To end this little write-up (or diatribe, if you will) I will close by saying that even if nobody likes your art, keep going. Art should be for you and you alone. It's an emotional release that's not always possible through mere words. It's healthy, and with practice, you will get better. Perhaps you are a natural- who knows? I certainly don't.

startrekker39

Statment:
Well what is there to say about me? Lets start with the basics (the Trek related basics anyway!) I first started watching Star Trek almost 15 years ago now (is anyone else feeling old yet?). I was at my best friends house at the time and we were just flicking through the TV channels when we stumbled on BBC2 which was showing ST:TNG episode 'Yesterdays Enterprise'. We didnt see it from the start, I would say we were 20 minutes in when we flicked onto it but for the rest of that episode I could not take my eyes off the screen. I was well and truly hooked! The following week I watched another episode and it just grew from there. ST:Voyager was shown on BBC2 every week during my school years and I would always be there once a week watching it religiously, and I still do so now thanks to the DVDs!

Now its important here that you all dont misunderstand me as I have the greatest respect for every single person on the signature team but I would definately say that I take my signature creations a lot less seriously that the others. I am shockingly bad at any form of art in real life be it drawing, painting or anything that involves using things in my hands. I know what I want things to look like in my head but I can never get it to look that way on paper so producing art work on computers is a fantastic solution to me. As Frontier will no doubt tell you the majority of my signatures are "feminine" to quote the big man himself but thats the way I like them! I try to keep a good sense of humour in every aspect of my life (as you can tell by the tongue-in-cheek way I've written all this! Its informative yet milding amusing..well to me anyway) and my banners work on the same principle. I just make them to relax, I find sig making a fantastic way to melt away the stresses of the day so if you havent tried it yet I urge you to give it a go.

I think that is enough about me, I dont like being the centre of attention at the best of times! I will just say though that it is important to remember that not everyone will like everything you make so just keep creating and keep experimenting, so long as you enjoy it thats all that matters. Unless of course youre trying to please Frontier and keep him happy - in that case expect a rough ride! No I'm only kidding! Its because of the very hard work by Frontier, Klaus, doctor_odd and Happy Russia that this forum has continued to grow year after year. Each member produces and insists upon the highest quality artwork on this site which is what makes it so popular and justa pleasure to browse so I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the fellow members of the signature team, all the members of the OS, the general browsing public (oh and of course the Academy ;-) ) for their continued support as without all of you guys and girls I would be one lonely chappy! I know I let real life stuff get in the way of my OS posting and signature making far too often but even when I'm not around on the boards I am thinking about you all and I look forward to when I will get to post again. Right, I really had best go before my keyboard dies from over use! Thanks again to the signature team and to everyone that uses our sigs because without you there would be no need for us to make them!

Happy Russia

Statment: As a Trekkie, I grew up with The Next Generation throughout my childhood. The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D became my second family and taught me a lot as a child. Aside from my parents and friends, Star Trek taught me morals that I still use to this day. I'm proud to have lived through such great years in Trek history and I'm definitely not ashamed of it. It's helped me become a better person.

I feel that everyone can use a mouse, but not everyone can use a pencil. In this, I'm glad to have the good fortune to know how to draw. You don't know how many people I've approached, who make fantastic artistic works on the computer, saying that they can't draw. Drawing is essential in whatever artistic medium you employ. I've been drawing since I was four, and without it, I wouldn't be the same artist that you see before you today. I've also been using Photoshop for almost ten years. Believe me, I'm no master artist...I've yet to achieve anything close to that.

As far as inspiration for my pieces goes, it can either take weeks or months to come up with something...or it can hit you like lightning. I strive to make the best quality pieces I can for everyone here, and I'm happy to have Frontier's scrutinizing eye to watch over my shoulder like a hawk. (Even though it creeps me the hell out, sometimes) All kidding aside, I've been here for almost a year now, January 14th being one year since I joined. I've been more than honored to get to know the great people here; we're all like a big, close-knit family. It's also my extreme honor to be on the Omega Sector Signature Team. I hope I can provide you, the fine people of the OS, with artistic pieces and signatures that inspire and satisfy for years to come....