Crowdsourcing! Pay 100,- € for a Coat of Arms

This website is called gartnerich.com because it belongs to the Gartner family. And we Gartners are nobility—well, sort of… In itself, that’s not spectacular, because as long as you don’t have a “von” in your name (or even better, a “Graf”), it doesn’t really mean anything. However, there is one thing you do get: a coat of arms! Our coat of arms looks like this:

Our patent of nobility dates back to 15.11.1699, and the coat of arms is described approximately as follows:

…Noble coat of arms to be used forevermore and thus graciously granted and permitted to bear the name: “a quartered shield, the rear lower and front upper field divided into three equal bars, the rear and front being white, the middle red; from the front lower to the rear upper corner cut through diagonally with a stripe, which is red in the white and white in the red; on each elongated white bar, one on the red two hexagonal golden stars, in the diagonal stripe but in the red a white and in the white a red rose can be seen. Front lower and rear upper field, divided in the middle across so that the lower part is yellow or gold-colored, the upper blue or azure and in the lower on a green three-hilled mountain a brown horse standing upright ready to leap with a flying bridle, in the rear upper part a standing griffin appears on an equally hilled mountain, blue or azure from below to the middle, but yellow or gold-colored in the upper part, with open wings, a red protruding tongue, and holding a curved saber by the hilt with the right front claw, but holding the tip with the left claw. In the middle of the quartering a white or silver-colored crowned heart shield, in which a miner with a brown beard and hair, dressed in a tight red tunic and on the head with a Hungarian hanging cap, with the brim, and the body belt, buttons, and coat lapel white or silver-colored, placing the left hand on the hip, but holding in the right a mining step from which two green palm branches, embraced by a laurel wreath, grow. On the shield a free, noble tournament helmet with surrounding jewels, etc. etc.”

Now I would like to use the coat of arms—or something similar to it. However, I have only discovered a small photo in our family history. Additionally, the coat of arms is quite ornate; I would prefer something simpler, more streamlined. Therefore, the following call:

Here are the rules:

• The coat of arms must appeal to me—so much so that I use it. In other words: if I use it, I pay.
• Only the coat of arms that I like best will be rewarded.
• I receive all usage rights to the coat of arms. This means, among other things, that the artist has granted all rights because they own them.
• Explicitly again: It is a truly self-developed work, nothing copied.
• I will definitely wait until the end of April, but not necessarily longer.

The technical requirements:

• One or more PSD files must be delivered.
• It should be usable both large and small, or include variants for large and small use. An example of large use would be a print on the back of a T-shirt. A small use would be on a golf ball.

And here are a few bullet points with hints about what I like (or don’t like):

• I imagine the modernization to be less ornate in detail.
• It can be quirky, but not disheveled.
• You don’t have to stick to the model, omissions are allowed. However, it should still be reminiscent of the Gartner coat of arms.
• Example uses for the coat of arms would be
• On the flag of our bicycle trailer (size approx. DIN A4)
• On T-shirts or polos, large on the back or small on the sleeve.
• On this website.
• On golf balls or skis.
• I’m sure I’ll think of more…

Now it’s your turn. I’m curious to see what comes in—and if anything comes in at all…

Good night, – Till.