Here's a question I've been wondering for a while: what do you think the etiquette should be for changing the logo and/or banner of a spot? Should the spot's creator be consulted? Should the fans with the highest medals in the spot be consulted? Should it be put to a vote by the fans of the spot? Or should whomever wants a new look for the spot just contact the staff on the sly and have it be a pleasant surprise for everyone?

Personally, I believe that anyone who is a fan should be consulted in a timed pick. This would give everyone a chance to submit different choices and a chance to vote on them if they don't have one to submit. We are a community that deserves to have nice looking banners and icons. The spot creator should have enough respect for their fellow fans to use the highest voted icon/banner.

I'm not sure. Sometimes people who create spots aren't active on them anymore, or aren't active on Fanpop at all even. I'm thinking a timed pick by anyone interested (always with the option of keeping it the same), then the contacting of the creator. If there is no response, then the staff should be contacted.

In all the spots I've created, I like to keep a close eye on things. The spot usually vary from 1-10 fans, so there's usually nothing I can change until more fans come in otherwise I run the risk of having something good and destroying it with something horrible.
ANYWAY...
How do you contact the staff? And is there anyway to decipher who the creator of the spot is?

In the Europe spot, I've made a pick where the users have 14 days to find out what icon should be the spot icon. (I have also given the ability to create an answer of your own) and I have asked if the banner should be changed. I only do it in the Europe spot because it's the most popular I've so far created. In other spots that I haven't created, I make a pick if the spot icon should be changed and then I send a message to Dave. (I only do that if the spot creator hasn't said anything in a forum where I ask who the spot creator is)

I wish that the most active user or the user with the highest medal could change the spot icon and banner so that it wouldn't be forgotten. Or maybe just the most active user in the moment.

I wish that it was easier to become the user in charge of a spot.

With the spots I've created, I've never seen any public discussion of which images should be used, except (in one case) AFTER the banner image had been changed. For me, it's generally been an unpleasant surprise. I think, therefore, that I'm coming 'round to agree with the consensus: the spot should be consulted before changes are made.

I would add that my preference is that spot logos and banners don't change very often, as they give a strong sense of visual identity to a spot. For me, anyway, it's very jarring to have either or both change in any spot for which I'm an active fan (whether or not I created it). Consulting the fans makes such a big change much more palatable.

Hmm...well for some things such as if the banner looks downright, in a designers eye, bad (been badly stretched, fuzzy, unpleasant to look at then i don't think it should be a problem if someone is told or not.

I hate spot icons/banners being changed constantly, it drives me mad because then i end up forgetting about it easily.

The problem i've found with some people when discussing banners is they want something that with the resources around is impossible. They'll want a banner with every single one of their favourite characters in it and there is no image available like that and others might not like these characters...makes me want to rip my hair out, lol.

I've used the same spot icon in the Europe spot since it was no longer pending. (about a half a year ago) And I decided to make a pick about the spot icon because some users meant another icon I posted in images was prettier. The old one seems to win though.