The Cluster of Graphite (CG) is awarded for producing artwork, graphics, or multimedia through eligible activities. The theme of all activities that grant Clusters of Graphite must be connected to the Star Wars universe, the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, or generic interests adjacent to club and clan culture. The requirements for individual activities as well as the quantity of Clusters they award are listed below,
The medal is a disk made of crystaline carbonite and strengthened through a lengthy curing process that gives its surface a matte black finish. Its embossed rings are embedded with nine refined vorsian crystals, together forming a circular pattern.
Eligible Activities
They are earned through one of the qualified activities listed below.
| Qualified Activities
|
| Activity
|
Information
|
| Competitions
|
Participation in a Herald-approved Graphics competitions
|
| Freelance Work
|
Artwork submissions for fellow members by artists not on the Herald’s staff
|
Graphics Competitions
All graphics competitions approved by the Herald’s office are eligible for The competition’s difficulty dictates how many Clusters will be rewarded.
These competitions must meet the requirements established in the Herald Competition Approval Guidelines to grant Clusters of Graphite. All Clusters earned through competitions are awarded automatically once the event has been judged and closed.
| Clusters Granted By Competitions
|
| Difficulty
|
Points Multiplier
|
| Easy
|
4
|
| Regular
|
6
|
| Advanced
|
8
|
Double Clusters
Some high-profile competitions may double the number of Clusters of Graphite rewarded for participation. Such events include Herald-run competitions, Vendettas, and Graphics competitions approved by the Herald as part of a large-scale clan or interclan event.
The increase in Clusters is set during the creation of the competition. Like in regular competitions, the Clusters are awarded automatically once the event is judged and closed. Consuls who wish to run Double Cluster graphics events should contact the Herald for approval.
Freelance Work
Freelance work includes all applicable types of graphic/multimedia creations made by a member who is not a part of the Herald’s staff.
Freelance art must meet the aforementioned club themes and must be displayed on the Brotherhood website (news, reports, member dossier, wiki page, SA course, etc.) to be eligible for a Cluster and XP payout. The artist must not have received any form of remuneration or compensation. This means that a commissioned artist who received payment for the piece of art submitted should not be awarded Clusters. Similarly, a graphic that was previously submitted for a competition has already received Clusters and is thus ineligible.
Once a Freelance submission has been reviewed and approved by the Herald, the artist will be awarded 5 Clusters of Graphite and a note will be added to their member dossier listing any balance of XP owed to them for their contribution. This XP value is established by the Herald on a case-by-case basis based on factors such as the type of image, usage, quality, perceived effort, etc.
The Herald reserves the right to refuse images that do not meet standards (theme, quality, size, content, etc.)
Herald Staff Members
This activity does not apply to official work completed as a member of the Herald’s staff, which is rewarded using a different, potentially more lucrative strategy. It is, however, applicable for art done by a Staff member that falls outside the official tasks of the office, such as avatars, scenery, or character art for a member’s wiki page.
Submitting Freelance Work
To be eligible for Clusters, a piece of art must be submitted to the Herald for review by the recipient member, not the artist. This is done through the Freelance Submission Form. The form requires a link to the page on the website where the image is displayed. This means that the image in question should already exist on the website. If it doesn’t it should be uploaded through the proper venues before the form is submitted.