Thursday: Let The Games Begin
So here we are, the start of the Olympics games. We've already seen what all of the hockey teams will be wearing (minus Slovenia), and we've seen some of the other sports' uniforms (including Norway's incredibly flamboyant curling outfit), so we're almost aesthetically set for the games.
So while we're getting ready to start the world's biggest winter sporting event, I thought I'd keep the Olympic theme alive in today's post.
How? Well, the easiest way for me would be to create a rating scheme based on one of the judged winter sports, and use that in today's post. Problem is, there aren't too many of those, and hockey certainly isn't one of those, so I'll have to resort using hockey's ice-cousin, figure skating.
So today, each concept will be given a score out of 6 in the categories of "Design", "Believability", and "Execution", then those scores will be averaged, multiplied by a "Degree of Difficulty" score (1.0 being the maximum score, 0.5 being the minimum), and thus would be the final score. If I have troubles figuring out the score, I may consult some "unbiased" French judges to help. I'll also be giving out gold, silver and bronze medals to today's concepts, with the gold medallist also receiving my COTW nomination.
But first, you must spin and skate away to the COTW and Flames Competition votes going on this week. We've had more voters lately than ever before, and with your help the vote count can only grow larger.
Comments: We've been seeing quite a few of these Nords concepts from Christian. It's a cool series of concepts because of all the different templates, looks, and self-made logos he's used. It's a cool, traditional jersey, with a nice striping pattern, but it could work better without the yoke outline. This is often a tricky template to use well, but it looks very nice here.
Design: 5.5
Believability: 5.6
Execution: 5.2
Degree of Difficulty: .90
Total Score: 4.89
Quebec Nordiques Concept - Christian L.
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Comments: His second Nords concept today contains a full set, including a 3rd. I like the stripes on the main jerseys, and both logos, but the main numbers all look too small, and I'd like to see a more retro striping pattern with the 3rd jersey, because that logo looks something pre-1970's but the curved arms suggest a modern jersey. Regardless, it looks like a cool set.
Design: 5
Believability: 5.2
Execution: 4.8
Degree of Difficulty: .90
Total Score: 4.50
Team Czech Republic Concept - Mike S.
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Comments: Mike tries to fix the Czech's jersey, and the striping pattern is an improvement from their awkward Olympic jerseys. I think I'd rather see blue pants, and the name be a little lower on the yoke. A red middle stripe on the red jerseys would help match the jerseys better, and look a bit better too. It's difficult to manage a Nike look that looks believable and not tacky, but this concept does a good job.
Design: 5.2
Believability: 5.4
Execution: 4.2
Degree of Difficulty: .95
Total Score: 4.69
Team Slovakia Concept - Mike S.
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Comments: It's hard to top what the Slovaks have as a jersey, but this seems pretty decent. Unlike most Nike jerseys in it's traditional approach and design all throughout the jersey, but traditionally this is a good look to go with. The dark jersey's stripes look like the Russian flag, which seems pretty interesting and a cool touch considering where the Olympics are. I tend to like the jerseys stripes to be the same style, but the change here isn't too bad.
Design: 5
Believability: 4.8
Execution: 5.4
Degree of Difficulty: .90
Total Score: 4.56
Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens Concept - Stephen T.
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Comments: Stephen's first of the day involves the classic Boston vs Montreal rivalry. Essentially, these looks like the exact jerseys used by these teams from 1981-1995, with the only difference being the vertically designed socks. I'm not sure where the design from those socks came from, but I'm really not a fan of the idea, and with nothing else really original, this concept fails to land a good score.
Design: 5
Believability: 5.5
Execution: 4.7
Degree of Difficulty: .75
Total Score: 3.80
Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins Concept - Stephen T.
Comments: Stephen's 2nd concept is similar to his 1st. The jerseys look identical to the 1981-1984 versions of these jerseys, with vertical socks. The Capitals' socks are a pretty cool, but I still don't think vertical stripes on socks is good for any hockey uniform. The crests on these jerseys appear larger than they should be as well.
Design: 4.8
Believability: 5.5
Execution: 4.4
Degree of Difficulty: .75
Total Score: 3.68
Manchester Phoenix Concept - Simon B.
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Comments: I quickly googled different Manchester's jerseys, and they've appeared to have radically different jerseys, or lent their logo to jerseys with radically different designs, which is cool. Either way, this one takes the cake. The advertising and jersey art is something pretty much foreign to North America, but works perfect for Europe. The secondary logo in the striping looks great. The only change would be making the number look less squished, and remove the yoke outline.
Design: 5.5
Believability: 5
Execution: 5.5
Degree of Difficulty: .95
Total Score: 5.06
Anaheim Ducks Concept - Tom V.
Comments: Tom gives us a very strange but cool new look for our beloved Ducks. The striping pattern on the main set is something I could have seen on their Stadium Series jerseys, while their 3rd is a retro-ish jersey that reminds me a bit of the Houston Astros for some reason. Could do without the thin, contrasting stripes on the socks, and maybe ditch the laces on the main set and put them on the 3rd, but otherwise this wacky-coloured concept is ridiculously cool!
Design: 5.7
Believability: 5.1
Execution: 5.4
Degree of Difficulty: .95
Total Score: 5.13
Argentina "Super Classico" Concept - Ted N.
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Comments: For some background info, these are two soccer clubs in the Argentine Primera Division in Argentina. River Plate is the 2nd oldest club, founded in 1909. Boca Juniors are the 5th oldest (1913), and are the only club to play every season and never be relegated. So a "Super Classico" match would be fitting. Boca Juniors' jersey resembles what Sweden would wear in hockey, but its never a bad logo to go with, especially for an old club. It also looks believable to be a Nike Olympic jersey, having all the appropriate elements. River Plate's jersey looks good for a soccer jersey, and a hockey jersey minus the red sash. Full length black stripes on the arms are a stretch, but they could work. Since these are pretty much copies of the soccer kits, the design score drops a bit, but they look great, so they'll make it up in execution.
Design: 4.5
Believability: 5.4
Execution: 5.5
Degree of Difficulty: .85
Total Score: 4.36
St. Louis Blues Concept - Andrew W.
Comments: This concept is black and blue, in more ways than one. A Blues black 3rd would be a neat look to see, but with how NYI's black 3rd worked out, I think teams might stay away from black when possible. The logo is a bit large, and it and the number are to high on the jersey. The striping pattern is nothing to be excited about, and I think the yellow stripe should be thicker. The numbers should be a lighter colour, not dark blue. The pants, yoke, collar, and gloves look good, but the rest of the concept could use work.
Design: 4.7
Believability: 4.4
Execution: 3.6
Degree of Difficulty: .8
Total Score: 3.38
Team Cuba Concept - Dallas K.
Comments: An Olympic team less believable than the Jamaican bobsled team. The concept is actually pretty cool, with elements of the flag being used as the elements of the jersey, as Nike would do. The logo looks more like a baseball word mark than anything to do with hockey, but it still works in this case. The star and stripes pattern throughout is something that's part traditional, part modern, and entirely Nike. Not a fan of the yoke outlines sans yoke, or whatever those would be called, but its not a huge deal.
Design: 5.4
Believability: 5.7
Execution: 5
Degree of Difficulty: .90
Total Score: 4.83
Calgary Flames Concept - Dylan W.
Comments: The Flames without black is a great way to go, and Dylan shows this on his concept. The striping pattern and colours make this a good fauxback set for Calgary, and the new logo looks great in these colours as well. My one complaint would be that on the dark jersey, the numbers and name are white, so why couldn't the logo be white as well? It looks cool as an outline, but the front does need more white, and I think swapping the logo would be a better way to go. If the Flames ever made these jerseys, I'd buy them in a heartbeat.
Design: 5.3
Believability: 5.8
Execution: 5.1
Degree of Difficulty: .95
Total Score: 5.13
Team USA Concept - David P.
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Comments: The best jersey in a movie full of strange ones, here are the Team USA jerseys from D2: The Mighty Ducks. I loved this movie, and these jerseys looked actually pretty sharp despite how gimmicky it (and the movie itself) was. Since there isn't much creativity in this design, as its almost exactly identical from the movie, the score won't be too high as a concept. But the jersey is cool, and the attempt to digitize it is done perfectly. Well done.
Design: 5.4
Believability: 5.7
Execution: 5
Degree of Difficulty: .8
Total Score: 4.29
Tampa Bay Lightning Concept - GKennedy
Comments: Tampa Bay seems to be trying to get a more classic look, and distance themselves from their previously wacky jerseys. This jersey would be a good step to achieving that look. The arms and striping pattern makes me think of older Maple Leafs jerseys, and thats pretty classic. The lightning pants (thunder thighs) are sadly never going away, so they don't look terribly out of place, especially since they have the same outline pattern. Not sure why black is used on the cuff and trim of the white jersey, and I think the classic look would be complete with the shoulder logo as the main logo on the white jersey.
Design: 5.5
Believability: 5.5
Execution: 4.9
Degree of Difficulty: .85
Total Score: 4.51
Detroit vs Minnesota Winter Classic Concept - Jordan R.
So while we're getting ready to start the world's biggest winter sporting event, I thought I'd keep the Olympic theme alive in today's post.
How? Well, the easiest way for me would be to create a rating scheme based on one of the judged winter sports, and use that in today's post. Problem is, there aren't too many of those, and hockey certainly isn't one of those, so I'll have to resort using hockey's ice-cousin, figure skating.
So today, each concept will be given a score out of 6 in the categories of "Design", "Believability", and "Execution", then those scores will be averaged, multiplied by a "Degree of Difficulty" score (1.0 being the maximum score, 0.5 being the minimum), and thus would be the final score. If I have troubles figuring out the score, I may consult some "unbiased" French judges to help. I'll also be giving out gold, silver and bronze medals to today's concepts, with the gold medallist also receiving my COTW nomination.
But first, you must spin and skate away to the COTW and Flames Competition votes going on this week. We've had more voters lately than ever before, and with your help the vote count can only grow larger.
COTW Jan 27 - Feb 2 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)
Calgary Flames Top 5 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)
And one last reminder: check out the new "Leave an Idea" page on this blog, and feel free to dump your creative thoughts for other designers to create. Thinking of the concept idea is (IMO) the hardest part about the concept process, and some people don't have the time or tools to create their designs, so its a win-win for everyone involved.
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Quebec Nordiques Concept - Christian L.
Comments: We've been seeing quite a few of these Nords concepts from Christian. It's a cool series of concepts because of all the different templates, looks, and self-made logos he's used. It's a cool, traditional jersey, with a nice striping pattern, but it could work better without the yoke outline. This is often a tricky template to use well, but it looks very nice here.
Design: 5.5
Believability: 5.6
Execution: 5.2
Degree of Difficulty: .90
Total Score: 4.89
Quebec Nordiques Concept - Christian L.
Comments: His second Nords concept today contains a full set, including a 3rd. I like the stripes on the main jerseys, and both logos, but the main numbers all look too small, and I'd like to see a more retro striping pattern with the 3rd jersey, because that logo looks something pre-1970's but the curved arms suggest a modern jersey. Regardless, it looks like a cool set.
Design: 5
Believability: 5.2
Execution: 4.8
Degree of Difficulty: .90
Total Score: 4.50
Team Czech Republic Concept - Mike S.
Comments: Mike tries to fix the Czech's jersey, and the striping pattern is an improvement from their awkward Olympic jerseys. I think I'd rather see blue pants, and the name be a little lower on the yoke. A red middle stripe on the red jerseys would help match the jerseys better, and look a bit better too. It's difficult to manage a Nike look that looks believable and not tacky, but this concept does a good job.
Design: 5.2
Believability: 5.4
Execution: 4.2
Degree of Difficulty: .95
Total Score: 4.69
Team Slovakia Concept - Mike S.
Comments: It's hard to top what the Slovaks have as a jersey, but this seems pretty decent. Unlike most Nike jerseys in it's traditional approach and design all throughout the jersey, but traditionally this is a good look to go with. The dark jersey's stripes look like the Russian flag, which seems pretty interesting and a cool touch considering where the Olympics are. I tend to like the jerseys stripes to be the same style, but the change here isn't too bad.
Design: 5
Believability: 4.8
Execution: 5.4
Degree of Difficulty: .90
Total Score: 4.56
Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens Concept - Stephen T.
Comments: Stephen's first of the day involves the classic Boston vs Montreal rivalry. Essentially, these looks like the exact jerseys used by these teams from 1981-1995, with the only difference being the vertically designed socks. I'm not sure where the design from those socks came from, but I'm really not a fan of the idea, and with nothing else really original, this concept fails to land a good score.
Design: 5
Believability: 5.5
Execution: 4.7
Degree of Difficulty: .75
Total Score: 3.80
Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins Concept - Stephen T.
Comments: Stephen's 2nd concept is similar to his 1st. The jerseys look identical to the 1981-1984 versions of these jerseys, with vertical socks. The Capitals' socks are a pretty cool, but I still don't think vertical stripes on socks is good for any hockey uniform. The crests on these jerseys appear larger than they should be as well.
Design: 4.8
Believability: 5.5
Execution: 4.4
Degree of Difficulty: .75
Total Score: 3.68
Manchester Phoenix Concept - Simon B.
Comments: I quickly googled different Manchester's jerseys, and they've appeared to have radically different jerseys, or lent their logo to jerseys with radically different designs, which is cool. Either way, this one takes the cake. The advertising and jersey art is something pretty much foreign to North America, but works perfect for Europe. The secondary logo in the striping looks great. The only change would be making the number look less squished, and remove the yoke outline.
Design: 5.5
Believability: 5
Execution: 5.5
Degree of Difficulty: .95
Total Score: 5.06
Anaheim Ducks Concept - Tom V.
Comments: Tom gives us a very strange but cool new look for our beloved Ducks. The striping pattern on the main set is something I could have seen on their Stadium Series jerseys, while their 3rd is a retro-ish jersey that reminds me a bit of the Houston Astros for some reason. Could do without the thin, contrasting stripes on the socks, and maybe ditch the laces on the main set and put them on the 3rd, but otherwise this wacky-coloured concept is ridiculously cool!
Design: 5.7
Believability: 5.1
Execution: 5.4
Degree of Difficulty: .95
Total Score: 5.13
Argentina "Super Classico" Concept - Ted N.
Comments: For some background info, these are two soccer clubs in the Argentine Primera Division in Argentina. River Plate is the 2nd oldest club, founded in 1909. Boca Juniors are the 5th oldest (1913), and are the only club to play every season and never be relegated. So a "Super Classico" match would be fitting. Boca Juniors' jersey resembles what Sweden would wear in hockey, but its never a bad logo to go with, especially for an old club. It also looks believable to be a Nike Olympic jersey, having all the appropriate elements. River Plate's jersey looks good for a soccer jersey, and a hockey jersey minus the red sash. Full length black stripes on the arms are a stretch, but they could work. Since these are pretty much copies of the soccer kits, the design score drops a bit, but they look great, so they'll make it up in execution.
Design: 4.5
Believability: 5.4
Execution: 5.5
Degree of Difficulty: .85
Total Score: 4.36
St. Louis Blues Concept - Andrew W.
Comments: This concept is black and blue, in more ways than one. A Blues black 3rd would be a neat look to see, but with how NYI's black 3rd worked out, I think teams might stay away from black when possible. The logo is a bit large, and it and the number are to high on the jersey. The striping pattern is nothing to be excited about, and I think the yellow stripe should be thicker. The numbers should be a lighter colour, not dark blue. The pants, yoke, collar, and gloves look good, but the rest of the concept could use work.
Design: 4.7
Believability: 4.4
Execution: 3.6
Degree of Difficulty: .8
Total Score: 3.38
Team Cuba Concept - Dallas K.
Comments: An Olympic team less believable than the Jamaican bobsled team. The concept is actually pretty cool, with elements of the flag being used as the elements of the jersey, as Nike would do. The logo looks more like a baseball word mark than anything to do with hockey, but it still works in this case. The star and stripes pattern throughout is something that's part traditional, part modern, and entirely Nike. Not a fan of the yoke outlines sans yoke, or whatever those would be called, but its not a huge deal.
Design: 5.4
Believability: 5.7
Execution: 5
Degree of Difficulty: .90
Total Score: 4.83
Calgary Flames Concept - Dylan W.
Comments: The Flames without black is a great way to go, and Dylan shows this on his concept. The striping pattern and colours make this a good fauxback set for Calgary, and the new logo looks great in these colours as well. My one complaint would be that on the dark jersey, the numbers and name are white, so why couldn't the logo be white as well? It looks cool as an outline, but the front does need more white, and I think swapping the logo would be a better way to go. If the Flames ever made these jerseys, I'd buy them in a heartbeat.
Design: 5.3
Believability: 5.8
Execution: 5.1
Degree of Difficulty: .95
Total Score: 5.13
Team USA Concept - David P.
Comments: The best jersey in a movie full of strange ones, here are the Team USA jerseys from D2: The Mighty Ducks. I loved this movie, and these jerseys looked actually pretty sharp despite how gimmicky it (and the movie itself) was. Since there isn't much creativity in this design, as its almost exactly identical from the movie, the score won't be too high as a concept. But the jersey is cool, and the attempt to digitize it is done perfectly. Well done.
Design: 5.4
Believability: 5.7
Execution: 5
Degree of Difficulty: .8
Total Score: 4.29
Tampa Bay Lightning Concept - GKennedy
Comments: Tampa Bay seems to be trying to get a more classic look, and distance themselves from their previously wacky jerseys. This jersey would be a good step to achieving that look. The arms and striping pattern makes me think of older Maple Leafs jerseys, and thats pretty classic. The lightning pants (thunder thighs) are sadly never going away, so they don't look terribly out of place, especially since they have the same outline pattern. Not sure why black is used on the cuff and trim of the white jersey, and I think the classic look would be complete with the shoulder logo as the main logo on the white jersey.
Design: 5.5
Believability: 5.5
Execution: 4.9
Degree of Difficulty: .85
Total Score: 4.51
Detroit vs Minnesota Winter Classic Concept - Jordan R.
Comments: I'm a fan of my own Rival Colours series, but if there was a "Series of the Year" award, I'd pick this one first. I love the idea behind this concept, and the retro event logos are absolutely perfect for the eras depicted. I wish the jerseys had some TV numbers, and some brand names/patches would make this concept really detailed, but those are minor. The goalie template is really interesting, and probably difficult to use well. Both jerseys are adapted from older jerseys, but it makes sense for a game like this. Excellent work, and I hope to see more from this series.
Design: 5.3
Believability: 5.9
Execution: 5.2
Degree of Difficulty: .90
Total Score: 4.92
Design: 5.3
Believability: 5.9
Execution: 5.2
Degree of Difficulty: .90
Total Score: 4.92
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After the final scores are in, we're off to OT of the Gold Medal game between Dylan's Flames concept and Tom's Ducks concept. William gets the puck, skates down the wing, passes the puck to the slot and...
SCORES!!! Dylan Wonka with the golden goal for the Flames!
GOLD and COTW nomination: Dylan W.'s Calgary Flames Concept
SILVER: Tom V.'s Anaheim Ducks Concept
BRONZE: Simon B.'s Manchester Phoenix Concept
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Well I hope you enjoyed this fun "Olympic-themed" post, this rating style definitely isn't going to stay, unless people suggest otherwise. I just thought this would be a fun thing to try to get us all in the Olympic spirit. I'd love to hear your comments, or your own COTW nominations.
Remember to vote for your favourite COTW and Flames concepts.
Thanks for reading, and have a good weekend!
Thursday: Let The Games Begin
Reviewed by Unknown
on
February 06, 2014
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
February 06, 2014
Rating:
8 comments:
Jordan's 1991 Winter Classic nails it in almost every way. COTW nom from me!
Tom V. Ducks for COTW
Ryan, In the Leave a Concept Idea page, is it strictly for jersey ideas, or can we throw out hypothetical series concept ideas (i.e. suggesting teams we would like to see in a stadium series). Was just thinking it might give some ideas to those artists who do enjoy doing whole series but are running out of ideas?
Thanks,
Keens
@Keens: ANY ideas are good
COTW nomination to Wonka's Flames concept. I love the white jersey. The yoke design is outstanding.
Nominations for me: Olympic Style
Gold: Dallas K's concept for Cuba. Baseball occupies me in the summer, hockey in winter, and these just look awesome to me! Keep up the good work Dallas
Silver: Mike S's Slovakia Concept. I'm not a big fan of their current jerseys, but seeing that it is their national anthem is a cool touch. I think this simplifies it and would be cool to see in the olympics!
Bronze: Jordan R's Winter Classic concept. Looks really cool, but there is one problem: It isn't a WINTER CLASSIC if it is indoors. Put it at TCF Bank Stadium at University of Minnesota and it has got my vote!
ah what the heck...gold/silver/bronze for my COTW nominations today...
Gold - Dylan's Calgary Flames concept.
Silver - Tom V's take on the Ducks
Bronze - Mike S's version of Slovakia's sweaters.
Thanks for the positive feedback in regards to my Phoenix concept. They certainly do have some crazy jersey designs, and change them EVERY season!
Simon B
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