Thursday: Fauxback Thursdays

Hello everyone!

I've noticed that I haven't gotten around to making too many concepts lately, which bugs me. Yes, I've been busier than ever the last few weeks, but I always enjoy making concept on the side. Besides the San Francisco Miners concept, the last concept of mine featured on the site was probably back in January, yuck!

I started working on the Road Runners competition, coming up with a few ideas, but I think I'm actually getting a little rusty with my jersey designs. I probably won't get the concept done in time for the competition, but I'd like to get it finished at some point, so I'm sure you'll see it eventually.

I've sorta-kinda dropped the ball on the Rival Colours series. I have a few concepts to go on it, but I'm feeling uninspired to finish them. Hopefully that'll go away once classes are finished.

In the meantime, I've really wanted to start one of two series' of concepts, but I'm stuck on choosing which one to do. I'm thinking either a redesign for the KIJHL (British Columbia Jr B), or a Gaming Hockey League series, making teams for mascots like Mario, Sonic, Crash, etc. I wanna do both, but simply can't decide what to do first. So if you guys have one you'd rather see over the other, feel free to say so.

But thats enough about me, its time for some concepts, and reminders!

COTW Mar 17-23 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

Roadrunners entries (due Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

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RoadRunners Competition Entries: (Quite a few today, great to see!)

Ryan H.

Dylan W.

Dallas K.

Caden P.

Mike S.

Leo D.

TG

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Anaheim Ducks Concept - Ryan H.

Yay: We start today's post strong with this concept from Ryan. I'm pretty sure the minute a similar 3rd jersey hits the shelves for Anaheim, it will sell like hotcakes (do people still say that?). This concept is executed very well, and keeps the design aspects of the new Ducks we love, while bringing in the old logo we love even more. This orange jersey is way better for the Ducks than their Stadium Series one was, and this could bring in a lot of fans for both its nostalgia and its generally awesome appearance.

Nay: The problem this concept has is that, by now, everyone has pretty much agreed on the fact that this jersey needs to be done, and many artists have already done it. This concept looks very sharp, but doesn't stand out too greatly. The striping pattern, while original and suitable for the Ducks, is uninteresting to me. The pit stains have to go, and there needs to be something more done to the pants design.

Overall: The design lacks some excitement, and it doesn't stand out much from other similar designs, but its hard to take away from the fact that the Ducks would look great in these uniforms. 8.2/10



Republic of Scheffelonia - Stephen S.

Yay: Just when I thought the Design a Country concepts have all come and passed, we have yet another. This time, Stephen S. shows us his appropriately named Scheffelonia jerseys. The colour scheme is very unique, and follows the flag pattern very well. I could see Nike pulling off something close to this, if this land existed of course.

Nay: If this jersey was at the Olympics, it would have the same problem that the Czechs, Fins, and Russians had; their dark jerseys have lots of white, and their white jerseys are pretty dark. Their colours almost make this a non-issue, but it would still be a bother. The back number desperately needs an outline or something to stand out more. I like the idea for the yoke, but the orange outline looks out of place.

Overall: Its a very interesting concept, and fairly well designed, but not without issue. 7.1/10




California vs Florida Concept - Nate F.

Yay: To the best of my knowledge, I believe Nate has had only a couple of posts so far at HJC (correct me if I'm wrong), and those have all been for San Jose. So naturally, while he attempts a new concept, he stays close with California. I don't know if the USA has state championships and national championships that would use designs like these, but it would be a really cool idea, and these two jerseys look pretty cool. Definitely love the striping pattern and collar on the Florida jersey most.

Nay: First of all, friendly reminder, but always have your name or some ID on your concepts. I was a little confused by the colour choice, until I noticed that he used the state seals as the main source of colour. The California jersey doesn't have TV numbers, and the back number is small and has a weak font. Yes, I know you want to keep it inside the stripe, but making it extend out and having a think white outline will look fine. The back number on the Florida jersey looks high, and I don't see the need of the red cuff on the arms.

Overall: Very neat idea, but could be better executed. 7/10




Calgary Flames Concept - Ben A.

Yay: Ben is presenting my (sadly) favourite NHL team today, with this cool Flames concept. I actually like the idea of using this logo on the main set, especially how it looks on the white. The white jersey, with lots of white, red, and yellow, with no black, reminds me of the Calgary Stampede sort of theme, and I think that would be a great look for them.

Nay: However, the dark jersey sticks with the Flames' modern design, which doesn't give off the same Stampede vibes. I wonder if black was substituted with white, if the old 80's look of the team could be recreated. Both jerseys' logos are too low on the jersey, the stripes are inconsistently sized, the numbers on the back are different sizes, and the numbers on the white jersey use the wrong shade of red (which is actually the actual Flames red colour, but not used on the rest of the concept).

Overall: The design needs some polish, and I'd really only keep the white version of the jersey, but I really like the direction of this concept. 6.8/10




Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Concept - Ben A.

Yay: Ben is back for Round 2, this time going from the Sea of Red to the City of Angels.  The colours transition into a really nice colour scheme for a hockey jersey, and I'm really glad this logo was used instead of their newer one. The design is pretty straightforward and traditional, but it works well for the Angels' move from the outfield to the ice.

Nay: Like the last concept, the logo is a little low on the front of the jersey. The area above the MLB logo should probably be coloured blue instead of white, because that would be the inside of the yoke material, which would probably still be blue. I think I'd rather see the Angels' "home plate" logo used from the same time period than the logo used for the shoulder patches. The jersey could benefit from throwing in some white stripes somewhere, or some black keys. (Ehhhhhh)

Overall: I like the design overall, but again, execution needs work, and that'll come with practice. Keep up the good work. 7/10




New Jersey Devils Concept - Stephen T.

Yay: For the first of a fauxback-trifecta, Stephen shows us his New Jersey Devils concept, bringing back the red and green look we all know and love. At first, I hated seeing the different stripe patterns on the jerseys, until I realized that the early Devils jerseys did the same thing, only in reverse. I've been nagging Stephen a lot lately to style the pants more, and I see he's done a great job of that. Overall, great execution on this concept.

Nay: I'm still not going to like the mismatching stripes on most jerseys, including these. I get that it is a reversal of the historically accurate striping pattern, but it just looks messy, especially on the white jersey. I challenge Stephen to come up with a new striping pattern that fits the Devils look and stays close to heritage. Other than that, the concept looks great, besides the main logo looking a tad too small.

Overall: Don't take my challenge as an offence, this concept is really good. But I see you growing as a concept artist, and I think you have the skills to make something original and awesome. 7.6/10




Nashville Predators Concept - Stephen T.

Yay: Stephen's 2nd fauxback belongs to the Nashville Predators. Nashville rolled out this sort of jersey as a 3rd back in 2009, and it didn't last very long. I really enjoyed that jersey actually, it gave Nashville a classy, retro-ish jersey that they've never had before. Stephen captures that same look again with this concept. The equipment looks nice (even the pants, because that single thick stripe would work for this jersey), and the execution is pretty good.

Nay: This concept is missing some subtleties, and has a few issues, from being as good as that aforementioned 3rd jersey. The stripes are too skinny and/or too far apart. The logo used has yellow, which stands out here like a sore thumb. The logo used on that 3rd jersey would be good, but what would be better is this logo as-is, just without the yellow stripe. Would look similar to the Tampa Bay current set then.

Overall: Again, a good concept. But it needs some new life in order to get back to where their former 3rd was at. 7.4/10




Ottawa Senators Concept - Stephen T.

Yay: Stephen's last fauxback of the day belongs to the Senators. He takes the idea of their current 3rd and Heritage Classic jersey, but goes full out to create something similar to their jerseys from the 1930's. I do like the inclusion of the "full-body" barber pole. The equipment looks great all around on this concept, and in general I really like the historical aspect of this concept.

Nay: My biggest problem is that the barber poles are omitted in some parts of the jersey, and it create a weird bib-like design on the jersey. If the barber poles take up this much space already, filling the sides and underarms with the barber poles couldn't hurt. However, something drastic needs to be done with the numbers, as they are extremely difficult to read. The name bar has the right idea, but it still is harder to look at.

Overall: I love the old Senators look, but this isn't a very practical application of it. 7/10




Team Russia Concept - S2dio

Yay: We'll end today with a duo from S2dio, the first being a set for Team Russia. This concept is something I very much expected the Russians to wear at the Olympics. The execution on the concept is flawless, as the flamboyant nature of the Russian jerseys as well as the overall Nike look has been achieved here. The white jersey does a great job of capturing a nationalistic theme, featuring their flags fully as part of the striping.

Nay: My problem with this concept lies within the red jersey. For starters, it is pretty bland, even for Nike. It looks like a stylish practice jersey. And the Russian flag isn't really noticeable like it should be, as the red stripe is actually just the rest of the jersey. and the very thin line that draws the divide between stripe and jersey is hardly noticeable too.

Overall: I'd take the white jersey any day over their Sochi white jersey, but the same can't be said with this red jersey. 7.6/10




Team Japan Concept - S2dio

Yay: Today's final concept is for Team Japan. The women's team was at the Olympics this year, with some pretty lame looking uniforms. These jerseys bring red back into the main colours, as it should be, and is almost a fauxback to their 90's jerseys. While the jerseys are a little on the plain side, the execution is clean and crisp, and the designs are very suitable for them.

Nay: The logos on both of the main jerseys look a little on the high side. I'm also not liking the dark blue being used as the text on the white jerseys. I can't see why red couldn't be used instead, with or without a dark-blue as an outline.

Overall: The design looks fantastic, but its just missing a little bit of polish and execution in order to make this concept perfect. 8/10

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This is a tough call today, but I'll give Ryan's Anaheim Ducks concept my COTW nomination.

Thats my post for today. Be sure to vote for the COTW vote going on this week, and hand in your RoadRunners competition entries by Friday.

As always, thanks for reading, and have a good weekend!