Thursday: Back to North America
Hello HJC fans, welcome to another Thursday post.
Last week, I went all "international" on you guys with a cool international jersey list, and a bunch of different international and/or fictional team concepts.
This week, I'll turn things back to North America. We have a Cleveland Barons redesign competition going on, all of today's concepts is from North America (except for one internet-based concept), and some talk about the hottest hockey event happening this summer.
After the Stanley Cup has been won, the 2015 draft class in unveiled, and Free Agent Frenzy has died down a little, people will be flocking to the great hockey city of Toronto for the HJC Meet-up. I neglected to mention it during the last few concepts, but things have gotten interesting and noteworthy now that Ryan has unveiled some of the prizes. A white 'Lady Liberty' NYR jersey, a Team Canada Olympic jersey, and a replica Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cup ring have been announced as prizes at the event, with more yet to be announced. It will also be an opportunity to meet some of your favourite designers and writers, show off your concepts and skills, and hang out in TO.
Not able to go to the event? That's okay. There might be some live streaming into the event, photos and videos to enjoy after the event, and some chances at the door prizes.
But if this sounds like your kind of party (and believe me, it is going to be a party), then click on the HJC Meet-up tab above, and send in the sign up form you see on the page. Do it, now!
Alright, enough jibber jabber, time for concepts!
But first!!! Do you like playoffs? Of course you do! Then vote in the Oilers 3rd Competition PLAYOFF VOTE. Competitions usually don't come down to a vote between the best two concepts, so its important to decide the winner. Plus, don't forget to vote for the COTW as well.
Cleveland Barons Competition Entries:
Stephen T.
Josiah B.
Yay: We'll open today with HJC rookie, Josiah. Welcome aboard! He's been on the last few posts, and we'll likely see more from him in the oncoming days, and hopefully a lot in the future. This Sabres concept has some good classic style that belongs on a Sabres jersey. I like the stripe pattern used, and happy to see laces included in the design.
Nay: I notice in most of your concepts, the logo is text-based. It works for some, and doesn't work for others. The difference-maker is the font. The font used on the logo looks really childish and unprofessional. Maybe for an edgy, extremely modern 3rd, but not good for a classic like this. The main number should be smaller, the name should be bigger and in a more blocky, serif font, and the laces should be a colour that matches the Sabres colour scheme. TV numbers are needed as well.
Overall: Definitely needs some work, but a great start from a new artist. 5.1/10. Also, don't forget to add some ID to your concept images.
Toronto Maple Leafs Concept - Josiah B.
Yay: Josiah is back with a Toronto Maple Leafs concept. I mentioned last concept how the logo font can make or break a concept. Here, I really like the classic look of the 'T', so it fits perfectly on this style of jersey. The striping pattern is simple, but perfect for the Leafs' traditional style. In an improvement from last concept, the size of the number looks pretty much spot on.
Nay: Most of what is said above can be applied here, so I won't dwell on it too much. TV numbers and a name are needed. The 'Maple Leafs' text is a cool touch, but the font needs to be bolder, bigger, and easier to see. The 'T' logo needs to be smaller.
Overall: Improvement with the logo, but downgrade without the name at the back. Still, design wise, I think you have the start of something awesome here, so good work! 5.5/10
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Concept - David P.
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Yay: Next is theAdirondack Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. Take the classic Flyers colours, add dark purple, and you have one of the craziest and coolest colour schemes in hockey. Their current jerseys don't have purple in them, but these flaunt the purple and orange mix, which is fantastic. On the main set, I'm not usually a fan of the yoke and "apron" style, but it works well on these jerseys.
Nay: I love the stripe pattern on the main set, and the different style of the 3rd jersey, but the 3rd jersey is just lacking in the contrast department. It's just not "different" enough I think. Changing the logo on the 3rd to something like their current circular or word mark logos would be perfect. Other than that, nothing to change besides adding some colour/stripes on the pants.
Overall: Great looking concept! 8.3/10
Springfield Falcons Concept - David P.
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Yay: Next is another AHL concept from David, this time for the Springfield Falcons. I'm happy to see this concept differentiate itself from the Blue Jackets look, and flaunt its own look. The style on the front is different, but I think the AHL needs a little more 'different' on its jerseys anyway. Overall, its a simple, solid look.
Nay: It's also kind of plain. The stripes on the arms are fine, but I think there needs to be some hem stripes as well. Nothing too thick or flashy to distract from the logo and front number, but there needs to be something there at least. I also never like to see a red outline on dark blue text with a white background. The red outline is hard to look at. Maybe some grey stripes or design elements on the jersey could help too.
Overall: Its a good start, but I think more needs to be done with it. 7.6/10
VCU Rams Concept - Jake88
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Yay: Next is an NCAA concept for the Virginia Commonwealth Rams, from Jake88. It is nice seeing a hockey concept from a basketball-dominant school. I'm also happy to see that this isn't a total Boston Bruins rip-off. Boston inverts their stripes between jerseys, this concept doesn't, and it creates a different look. The design and execution of this concept is phenomenal.
Nay: Honestly, the only things I can see to critique are the numbers on the black jersey. White numbers with a bright yellow outline is just blinding to look at. Either use a yellow number, or keep white and have a black outline and then a yellow outline.
Overall: Simply fantastic! 9/10
Edmonton Oilers Concept - Dylan W.
Yay: Now for some familiar Oilers concepts from the previous (technically ongoing) competition. This first piece is from Dylan W. (No ID Dylan? A little surprising coming from you). The design is really sharp and really modern, and I'd almost expect this more for a Stadium Series jersey than a traditional 3rd. I'm generally not OK with arching text, but the very slight effect as seen here looks really good, and the font choice is good as well.
Nay: I'm not sure how much I like the sharp-ending stripe designs on the socks and pants. I know it fits the modern, jagged look of the jersey stripes, but to me it just seems a little weird. The outline of the numbers really blurs the number when shrunk, like the TV numbers.
Overall: Not my cup of tea, but definitely a solid design. 8/10
Edmonton Oilers Concept - Derek K.
Yay: The other Oilers concept today comes from Derek. He sticks with a modern looking approach to this jersey, and using the less-saturated grey colour and recolouring the logo to simplify it, all good steps. The font choice is really cool, the stripe pattern is unique, the number below the collar works well, the recoloured shoulder logo looks great, and the equipment is decent.
Nay: The equipment would be good, but I'm not really liking the socks style. I like socks that have a pattern all around the sock, and this pattern wouldn't do that. The name font at the back is way too small, the main logo looks just a little too big, and the white "side-panel stripes" pop out a lot and look out of place.
Overall: Again, not a huge fan of the design itself, but I can respect the effort and design choices. 7.8/10
DDragon60 Studios Concept - Phil B.
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Yay: Remember when I said there was an "internet-based" concept today? Here we go. Phil has created a uniform for his own blog. That itself is really cool. The jersey doesn't just contain the logo colours, it also has some logo elements, as you see the 'fire' design at the cuffs. The stripes are simple, but reflect the colours of the logo, and looks great. The equipment is almost perfect as well. The idea of this concept, and its execution, is the best part of this concept.
Nay: The skinny red middle stripe in the striping pattern is hard to see, and blurs in with the yellow stripe a bit. The skinny red and yellow outlines on the numbers are extremely hard to notice. The white stripe in between the yellow on the pants is also hard to notice. Finally, there could be some sort of logo or design on the helmet.
Overall: I really love the idea of this concept, and it looks great, but there are a few stripes that prevent this from being perfect. 8.2/10
Washington Capitals Concept - Christian L.
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Yay: Christian comes along with his redo of the 90's Washington Capitals jersey. I always liked this jersey, and the unique striping pattern that came along with it. This keeps the diagonal theme, but changes the stripe design to match the logo. I prefer the old style, but this is still really cool. The stars are a little much for a main jersey, but for a 3rd or special event jersey, this is perfect.
Nay: In the striping pattern, it looks a little weird to me to not have a white stripe at the bottom. I think it would look better, and still match the theme it borrows from the logo. Since white isn't a main colour of the jersey, I wonder if black or brown collar and laces would look better. The pants are really weak, with the stars looking off-colour, and the white background sticking out like a sore thumb.
Overall: I've always loved the 90's Caps jerseys, so any major change to it would be hard for me to accept. I don't think this is an improvement to that jersey, but I think the different approach to the stripe design shows the creative skill Christian has. Great work. 8/10
Chicago Blackhawks Concept - Stephen T.
Aside: We'll end today with the two sides of Stephen T. He has to lead the HJC in concepts submitted by a very large margin, which is impressive, but lately his quality of work has been in question. I've seen some great, creative designs come from him, but also some replicas and cheap concepts that are nothing we haven't already seen.
Yay: This first concept is part of that first category. I'm not sure of the inspiration of this concept, but Stephen gives the Blackhawks a very edgy, aggressive look. If the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL were a hockey team, this would be the perfect uniform. Still, the striping pattern is similar to previous Blackhawk jerseys, but the difference in colour makes this concept feel really original.
Nay: Despite the chest stripe, having white numbers on a white jersey really bothers me. I figure that it's the best way to do this design, but I think there needs to be a thicker outline on the number, to create more separation between number and jersey. I'm not sure if the logo text was homemade or not, and it looks cool and edgy, but the letter sizes are all over the place and it looks really messy.
Overall: This is the type of concept I like to see from Stephen. 7.6/10
Florida Panthers Concept - Stephen T.
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Yay: And here's the 2nd concept from Stephen today, this time for the Florida Panthers. I'm definitely feeling the Florida Panthers vibe from this concept, so the believability of this concept is a plus. The uniform resembles the mid-2000's Panthers uniforms, but with more white in the stripes, blue cuffs, and no yellow apron, all changes for the better I think.
Nay: If a concept is similar to an existing jersey, with some major design changes, I'm fine with that, and that is what this concept has. However, this concept is very similar to a concept we've seen last Saturday from Stephen. The white jersey looks exactly the same, and the blue jersey looks like a recoloured version of the red jersey seen on Saturday. Beyond the unoriginality, the arching name is pretty ugly, and there should be some pants design.
Overall: Stephen's first concept today was the good side of his work. This is the bad. Execution isn't too bad, but originality is one of the most important ingredients in a jersey concept, and Stephen's been forgetting that lately. 7/10
Last week, I went all "international" on you guys with a cool international jersey list, and a bunch of different international and/or fictional team concepts.
This week, I'll turn things back to North America. We have a Cleveland Barons redesign competition going on, all of today's concepts is from North America (except for one internet-based concept), and some talk about the hottest hockey event happening this summer.
After the Stanley Cup has been won, the 2015 draft class in unveiled, and Free Agent Frenzy has died down a little, people will be flocking to the great hockey city of Toronto for the HJC Meet-up. I neglected to mention it during the last few concepts, but things have gotten interesting and noteworthy now that Ryan has unveiled some of the prizes. A white 'Lady Liberty' NYR jersey, a Team Canada Olympic jersey, and a replica Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cup ring have been announced as prizes at the event, with more yet to be announced. It will also be an opportunity to meet some of your favourite designers and writers, show off your concepts and skills, and hang out in TO.
Not able to go to the event? That's okay. There might be some live streaming into the event, photos and videos to enjoy after the event, and some chances at the door prizes.
But if this sounds like your kind of party (and believe me, it is going to be a party), then click on the HJC Meet-up tab above, and send in the sign up form you see on the page. Do it, now!
Alright, enough jibber jabber, time for concepts!
But first!!! Do you like playoffs? Of course you do! Then vote in the Oilers 3rd Competition PLAYOFF VOTE. Competitions usually don't come down to a vote between the best two concepts, so its important to decide the winner. Plus, don't forget to vote for the COTW as well.
COTW Apr 21-27 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)
Oilers Playoff vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)
Barons ReDesign entries (due Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)
******************************************
Cleveland Barons Competition Entries:
Stephen T.
Josiah B.
******************************************
Buffalo Sabres Concept - Josiah B.
Yay: We'll open today with HJC rookie, Josiah. Welcome aboard! He's been on the last few posts, and we'll likely see more from him in the oncoming days, and hopefully a lot in the future. This Sabres concept has some good classic style that belongs on a Sabres jersey. I like the stripe pattern used, and happy to see laces included in the design.
Nay: I notice in most of your concepts, the logo is text-based. It works for some, and doesn't work for others. The difference-maker is the font. The font used on the logo looks really childish and unprofessional. Maybe for an edgy, extremely modern 3rd, but not good for a classic like this. The main number should be smaller, the name should be bigger and in a more blocky, serif font, and the laces should be a colour that matches the Sabres colour scheme. TV numbers are needed as well.
Overall: Definitely needs some work, but a great start from a new artist. 5.1/10. Also, don't forget to add some ID to your concept images.
Toronto Maple Leafs Concept - Josiah B.
Yay: Josiah is back with a Toronto Maple Leafs concept. I mentioned last concept how the logo font can make or break a concept. Here, I really like the classic look of the 'T', so it fits perfectly on this style of jersey. The striping pattern is simple, but perfect for the Leafs' traditional style. In an improvement from last concept, the size of the number looks pretty much spot on.
Nay: Most of what is said above can be applied here, so I won't dwell on it too much. TV numbers and a name are needed. The 'Maple Leafs' text is a cool touch, but the font needs to be bolder, bigger, and easier to see. The 'T' logo needs to be smaller.
Overall: Improvement with the logo, but downgrade without the name at the back. Still, design wise, I think you have the start of something awesome here, so good work! 5.5/10
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Concept - David P.
Yay: Next is the
Nay: I love the stripe pattern on the main set, and the different style of the 3rd jersey, but the 3rd jersey is just lacking in the contrast department. It's just not "different" enough I think. Changing the logo on the 3rd to something like their current circular or word mark logos would be perfect. Other than that, nothing to change besides adding some colour/stripes on the pants.
Overall: Great looking concept! 8.3/10
Springfield Falcons Concept - David P.
Yay: Next is another AHL concept from David, this time for the Springfield Falcons. I'm happy to see this concept differentiate itself from the Blue Jackets look, and flaunt its own look. The style on the front is different, but I think the AHL needs a little more 'different' on its jerseys anyway. Overall, its a simple, solid look.
Nay: It's also kind of plain. The stripes on the arms are fine, but I think there needs to be some hem stripes as well. Nothing too thick or flashy to distract from the logo and front number, but there needs to be something there at least. I also never like to see a red outline on dark blue text with a white background. The red outline is hard to look at. Maybe some grey stripes or design elements on the jersey could help too.
Overall: Its a good start, but I think more needs to be done with it. 7.6/10
VCU Rams Concept - Jake88
Yay: Next is an NCAA concept for the Virginia Commonwealth Rams, from Jake88. It is nice seeing a hockey concept from a basketball-dominant school. I'm also happy to see that this isn't a total Boston Bruins rip-off. Boston inverts their stripes between jerseys, this concept doesn't, and it creates a different look. The design and execution of this concept is phenomenal.
Nay: Honestly, the only things I can see to critique are the numbers on the black jersey. White numbers with a bright yellow outline is just blinding to look at. Either use a yellow number, or keep white and have a black outline and then a yellow outline.
Overall: Simply fantastic! 9/10
Edmonton Oilers Concept - Dylan W.
Yay: Now for some familiar Oilers concepts from the previous (technically ongoing) competition. This first piece is from Dylan W. (No ID Dylan? A little surprising coming from you). The design is really sharp and really modern, and I'd almost expect this more for a Stadium Series jersey than a traditional 3rd. I'm generally not OK with arching text, but the very slight effect as seen here looks really good, and the font choice is good as well.
Nay: I'm not sure how much I like the sharp-ending stripe designs on the socks and pants. I know it fits the modern, jagged look of the jersey stripes, but to me it just seems a little weird. The outline of the numbers really blurs the number when shrunk, like the TV numbers.
Overall: Not my cup of tea, but definitely a solid design. 8/10
Edmonton Oilers Concept - Derek K.
Yay: The other Oilers concept today comes from Derek. He sticks with a modern looking approach to this jersey, and using the less-saturated grey colour and recolouring the logo to simplify it, all good steps. The font choice is really cool, the stripe pattern is unique, the number below the collar works well, the recoloured shoulder logo looks great, and the equipment is decent.
Nay: The equipment would be good, but I'm not really liking the socks style. I like socks that have a pattern all around the sock, and this pattern wouldn't do that. The name font at the back is way too small, the main logo looks just a little too big, and the white "side-panel stripes" pop out a lot and look out of place.
Overall: Again, not a huge fan of the design itself, but I can respect the effort and design choices. 7.8/10
DDragon60 Studios Concept - Phil B.
Yay: Remember when I said there was an "internet-based" concept today? Here we go. Phil has created a uniform for his own blog. That itself is really cool. The jersey doesn't just contain the logo colours, it also has some logo elements, as you see the 'fire' design at the cuffs. The stripes are simple, but reflect the colours of the logo, and looks great. The equipment is almost perfect as well. The idea of this concept, and its execution, is the best part of this concept.
Nay: The skinny red middle stripe in the striping pattern is hard to see, and blurs in with the yellow stripe a bit. The skinny red and yellow outlines on the numbers are extremely hard to notice. The white stripe in between the yellow on the pants is also hard to notice. Finally, there could be some sort of logo or design on the helmet.
Overall: I really love the idea of this concept, and it looks great, but there are a few stripes that prevent this from being perfect. 8.2/10
Washington Capitals Concept - Christian L.
Yay: Christian comes along with his redo of the 90's Washington Capitals jersey. I always liked this jersey, and the unique striping pattern that came along with it. This keeps the diagonal theme, but changes the stripe design to match the logo. I prefer the old style, but this is still really cool. The stars are a little much for a main jersey, but for a 3rd or special event jersey, this is perfect.
Nay: In the striping pattern, it looks a little weird to me to not have a white stripe at the bottom. I think it would look better, and still match the theme it borrows from the logo. Since white isn't a main colour of the jersey, I wonder if black or brown collar and laces would look better. The pants are really weak, with the stars looking off-colour, and the white background sticking out like a sore thumb.
Overall: I've always loved the 90's Caps jerseys, so any major change to it would be hard for me to accept. I don't think this is an improvement to that jersey, but I think the different approach to the stripe design shows the creative skill Christian has. Great work. 8/10
Chicago Blackhawks Concept - Stephen T.
Aside: We'll end today with the two sides of Stephen T. He has to lead the HJC in concepts submitted by a very large margin, which is impressive, but lately his quality of work has been in question. I've seen some great, creative designs come from him, but also some replicas and cheap concepts that are nothing we haven't already seen.
Yay: This first concept is part of that first category. I'm not sure of the inspiration of this concept, but Stephen gives the Blackhawks a very edgy, aggressive look. If the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL were a hockey team, this would be the perfect uniform. Still, the striping pattern is similar to previous Blackhawk jerseys, but the difference in colour makes this concept feel really original.
Nay: Despite the chest stripe, having white numbers on a white jersey really bothers me. I figure that it's the best way to do this design, but I think there needs to be a thicker outline on the number, to create more separation between number and jersey. I'm not sure if the logo text was homemade or not, and it looks cool and edgy, but the letter sizes are all over the place and it looks really messy.
Overall: This is the type of concept I like to see from Stephen. 7.6/10
Florida Panthers Concept - Stephen T.
Nay: If a concept is similar to an existing jersey, with some major design changes, I'm fine with that, and that is what this concept has. However, this concept is very similar to a concept we've seen last Saturday from Stephen. The white jersey looks exactly the same, and the blue jersey looks like a recoloured version of the red jersey seen on Saturday. Beyond the unoriginality, the arching name is pretty ugly, and there should be some pants design.
Overall: Stephen's first concept today was the good side of his work. This is the bad. Execution isn't too bad, but originality is one of the most important ingredients in a jersey concept, and Stephen's been forgetting that lately. 7/10
******************************************
There are some really awesome concepts today that I'd love to nominate for COTW, but Jake88's VCU Rams concept is simply the best designed and best executed of the bunch, so it wins my COTW nomination today.
Don't forget to vote for COTW and for the Oilers competition playoff, and send in your sign-up sheet for the HJC Meet-up if you're planning on going. And by the time this goes live, you only have a few hours left to submit your picks in the HJC Playoff Pool round 2!
That's it for me today, have a good weekend, and enjoy the playoffs!
***EDIT by Ryan***
HJC is in need of a new writer for Monday's!
Interested?
That is all.
*****************
Thursday: Back to North America
Reviewed by Unknown
on
May 01, 2014
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
May 01, 2014
Rating:
3 comments:
Ill second Jake88's VCU Rams concept
Christian L. for COTW! Anything with the blue Caps is a great concept!
I'll third Jake88's VCU concept.
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