Friday: Buy One Post Get One Free

Hey folks! It's another Friday, and if you live in the states it's a very important holiday! The day where all of America has decided that now is the only time to buy Christmas presents and go on a rampant tirade in search of the best deals on low quality 32 inch TVs. Good fun for the whole family. Of course most of you have already experienced this as for some reason it starts at like 6 o clock on Thanksgiving. Hardly Friday! But I digress...

Hope all of you had a great turkey day yesterday!

I'm not gonna be reviewing the Stadium Series jerseys in depth, but if you want some short response, here they are in my order from best to worst.

1. Detroit - The modern look is absolutely awesome. A great take on a classic style. The sash is awesome.
2. Wild - It's a very simple jersey, unfitting for the Stadium Series. No collar print like the rest of the jerseys, which is a little strange. I do think the color scheme does stand out really well.
3. Avalanche - I'm not a fan of this bland a jersey. The sleeves are just not enough to make it strong, and the whole inclusion of black is just a little way too out of place.
4. Chicago - Call me a contrarian, but I think that the 2013 jersey was much better. This just looks so... confused. The arm stripes and yoke don't scream Hawks to me. It's just very disconnected.

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Alright, gotta be honest with you. I have not been planning all too much for my logo challenges. I do have some that I am going to save. But for now I'm going to be using this slot for any challenges. This week I'm issuing a design challenge.

For the video game jersey competition a while back I made a Fallout jersey. Most of this stems from my love for the Fallout franchise. It's something with a lot of deep lore and ideas you can draw from. We're just coming off the release of Fallout 4 and that means all new things to play with. So I want to see your guys take on the Fallout universe! 

I don't just want to see the Vault boy or the Vault Tec logo on every jersey! Here's some ideas for some teams you could use:

The New California Republic

Brotherhood of Steel

The Enclave

The Minutemen (Maybe a cool patriotic thing?)

Caesar's Legion

The Great Khans

Powder Gangers

The Institute

Followers of the Apocalypse 

You could even come up with your own team! Pick a city and one of the many wild mutated critters you can find in the wasteland! The Mojave Deathclaws or the Commonwealth Yao Guais! Even more specifically a city like the Junktown Raiders, the Necropolis Ghouls or maybe the New Vegas Night Stalkers!

Kudos to Ryan H. for getting a head start a few days ago! Also a note ahead of time, most of my contests are going to be really nerdy.

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The Griffins contest went really really well! The contest is over and we don't have a new contest yet, but you can always check out the entries!

This week we've only got our COTW vote, but that doesn't mean it's not important! Check it out and pick your favorite!

COTW Nov 15-21 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

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Alan H - Chicago Blackhawks Stadium Series

Execution: Everything seems good here! (100%)

Striping: It's actually just the Stadium Series striping from 2013, translated onto the white jersey. I don't know if I like it as much in this scheme. (75%)
Effectiveness: In a world where this idea wasn't already exhausted, I could see it happening. (100%)

Creativity: I can't say it's all that groundbreaking. It seems like it could easily fit in the Nike or Adidas jersey category as well. It doesn't scream at me the craziness and boldness that we expect during the Stadium Series. (70%)

Other: I feel like the font is too much. The 3d fonts is something I prefer to be stuck with the Rangers, but it just doesn't pair too well with the tomahawk and Tommy Hawk. (80%)

Overall: A new take on an old idea. (80.5%)

Brooks F - Swan Valley Stampeders

Execution: Strong execution (100%)

Striping: Really simple and effective modern patterns, what I'd consider an improvement on the current Stampeders design. I do actually prefer the words in the stripes, as it does add some more character. (85%)
Effectiveness: For a junior team, yes (100%)

Creativity: Not all too creative in my opinion. It does seem a little too close to their current set, just making the yoke fuller. The use of an edited logo is great here actually. (80%)

Other: If there's one thing that I would change, it would be to have just the horse head on the chest, and then the roundel on the arms. It would add much more character to the concept, something that one can never complain about. The pants stripes are also a little lacking, could be brought up in intensity more. (80%)

Overall: A very simple and clean Junior team jersey, but mostly a strong concept. (85.5%)

David K - Arizona Coyotes

Execution: Very well executed! (100%)

Striping: I think it's a little empty. The chest stripe is nice, but  a little too thin and a little too dark to be picked up on the tan jersey. Other than that, the diagonal is nice and it translates well onto all the accouterments. (80%)
Effectiveness: I don't know if this was ever in the minds of Arizona. (0%)

Creativity: It's very much a new idea to me. (100%)

Other: I feel like the choice of losing green was one of the worst the Coyotes have ever made. Talk about a color identity that no one else could have! I think that the maroon pants and the maroon socks don't work too well together. Maybe try flipping the socks on their heads. Another thing, I don't know if the tan is enough of a light color to constitute being a home jersey (away now). It looks like it could use a bit more balancing, because as it stands I would believe you if you told me it was the colored set. (85%)

Overall: I like this concept for what it is, a vintage Coyotes throwback. (79.5%)

Jay S - Tree Hill Ravens

Execution: A little inconsistent throughout with the patterns on the home and away. That can usually be expected in hand drawn images though. Great work! (90%)

Striping: Really interesting pattern. It's a little too much on the eyes for me, especially on the black jersey. It reminds me of bars and tone, which is kind of a cool reference to TV and One Tree Hill being a TV show, but as an emulation of the basketball jerseys from the show I don't know if it works too well. (75%)
Effectiveness: It's very close to the basketball jerseys so I'm guessing it works for the identity of the school. (100%)

Creativity: Very! I mean outside of the vertical stripes I've seen this before, and the alternate looks a bit too much like many a classic jersey, but it's those stripes that set it apart. (95%)

Other: I would really like to see some backs to these jerseys! (75%)

Overall: A cool homage to the show, that tries to emulate the identity of the fake team. (83%)

Jay S - San Fernando Valley Arrows

Execution: Very well done once again. Note though, on a lighter jersey, the helmet is white. (90%)

Striping: A very basic pattern, but it changes slightly and somewhat drastically from jersey to jersey. All feature the yoke, but the hem and tail are different. It's a little jarring to the eye. (65%)
Effectiveness: A very believable idea. (100%)

Creativity: Not too incredibly creative, although I couldn't find anything on this team. I'm guessing this is your own team? (85%)

Other: Ok, this is incredibly jarring to the eye. What's the alternate and what's the colored jersey? I can guess the white is the white jersey, but the way it's positioned in comparison to your last concept makes me think that that is the alternate, which makes me believe that the colored is the black jersey and the red is the lighter jersey, which just doesn't work as red is too common as a dark jersey. Also, create backs! (60%)

Overall: This concept just kind of confused me. The artwork itself is solid, just a little lost in what is what. (73.5%)

Ryan C - Grand Rapids Griffins

Execution: Great work! (100%)

Striping: The striping on sides of jerseys is something I don't see often enough, and it's something that I think is an incredibly bold move. It works very well here. The rest of the striping is balanced very well. (95%)
Effectiveness: Very strong. I think a very possible jersey the Griffins could actually use. (100%)

Creativity: I'd say that this would also be a very solid contender in the competition, as it looks absolutely stunning. This is an alternate at its finest. (95%)

Other: I think it's always a good idea to include the parent team's logo on the jersey shoulder. The Red Wing logo would actually look really nice here. (85%)

Overall: A fantastic jersey. Keep up the great work Ryan! You're becoming a great designer. (93%) and a COTW nom from me!

Taylor R - Miami Redhawks

Execution: Killer as always. (100%)

Striping: It's so incredibly simple, but I just love the colored sleeves look like this. The Penguins 90s jersey is one of my absolute favorites. This is also incredibly well balanced. (95%)
Effectiveness: A lot better than any wordmarked jersey. (100%)

Creativity: It's not too stellar, but it's a strong deviation from what we've come to expect in college hockey. (80%)

Other: I really wish you'd label your jerseys with the team, as it allows the reader to immediately see who it is that is being represented. A few notes on the jersey itself, the font is very nice but I think it could use a little thicker of a stroke. The dark helmet should be black if you ask me. The Pants should've also been black, with red socks. (80%)

Overall: A very simple classic design that I personally love, just emulated in a different and very familiar color scheme. (88.5%)

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Well, that's it for today folks! Hope today was a good one! I'm gonna skip the usual sappy garbage that I post down and here and skip to the meat.

Vote! Participate in challenges! Continue being awesome!

Until next time...

GO HAWKS!!! GO DUCKS!!!

-Jack G