Friday: A Day For Star Wars

Hey guys! So I just got back from a showing of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (mind you this is at 3 in the morning), and let me tell you, it was great.

I'm not gonna say it was absolutely perfect, but it was a great path in which Star Wars could go, and the movie as a whole still felt really fresh to me. The characters were all great. I loved Poe, who seemed very much like cardboard but did develop a bit more. Rey was fantastic, a strong female character. Her progression was fantastic, and you could see what pained her. John Boyega killed it as Finn, he was my absolute favorite character. Well written, and well acted. The old cast all did really well, and focusing heavily on Han and Chewy was a really great choice.

But Kylo Ren. You loved to hate him. You hated to hate him. He wasn't the next Darth Vader, he was surprisingly different. If you haven't seen the movie yet, you'll be surprised to see that he's a lot more human than he is all powerful sith lord.

Now you might be thinking "Jack, stop talking about nerd stuff and get to the hockey!" And to that I say "Ok!"

This was sent in by Matt McElroy and I wanted to include this at the top for the sake of it having to do with the theme of today's post.

Execution: It's killer. (100%)

Striping: I like how the striping does accentuate the pattern of his mask, but I would love to see some more action in the torso of the jersey. The hem stripe is nice, especially by keeping it that muted, but a little pop of red here or there would've been so cool. (85%)
Effectiveness: Hope this hits store shelves soon! (100%)

Creativity: It's a very fresh idea. Using arm stripes all the way down like this is really cool, and can make or break a jersey. The way you've worked it works in the jersey's favor. (95%)

Other: I think everything else is in perfect order. Or maybe you could call it... the First order? *sighs of disappointment* (100%)

Overall: I think that this jersey is great, and the logo looks fantastic as well. A wonderful tribute to the movie. (95%)

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Check out them Cougars! Competition that is! 

So we have only one vote now this week, but we also have a great contest following suit of the whole CHL team getting a redesign.

COTW Dec 6-12 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

Prince George Cougars entries (due Friday @ 10:59pm Eastern)

Here's a few more of the concepts we've received so far. Get those concepts in by tonight! 

Scott G

Anish K

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Anish K - France Hockey

Execution: The arm numbers are missing and there are a few problems with pixels leaking about into the outline of the jersey, as well as the chicken having remnants of a black outline. Another thing to think about is that the jersey is 3d, so think about how the flag is supposed to lie on the arms. I'm guessing this may be intentional so I'll leave it out of the score. (65%)

Striping: The Nordiques style fleur de lis trim is really cool, although I do think that the flag needs some trim as the flag currently looks as though there are two boxes flying in space. (70%)
Effectiveness: I think with some fine tuning this jersey could be a knockout. (100%)

Creativity: Really creative idea in place here! I think the simplicity plays in its favor. It's a very defined idea. (90%)

Other: The numbers on the back being in the Rangers style is a little confusing to me. It does throw off the color balance a lot. I feel like if they were flat and had a double stroke instead, it would be a lot stronger. (70%)

Overall: A few technical errors do hold this back, but only a bit. A great jersey and great work regardless! (77%)

Artem S - CSKA Moscow

Execution: A very complete design with all its pieces in place. One thing you need to include though is your name. Gotta sign that work! (95%)

Striping: Really nice. This style of yoke on the red jersey is super cool, and something I'd love to see more of. The rest of the jersey is really simple, and that is awesome. It plays off the modern, sleek design very well. One thing that I do have to say is that the blue is a little bit hard to see in the details on the white jersey. Maybe by switching those palettes around so blue is the primary. That would make that red star logo pop. (75%)
Effectiveness: I think this would definitely work. (100%)

Creativity: I think the way you reworked the logos is great, but other than that this is almost the exact same as the current design. (40%)

Other: I think that this identity as a whole is very simplistic in nature, and that has been captured here very well. The logos look fantastic, and really work with this style. (80%)

Overall: A few slight changes to an existing design lead to an upgrade on all fronts. That being said, since this is the same with a new logo, I don't think this deserves a full score. You've effectively combined two preexisting jerseys that are already super similar. I don't think the full template was necessary, as the new additions remain in the actual jersey itself. (0%)

Artem S - Metallurg Magnitogorsk

Execution: It's a 10! + a zero (100%)

Striping: I like the addition of grey, it's subtle. But I don't know if it works in too well with the identity here. Other than that, it's very straightforward. (75%)
Effectiveness: I'd say make it. (100%)

Creativity: Again, this is where you missed the mark. Here it's much more noticeable. The only change is the addition of the alternate logo on the shoulders. (10%)

Other: Nothing else to really say. (100%)

Overall: I don't think reviewing other people's work is fun. I understand there were some slight changes, but please, if you use someone else's work, make sure to cite that you did! (0%)

Brooks F - Kitchener Rangers

Execution: Great job! (100%)

Striping: Awesome striping pattern, the addition of grey is super cool and adds so much more to these jerseys. Everything fits together perfectly. (90%)
Effectiveness: This is how you make a CHL jersey! (100%)

Creativity: I have to applaud you for stepping so far away from the identity of New York, something many CHL teams do still struggle with (my friends and I still have jokes about how cool and original the Portland Winterhawks jerseys are). (100%)

Other: I think you've made a step in the perfectly right direction with this. I think maybe by playing around with the design and really working around the crisp, rounded edges of the logo, you can really create something masterful. I also think that the original Rangers patch should be present on the shoulders, instead of having both the alternate logos. (80%)

Overall: It's a fantastic jersey that really sets itself apart by setting itself apart! (91%)

Jake C - Chicago Blackhawks

Execution: First things first, remember your name! Second, a few issues. The numbers are far apart, with the 1 being stretched and the 9 being squeezed. The Reebok vector isn't in use anymore, there's no name or numbers on the arms, and there doesn't have to be that dead space on the sides. (50%)

Striping: It's really cool! The striping that pushes out towards the actual elbow is a nice design, but I don't know if it works too well in conjunction with the chest stripe. If the jersey had more accentuated curves, I think it would work better. That ghost yoke doesn't do much for me. And finally, the stripe at the bottom is a little eh. I think that thin stripes like that worked better when the hems of hockey jerseys were flat like when the Bruins did it. Not so much on the Edge jerseys. (70%)
Effectiveness: I think with some fine tuning, a Hawks alternate I see in the future. (100%)

Creativity: It is creative, and plays on the ideas of the Winter Classic 09 jersey. At least I do see some similarities. Talk about this a bit in the comments! I want to hear where you got this idea. (80%)

Other: One thing to note, the fact that the numbers are white with a red stripe, the red stripe is unnoticeable inside the chest stripe, making the numbers look a little wonky. (60%)

Overall: Keep working at it, and remember that ctrl+z is your best friend! A great start and a great show of creativity, just keep coming back and checking out tutorials to get that execution down. (70%)

Jamie R - Dallas Stars

Execution: Great work! (100%)

Striping: Wow. This pattern is very interesting. It feels more like there's a stripe running through the green section and a black through the white. It's a beautiful parallel that looks awesome, especially the longer you look at it. (100%)
Effectiveness: I wish Dallas had this color scheme, and heck they could take these while they're at it. (100%)

Creativity: Really creative. I don't really know how to put it into words, but it's so perfectly different and similar at the same time. (100%)

Other: I really think that black wasn't needed here, or it should've been included elsewhere. Although it does create that awesome balance, it doesn't show up elsewhere. I think it could've easily been replaced by a green stripe. Then you could've done something cool with the pants like make them gold. I do think that having the pants be black mutes that green and makes it hard to see the pattern. (70%)

Overall: A fantastic color scheme, but I do think with the removal of black this could be amplified much more. (91%)

Matt G - Michigan State v Michigan

Execution: Wonderfully done. (100%)

Striping: This seems really similar to the color rush jerseys. It's modern, and I think that's a beautiful play on the classic logos. Really cool. (90%)
Effectiveness: They might have to do something like this soon. (100%)

Creativity: The jerseys are more modern than the current, and then you throw in the classic logos. So cool. (100%)

Other: I do really appreciate the restriction to two colors. It accentuates the colors of both teams very well. Having the modern logos as the alternates is really cool. Also I know this isn't solely yours but come on, that Michigan helmet is awesome! (95%)

Overall: Amazing work, and an awesome approach to a classic rivalry. (96%) and a COTW nom from me

Paul N - Estevan Bruins

Execution: I can tell the logo did come with a white background. Try hunting for PNG files before resorting to JPG. It's much easier for working in things like Paint and Photoshop. The arm numbers are only on the alternate, something that may only be the product of the league the Estevan Bruins. But where you do have it, they are offcentered, something we only tell people to do when there is a one. Also, try to keep that name on the jersey! (80%)

Striping: It's that classic Bruins design. Nothing much else really. (85%)
Effectiveness: I think the team should really delve away from the already established NHL franchises and come into their own. (50%)

Creativity: It's not too creative, seeing as there was so much emphasis on cloning the Bruins. I'm guessing this is the late 50s jersey, but the white clone is new. (50%)

Other: The socks on the black jersey look weird to me as yellow. I understand it was used back in the day, but it is still weird to me. I think black would be best, and then using those other colors to make it pop. That way it's one sleek jersey. (80%)

Overall: I think as creators, we need to separate from past jerseys and help create new identities. That might just be my own opinion. Regardless, I think you did do a good job of encapsulating both teams. (73%)

Ryan C - Albany Devils

Execution: Excellent job! (100%)

Striping: It's really really really cool. The chest stripe is simple, and including all that info on the front makes it some sort of hockey/basketball hybrid. (95%)
Effectiveness: I think Albany could use something a little different. (100%)

Creativity: Incredibly creative. The first of something I've seen like this, ever. (100%)

Other: I think the numbers in the sleeves don't need the stroke, they'd be fine just white. The number on the chest does look a little oddly placed, but that might just be me looking at it from the angle of not seeing it like that on a hockey jersey. The curved Albany is actually a nice touch. (80%)

Overall: I think you've designed yourself a template that can work with virtually any team and still look as great as this! That is an amazing feat in and of itself. (93%)

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So today I decided to make it all about the concepts. And an excellent lot of concepts it was. You guys all just keep getting better and better! I'm glad to see we've gotten 9 per week two weeks in a row. Hopefully in time I think of a cool new gimmick. I have been thinking of trying the video format, even before we had our 6 year anniversary, but will have to find a studio to do so in because living in a fraternity house with a bunch of rowdy guys equals a poor quality product. It seemed like you guys liked that format!

No, this post was not endorsed by Lucasfilms. Although I wish it was. Still, hockey jerseys! Try to get that stuff in by the end of tonight so we can have a great contest, and continue to vote vote vote!!!

Until next time...

GO HAWKS!!! GO DUCKS!!!
-Jack G.