Friday: The End of the Week, the End of an Era

Hello everyone and welcome to Friday!

I'm gonna do things differently today, starting off with the contests.

2015 Concept of the Year vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

COTW Jan 23-30 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

We're coming up on the Concept of the Year vote! the biggest contest of 2015, deciding literally who the best artist for a full 365 days were. I know that isn't as interesting as this upcoming 2016 vote, seeing as there are 366 days for concepts. But still. It's pretty dang cool to help pick out the BEST concept of the year, as decided by you, the readers.

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So now would be the time that I'm expected to talk about the Maple Leafs logo. Probably just to satisfy Ryan's love for this mediocre team.

It isn't really new. It isn't really old. I think it is a step backwards, but it does have all that weird symbolism that everyone loves. I personally prefer the old one, it did have the more modern design style that fit with the simple patterns. 

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I've got a lot to tell you guys and I hope you all take the time and read this.

I know I may have alluded to this a little bit, but today marks the end of my time writing for HJC. This isn't my final farewell to the website, but a goodbye from writing. And I say goodbye because I really do wish that some day I can come back, because I truly do love this site, and like Dylan Nowak said, it is the reason my life is where it is today.

So Senior year. I was convinced that I was going to become a national news anchor, but after coming to the realization that I no longer felt it rewarding, I knew I had to find something. So I looked back to my bucket list, and in there was learn to use PhotoShop.

Where many start off pushing around the faces in photos of their friends to figure out how to use the different tools, I happened to stumble upon Icethetics, and I became hooked on this idea. It was a combination of two of my loves, art and hockey, and I wanted to be a part of it. I tried finding every tutorial I could on how to use Photoshop to make these designs, and I found two things. Dylan Wonka's Dallas Stars video tutorial, and Hockey Jersey Concepts. It was a match made in heaven and I sent my first concept, a Senators design, in. I remember how happy I got when I saw it received a 7, I was ecstatic. So I continued to make more and get more involved in the site.

When Ryan opened up applications for new writers, I jumped on it, and starting May 4th, I wrote for HJC. I was involved in a project I believed in, a place for aspiring graphic designers to learn and receive feedback, a fantastic community full of talented people.

And come today. I am in college, studying to become a marketing director, mostly focusing in graphic design. That is a change that wouldn't have happened if it weren't for this place. But I started to realize, I don't have the time now to create my own work, so how could I review other people's art?

This has been something in the back of my mind for a while, but it finally came to fruition when I became president of my fraternity, and have to attend nightly meetings for the entire calendar year. So, I decided that now was the best time to leave, now that we've got a lot of great new writers coming in.

The site is changing, and that's an absolutely great thing to see. I wish everyone here the best, and I hope that all of you guys keep on making jerseys. I definitely will, for years to come. As long as I'm doing graphic design, I'll remember the place that started it all.

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So I think I'm gonna keep up with the whole different theme by just doing the basic positive and negatives of the jersey like in the very beginning. I love the percentage system but sometimes it just feels good to go back to your roots. Let's give this a try!

Dylan T - Quebec Nordiques

Positives: That 90s color scheme is rad. The angled pattern is really nice as well, and the triangular logo fits too well in this design. The double blue isn't that, there is just that right amount of contrast between the two colors that they're both their own shade. Also notice how I used all three there/their/they're's in that sentence.

Negatives: To compliment the triangular logo, I would've turned the stripe pattern on the arms in to the angle so they matched. The font is a bit much for a jersey this old school, and could use some reworking positioning. The font can be down a bit more, and the numbers moved up and smaller. The underarms being that greyish color doesn't really work too well and adds a very strange detail into the mix. As a whole this jersey doesn't scream NHL to me.

Overall: A solid jersey that relocates the Nordiques to the late 90s (7.75/10)

Jarrett T - San Jose Sharks

Positive: I love me some old fashioned Sharks jerseys, and this logo looks surprisingly good in black. The arm stripes look almost like a gradient, a very cool feature. This does look like it would fit perfectly into the mix as a throwback, and the beauty of this jersey as a whole is the fact that you took the current alternate and made it into a beautiful old fashioned Sharks jersey.

Negative: The biggest issue I have is the fact that the Shark is almost impossible to see unless you're looking for the negative space in the triangle. I wish there was a bit more silver around the jersey, because boy does it look cool.

Overall: A very cool approach to jersey design, taking something modern and mixing it with the old. (8.5/10)

Jeremy L - San Jose Sharks

Positive: The addition of grey into this jersey really makes it pop. I love any jersey that has the sleeves colored like this. This does combine a lot of the elements of old and new Sharks jerseys, the simple patterns and bright orange, a very clever choice.

Negative: The grey yoke is a little to bland for this, I would've personally cut the yoke on the home jersey. The color balance could be improved, with too much orange making the jersey too powerful in some spots on the home and dulled down on the away. Also, watch your logos. It could be a git bigger, and the bottom stripe pattern could be brought up as well.

Overall: A design that blends elements of old and new, a big leap in the small steps the Sharks have been taking. (7.5/10)

Jonathan H

In light of the issue regarding stolen concepts, I do not wish to review these concepts. My own moral compass leads me to the hypothesis that these could be stolen jerseys, as they are in the same format as the others that were found. And therefore I will not spend my time reviewing them. If ever this issue is resolved and these are found to be genuine originals, I will revisit them and give them a proper review.

Josiah B - Hamilton Bulldogs

Positive: This chest stripe is superb! Fantastic use of the preexisting elements from the Tigers. I think this is such a cool throwback set, and the combination of black yellow and white always looks great. The stripe on the bottom of the jersey looks really cool with this and does add a lot more balance that other plain chest stripe jerseys do miss.

Negative: Only a few complaints. First, the H logo should've been colored yellow for the home jersey, and second is to shift the numbers on back down. I understand it was to leave them in the center of the chest stripe, but the back does look a little crowded towards the top.

Overall: Absolutely fantastic work! A great throwback and a great show of artistic talent. (9.25/10) and a COTW nom from me

Lucas D - Toronto Maple Leafs

Positive: One of the first Toronto designs I've seen that uses double blue. And I love double blue. The ghost yoke is handled really well. It does have a more classic vibe to it that I can always respect, and it the colors do blend together really well

Negative: I wish there was more of that second blue! Show it off, make it something the eye catches. It'll make the jersey pop on the ice to have those clashing shades. The striping could also move a bit closer together, that way there's less pushing the logo upwards.

Overall: A very fun approach to the Maple Leafs jerseys that inject a new layer, a new shade of blue. (8.5/10)

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Well, folks. That's it for me. Steven G. is stepping in next week as the Friday writer, so expect him this time next week.

Best of luck to all of you. I hope this week was great, and every other continues to be just as great. Keep on keeping on folks.

For the last time...

GO HAWKS!!! GO DUCKS!!!

-Jack G