Thursday: Another Outsider's Perspecive: Pacific Division

Hello again everyone, welcome back! Let's just jump right into things here.

For those of you who missed the last few weeks, or are reading this post first, here's the explanation from before:

This time around I'll be "interviewing" my friend on these logos. She'll be entering her third year of design school next year, she's a hockey fan (a fellow Pens fan I may add), but she isn't much of a uniform nerd, as I'd call myself and I'm sure as many of you would call yourselves.

This is going to be formatted very similarly to the way Caz formatted his, I'll ask her about her opinions on the logos, and her response you see on this blog (the "Her Review" sections) will be a direct copy/paste from a message from her. If I have any additional comments (keyword 'if'), I'll state it after. Last but not least, the Pacific Division. (All logo images are from sportslogos.net)

Anaheim Ducks

Her Review: The Ducks use the shape of a webbed foot in order to denote the letter ‘D’, which is a very unique compared to the rest of the logos. While other teams use the head or entire body of the animal in their logo, this team uses one aspect, the foot, which is not necessarily recognizable until the team name is known. However, it is unusual for the colours or gold and orange to be used together since they are so similar in hues. What makes this combination a little better is that orange is used very minimally as an accent to give off the effect of a shadow. While the shadow is not necessarily using a darker shade of gold, it still adds a unique touch to the dull gold and typical shades of black, white, and grey.

Arizona Coyotes

Her Review: The logo uses straight edges in contrast with curves. Even when the logo uses highlights and shadowing, it always uses a similar triangular pattern, which can be seen in the inside of the coyote’s ears, snout area, and mouth. The colour scheme is very muted and uses the actual colours of the animal. Overall, the logo is very straightforward and makes great use of similar visual language using lines and curves. 

Calgary Flames

Her Review: The logo depends on typography, which appears to be an oblique Helvetica, as the main focus. To go with the angling of the actual letter, flames are placed to the left side to mimic the same feel and motion. Overall, the logo is extremely simple and self-explanatory; it has the letter ‘C’ in a typically generic typeface, followed by self-evident imagery of the team’s name, and finally ordinary colour scheme denoting fire. One aspect that can be refined in the logo are the curves and proximity of the flame sections. One part that stands out is the third attached flame from the top. The curves are inconsistent and kinks in certain areas; as a result, the bottom curve creates the illusion of a wider negative space in the yellows segment.

Edmonton Oilers

Her Review: From first glance, the entire logo uses motifs of retro, which is evident in the dark blue and copper tones. Starting off with the most dominant aspect, the typography, it uses what appears to be an old slab serif, reminiscent of a Western typeface. In regards to the effect on the letters, the typography at the bottom echoes the motion of the oil drop, giving it the appearance of a ‘leak’. Looking closely at the dragging of the letters, each stretched end curves towards the right side except for the ending letters (this is mostly seen in the ’S’). There isn’t a reason to take out the consistency of the curvature, and should be implemented. Also, the spacing around the bottom of the roundel could be kept the same thickness throughout as opposed to the stretched letters narrowing near the bottom.

Los Angeles Kings

Her Review: It’s evident that compared to the rest of the logos in the NHL, this is probably the least experimental. Instead of playing around with the actual logo, it’s placed on the bottom of the badge shape as a thumbnail… almost like an afterthought. It doesn’t make sense that the logo isn’t as prominent as the letters ‘LA’, which are spelt out in what appears to be a custom lettered typeface. The worst part about this logo is the strokes that are inconsistent, bigger on the central areas, for absolutely no reason. Overall, this logo is an attempt of being safe but still needing some modification.

San Jose Sharks

Her Review: The consistency of triangular shapes is executed so greatly in the logo from the animal to the background. The background’s triangle is skewed from the top which not only helps enclose the top of the shark without giving off any awkward negative space, but also encompasses the shape of the fin. The logo gives off a mood of intimidation from the careful implementation of highlighting and shadowing the shark. It also uses close to complimentary colour schemes with teal and orange, accompanied by a shade of black to give a sense of wholeness to the entire logo.

Vancouver Canucks

Her Review: The Canucks logo is another example of how an animal takes on the shape of the letter. In this case, it’s a whale formed into the letter ‘C’. The tones of blue in this logo are too close to each other and at certain scales seems to blend in with another. This can be seen where the most vibrant blue stroke meets the darkest blue body of the whale. Also, the arcing of the typography of the word ‘Vancouver’ should at least match the curvature of the logo for uniformity’s sake.

My comments: I'm not a big fan especially of the way the orca is "breaking out of the ice". It just looks really out of place and choppy to me. I also think it would make more sense for it to be water rather than ice, but ice does make sense since this is hockey after all. So I'm somewhat conflicted about this in the end.

And as a bonus, I figured why not end off this series with a review of the league itself's logo:

NHL

Her Review: This logo uses an emblem of three points, which is enclosed by a stroke within the same shape that contains more defined shadowing and bevelling. Compared to other logos in the league, this logo contains the most unique use of effects, such as interchangeable gradients. The use of this gradient solely on the NHL logo allows it to stand out and overpower from the rest. It does its job to stand out and be used as a main image compared to the rest of the logos. What I would change about this logo is the hard edges of the gradient that appear around the centre of the silver stroke. It is unnecessarily defined and could be smoothed down to better suit the flow of the gradient.

So, that's the end of this series! (Or is it....?) I hope you guys enjoyed this, and thanks to Caz for having (and doing) this idea in the first place, and being okay with me doing it as well.

-------------------------------------------------

This week, we have a little bit more extra in the voting section than usual. The HJC Open is still going on, with 8 conceptualizers left. These could all be some really close votes, so your vote could help your choice move on to the next round! We also have the COTW vote for June, with Josiah dominating that month with three of the four COTW wins, but will Taylor's one concept be enough to beat him? That's for you to decide. We also have a regular COTW vote, with yet another dominant artist, with Jordan taking up 4 of the 5 spots, but again, will Ryan's one concept be enough to beat his out? This is also for you to decide. So get on it!

HJC Open Quarter Final vote (ends Friday @ noon Eastern)

COTW June vote (ends Friday @ noon Eastern)

COTW July 1-7 vote (ends Friday @ noon Eastern)

As you may have seen, many of the writers here, including Ryan, have been issuing challenges for you guys to create. My challenge, especially for any of you who have interest in graphic designing outside of just making concepts, like myself: try something new. Use a new template, make a new template, work on designing a logo if you haven't before, experiment with a new presentation method, anything you haven't done before. Make a logo and jersey set for the Las Vegas franchise, maybe with an identity that hasn't been talked about yet. And don't limit yourself to those suggestions either, if you have another idea, go for it.

And for those who maybe just want a regular old concept to create because you don't have interest in design in that sense, or just as a bonus challenge, I'd like to see a Pens jersey or jersey set that can incorporate blue, black, and gold without it looking strange, and while keeping them all relatively prominent. I've tried myself, but it's a tough one. I'd like to see your ideas.

-------------------------------------------------

Daniel L. - Pittsburgh Penguins & Anaheim Ducks

I'm not really sure what exactly this is supposed to be. Is it what you would want their jerseys to look like in 2022? Do they get separate sets for the finals? I looked on Instagram and you said it fits in with Josiah's Champions League of Hockey, but that still leaves me a bit confused so an explanation would be nice. Anyways, let's review these separately for each team.

Penguins:
+As a Pens fan, I like to see them as a prediction for a 2022 Cup Final. 
+A simpler take on their current jerseys. I like it.
+Like some people do, you didn't fall into the trap of making the road jerseys mostly black, which leaves too little yellow. The pants balance out the black in the end, so it works.
-I'd make the stripes thicker on both jerseys though, the road especially needs some more black.
+CONSISTENCY. That's one thing their new set lacks which really hurts it, especially the home jersey.
+I like the shoulder patch idea.
-The logo looks like it's the vintage Penguin logo though. Update it to the current one, which is on the front of the jersey, for consistency.
-The area between the Penguin's right skate and the triangle should be white.
Overall: 8.5/10

Ducks:
+I like the promotion of orange. It gives them a bit more of uniqueness, as only the Flyers currently use orange as their primary color. I'm not sure what it would be like in 2022 in this fictional world, but this is based of off today.
-The gold does not go well together with it though. It looks way too drab in comparison.
+The design is a nice callback to their history, while also keeping the present (well, the 2016 present) in mind.
-I'm personally not a fan of the logo choice. I prefer their current logo, I think this one is a bit too cartoony. That being said, I don't dislike this one, it still works well. I understand this may not be a popular opinion though.
+The colors are balanced perfectly, the black pants balance it all out.
-I'd like to see the back of the jerseys, and that goes for both of them.
Overall: 8.75/10

And this whole concept gets my COTW nomination


Jimmy T. - Minnesota North Stars

+Wow, that shade of green looks beautiful. Especially on the green jersey because, well, it's mainly green.
+Simple striping pattern. I assume it's a callback to these, and it really makes them pop on the green jersey.
-The yellow doesn't pop much on the white jersey, but it doesn't get lost either.
+The stripes would look better if they were bolder for sure.
-If this was meant to be in 2016, there should be helmet numbers and a pants logo.
Overall: 7.75/10


Jordan R. - Fort Wayne Komets

+That new logo is a nice way of keeping the original brand while incorporating something new. Looks great.
-The orange "komet" on the logo blends into the road jersey. I'd make it black.
+The fact that the striping is exactly the same on all three jerseys is a nice touch.
-I think there should be more orange on the third jersey though. Maybe a yoke?
+The throwback looks solid.
Overall: 8/10 


Lucas D. - Nashville Predators (Montreal Mashup)

+Assuming that this is a series, this is sure an interesting idea. Reminds me of the series my friend an I are doing, which I've been using for the HJC Open. (yes, it's not just me working on the series, but my Open entries have been all me.) Anyways, I'd like to see some more of this if it isn't a series.

+Using the Habs' chest stripe and the Preds' string stripes is a good mix for sure.

-The chest stripe is a bit thin for my liking though.

-The area between the predator's tooth and body where the chest stripe is showing looks a bit awkward.

-The area where the string stripes translate to the numbers looks incredibly rough. There's a lot of pixelation and just general inconsistency. I'd remove the strings from the numbers entirely, I don't think there's a need and it just makes things a bit busy, especially in the TV numbers.

Overall: 7.75/10

Ryan C. - Chicago Blackhawks

+Definitely a nice fauxback that also reminds me of a few jerseys from their history, including the current roads.

+The one color numbers look nice on this jersey, as does the black yoke.

+The red pops on this jersey too. I'd be curious to see what either the numbers or yoke look like in red.

-Not sure I'm a fan of the arched "Chicago", but it does add to the fauxback aspect.

-I also wonder how the vintage logo would look here, but don't get me wrong, this doesn't look bad.

-There are a lot of pixelation issues here, most notably on the shoulder yoke, the jersey outlines, and the hem trim stitching.

Overall: 8.5/10

Truman K. & Ben H. - Florida Panthers

+The usage of a third color for a third jersey is usually the right move.
+That leaping panther logo also definitely deserves to be front and center on a jersey.
+Keeping the arm patches and tv numbers in those positions was a good decision.
-I'd like to see just a tad more red on this jersey, because I do like how the colors are balanced now otherwise.
-I'm not a fan of the way the number typeface especially looks on this jersey. It isn't bad, just could be better.
-The crosses laces would be a nice touch to have added.
Overall: 8/10

-------------------------------------------------

And that's all for me this week! I hope you enjoyed the post, thanks for reading, and I'll see you all again next week.