Friday: A Day at the Circus with Cole

Hey y'all, and welcome to another Friday post here at HJC.  I've got no news today, other than a shameless plug for my Definitive Ranking of Third Jerseys in the Edge Era series, with the third installment being posted yesterday.  Be sure to check back Thursday at 2:30 EST as I crack the top ten for the first time!

In voting news, we have the regular COTW vote for December 22-28, with polls closing Friday at noon EST.  I'm also happy to announce our latest contest, the 2017 Concept of the Year Logo Competition!  The rules are easy enough, just design an original logo for our 2017 Concept of the Year champion and send it in.  If it wins, it will be used as the official logo for the 2017 Concept of the Year winner!  Entries for this competition are due by Friday, January 12 at noon EST. 

COTW DEC 22-28 Vote (Ends Friday @ noon EST)

2017 COTY Logo Competition (entries due Jan 12 @ noon EST)

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Now on to today's concepts!

Burkus Circus- Team Germany

Our first concept of the day is Burkus Circus' design for Team Germany.  This is already a vast improvement on the atrocious template design that Germany is wearing for the 2018 games, so good work there.  I love the striping pattern that acts as a nod to the German flag, it looks really good, especially as a chest stripe with the shield design.  Great logo choice on the front, but I would have made the black outline a little thicker, just so that it doesn't blend in too much to the yellow in the jersey.  While I'm not usually a big fan of more modern fonts, I think this one actually works pretty well on this set.  Socks look good, but I would have liked to have seen the rest of the gear just to get a better idea of the overall color balance of the entire set.  Final verdict: a good looking set for Deutschland, and a definite improvement on the actual 2018 jerseys.  8/10 and my COTW NOMINEE!!!!!

Burkus Circus- Team Japan

Burkus' second concept of the day is another fix for the 2018 Olympics, this time for Team Japan.  I love the white yoke on the red jersey, and the simple shoulder patch is a great way to reflect the Japanese flag.  The simple striping pattern is a good choice to match the minimalist style of the Japanese flag, but I wish you had done a little more with it.  I also wish you had provided information on the main crest, as I can't read Japanese and I'm willing to bet most of the Olympic viewers can't either.  Once again, lack of gear detracts from this design.  Final verdict: an improvement on Japan's actual 2018 uniforms, but just a little too bland for my liking.  7/10

Cole W.- Chilliwack Chiefs

Our final concept of the day is Cole W.'s design for the Chilliwack Chiefs of the BCHL.  Personally, I think that the Chiefs have the strongest logo in the BCHL, and I'm glad to see it used so prominently.  I like the striping pattern and the Chiefs' signature contrasting cuffs, but I'm not sure a chest stripe was the way to go with this one.  For one, it takes attention away from such a great logo, which is a real shame.  Additionally, when combined with such a thick hem stripe it just becomes too busy.  Gear looks great, but the straps on the dark helmet should be white.  As for execution, the cuffs look a little choppy, I'm guessing you copied and pasted the outline of the jersey (which I usually use for hem stripes), but I think just going with a straight line would work just as well.  Final verdict: it could be a good look for the Chiefs, but I think the chest stripe is a bit of a misstep.  7.5/10

That's all for me this week, see y'all next Friday!