Friday: Finally Free

Hey y'all, and welcome to another Friday post here at HJC.  The title today refers to my newfound freedom, as this is my first post as a college graduate.  After 6 years (one off), two schools, and countless credit hours, I am finally a free man.  As you can expect, after all those classes I was basically coasting through the past few semesters due to an overwhelming feeling of burnout.

As such, I feel I must address the elephant in the room and say that I understand where Ryan is coming from with his plans for the future of the site.  After so many years of doing the same thing in and out, day after day, week after week, you tend to get burned out on something no matter how much you love it.  This isn't a decision that was made lightly, we've been debating it for months, especially during some of the drought times.  With a lack of concepts coming in, we started brainstorming what direction we wanted to take HJC in.  Given that we all had the plan in place and we were all burned out on concepts to some degree or another, we ultimately made the decision to move forward without daily concept posts in the new year.  While I am sad to see the daily concept posts go, they really were what got me interested in uniform design and have been the bread and butter of our site for years, I understand the decision to move on and stand by it.  I for one can't wait to see where this new road takes us, and I'm glad to be along for the ride.  

In voting news, we have the regular COTW vote for November 30- December 6, with polls closing Friday at noon EST.  We are also in the midst of the entry period for our 2019 All Star Competition, so be sure to get your entries in by Friday at noon EST.  

COTW November 23-29 vote (ends Friday @ noon EST)

2019 All Star Competition entries (due Friday @ noon EST)

Jersey Nerds Podcast (new episode every Tuesday)

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Now on to today's concepts!

Ben S.- 2020 Ohio Winter Classic

Our first concept of the day is an Ohio college matchup from our very own Ben S.  Here, Ben pits the Bowling Green Falcons against the Ohio State Buckeyes in an outdoor matchup between in-state rivals.  For the Bowling Green design, it looks like he took a Cleveland Browns uniform on a hockey template and inverted the striping.  The wordmark on the front gives a great college look, and the font choice is solid, but I just can't get over the similarity to the Browns.  The Buckeyes set is the real star of this pair, as their usual striping is adapted perfectly to this set.  I love the upper arm treatment and adaptation of the striping on the arms and hem.  The font choice is great, and the helmet looks fantastic.  Final verdict: Buckeyes shine here, but the Falcons fall a little flat for me.  7.5/10

Jordan R.- Bridgeport Sound Tigers

Next up is Jordan R.'s design for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.  The decision to make the logo a tiger shark instead of an actual tiger is a smart move in my book, as the "Sound" in the name is a reference to the Long Island Sound, the body of water off the coast of Bridgeport.  While the logo itself seems a bit cartoonish, I can see it working for an AHL team.  I like the color choice, it's close enough to the Isles to be an homage, but it gives the team their own distinct identity.  I like the design on the hem and arms, but I wish it continued up onto the yoke rather than stopping abruptly at the seam.  The color rush is a bit off the wall, but I like that it combines the overall theme of the main set with a tiger stripe design.  I'm not a fan of the font choice here, mostly because of the inconsistency of the outlines across the set.  Three different outline styles is just too many for my liking.  Final verdict: a good looking set for the Sound Tigers, but a few small details hold this one back.  8/10

Justin B.- St. Louis Blues

Our next concept is a St. Louis Blues color rush design that comes to us from our very own JB.  I like the idea of the Blues in yellow, as contradictory as that seems.  The Blue yoke and hem do a great job of breaking up all that yellow, and I really like the idea of the chest stripe being based off of a musical scale.  That being said, I think that the two shades of blue are a little too similar and would just blend together, especially when seen from afar.  This issue can be seen on the hem stripe and cuffs, which already bleed a bit.  Gear all looks solid, and the presentation is great as always.  Final verdict: a good idea, but I think in execution it would look a lot less interesting.  7.5/10

Taylor R.- Washington Capitals

Our final concept of the day is Taylor R.'s design for the Washington Capitals.  Right off the bat, I love the use of the Weagle as the primary, it's a great logo that has been overlooked for far too long.  I also really like the use of the stars on the yoke and breezers, it's a great nod to the history of the franchise.  The matching striping between the two jerseys looks great, and the red on the cuff and hems does a great job of keeping the color balance in check.  My only real note is that maybe the Caps' current font could have been used, as it's a nice, unique font, but I can also see how this font works with a more traditional design.  Final verdict: a great looking set for a team that sorely needs a redesign.  9/10 and my COTW NOMINEE!!!!!

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