Tuesday: Better Late Than Never

Howdy howdy everyone. Sorry for the lateness of the post but I did a dumb thing. Long story short, with no internet I started writing the post on Pages, the Mac program, and didn't save or plug my computer in overnight. So the computer died and I lost everything. Womp Womp.... Anyway, hopefully I can retype everything quick since I already know what to say!

First off, it looks like voting was somewhat back on track this week so lets try and do even better. Don't forget to get your votes in for COTY February and last week's COTW. There's a couple beauties that deserve it in the Feb. vote, so I'm interested in seeing how that plays out.

Keep in mind, there's also a Winter Classic Jersey vote going on so go ahead and email that in when you vote for COTW.

COTY-February vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

COTW Mar 3-9 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

Winter Classic jersey vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

Also, the pairs competition continues and today's presentations are up, so go check them out.

http://hjcdesignblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/day-3-presentations.html

Now to the concepts!

NL East Hockey Concepts - David P.

This is an interesting series. It's kinda odd to see some of these templates applied to the MLB teams and their colors. Same critique applies as yesterday, lack of TV numbers hurts and everything is really pixelated. I'll tackle this one team at a time.

Rating: 7/10

Braves: Braves utilize the Thrashers old jerseys. The white one looks alright and seems to fit the branding to an extent. Not a fan of that dark jersey though. Never was, probably never will be.

Marlins: Oh wow. Those are some bright jerseys. The colors are close to the Panthers current scheme but very very neon.

Mets: Wow, the Islanders and Mets fit together nicely. No color change and a classic enough looking jersey for the ball club.

Nationals: I've always been very iffy on this template, it works for the Capitals with their very modern looking logos but with this Nationals logo, the Capitals' Winter Classic throwbacks would probably look better.

Phillies: The white jersey is alright, but I don't like the dark jersey very much in these colors. There's something about the Flyers' orange that pulls it off well though.


Chicago Fire (MLS) Hockey Concept - Phil B.

Ahh, my somewhat local Chicago Fire..... I forget they and the MLS exist at times. Meh.... Soccer... Meh... That aside, Phil tries to apply their branding to a hockey jersey. I would have liked to see a blue chest stripe, I know that's something the team has used. I like keeping the jersey simple, and it somewhat resembles the Blackhawks jerseys, which, why wouldn't any Chicago team want to mimic the Blackhawks? I feel this jersey is a little too bare. TV numbers and some thicker stripes would help.

Rating: 6.5/10


Chivas (MLS) Hockey Concept - Phil B.

Now, this is a team I know literally nothing about. The goat logo looks nice on the shoulders. The arm striping fits the logo very well. The arm length yoke seems a bit much, I wonder if making it stop at the arm striping or maybe only having at the cuffs would work.

Rating: 7/10


Philadelphia Flyers Third Jersey Concept - Dylan W.

Dylan's second Philly concept uses the same new logo. This is a darker take on the Flyers with a lot less white being used than normal. I can't say I'm a huge fan of the black sleeves. The hem striping and arm striping being slightly different nags at me too. It's close enough to get away with though.

Rating: 7/10


Philadelphia Flyers Third Jersey Concept - Dylan W.

This is a very modern look. Very. It screams "90's Roller Hockey" or "Minor League Alternate" to me. Which isn't a bad thing, I don't want it to be taken that way. I like the white on the shoulders of the yoke. I don't care for the white stripe that goes down into the pit though. The rest of the arms are interesting for sure. Makes sense that the new logo here is a departure from their classic look so the jersey should be as well. I can be ok with everything going on here except for that number underneath that collar. grr......

Personal Opinion: I hope the Flyers never rebrand. I don't like the team so much, but their logos and jerseys are really good. I really like their primary orange jersey and wouldn't mind getting my grubby little paws on one.

Rating: 7/10


Appalachian Trail Conservancy - Willie W.

For those who aren't aware what the APC is, well, here you go... For those who don't want to click the link, basically, "The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s mission is to preserve and manage the Appalachian Trail – ensuring that its vast natural beauty and priceless cultural heritage can be shared and enjoyed today, tomorrow, and for centuries to come." This would be a good jersey to wear around to get the word out about the organization. I'm curious as to what the jersey would look like with the tree pattern occupying the arms as well. 

Also, the main crest seems a bit boring. I'd use the organizations full logo as seen at the top of their website. Better brand recognition.

Rating: 7.5/10


USA vs. Canada Outdoor Game Concept - Stephen T.

Now this is a good idea. I don't think I've ever seen this idea thrown around. The USA jersey looks really good and I like the crest. But I cannot bring myself to accept a yellow Canada jersey, even though I understand the history behind it. I just don't care for it. Maybe make a white or red version with a tad of yellow as trim but that's as far as I'm willing to go.

Rating: 8/10 - different Canada jersey gets this a 9 for sure...


Russia vs. Czech Republic Outdoor Game - Stephen T.

Stephen's IIHF outdoor idea doesn't exist only in the USA. Here a game is to be played in Moscow. I like the looks of each jersey, very throwback-y. The Russians jersey is a real callback to when the were the superpower of the hockey world. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt seeing "CCCP" on a jersey once again but only once. If anyone got offended by seeing CCCP again The text could easily replaced with the Россия that we currently see on their jerseys. I don't care for the lack of hem stripes on the Czech jersey, but I guess with them these jerseys would look like alternately colored versions of each other.

Rating: 8/10


Team Canada Concept -  John R.

John introduces a new Canada stylized version of Canada's maple leaf. Very Gradient. Much 3D. Wow. It's got a very modern feel to it that I feel the jersey could get away with being a little modern as well. I don't care for the second leaf on the arms. The one Leaf shape should do, especially since you can barely see it on the red stripes of the white jersey. I like the use of gold as a trim color. But the use of black pants and helmets kill me. I'd rather see black or gold used in the identity, not both. Overall, good looking set very similar to their Olympic jerseys, just a more complete version of them with stripes on both arms.

Rating: 8.5/10


Knoxville Ice Bears Concept - Mike S.

I like this color scheme a lot. I wish there was less black but with purple being all over the place it's alright. It's just such a dark purple that if it was touching black somewhere on the jersey other than the shoulders it might get lost. The overall look of the jersey is really good. The only thing I'd like to see added is a thin white stroke on the logo. Also, I'm pretty sure CCM would use their new, modern logo on the back of the jersey as opposed to their old one.

Rating: 8.5/10


And there you have it everyone, another daily dose of HJC for ya. Don't forget to vote for COTW and the Winter Classic jerseys.