Thursday: Griff is the Word

Is your daily newspaper missing a certain ornithological piece, a headline regarding mass awareness of a certain mythological-avian jersey variety?

Well you're in luck!

In what is the biggest HJC news story since my arrival (I thought that would be big news), HJC has teamed up with the Grand Rapids Griffins for an alternate jersey design competition.  Click the banner above for all the details, but here is a brief summary:

1) YOU design and submit an alternate jersey design,
2) The GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS pick their favourite, and wear that design in one of their games,
3) YOU (the winner) get a personalized version of that jersey.

In case I haven't gotten your attention yet, the GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS, the 2012-13 CALDER CUP CHAMPIONS, ONE OF THE MOST DOMINATING GROUP OF PROSPECTS IN THE LEAGUE, could be wearing YOUR design.

It's very rare to get the opportunity to design a jersey that will be worn in-game, but here is your chance!

You have until August 31st to submit your entry, so there is lots of time to make sure your concept is perfect and ready to impress the Griffins. I expect competition to be extremely fierce, and everyone will be on their 'A' game if they want any chance of winning.

Alright, I'm sure I could go on for days about how cool this competition is, but I have a whole month to do that, and other writers probably want to get a word in too, so I'll stop jabbering for now. But just click on the banner at the top and check out all of the competition details.

COTW July 21-27 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

HJC Open Semi-Finals vote (due Saturday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

And now to our regularly scheduled programming:


Everett Silvertips Concept - Zach W.

Yay: First up today is a concept from Zach, for the WHL's Everett Silvertips. The 'Tips have some pretty cool, jerseys as is, but Zach goes for the straight-up classic approach, which never hurts.  It's hard for me to compare this to their current jerseys, because I'm a huge fan of those, but I will say this look is better than their 2012-13 jersey. Those we're hideous.

Nay:  This is a really nice template to use, because of it's 3D-like shading.  A very well executed design looks great with the template, but it takes a lot of work. This looks like a prime example on how NOT to use the Fill tool, as there are loose pixels, rough edges, and red colour on the collar from what I assume is a previous design. The colour on the collar doesn't match, the logo and number on the back seems really big, and there are no TV numbers.

Overall: The classic stripe look might work for the Silvertips, but execution really drags this down. If you're still new to design, try using a different template.  5.4/10



Ottawa Fire vs Police Charity Game Concept - Gerard M.

Yay: This very clever concept is brought to us by Gerard. These charity games happen everywhere, yet we don't see many concepts for "FD vs PD" games, so it's exciting to see a concept pop up.  The colours and striping patterns really look nice on the jerseys, just flashy enough to stand out, and definitely not boring. The use of the three numbers is a nice touch.

Nay: I think the styled arms on the Fire Department jersey can be simplified to straight stripes. The hem is fine as is, but I think the arms just look too crooked and busy. On the Police Department jerseys, the only think I don't like is the single thin stripe on the pants.  Either go plain, or go with a white/blue/red combination. The single red just looks too boring.

Overall: Great concept overall.  I don't agree with all the design choices, but still love the look. 8.3/10

Hopefully the two teams like those jerseys, or else this could happen...



NHL All-Star Game Concept - Coby S.

Yay: Next up is Coby, who is making this concept based on the rumours of next year's game being played with this sort of colour scheme. I personally hate this idea. The colours are cool, but I miss when ASG jerseys were either related to the host's jersey, classic-looking, or all-around colourful. While the colour scheme is crazy, Coby keeps it cool with a basic striping pattern, which (as mentioned above) never hurts.

Nay: If the ASG jerseys are going to have these colours, then I'd expect a flashier design as well.  Basic stripes are not going to cut it.  I don't like the bright green and white put right beside each other either, especially as an outline on the numbers. I also have to mention the presentation: it's really hard to read the text, because of the font choice and the bright colour used on a white background.

Overall: Not a terrible look, but I hope the NHL goes with a flashier jersey, and less green. 7/10



Minnesota Wild Concept - Stephen T.

Yay: Next up is Stephen, who gives us a new Minnesota Wild set. This set would be closest to their current red home uniforms, but with a lot more striping, which I'm alright with.  The main logo is used instead of the circle one, which is also a plus.  The striping pattern is a little crazy but still pretty solid looking. Glad to see more originality in Stephen's work.

Nay: This set suffers from "Coyote Syndrome", using white on one jersey and beige on the other. The red jersey definitely could use some more white, and vice versa. The white jersey has some very thin beige striping, which is a) hard to see beside white, and b) not matching with the red jersey.  The contrasting shoulders isn't a good look for the Wild, and the yoke outline on the white jersey is unnecessary. The collars should be a contrasting colour.

Overall: Originality is good, but I'm not keen on the design. 7.2/10



Winnipeg Jets Concept - Christian L.

Yay: Christian tries to create a throwback for the Jets by combining the two different jerseys of the old-Jets era, and by doing so making a jersey that is similar in style to the current Jets' uniforms, which is really cool.  I definitely get the throwback vibe from this set, and it's very believable for a Jets' uniform in either era.

Nay: The hem stripe looks a little high up on the uniform, and I think it would look better if it was just a little lower. As well as the jersey has been designed, I feel like there is too much white and not enough blue.  Moving the hem stripes down a bit will make the blue stand out a little more, but I'm not sure how else to fix that without wrecking the design of the jersey.

Overall: Great work, I'd love to see the Jets in something similar to this. 8.5/10



Atlanta Thrashers Concept - Christian L.

Yay: Ironically, the next concept for Christian is for the Atlanta Thrashers, the team that relocated to Winnipeg. While hockey in Atlanta was a flop, their jerseys were pretty good interesting. The baby-blue 3rds (and eventual home jersey) were panned, but I thought they were unique and awesome, until Reebok simplified it and ruined it. This concept is colourful, has all the elements that made the Thrashers cool, and has an arm style that is simply awesome. No other team could pull this off besides the Thrashers.

Nay: Definitely should be some light blue on the pants, even just as a stripe.  I like the triangle pattern on the hem and collar, but it could probably stay off of the socks.  I never liked the logo used here, but I guess it makes more sense than their primary logo which lacks light-blue.

Overall: While we probably won't be seeing the Thrashers any time soon, I'd be happy if these jerseys somehow came to life. Colourful, unique, original, and actually a decent looking uniform, something the Thrashers struggled to achieve later on. 9.2/10



Cleveland Kings Concept - s2dio

Yay: s2dio has been making us ask "What if...?" for a while now, and most of those questions were legitimate possibilities.  This is way out in left field.  Lebron buying the Kings and moving them to Cleveland would be crazy, but not as crazy as this colour scheme. It's related to their old purple/gold looks, but is much darker and less saturated. Out of all the things to say about this concept, the biggest one has to be "interesting". Truly original, but believably Kings.

Nay:  As I've said with s2dio's concepts before, the template is fantastic, but I really would like to see more of the jersey itself.  The current Kings logo with "CLE" instead just doesn't have the same flow to it, and looks weak.  The colours are really strange, even though they are close to what the Kings wore before. The "gold" is almost a brown now, and this concept has me thinking about PB/J sandwiches more than hockey right now.

*snack intermission*

Overall: And I'm back.  This is definitely one of s2dio's more crazy, interesting and unique concepts, but overall I'm having a tough time with the look of it.  7.8/10



Anaheim Ducks Concept - Ryan H.

Yay: Last up today is HJC's admin Ryan.  I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) he used this for his HJC Open entry, which was a hair away from making the Top 8.  I love the idea of the Ducks wearing different colours, especially this "jade" green colour.  The striping pattern is straight-up and pops out well against the subtle green jersey.  As usual for Ryan, execution is spot-on, and we have another great concept.

Nay: The orange and white contrast well against the green jersey.  The "bronze" colour does not. This makes the thin bronze stripe harder to notice, and it doesn't help the logo have as much of a "pop" as it should. The bronze stripe could be made thicker, or gotten rid of all together. If you intend on keeping the logo the same, I'd make the bronze stripe thicker. But maybe recolouring the logo wouldn't be a bad idea either, and then eliminating the bronze for good.

Overall: It's a colour scheme that shouldn't work, but almost does thanks to Ryan's epic skills. That bronze is standing in the way of a perfect score.  8.9/10



A bunch of really good, COTW worthy concepts today, but I'm giving my nomination to Christian L's Atlanta Thrashers concept.

Hope you guys are excited as I am for the Griffins competition.  This is shaping up to be a really epic month here at HJC.

Voting is open for the 3rd Round of the HJC Open. Four extremely well-done concepts are waiting for your vote to move on to the Final Round. Who makes it? That's for you to decide!

Thanks for reading, and have a good weekend!