Sunday: I'm Back!
Hey gang, welcome to another Sunday post by regular Sunday writer, William.
I apologize for missing out on last weeks post, and the podcast. A bit of an emergency came up last weekend, but everything is fine now, and I'm ready to get back into the blog. And what a week to come back to!
Starting with the HJC Open, we're still looking for logos, and you have until Tuesday to send yours in! There's been some great logos sent in so far, it'll be interesting to see which one comes out on top. Then, naturally, comes the HJC Open itself! Details aren't about about the competition yet, but it's one of the big events of the HJC calendar, so I'm getting really excited for that.
Another thing to talk about is the new Prince George Cougars look. We've all seen it by now I'm sure, so I wont bother posting pictures. I actually kinda like the logo, but the jersey template is straight up boring and the wordmark below the logo is completely pointless. I'm pretty disappointed overall. I'd say 7/10 for the logo, but 5/10 for the jersey.
Alright let's get this show on the road with some concepts.
And we'll start with our latest 2 HJC Open entries!
Christian L.
Jack G.
St. Louis Blues - Ben M.
Yay: We start today with a Nike design for the St. Louis Blues. Typically, these "Nike redesigns" are very hit or miss, but this one is a hit for sure. the colours are the same, but the diagonal side and arm stripes look great on this set. The Blues' last jersey was a failed attempt to look modern, but the main set here pulls it off perfectly.
Nay: The alternate is a totally different story. I love the attempt to be classic with the logo and pinstripes, but the pinstripes aren't consistently spaced and make the logo hard to see clearly. The arms are too bare, and shouldn't have dark TV numbers. The logo patch on the top right really doesn't help either.
Overall: The main set is fantastic. The alternate is nearly a turd burger. 7.5/10
Rouyn-Noranda Huskies - Bpoe96
Yay: The current Huskies jersey is pretty ugly, and the gradient isn't really the worst part. This set keeps the gradient, kind of. The "gradient" pattern of stripes here actually looks really cool, and something I'd love to see on a jersey. The rest of the jersey holds up well, and alternate logo is pretty cool.
Nay: With jerseys this cool (or at least interesting), one would hope the rest of the uniform matches up. But the socks here are a bit of a downer. I don't know what it is, because I usually don't mind traditional-looking socks, but the jerseys are so busy that it makes the socks look lame. Everything else looks great though.
Overall: Gradients are always a touchy subject with me, but this "step-gradient" look is really cool, and makes this set look great. 8.5/10
Evansville Icemen - Brooks F.
Yay: Speaking of lame jerseys, as much as I love their logo, the Icemen have some pretty bland jerseys right now. This set by Brooks almost has an old Tampa Bay Lightning look, but it works for the Icemen. The head logo is perfect for the jerseys, and really looks good in these colours. Everything here looks balanced and well executed.
Nay: No ID on the concept. The jerseys really don't have any major flaws with them, but I'm just not really excited about this set. It's good, and well executed, but I feel like the Icemen could use something more flashy that stands out rather than go for a classic look, because the classic look doesn't really fit with their logo.
Overall: Good, but meh? 8/10
St. John's Ice Caps - Daniel L.
Yay: Next up is the first of two Ice Caps concepts today, this one from Daniel. The stripe pattern on the hem and arms are absolutely awesome here. Simple, but very effective when giving the jersey some extra "Ice Cap" identity. The colours are well balanced, and everything here looks sized to perfection. It also doesn't resemble the Canadiens' jerseys at all, which is great!
Nay: Man, I'm having a hard time picking out flaws today. This concept has no major issues, and is really interesting, so I can't think of anything to complain about. Personally, I might get rid of the yoke on the blue jersey, but the white yoke looks alright as is.
Overall: Awesome set! If the competition wasn't so stacked with great entries, this concept would have gotten way more votes. 9/10
Rockford IceHogs - J3
Yay: Have you ever seen a red pig? Like deep, cherry red? No? Neither have I, and probably neither has J3, which could be why he made this design for the IceHogs. Not only does he use blue as the primary, something a lot of people have suggested, but he uses a more pig-realistic secondary colour, and the result is a really interesting and original colour scheme. They don't look like the Blackhawks anymore, or like any other team for that matter.
Nay: I'm not really liking the font. It works as a hockey font, but it looks too thick, rounded and... okay I'm not sure what it is, but it just doesn't look right on this kind of jersey. The jersey is fantastic, and it's separation from the Blackhawks look is what makes it great, but maybe taking a classic number font could help just a little bit.
Overall: Otherwise, I'm really digging it. 8.4/10
Orange Town Assassins - Ryan C.
Yay: Alright, get the tomatoes ready for throwing. I haven't seen Goon yet. I didn't get a chance to see it in theaters, or bought it or found it online or whatever. Either way, I feel great shame. I don't know what the actual jerseys looked like, but these definitely look like great jerseys and fit the team name perfectly. Simple, classic, but unique enough with the chest stripe.
Nay: The back number could use a bit more of an outline, and could be spaced out a little more. The black stripes on the arms could be a little thicker as well, to better match the hem.
Overall: Not perfect, but still great. 7.9/10
St. John's Ice Caps - Taylor R.
Yay: Finally, we have our second Ice Caps concept of the day, and it also happens to be the winner of the Ice Caps competition. The stripe pattern on the main set resembles the Jets more than the Canadiens, but still looks original and really well designed. The alternate logo is absolutely stunning, and the iceberg and grey text really give the jersey the identity that most jerseys lack. I'm not surprised this concept won.
Nay: I'd make a few design choices here. On the blue jersey, I'd have a blue stripe between the red and white on the shoulders, then make the white horizontal arm stripes blue. That way, the jersey matches it's white counterpart better, and you don't have to have that weird skinny blue line between the white stripe and cuff. Also, as beautiful as the alternate it, I think the stripes are just a little too busy.
Overall: I critiqued this set really hard, but it's probably one of the most creative sets I've seen on the blog. More creative and better designed that the other Ice Caps concept today, but it does have a few more things that I'd change. 9/10
Almost every concept today gave me a really hard time to nitpick and critique, which is awesome. This is probably the best day of concepts I've reviewed in a long time. There are easily 4 concepts that on other weeks, I'd give a COTW nomination to, and the others aren't too far off either.
But this isn't another week, which leads me to a tough decision between the two Ice Caps concepts today. By design, and popular vote, Taylor's is an easy choice. But I like the simple effectiveness of Daniel's main set more than the complexity of Taylor's main set. But that alternate is a game changer. I've literally stared at both concepts for hours thinking of what to do.
In a fair, objective world, I should give Taylor the nomination. But I have a hard time picking against Daniel's concept, and I feel like he got shafted a few votes in the competition, so I'm going to go ahead and give Daniel's Ice Caps concept my COTW nomination!
Disagree? Think the other concepts deserve to be nominated? Then let us know what you think in the comments!
That's it for me today, don't forget to vote and send in those HJC Open logos.
As always, thanks for reading and see you next week!
I apologize for missing out on last weeks post, and the podcast. A bit of an emergency came up last weekend, but everything is fine now, and I'm ready to get back into the blog. And what a week to come back to!
Starting with the HJC Open, we're still looking for logos, and you have until Tuesday to send yours in! There's been some great logos sent in so far, it'll be interesting to see which one comes out on top. Then, naturally, comes the HJC Open itself! Details aren't about about the competition yet, but it's one of the big events of the HJC calendar, so I'm getting really excited for that.
Another thing to talk about is the new Prince George Cougars look. We've all seen it by now I'm sure, so I wont bother posting pictures. I actually kinda like the logo, but the jersey template is straight up boring and the wordmark below the logo is completely pointless. I'm pretty disappointed overall. I'd say 7/10 for the logo, but 5/10 for the jersey.
Alright let's get this show on the road with some concepts.
HJC Open Logo entries (due Tuesday @ noon Eastern time)
COTY-May voting (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern time)
COTW May 31 - June 6 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)
And we'll start with our latest 2 HJC Open entries!
Christian L.
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St. Louis Blues - Ben M.
Yay: We start today with a Nike design for the St. Louis Blues. Typically, these "Nike redesigns" are very hit or miss, but this one is a hit for sure. the colours are the same, but the diagonal side and arm stripes look great on this set. The Blues' last jersey was a failed attempt to look modern, but the main set here pulls it off perfectly.
Nay: The alternate is a totally different story. I love the attempt to be classic with the logo and pinstripes, but the pinstripes aren't consistently spaced and make the logo hard to see clearly. The arms are too bare, and shouldn't have dark TV numbers. The logo patch on the top right really doesn't help either.
Overall: The main set is fantastic. The alternate is nearly a turd burger. 7.5/10
Rouyn-Noranda Huskies - Bpoe96
Yay: The current Huskies jersey is pretty ugly, and the gradient isn't really the worst part. This set keeps the gradient, kind of. The "gradient" pattern of stripes here actually looks really cool, and something I'd love to see on a jersey. The rest of the jersey holds up well, and alternate logo is pretty cool.
Nay: With jerseys this cool (or at least interesting), one would hope the rest of the uniform matches up. But the socks here are a bit of a downer. I don't know what it is, because I usually don't mind traditional-looking socks, but the jerseys are so busy that it makes the socks look lame. Everything else looks great though.
Overall: Gradients are always a touchy subject with me, but this "step-gradient" look is really cool, and makes this set look great. 8.5/10
Evansville Icemen - Brooks F.
Yay: Speaking of lame jerseys, as much as I love their logo, the Icemen have some pretty bland jerseys right now. This set by Brooks almost has an old Tampa Bay Lightning look, but it works for the Icemen. The head logo is perfect for the jerseys, and really looks good in these colours. Everything here looks balanced and well executed.
Nay: No ID on the concept. The jerseys really don't have any major flaws with them, but I'm just not really excited about this set. It's good, and well executed, but I feel like the Icemen could use something more flashy that stands out rather than go for a classic look, because the classic look doesn't really fit with their logo.
Overall: Good, but meh? 8/10
St. John's Ice Caps - Daniel L.
Yay: Next up is the first of two Ice Caps concepts today, this one from Daniel. The stripe pattern on the hem and arms are absolutely awesome here. Simple, but very effective when giving the jersey some extra "Ice Cap" identity. The colours are well balanced, and everything here looks sized to perfection. It also doesn't resemble the Canadiens' jerseys at all, which is great!
Nay: Man, I'm having a hard time picking out flaws today. This concept has no major issues, and is really interesting, so I can't think of anything to complain about. Personally, I might get rid of the yoke on the blue jersey, but the white yoke looks alright as is.
Overall: Awesome set! If the competition wasn't so stacked with great entries, this concept would have gotten way more votes. 9/10
Rockford IceHogs - J3
Yay: Have you ever seen a red pig? Like deep, cherry red? No? Neither have I, and probably neither has J3, which could be why he made this design for the IceHogs. Not only does he use blue as the primary, something a lot of people have suggested, but he uses a more pig-realistic secondary colour, and the result is a really interesting and original colour scheme. They don't look like the Blackhawks anymore, or like any other team for that matter.
Nay: I'm not really liking the font. It works as a hockey font, but it looks too thick, rounded and... okay I'm not sure what it is, but it just doesn't look right on this kind of jersey. The jersey is fantastic, and it's separation from the Blackhawks look is what makes it great, but maybe taking a classic number font could help just a little bit.
Overall: Otherwise, I'm really digging it. 8.4/10
Orange Town Assassins - Ryan C.
Yay: Alright, get the tomatoes ready for throwing. I haven't seen Goon yet. I didn't get a chance to see it in theaters, or bought it or found it online or whatever. Either way, I feel great shame. I don't know what the actual jerseys looked like, but these definitely look like great jerseys and fit the team name perfectly. Simple, classic, but unique enough with the chest stripe.
Nay: The back number could use a bit more of an outline, and could be spaced out a little more. The black stripes on the arms could be a little thicker as well, to better match the hem.
Overall: Not perfect, but still great. 7.9/10
St. John's Ice Caps - Taylor R.
Nay: I'd make a few design choices here. On the blue jersey, I'd have a blue stripe between the red and white on the shoulders, then make the white horizontal arm stripes blue. That way, the jersey matches it's white counterpart better, and you don't have to have that weird skinny blue line between the white stripe and cuff. Also, as beautiful as the alternate it, I think the stripes are just a little too busy.
Overall: I critiqued this set really hard, but it's probably one of the most creative sets I've seen on the blog. More creative and better designed that the other Ice Caps concept today, but it does have a few more things that I'd change. 9/10
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Almost every concept today gave me a really hard time to nitpick and critique, which is awesome. This is probably the best day of concepts I've reviewed in a long time. There are easily 4 concepts that on other weeks, I'd give a COTW nomination to, and the others aren't too far off either.
But this isn't another week, which leads me to a tough decision between the two Ice Caps concepts today. By design, and popular vote, Taylor's is an easy choice. But I like the simple effectiveness of Daniel's main set more than the complexity of Taylor's main set. But that alternate is a game changer. I've literally stared at both concepts for hours thinking of what to do.
In a fair, objective world, I should give Taylor the nomination. But I have a hard time picking against Daniel's concept, and I feel like he got shafted a few votes in the competition, so I'm going to go ahead and give Daniel's Ice Caps concept my COTW nomination!
Disagree? Think the other concepts deserve to be nominated? Then let us know what you think in the comments!
That's it for me today, don't forget to vote and send in those HJC Open logos.
As always, thanks for reading and see you next week!
Sunday: I'm Back!
Reviewed by Unknown
on
June 07, 2015
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
June 07, 2015
Rating:
3 comments:
Second Daniels ice caps set for COTW
Ben M's Blues concept for COTW! Love that alternate!
I nominate Taylor R.'s Icecaps jersey for COTW.
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