Friday: First Post of the Year

Well, folks! It was an absolutely fantastic 2015, but that just means we've got ourselves a 2016 ahead of us. And that starts today. This isn't some cheesy tryhard thing, I'm just telling you what the Gregorian calendar says.

So enough of me.

Welcome back to HJC! Our COTY contest for 2015 will be starting up shortly, but first I would like to say a goodbye to both our Dylans.

Although I haven't been writing here for long, I have been reading for almost 2 years. And designing for exactly one year yesterday. I actually realized that for someone who wanted to design who didn't understand how to use Photoshop, it is very very hard to find a way to start designing jerseys. Actually stumbled on a little tutorial on youtube by one Dylan Wonka, and that video where Dylan recreated the Dallas Stars jersey was the first time I played around with Photoshop. Now I'm going to college to get a degree in marketing and graphic design.

It's been great having you guys on the site, and I hope even though you don't write you keep making jerseys and watching hockey.

Best of luck to the two of you. It kinda sucks being the only Hawks fan writing for the site now, but it's a banner I'll carry with a lot of pride. GO SABRES!!! GO ICEHOGS!!! GO HAWKS!!!

That being said, the website will continue on, maybe even with you! Submit a mock post to Ryan and you could potentially take over the position of writing for HJC. It's a great thing to do and it's a fantastic thing to be a part of this team.

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It's time for me to talk about something near and dear.

Listen up folks.

So.

Voting.

You gotta do it.

Thank you for your time.

COTW Dec 20-26 vote (ends Friday @ 4:30pm Eastern)

Olympiques Competition entries (due Friday @ 4:30pm Eastern)

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As per usual, today is the last day to get your Competition entries in! If you haven't yet, check out the competition rules. I love the CHL theme we've been doing lately! 

Here's the second to last set of jerseys.

Jay S

Zeke G

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Artem S - Houston Aeros

Execution: A great job, just switch out that outdated Reebok logo (95%)

Striping: It's a little too bland for my taste. The white jersey does look a little more "military" per se, but from a distance it's hard to tell what's what color. The stripes on the arm look like black from afar. (70%)
Effectiveness: I think the Aeros would be more experimental in their designs. (50%)

Creativity: It's a little something something of things I've seen before. (75%)

Other: The numbers probably could have done better with a thicker stroke instead of the double, that way it would create a bit more... oomph behind them. The silver does get a little lost. (80%)

Overall: Another great show of progress, just experiment more with your designs. (75%)

Artem S - Quebec Nordiques

Execution: Again, just the Reebok logo. (95%)

Striping: Really darn cool. It's a great combination of (strangely enough to me) Pittsburgh Penguins jerseys. A lot of elements that I really enjoy from that team are present here, and they work very well for Quebec too. (90%)
Effectiveness: A great reintroduction that I'm very hopeful for. (100%)

Creativity: This isn't the first double blue Nordiques jersey I've seen, but it may just be the first one I've seen to use the original igloo logo. (85%)

Other: I think there should be more of that darker blue. Maybe as a stroke on the numbers or another stripe on the arms. That would help really bring out that contrast between the lights and the darks. (85%)

Overall: Really great work with this one! (89%)

Brooks F - Seattle Thunderbirds

Execution: It needs a league and brand logo, but other than that great work! (90%)

Striping: Really great design right here, although a little heavy. The yoke is incredibly intricate and it works perfectly into the stripe pattern. (85%)
Effectiveness: I think it's an absolutely awesome jersey. (100%)

Creativity: The pattern is fantastic for this team. What really sets this apart is the yoke. The colors do fit the Seattle identity very well, but the stripe pattern is a little simple. (90%)

Other: Just work on balancing and cutting a little fat from the design and this would be awesome. (90%)

Overall: You've got another great year of concepts ahead of you! (90%)

Christian L - Prince George Cougars

Execution: Fantastic job! (100%)

Striping: Really fantastic detail is the addition of silver. The color palette is really dang cool too! (95%)
Effectiveness: A definite upgrade to the current jerseys. (100%)

Creativity: It's very simple, but I can consider this a pretty creative direction for this team. (90%)

Other: One thing I would change is the color of the numbers. The black doesn't show too well n the black. (80%)

Overall: Absolutely great work with this one! (91%)

Jake M - Lake Erie Monsters

Execution: Great work! (100%)

Striping: This is, again, one of my favorite patterns, and it, again, looks great in blue. The white arms do look great with the white bottom of the jersey. (95%)
Effectiveness: Much cooler than the current. (100%)

Creativity: Not only the first concept I've seen for this team, but also the first I've seen in blue. Big change for the team that actually looks really good. (95%)

Other: I think the Columbus font doesn't work too well with this jersey. You're going through the right mindset of unorthodox fonts, but I'd go for a more monster font. (80%)

Overall: A cool set with an even better color scheme. (92%) and a COTW nom from me

Josiah B - North Bay Batallion

Execution: It's really dang good! (100%)

Striping: I really think this great. Very much military based. The arm stripes look fantastic. (90%)
Effectiveness: A really cool alternate for the team. (100%)

Creativity: A lot of the jerseys I see for this team do focus on the olive and yellow color palette. Great use of a more patriot scheme. (90%)

Other: I like the stencil numbers although the white stroke does make them look a little weird. Another small detail, but I'd have kept the logo the same colors. In the US Military, the red beret isn't used outside of a few airborne units. It's more a symbol related to either the British paratroopers and the Russian Special forces. (80%)

Overall: A jersey that flourishes because of its change of colors. (89%)

NS Concepts - Air Force

Execution: Execution is great here. (100%)

Striping: A little more simple and another great military design. The grey negative space is a really cool detail, but it does seem a little bit misaligned. Also wish there was a bit more white in the jersey. It would create much stronger balance between the elements. (70%)
Effectiveness: I think the air force could potentially have something focusing on the crest, but I think it would be something a bit brighter and more traditional. (50%)

Creativity: It has a lot of fun little elements I don't usually see on jerseys. (90%)

Other: The blue and white logo clashes with the grey and blue, making the blue of the logo look like a different shade than the stripes. Also just work on color balance, making sure every element is incorporated throughout the design! (75%)

Overall: Some really big steps forward for you! Can't wait to see what 2016 brings. (77%)

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So that's it for today. Still wondering what to do to elevate the post. Let me know what you guys want to see next week down below in the comments!

Also don't forget to let us know what you think the best of this week was! Keep involved in the website and stay your awesome selves!

Hey! Didn't talk about it up top but talk about that Winter Classic down below. This is stylistically my favorite WC so far, but it's a little bit of a long winded trend, and I'm not the only one to think that. What do you guys think about the game?

Until next time... GO HAWKS!!! GO DUCKS!!!
-Jack G

PS. Very glad to say "GO HAWKS!!!" twice in my post.