Thursday: Another Outsider's Perspective: Metropolitan Division
Hello again guys! Crazy day yesterday in the NHL, with the Hall/Larsson and Subban/Weber swaps, along with Stamkos staying in Tampa, and thus effectively killing the hopes and dreams of Leafs and Wings fans everywhere (sorry Ryan). The trades are definitely something I never expected, but I'm not all that surprised with Stammer, nor would I have been if he went to Toronto or Detroit.
Today again we continue the series I started last week. For those who missed it or need a refresher, here's a copy/paste of my explanation from last week, and with one change that's in bold:
This time around I'll be "interviewing" my friend on these logos. She'll be entering her third year of design school next year, she's a hockey fan (a fellow Pens fan I may add), but she isn't much of a uniform nerd, as I'd call myself and I'm sure as many of you would call yourselves.
This is going to be formatted very similarly to the way Caz formatted his, I'll ask her about her opinions on the logos, and her response you see on this blog (the "Her Review" sections) will be a direct copy/paste from a message from her. If I have any additional comments (keyword 'if'), I'll state it after. Next up, the Metropolitan Division. (All logo images are from sportslogos.net)
Carolina Hurricanes
Her review: There seems to be a lot of segments when dissecting the Hurricanes logo. This is used effectively because it gives the logo the sense of motion it deserves when trying to symbolize the energy of a Hurricane. One aspect that bothers me at close glance of the logo is that the red central ellipsis overlaps the black part. Since the whole logo follows a form of keeping similar spaces between each section, it doesn’t make sense to have one that is randomly overlapping.
My comments: Everyone always says this looks like a toilet bowl flushing. I kind of see it, but I think that's reaching a bit.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Her review: This has to be the most detailed logo out of the metropolitan division, from bevelling to intricate detailing. On top of that, this logo appears to have the most dynamic, which can be seen in the ‘swoosh’ of the flag. It would be difficult to remove or even alter the flag aspect of the logo since the original flag is this detailed. Although the flag may be a dominating aspect of the logo, its complexity doesn’t necessarily spoil the logo’s simplicity through the repetitive stripes and stars, it simply adds more meaning to the team’s name. Another feature that is implemented very well is the bevelled star. It’s placed in a way that showcases correct angling and doesn’t seem odd in placement.
New Jersey Devils
Her review: This is an example of how letters can be shaped in the form of an image. I’ll admit, however, that it took me a while to figure out that this logo was a combination of the letters ’N’ and ‘J’. What threw me off was the ending of the J, or the devil’s tail. Since the design is flat and minimally uses colours, the warping of the tail does not give off a sense of dimension. The tail is awkwardly skewed without giving the ‘diving sense’ that the tail was intended to have outside of the roundel. The pros on this logo is that they were able to not overpower the imagery of of devils in the creation process. Slight giveaways like the horns and tail still represent that this indeed symbolizes the devils.
My comments: I've always wondered if the hidden D in the logo (made by the tail and the "arm" on the left) and the negative space inside the logo making a hockey stick (inside the supposed D) was intentional or just coincidental. Hmmm...
New York Islanders
Her review: My favourite part of the logo is the use of the hockey stick for the letter ‘Y’, which plays out as an interesting contrast to the boldness of ‘NY’. I would comment on how busy or how the island’s shape needs to be redefined, but changing the form of it would not make it seem like Long Island at first glance. An aspect that could be adjusted is the consistency of using strokes. For instance, the left of the island, does not touch the roundel and has a blue stroke around it, while the right side of the island doesn’t have a stroke. [Comment by myself: you really have to look closely to see that, you won't see it from a distance.] The decision should be made whether to keep the stroke or dismiss it for both sides. Additionally, the word ‘Islanders’ is skewed on the curve. As a result, the typography is unequal and always changing between similar letters. A prime example of this is in the letter ’S’, that appears twice in the word and looks different. It seems like it was only morphed to fit the curve as opposed to given any forethought on how it affects the original shape of the letter.
My review: I've always thought the tip of the I being at the location of Nassau Coliseum was a nice touch, despite being a questionable design choice.
New York Rangers
Her review: The shield is used as a basic shape in order to fit elements within the logo. The word ‘Rangers’ runs diagonally, reaching from each corner of the space its provided. The visual problem it creates, however, is the useless spacing on the left of the letter ‘R’. Since the angles of the typography and the diagonal do not match up, it creates an effect of visual error where it seems that leaving this space appears to be an afterthought. Another problem is that the diagonal lines between the word ‘Rangers’ and the horizontal under ‘New York’ do not match in thickness, which doesn’t seem to have a reason for inconsistency. Finally, the typography on the ‘K’ stands out unequally from the rest of the letters. Whether it be the typeface used or just how the letters were customized, the leg of the letter is way too high and doesn’t match the average general height (known as the x-height, in more technical typography terms) of the rest of the letters.
Philadelphia Flyers
Her review: As much as I dislike the team, I’ll have to admit that their logo is probably one of my top three favourites for the NHL. It’s probably the sleekest and most minimal way to symbolize the idea of flight or wings. The use of strokes is so simple and doesn’t overpower the whole logo. This can seen with the white stroke that not only contours the whole shape, but also creates an outline between each wing, then finally goes in the centre of the logo around the circular area. The only aspect of this logo that I question is the use of orange and its symbolism to Philadelphia or the team in general. This doesn’t necessarily mean the use of it is an adverse feature; the logo needed some accent colour like the bright orange to give it a final touch.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Her review: One thing that draws me into the Penguins logo is the use of angles. When it’s not used in the prominent background triangle, it’s in the hockey stick, the penguin’s legs, skates, beak, and general body shape. Although these angles do not all necessarily match up, they give off a similar visual language which makes the logo successful. A feature that stands out to me, that doesn’t seem to match with the rest of the logo, are the penguin’s gloves. There are too many small delicate white segments that can either be taken away or combined in order to create a bigger shape. Additionally, the penguin’s body near the bottom glove narrows too much in comparison to the rest of the figure. It would be best to follow a similar or expected thickness all around the penguin as opposed to straying from what most of the design is following.
Washington Capitals
Her review: The Capitals depend on the use of typography, specifically one that is custom made, for their logo. The city’s name is in a safe all caps oblique Helvetica. The three stars on top of the word ‘Washington’ are the only elements that are not angled along with the rest of the logo, which is definitely a nice contrast that doesn’t intentionally warp the original shape just to fit. In regards to the main element, the word ‘Capitals’, the typography is nicely done overall, but have some aspects that could be tweaked. For example, the bottom half of the letter ‘C’ that peaks up for no apparent reason. The bottom can rest along the baseline, since most of the letters already follow this rule.
Her review: This is particularly one of my favourite designs for a few reasons. Firstly, an eagle is known to be very complex in shape, and this logo simplifies without taking away from the bird’s features. For instance, the hooked beak, the spread of the wings, and the separation of the white feathers to the eagle’s body. Also, the knockout on the bottom of the eagle that showcases the Capitol building is a unique way to add symbolism using subtraction as opposed to just building onto the actual logo like most teams have done.
I hope you enjoyed part 2! Come back next week for part 3.
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You know, I thought I had a pretty solid entry for the HJC Open, but after seeing everyone else's entries..I'm getting worried. You guys submitted some great concepts, and good luck to all. So if you haven't yet, go leave your votes for that, and while you're at it stop by the COTW vote and leave your vote for that too.
+That sure is an interesting striping layout. I like it.
-I wish the hem stripes went all the way around, but I do understand that they don't because of the Adidas template. Let's just hope that changes for the NHL.
+Good color balance.
+Also good job with using the fleurs de lis sparingly.
-Not too sure why you didn't just put the helmet logo on the helmet, but at least you showed it.
-Unless blank pants was a design decision, there should also be a pants logo.
Overall: 8/10
Jack S. - Florida Panthers
+Nice choice utilizing an alternate color here.
+Good looking striping pattern.
-It'd look better if the stripes were a bit bolder though.
+I like the addition of even more military references, like the name on the front. I think that could work for just an alt jersey.
-Not a fan of the captain patch though. From a distance, you wouldn't be able to tell if that was for captain or alternate captain.
Overall: 7.5/10
Jordan R. - German Confederation
Today again we continue the series I started last week. For those who missed it or need a refresher, here's a copy/paste of my explanation from last week, and with one change that's in bold:
This time around I'll be "interviewing" my friend on these logos. She'll be entering her third year of design school next year, she's a hockey fan (a fellow Pens fan I may add), but she isn't much of a uniform nerd, as I'd call myself and I'm sure as many of you would call yourselves.
This is going to be formatted very similarly to the way Caz formatted his, I'll ask her about her opinions on the logos, and her response you see on this blog (the "Her Review" sections) will be a direct copy/paste from a message from her. If I have any additional comments (keyword 'if'), I'll state it after. Next up, the Metropolitan Division. (All logo images are from sportslogos.net)
Her review: There seems to be a lot of segments when dissecting the Hurricanes logo. This is used effectively because it gives the logo the sense of motion it deserves when trying to symbolize the energy of a Hurricane. One aspect that bothers me at close glance of the logo is that the red central ellipsis overlaps the black part. Since the whole logo follows a form of keeping similar spaces between each section, it doesn’t make sense to have one that is randomly overlapping.
My comments: Everyone always says this looks like a toilet bowl flushing. I kind of see it, but I think that's reaching a bit.
Her review: This has to be the most detailed logo out of the metropolitan division, from bevelling to intricate detailing. On top of that, this logo appears to have the most dynamic, which can be seen in the ‘swoosh’ of the flag. It would be difficult to remove or even alter the flag aspect of the logo since the original flag is this detailed. Although the flag may be a dominating aspect of the logo, its complexity doesn’t necessarily spoil the logo’s simplicity through the repetitive stripes and stars, it simply adds more meaning to the team’s name. Another feature that is implemented very well is the bevelled star. It’s placed in a way that showcases correct angling and doesn’t seem odd in placement.
Her review: This is an example of how letters can be shaped in the form of an image. I’ll admit, however, that it took me a while to figure out that this logo was a combination of the letters ’N’ and ‘J’. What threw me off was the ending of the J, or the devil’s tail. Since the design is flat and minimally uses colours, the warping of the tail does not give off a sense of dimension. The tail is awkwardly skewed without giving the ‘diving sense’ that the tail was intended to have outside of the roundel. The pros on this logo is that they were able to not overpower the imagery of of devils in the creation process. Slight giveaways like the horns and tail still represent that this indeed symbolizes the devils.
My comments: I've always wondered if the hidden D in the logo (made by the tail and the "arm" on the left) and the negative space inside the logo making a hockey stick (inside the supposed D) was intentional or just coincidental. Hmmm...
Her review: My favourite part of the logo is the use of the hockey stick for the letter ‘Y’, which plays out as an interesting contrast to the boldness of ‘NY’. I would comment on how busy or how the island’s shape needs to be redefined, but changing the form of it would not make it seem like Long Island at first glance. An aspect that could be adjusted is the consistency of using strokes. For instance, the left of the island, does not touch the roundel and has a blue stroke around it, while the right side of the island doesn’t have a stroke. [Comment by myself: you really have to look closely to see that, you won't see it from a distance.] The decision should be made whether to keep the stroke or dismiss it for both sides. Additionally, the word ‘Islanders’ is skewed on the curve. As a result, the typography is unequal and always changing between similar letters. A prime example of this is in the letter ’S’, that appears twice in the word and looks different. It seems like it was only morphed to fit the curve as opposed to given any forethought on how it affects the original shape of the letter.
My review: I've always thought the tip of the I being at the location of Nassau Coliseum was a nice touch, despite being a questionable design choice.
Her review: The shield is used as a basic shape in order to fit elements within the logo. The word ‘Rangers’ runs diagonally, reaching from each corner of the space its provided. The visual problem it creates, however, is the useless spacing on the left of the letter ‘R’. Since the angles of the typography and the diagonal do not match up, it creates an effect of visual error where it seems that leaving this space appears to be an afterthought. Another problem is that the diagonal lines between the word ‘Rangers’ and the horizontal under ‘New York’ do not match in thickness, which doesn’t seem to have a reason for inconsistency. Finally, the typography on the ‘K’ stands out unequally from the rest of the letters. Whether it be the typeface used or just how the letters were customized, the leg of the letter is way too high and doesn’t match the average general height (known as the x-height, in more technical typography terms) of the rest of the letters.
Her review: As much as I dislike the team, I’ll have to admit that their logo is probably one of my top three favourites for the NHL. It’s probably the sleekest and most minimal way to symbolize the idea of flight or wings. The use of strokes is so simple and doesn’t overpower the whole logo. This can seen with the white stroke that not only contours the whole shape, but also creates an outline between each wing, then finally goes in the centre of the logo around the circular area. The only aspect of this logo that I question is the use of orange and its symbolism to Philadelphia or the team in general. This doesn’t necessarily mean the use of it is an adverse feature; the logo needed some accent colour like the bright orange to give it a final touch.
Her review: One thing that draws me into the Penguins logo is the use of angles. When it’s not used in the prominent background triangle, it’s in the hockey stick, the penguin’s legs, skates, beak, and general body shape. Although these angles do not all necessarily match up, they give off a similar visual language which makes the logo successful. A feature that stands out to me, that doesn’t seem to match with the rest of the logo, are the penguin’s gloves. There are too many small delicate white segments that can either be taken away or combined in order to create a bigger shape. Additionally, the penguin’s body near the bottom glove narrows too much in comparison to the rest of the figure. It would be best to follow a similar or expected thickness all around the penguin as opposed to straying from what most of the design is following.
Her review: The Capitals depend on the use of typography, specifically one that is custom made, for their logo. The city’s name is in a safe all caps oblique Helvetica. The three stars on top of the word ‘Washington’ are the only elements that are not angled along with the rest of the logo, which is definitely a nice contrast that doesn’t intentionally warp the original shape just to fit. In regards to the main element, the word ‘Capitals’, the typography is nicely done overall, but have some aspects that could be tweaked. For example, the bottom half of the letter ‘C’ that peaks up for no apparent reason. The bottom can rest along the baseline, since most of the letters already follow this rule.
Bonus: Washington Capitals: 'Weagle'
Considering how popular this logo is with jersey nerds like us, and how much more fitting it is for a primary logo, I figured I'd ask her to give her thoughts on this one too.
I hope you enjoyed part 2! Come back next week for part 3.
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You know, I thought I had a pretty solid entry for the HJC Open, but after seeing everyone else's entries..I'm getting worried. You guys submitted some great concepts, and good luck to all. So if you haven't yet, go leave your votes for that, and while you're at it stop by the COTW vote and leave your vote for that too.
HJC Open Round Robin vote (ends Friday @ noon Eastern)
COTW June 17-23 vote (ends Friday @ noon Eastern)
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Alan H - Quebec Nordiques
-I wish the hem stripes went all the way around, but I do understand that they don't because of the Adidas template. Let's just hope that changes for the NHL.
+Good color balance.
+Also good job with using the fleurs de lis sparingly.
-Not too sure why you didn't just put the helmet logo on the helmet, but at least you showed it.
-Unless blank pants was a design decision, there should also be a pants logo.
Overall: 8/10
Jack S. - Florida Panthers
+Good looking striping pattern.
-It'd look better if the stripes were a bit bolder though.
+I like the addition of even more military references, like the name on the front. I think that could work for just an alt jersey.
-Not a fan of the captain patch though. From a distance, you wouldn't be able to tell if that was for captain or alternate captain.
Overall: 7.5/10
Jordan R. - German Confederation
+This is probably one of the most interesting series I have seen in a while, if not ever. Very creative.
+The German flag inspired chest stripe also has a neat look. I'm not sure why it's in a chevron shape, but that does make it stand out from an ordinary chest stripe.
+I really like the way in which you incorporated black into the road jersey, I definitely can't say I've seen something like that before, unless you include this. (Don't worry, yours isn't that bad)
-I wish the chest stripes continued to the back.
+Yet at the same time, I think it was a good design decision not to do that. I'm not sure which would be better.
-I think the sock stripes are a bit low, they may get partially hidden under the skates if they're tucked in.
Overall: 8.5/10
Jordan R. - New Spain
+Great color balance between the jerseys here.
+For the complexity of the front design, keeping the rest simple was smart.
+And in this case, leaving the design off of the back was a good decision.
+The chest design works amazingly. It's a surprise it's not too busy. Great way to incorporate the flag.
-The C patch blends in a bit. I'd make it yellow, to match the front logo, and since there would only be a minimal amount.
-There should be numbers on the helmets, at least according to today's NHL. If their exclusion was a design decision, ignore this comment.
+I agree with leaving the pants plain, to contrast the business of the jerseys.
Overall: 9/10 and my COTW nomination
Jordan R. - United States of America
+Nice and simple design. Hard to go wrong with that.
+The striping patterns being exactly the same on both jerseys is always neat.
-Not a big fan of the nameplate on the road jersey, but it's not terrible.
-The front logo looks a bit big.
+I love the use of stars on this set. Not too much, and they definitely fill the void when needed.
-If I were you, I'd add one star to the back of the jersey on the bottom of the hem. That way the amount of stars on the jersey matches the amount on the flag.
Overall: 8.5/10
Ryan C. - Arizona Coyotes
+Much classier alt for the Yotes, as opposed to the modern version of this last time.
+I'd love to see maroon and white (or sand) versions for a home and road.
+The yoke and yoke stripes really change the concept from being too simple.
-Although it does still borderline being too simple, and even being a bit too close to the Devils and Bruins.
+I like the creation of a goalie and designing their gear too, especially the helmet. Don't see that often.
-If the goalie has a head in there, I'd do something to make it easier to see. It just looks like a floating mask to me. Lightening the background a bit would do it easily.
-I'd like to see the back of the jerseys also. If not the entire back, at least the name and numbers.
Overall: 8/10
Ryan C. - Tucson Roadrunners
+The roadrunners definitely need a logo improvement. Good start.
-I think the new roadrunner head just looks odd and somewhat creepy here. The bottom of the (mouth?, beak?) especially is bent really strangely. I'd lose the wordmark too.
+The striping pattern looks solid, and I like having the TV numbers inside.
-Either swap the red and black on the road jersey striping, or make the hems and/or cuffs red. The color balance is off as it is.
Overall: 7.5/10
Truman K. - Buffalo Sabres
+Another smart case of using the third color for a third jersey.
+I like the stitched numbers.
+Good color balance.
-The white blends into the yellow too much.
-The extra white lines around the buffalo are unnecessary
+I like the helmet logo.
-This jersey is way to similar to Boston. Changing the yoke style a bit would fix it, because I understand that the striping is just in reference to their old uniforms.
Overall: 7.5/10
Tyler M. - Detroit Red Wings
+I'm not sure why this striping pattern is always used for the Wings in concepts, but it works.
+Cool idea to make the arms on the home jersey white. I'm surprised I don't see that more often.
-That may make that jersey a bit too white, though. I'd have to see it on the ice to really tell, mainly so it isn't confused as a white jersey.
+The logo gives off a nice vintage feel, while the jersey gives off a modern feel. I think they work pretty well together, though.
+The Howe patch is a really nice touch, and since the Wings put their Cs and As on the other side, good job of placing it.
-The typography looks a bit strange to me, mainly the 5. It looks a bit wide, and the "middle bar" should be lowered a bit.
Overall: 8.5/10
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And that's it! I hope you enjoyed the post, thanks for reading, and I'll see you all again next week.
Thursday: Another Outsider's Perspective: Metropolitan Division
Reviewed by Bpoe
on
June 30, 2016
Rating:
Reviewed by Bpoe
on
June 30, 2016
Rating:
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