Thursday: Another Outsider's Perspective: Atlantic Division

Yep, I'm stealing this idea from you Caz. But hey, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, am I right?

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 text message from her. Afterwards, I'll just give a simple closing statement on my opinion of it. First off, the Atlantic Division. (All logo images are from sportslogos.net)

Boston Bruins
Her review: "From first look, the typeface definitely suits and plays on the angles of the wheel. An example of this is seen in the top left serif of the B and how it matches the angle coming from the wheel. On this topic, what really bothers me is how the top right DOESN'T fit the angle coming from the wheel. It sits and matches the angle, but it doesn't necessary lay inside of it like the left side's serif does. What I also like about the logo is that the colours of the logo are used interchangeably, especially in the form of strokes, but not to the point where it seems busy or the colours seem to vibrate. The only aspect of the logo that doesn't have many strokes is the circle, which visually gives a break from the intricate angle work in the centre of the logo."
My review: Nice update to a classic logo. The new typeface really improves the logo from its previous iteration, and the serifs add a modern touch.

Buffalo Sabres
Her Review: "One thing that I can give this logo is its simplicity. I've seen so many teams that try and fit as much symbolism as possible into one logo, especially animal related ones, and it becomes dismal. The silhouette of the buffalo is straight forward and has some minor features, like the facial details, just so it's obvious what the animal is. The problem with this logo is some extraneous detail that, in my opinion, shouldn't be used. Firstly: the detailing on the handle of the sword. The curvature details are not going to be obvious when the logo is used in a small scale. Its subtly will only leave this detail unnoticed when used in certain design applications like scale and far viewing distance, which makes it obsolete. Another aspect of the logo that bothers me are the random horizontal lines that lay above and below the buffalo. Since it uses the same white fill and stroke as some items that lay with its proximity (the buffalo and sword), I want to think that it belongs to either of the objects. However, it doesn't. I would remove it because it doesn't seem to add to any features of the symbolism, and subtracting it certainty won't ruin the overall meaning behind the logo."
My review: In general it's a solid logo, and shows both "Buffalo" and "Sabres", despite being very literal. The abundance of gray strokes kills the logo completely though. Remove it and you're golden.

Detroit Red Wings
Her Review: "I know that the Red Wings haven't changed this main idea for a logo for years now... which tells me they haven't experimented with various designs that could suit their team. What I want to start off with is saying that this logo is really busy: from the feathers on the right to the wheel on the left. In regards to the feathers, the jagged edges that seem to have been placed randomly on the wing give off a retro feel. Like I said with the Sabres logo, the jaggedness is unnecessary because the details get lost in certain viewing distances. I would say to improve it, the feathers should be refined to have less edges, or just have less feathers in general. There is no need to repeat the feathers multiple times... it seems to be designed for ornate reasons instead of getting the point across. There are so many ways to denote that it's a wing without adding too much detail. Adding onto this, the wheel in the centre is way too elaborate and can also be simplified. On a positive note, what I can give this logo is that it definitely gives a sense of dynamism that is necessary for a sports team. Sometimes when a logo is way too plain, it doesn't give off the energy that is replicated in the sport. The Red Wings have certainly evoked this through the logo; it can still be refined and keep this same message though."
My review: Based on how many shapes and elements are inside this logo, you'd think it would be too complex. However the simple color palette especially keeps this logo from looking too busy. The rough edges could use some refinement, though, like she said.

Florida Panthers
Her Review: "I'm so glad the Panthers recently updated this logo because it is such a huge improvement. First of all, this is a great example of how one can use simple forms in order to shape a certain animal without overdoing it. One of my favourite aspects of this logo is the colour palette. The colours are subdued and do not overpower the logo. If it was vibrant and saturated, it would make certain colours compete with each other. For example, the red could unintentionally stand out. This would hypothetically be bad since most of the logo is in gold and only uses red as an accent, seen in the panther's eyes and typography banner. Overall, the logo is wrapped into a safe but effective emblem shape that ties in all the typography and vector work."
My review: Vast improvement over their old logo for the sole reason of simplicity. For my full review of their new branding, check out this post.

Montréal Canadiens
Her Review: "As a general graphic designer, I'm more innate to appreciating the art of typography and how it's used for brands of many applications, which includes sport organizations. A great example of this is seen in the iconic Habs logo, where they have fitted the 'C' and 'H' into each other without obscuring or cutting off the letters to make it confusing. This logo is so clearly simple: you have 2 letters and 3 colours present. Done. It's memorable, easily understood, and timeless, which are all aspects of a good logo design. My only picky suggestion is the 'tick' or serif at the top right of the C. Between the simple curvature and straight line work that the rest of the logo has, the serif doesn't seem to fit the present language of the logo. What I'll give them props for is that they didn't emphasize the serif within the logo and that it doesn't seem to stand out against the sleekness of the general logo."
My review: Simple, classic, iconic. Not much else to say about it while keeping my section short.

Ottawa Senators
Her Review: "I would start off by saying that this logo is really complex in nature. However, representing a senator through minimalistic design is really difficult. They could have gone much more full out in details, but chose to focus on some symbolism around the head area instead, which is not a poor choice. Some aspects can be further removed in order to contain its general idea, for instance, the ornamental pattern on the armour. It will not make it less of a senator if the pattern is taken away. In regards to colour choice, I think that the dullness is a good decision. Like I said before, if the colours are too vibrant, it takes away from the detailing of the logo. Also, some accent colours, like the red, will stand out against the flat gold that can't necessarily be overpowered by changing vibrancy or lustre."
My review: For a logo with a human on it, it does a good job of keeping it simple. Much better than the previous iteration, which, I'll be honest, kind of scared me as a child. Still nothing too great though. Also, an actual senator in the logo would make more sense than a gladiator.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Her Review: "This has to be the most literal logo in this division. Through iconography, this is obviously a lightning bolt. You can't say otherwise, they're obviously the Tampa Bay Lightning. The bolt is placed into an unequal roundel shape, but not necessarily contained within its area. Keeping the ellipses thinner at one end isn't a bad move, it just adds the effect of dimension to a logo that is generally flat. This use of dimension is also played along by not attaching the right side of the roundel to the bolt, giving some optical depth. They've kept it so straightforward that there isn't much to critique."
My review: While slightly corporate looking, it's the simplest and best logo they've ever had. I'd like to see some gray and/or black back in their identity, so that way they don't get compared to the team below like they often currently do.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Her Review: "Even though there has been much more minimalistic versions of the Leafs logo, this updated one gives off a sense of history and roots (no pun intended because it's literally a maple leaf). Even though this was just revised recently, I would still want to decrease the amount of detailing on the leaf's silhouette, not enough that it would become as simple as their last logo... anything in between. I actually like the white veins detailing on the leaf; without it, there would be too much awkward unused areas that doesn't account for negative space. This would be more obvious if one was, for example, to take away the veins at the top 3 peaks of the leaf. This would make the logo appear to be tall in height for no reason since the space is just so empty and obsolete. On the topic of typography, the curving works since the word 'Toronto' embodies the general arc shape of the leaf's 3 'arms'. Below the city's name, 'Maple' and 'Leafs' letters are perfectly kerned and not awkwardly fit under the other, which is just eye candy for a designer. In regards to the 'butt' on the bottom, it's not a butt. It's simple detailing that real leafs possess. The length of that vein matches the typography at the top's distance. If it was shorter, it would be more visually problematic than a butt."

My review: Solid clean up of their classic brand. Still doubt I'll ever be able to get the butt out of my head, even though I know it isn't actually one.


And that's the end of this segment for this week. I hope you guys enjoyed it, because it definitely gave me new perspectives on some aspects of the logos. Tune in next week for the next division, which has not been decided yet.

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Like a good logo, things are simple this week when it comes to voting. Just one COTW vote, which itself is a one on one showdown. The HJC Open entries for the round robin will also begin to be accepted tomorrow night.

COTW June 10-16 vote (ends Friday @ noon Eastern)

HJC Open Round Robin (Entries can be sent beginning @ 5pm Eastern Friday)

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Avi S. - Vancouver Canucks

+The Canucks are in need of a slight rebrand, which could be as simple as a logo swap and a jersey update, like so.

+Definitely like bringing back the V on the arms.

+The simple striping design fits really well and helps to make sure the colors remain in a hierarchy.

-I'd make the thinner stripe just a tad thicker though.

-I'm personally against Johnny Canuck being on a jersey as the main logo, as it looks much too cartoonish to me, but this could be a good compromise.

Overall: 8.5/10 and my COTW nomination

Avi S. - Winnipeg Jets

+This set is a nice way of combining their current identity with the previous one, that now resides in Arizona.

+The logo is definitely an improvement over the Jet that looks like it's exploding.

-Although it now feels like something's missing.

+I love the prominence of white on the home jersey. Stands out from other red, white, and blue teams.

-The change in color palette does detract from its uniqueness though.

-The back numbers look a bit big.

Overall: 8/10

Ryan G. - 104th Clone Battalion

Yay...more references I'll miss...

+As always with these concepts, the custom language is always a neat touch.

+The "belt" striping is a bit busy, so it works well with that being the only striping on the hem.

-But it still feels like something is missing from the hem stripes.

-The vertical piping can go, there's no need for it.

+Good logo choice.

-But there are way too many logos on this jersey. Lose the arm wolves, and move the shoulder patches down there. That would keep the arm from being too plain. At that point, the back logo below the hem stripe could probably go, but I don't thin its presence hurts the design too bad.

-The green and black barely contrast, though I'm not sure that's under your control if you're sticking to their Star Wars identity.

-The pants logo should be moved to the right and should be partially cut off. 

Overall: 7/10

Ryan G - Resistance Ground Force

+Green is a very underused color on hockey jerseys, nice to see it take the helm here.

+Simple design. Hard to make that look bad in general.

-The colors blend together a bit too much. 

-There may be a reason for it, but the yellow visor is going to stick out like a sore thumb during usage of the uniform.

-Lose the yoke outline, no need for it.

Overall: 7/10

Ryan G. - Rogue One

+Well, the colors definitely stand out here. That's an improvement.

-The striping pattern has been essentially the same through all of these concepts. Not very creative, but if these are all related in some way inside the star wars universe, that makes sense.

-This design is waaaayyyy too busy. It'd serve the jersey well to lose the vertical piping and yoke outline. Even the front number really. The only issue then, is that it looks a bit too much like the previous concept, which is where the striping pattern issue comes in.

+The vertical piping does at least tie in with the logo's design a bit.

Overall: 6.5/10

Zeke G - Detroit Red Wings, Gordie Howe Memorial

+New design for the Red Wings, but it does look like a Red Wings type of jersey to me.

-The stripe widths should be consistent, though, and the sock stripes should have the same design.

-I think their Stadium Series logo would fit better on this jersey, considering how different this is from their usual look. That wouldn't make much sense for a Gordie Howe tribute jersey, but...

-The jersey in itself doesn't make much sense to me as a Gordie Howe tribute. The design is different than the Red Wings ever wore, especially in his time. If there's something I'm missing, please tell me, but right now it doesn't fit the theme, except for the back name and number. It's a good concept in general, but it doesn't look like it fits the theme to me.

Overall: 7.5/10 as a general concept, 3/10 with regard to the given theme of the concept.

Update: Zeke left a comment and told me that the design combines the 2 NHL teams he played for, the Wings and Whalers. Not sure how I missed that, I even looked for if you did that, but now let's fix the review a bit.

+Okay, solid combo of those jersey designs, now that I can see it.

-I'd have taken the arm striping and put it on the middle of the arms instead of making it cuffs, to give that more of a Red Wings look.

-I'd switch around the colors of the logo too, to match how it looked while he wore the winged wheel.

Updated overall: 7.5/10

Zeke G - Hartford Whalers

+The stripe lengths look more consistent on this jersey than the last.

-The home jersey's arm stripes are a bit askew though, namely the inner blue stripe, It makes the top white stripe larger at one and and smaller at another, and vice versa for the bottom white stripe.

+Such a brutally underused color scheme, and the colors are balanced really well here.

+PUCKY! 

-I personally prefer this logo to the one you used here, which looks dated. I'd change the colors of it to match your concept, and remove the huge gray outline from it too, which would in turn match the style that's on the concept. It's not a big difference, but it's enough. Similar to how the Penguins logo used in the early 90s looks different, and dated, compared to its current iteration. But, maybe I'm just nitpicking here.

Overall:8.5/10

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And that's it for today! I hope you enjoyed the post, thanks for reading, and I'll see you all again next week.