andrewharrington

3 hours ago, VDizzle12 said:

 

The font feels like it was a client pick. There's nothing wrong with it, just very simple. I'm biased but I miss the original Bosack angled font introduced in the 2000s.

 

Yeah, but “feels like” doesn’t mean it was true. I’ve been doing this a lot of years and a client insisting on their own preferred font for a wordmark isn’t really a thing that happens in this landscape. Kansas would be the only example I can think of, 10-15 years ago, but that’s about it, and they’ve since brought back the circus lettering on multiple occasions.

23 hours ago, Brave-Bird 08 said:

The weirdest part of the Akron rebrand is that the logo is jagged but the wordmark is curved. 

 

It really makes me feel like that outside of approaching this from an inside-out flow, they just slapped a logo together and then picked a font and called it a day. That's just amateur. 

A is an angular letter. Millions of fonts mix angular As with round Rs and Os.

You really think a guy like Bosack just picks a font and calls it a day?

6 hours ago, MCM0313 said:

So, what you’re saying is that I should create a custom font and sell the rights to it as an NFT?

If you think people will pay a lot of money for an exclusive license to your font, I suppose it might be worthwhile, but unless you’re a globally recognized type designer, I don’t see much of a collectors’ market for rare OTF files popping up anytime soon lol.

1 hour ago, BBTV said:

 

Right... so if a team develops the font and doesn't license it to anyone, wouldn't it be a crime if someone reproduced it?  Or are you saying that someone can trace it and make an exact replica and it's not a crime unless they steal the actual digital file?

Exactly. Now, one could certainly argue there’s bad intent there depending on the situation, which could affect the legality.

Eriq likely got a cease and desist because his font names contained the names of leagues and teams (if I recall), or a lawyer was bluffing him.

8 hours ago, BBTV said:

My assumption with the custom font thing is that (and I'm just speculating) anyone can make and sell  a brown jersey with white block numbers and it's probably legal.  They could probably even throw some orange and white stripes on it.  But maybe the number style is trademarked or copyrighted or however that works, so if they copy the font, then they're infringing on trademarks and can be considered counterfeit.  Maybe?  Maybe team can even trademark certain striping patterns or other aspects of their uniforms, but that might be tough since there's a finite number of ways to do stripes.

 

Like how some fonts are freeware and some require licenses, and if you have a business and do your print ads in a licensed font that you're not paying for, the owner could come after  you.  Maybe NFL fonts are the same way, and they tweak standard block just enough to make it a custom font for which only they hold the license for.

You can’t own any of that stuff in a legal sense (design of a number or letterform, team colors, stripe designs, etc.). It’s just simple branding and competitor exclusivity at play.

The only parts of a typeface that can have legal protection are the name and the actual digital file (the font itself). You have to purchase a license and follow the terms to use the font.

13 hours ago, Sec19Row53 said:

Let me re-phrase my question, then.

 

If counterfeiters can't get standard block right enough that the numbers don't suck, why would it be necessary to tweak standard block to make it tougher to counterfeit?

I’m assuming most counterfeiters are humans, a species that has shown a tendency to collectively improve these skills over time.

9 minutes ago, Sec19Row53 said:

Why do you think that? These fonts (and patches) aren't like the security features in a $100 bill.

Yet counterfeiters still get them wrong every time, and knockoffs are very easy to spot as a result.

1 hour ago, Lights Out said:

 

That buffalo wing inspired logo is a work of mad genius.

The OG fan versions are even better.

14 hours ago, dont care said:

Is it bad I can’t tell which one you are talking about? Both are awful. The all black one maybe being less awful but not by much

He’s likely talking about the one with the huge NY on the chest.

59 minutes ago, the admiral said:

Less and less do I care for "sports is a business." A Greek restaurant is a business. Pro sports is a heavily government-subsidized distraction apparatus that relies on tribalism and sentimentality. It's like when dullards say "they're a private company, they can do what they want" about Twitter. It's not that simple. Maybe these huge machines that rely on public largesse should have to operate in the public trust a bit more, and part of that should mean not raising ticket prices while whoring out symbols people care for.

When someone sponsors Tuesday night at the MoMA, everyone gets to walk into one of the top five art museums in the world for free because company x literally bought the tickets as an advertisement. Sports teams want to collect on the :censored:ty name *and* make you pay for the “privilege” lol. 

6 hours ago, BBTV said:

 

Totally.  I'm pro-orange for the Broncos, but with this template and design, the navy is worlds better than the orange.

 

Also - are the numbers stitched at all, or just heat pressed now?  With the weird seams going right through the number, wouldn't stitching be tough?  There's a lot of seam overlap with that #5 there.

The seam itself is held together with stitching. Stitching on top of a seam would not pose an issue lol.

@tBBP How the numbers are constructed and applied usually differs team-by-team; some may use the contract/OEM vendor, some may use a local shop, and some may do their letters and numbers in-house.

I think everyone is at least using some type of sewn-down technique now, whereas a few decades ago you’d see a mix of sewn and screen-printed jerseys, depending on the team.

20 hours ago, dont care said:

It was likely just lighting between the different materials making one look whiter when hit at a certain angle.

No, it’s legitimately difficult to match sublimated fabric with dyed fabric. 

3 hours ago, spartacat_12 said:

But can't 3rd parties still sell merch with just the T? Most people don't have the attention to detail that is commonly seen on these boards, so I doubt they'd care about a shirt missing a barely visible ARENAS wordmark.

I think the University of Toronto is the main obstacle there.

22 hours ago, MJWalker45 said:

Other than the right sleeve and names and numbers, why would sponsor patches not be on the jersey? 

Alcohol, tobacco, and gambling ads are not allowed in certain countries and leagues.

5 hours ago, MJWalker45 said:

Having them made with that specific pattern and ready to hit the field is pretty difficult. They aren't just using a templated uniform.  And they actually have over 200 sets that would need to be done when you consider the men, women and various U14-U23 teams that have to abide this change too. That's why I expect them to just slap a big blue sticker over the logos. 

I believe most pro shirts are delivered “blank” (with only crest and apparel branding) at the beginning of the season, and additional ads, numbers, and names are pressed by the club.

That’s how they’re able to trade shirts every game and alter the advertisements match-by-match based on the laws of the country in which they’re playing.

What situation were you referring to with brands not being able to accommodate athletes during the season?

13 hours ago, oldschoolvikings said:

Southern California “hot” is not the same as Florida hot.

Wearing white at home to beat the heat is still silly.

4 hours ago, Chromatic said:

Haven't these been out already? I've seen adidas throwbacks jerseys before in the store before. Or are these just "new" throwbacks they're making available for purchase?

It’s more just a refresh of the existing Team Classics line; not sure what the future holds for it.

It is, however, the first time we (that is, the identity design crew) have touched a project like this, so the art will be more accurate to the OGs than they have been in the past.

3 hours ago, Morgan33 said:

Just because someone has experience in the industry and knows how it works, doesn't mean their work is exempt from criticism.  The amount of designs, we've seen from Adidas, that look like they were dashed off in less than 5 minutes, these past five years, is staggering.  I don't work for WWE but I'm allowed to say their product has been extremely underwhelming for a long time.   You put something in the public domain, people are going to have opinions about it.  Especially on a forum where people share their opinions on uniform designs.  Get over it. 

 

I don't expect him to do anything except stop making excuses for why new designs look like a total of 5 minutes of effort were spent on them.  The Arena's jersey just looks half-assed but the "Smashville" jersey was indefensible and I remember hearing a bunch of excuses about that too...  Back in 2006, the designer's behind the Sabres 'Slug' could be criticized and rightfully so.  I don't remember anyone on hear saying "that designer works for Reebok and knows the process so him and his work are off limits from criticism."  Give me a break.

 

If that Arena's jersey is the result of "the process" then there is something seriously wrong with said process that should be evaluated.  I don't buy the excuse that "this is best we could do because we only had a year."  Someone could make a better design in 5 minutes.

Look at it this way…

When it comes to licensed apparel on a commercial scale, finding out who’s playing less than a year before the event is like someone saying, “Design me a uniform in ten minutes, and it’s due 5 minutes ago.”

14 hours ago, steve61 said:

And somehow they managed to do even less than "not much" 

Only so much you can do when you find out who’s playing less than a year before the game. Essentially, it limits you to templates and colors that already exist at the factory.

There’s exactly one thing “the same” about them, and that’s the warm-hued floating stripe on a dark field around the forearm and calf. Like, that’s it. They just don’t look anything alike aside from that one particular element, as evidenced by this game.

16 hours ago, B-mer said:

All star jerseys are nice, but uniforms as a whole, not so much. Need to go back to simpler format so there’s just two uniforms. 

Weren’t 2017 and 2018 the only years to feature four uniforms, regardless of format?

3 hours ago, IceCap said:

It still looks bad. I'm not trying to be snarky or dismissive either. I see what the intent was. I get it...but it's one of those things where it's lost in translation. A jersey is not a poster. I don't think what works with one necessarily carries over to the other.

I’ll just say that the final version is rarely the best version. That’s just how it goes.

31 minutes ago, YELDARBfield said:

THIS THIS THIS

 

As @andrewharrington said, Hatch Show Print is within spitting distance of Bridgestone Arena. And yet for whatever reason, the Predators did not reveal the sweater at HSP or mention them by name in any press/social release. They didn't even use a country track for the initial unveiling video! It's like if the Nets had released their City Editions last season without mentioning Basquiat, or the Sounders not playing any Hendrix when they revealed their purple kit.

 

Correct. The effect looks okay on the "PrEDs" collar mark, but it does not translate to a cut-and-sewn crest. HSP style is more than just goofy font. They overlay colors (like that Ringo poster), always look somewhat distressed due to the wood blocks, and they very, very, VERY rarely print on a primarily dark background like navy blue. The Preds have the perfect base in their gold for a HSP-inspired sweater, and they decide now is the time to attempt the navy jersey a large number of fans have wanted as a regular alt for a decade.

 

Would've been better off sublimating HSP-style words and graphics into the gold stripe and doing a two-color tiger head or guitar pick for the crest. This solid color block approach just does not translate at all.

 

I swear, this freaking team makes it so hard to be a fan sometimes. I'm just glad it doesn't say "SMasH VegAS."

Preaching to the choir (at Ryman), my man…

38 minutes ago, CreamSoda said:

 

So it was taken as the inspiration…

Rather obviously.

42 minutes ago, Digby said:

Should've screenprinted the jersey then...

Could you even imagine the amount of negativity that would have unleashed?

On 11/30/2021 at 8:06 AM, tBBP said:

…we very nearly had chromedomes with red flames shooting out the sides...

To be honest, that sounds better than the helmet they went with.

39 minutes ago, CreamSoda said:

 

 

Since when is a poster a good idea for a jersey?

Did I say that?

Someone said they don’t mix different letters in the same word when setting wood type, which is false.

But what the heck, I’ll bite: a poster is a good idea for a jersey when your city is well known for its show posters and the most famous show poster print shop on Earth is located a half-block from your front steps (inside the Country Music HOF & Museum lobby).