Jump to content

The Moose are back.


Lee.

Recommended Posts

Sterling - what say you?

I would say that first and foremost I really do respect everyone's opinion on this matter. Even if; as many here so far have written, nothing will ever top the original in their eyes. I think that's a fine way to feel if you're so inclined. I would hope some warm to the new version over time of course, but time will tell.

I would also say that it's heartwarming to me that all these long year later this community still rallies around this team's identity this way. It's in my portfolio, but it really always has belonged to all of us in some ways. Thanks for that...for embracing it this way.

I would add though that I'm quite proud of how the new one turned out. And given that I did it I'm obviously unlikely to dog pile on it too hard, though I will take no offense if you choose to do so. Goodness knows I've vented some fan passion in recent weeks myself at an otherwise harmless bunch of folks.

I'm not going to talk out of school about the inner workings of the process or share embargoed information from my favorite clients ever. But you can believe me when I tell you that a tremendous amount of care has gone into every single decision on any project I've ever worked with True North on. The front office loves the brand to the same degree or more than you do. And that's the truth.

I'm thrilled to have them back and honored to have worked on it again.

Like a freight train with stickum

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 59
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Sterling, how did the logo update come to be? By that I mean, not the color swap, but changes you made in adding the neck, changing the nose, the shape of the antlers, neck scruff, etc. Did they suggest changes to you, or did you see little things that bugged you after the initial version was released that you wanted to change?

OldRomanSig2.jpg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe they should have left the moose head in shades of brown/beige and put the rest in Jets colors.

That's what I would've done if I was given full autonomy over Sterling's work. I'm sure it was explored, but I somewhat like when logos have colors that you don't see elsewhere in the uniforms. The Blackhawks are an example, the Jets themselves are an example.

PvO6ZWJ.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Major downgrade in colors. The old Moose colors were great and totally unique. The new ones aren't nearly as interesting and look weirdly faded.

On the bright side, at least they're keeping one of the greatest logos in all of minor league sports.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When it was announced that the Jets' AHL team would be in Winnipeg, I'm sure many of us hoped it would mark the return of the Moose.

I'd rather have a world with a recolored Moose than no Moose at all. This was such a milestone in the early days here at CCSLC, so it's so cool to see it return. Glad Sterling got to be involved again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it's great that the Moose are back. I was hoping to see another City like Thunder Bay get the Jets' AHL team, since they thankfully have an NHL team again in Winnipeg, but this is good too. The only thing I'm disappointed about is pretty significant in my opinion. I think it's a massive disappointment that the Moose are wearing nothing more than the Jets' jerseys with the Moose logo slapped on the front. I know that it is cheaper to use the same color scheme and gear as the Parent Club but I think they could have at least added a little more creativity to the jerseys. Why couldn't they have added the old green/teal color and a bit of brown to the jerseys? I hope the AHL won't just be nothing more than NHL jersey clones, but at the rate things are going, I could see the entire league going that route and I think that would honestly suck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sterling, how did the logo update come to be? By that I mean, not the color swap, but changes you made in adding the neck, changing the nose, the shape of the antlers, neck scruff, etc. Did they suggest changes to you, or did you see little things that bugged you after the initial version was released that you wanted to change?

I think that's a good question and a fair one. And you've pretty much already hit on the answer in your earlier post. Nobody EVER came to me with dissatisfaction with the lineart. Let's get that out of the way. And while I have honed my skills over time, I did not obsess over any imperfections in the Moose logo in any George Lucas....gotta fix it....sort of way. So neither party (I think it's fair to say) was angling for tweaks. Secondly, any tweaks that were eventually made were 100% mutual.

As is so often the case in life, a parameter or priority in one area can lead you to a solution that effects another. And you hit the nail on the head earlier. The Moose palette had seven colors. And five of them could loosely be defined as "brown" even if they individually tinted toward copper, tan etc. Five browns!! What was I thinking? Don't get me wrong. It was brash and it totally worked. But that's a robust palette by any standard. And the Jets already have 6 colors.

I don't think anyone seriously would advocate a professional team rocking a 13 color palette. So if you intend to streamline or unify the colors at all...you have to explore knocking some of them out. And you (IMO) do that very carefully. You don't simply recolor. You nudge and massage and delicately figure out a line art solution that let's you drastically simplify the palette while being faithful to the original. And that's what I meant when I said I was proud of how it turned out. I changed A LOT. Not a couple of things. Not here or there. Almost every line and shape. And yet in the end it's a simpler and tighter file in every way, but if you glance at it (lineart-wise, not colors) it's essentially the same. The mood, pose, feel; everything feels the same about it. But it's just a tighter, better, more workable file. I'm not trying to pat myself on the back, but I think the conversion is in the same spirit anyway as maybe the Arizona Cardinals or the Seahawks. Those updates were on my mind the whole time.

Now, what some of you are bound to say is that there was no need to combine the palettes to begin with. Right? 13 colors is (yes) impossible so we should have stuck with 7...or trimmed the original palette to 6 or 5? That yes, it might be a problem well-solved, but it was a problem that didn't need to happen. It was a self-assigned problem.

Like I said earlier. That's fair. That's an opinion. That's a larger issue that you're free to take as a sports and logo fan. If you disagree with any affiliate using parent colors there's little I can do to change your mind. For this? I think it makes all kinds of sense. If you don't mind the palette overlap but wish the jersey were different? That's a reasonable opinion to have too.

I like that they are the same. Honestly. And even if I did not, every project has parameters and particular challenges. It seems a little lost in the shuffle that this too was a QUICK turnaround for the team, the league, the vendor. You could say, "Hey, they're wearing Jets jerseys with a new crest!" Or you could say, "Hey, they're wearing IceCaps jerseys with a new crest!" and you'd both be correct. Yes? Not sure why the Milwaukee Bucks (as a point of contrast) get the benefit of the doubt for putting THEMSELVES in a time crunch. While teams in a real time crunch maybe don't quite get the same benefit of the doubt. Talking now about all relocations...not just the Moose. The real world , operational concerns and efficiency, logistical hurdles and timelines...all of it always plays a part. And I'm only writing anything here at all so you guys know it was always in good hands every step of the way. This was by no means an intern and a recolor.

I would also say I'm not sure that those bummed or "ruined" opinions are being shared outside these boards....pretty much at all. Like I wrote earlier, you guys are protective of the original. That's understandable. It was born here. And I'm grateful for that. It's sweet and very flattering. Feel your feelings people. You're entitled to them. But I really like the new one. I think think fans are digging it overall very much too.

You guys are the best. Keep it up.

Like a freight train with stickum

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sterling, thanks for your response. So essentially, when deciding on changing the colors/color placement, did you find that certain things looked better styled differently, or was it more that your style evolved and design priorities such as line weights changed since the original? Also, did you start drawing the logo from scratch, or take a previous version and start moving lines?

OldRomanSig2.jpg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sterling, thanks for your response. So essentially, when deciding on changing the colors/color placement, did you find that certain things looked better styled differently, or was it more that your style evolved and design priorities such as line weights changed since the original? Also, did you start drawing the logo from scratch, or take a previous version and start moving lines?

Evolution of my personal style a big part of it. Yes. Especially with regards to lineweight. Also didn't make any huge changes around which colors go where...the blue/teal being the antler/ear highlight or the darkest color being the BG...mostly changes revolved solely around just how to best get all those layered furry highlights to function with two tones rather than five. The biggest actual "change" (IMO) is the neck on the head-only jersey crest used to come to kind of an awkward point. And that was always meant to reflect the the head rearing around to face a foe. But the result was a little swirly or spirally? Terminated oddly? And didn't "say" what I wanted it to say. When I built the crest into a primary soon after that...over ... 10? years ago? I tried to be clearer about that pose of the animal as a whole....but never got it all the way there for reticence to change the crest in doing so.

This opportunity really allowed me to fix that one thing I think. I just went and said I wasn't obsessing about it. And I wasn't. But if circumstances let you address a glaring grievance then you go ahead and do it. And I think it was accomplished (doubly importantly) without calling attention to itself. Win/WIn. Now I think (in combination with the hints at the rest of the body in the BG) his posture is finally clear at a minimum. And the beard is revealed in the darker negative space of the navy blue too. Always wanted the beard.

I redid the whole thing from scratch. Traced it over a 50% opaque locked layer of the original.

Like a freight train with stickum

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sterling, how did the logo update come to be? By that I mean, not the color swap, but changes you made in adding the neck, changing the nose, the shape of the antlers, neck scruff, etc. Did they suggest changes to you, or did you see little things that bugged you after the initial version was released that you wanted to change?

I think that's a good question and a fair one. And you've pretty much already hit on the answer in your earlier post. Nobody EVER came to me with dissatisfaction with the lineart. Let's get that out of the way. And while I have honed my skills over time, I did not obsess over any imperfections in the Moose logo in any George Lucas....gotta fix it....sort of way. So neither party (I think it's fair to say) was angling for tweaks. Secondly, any tweaks that were eventually made were 100% mutual.

I don't think anyone seriously would advocate a professional team rocking a 13 color palette. So if you intend to streamline or unify the colors at all...you have to explore knocking some of them out. And you (IMO) do that very carefully. You don't simply recolor. You nudge and massage and delicately figure out a line art solution that let's you drastically simplify the palette while being faithful to the original. And that's what I meant when I said I was proud of how it turned out. I changed A LOT. Not a couple of things. Not here or there. Almost every line and shape. And yet in the end it's a simpler and tighter file in every way, but if you glance at it (lineart-wise, not colors) it's essentially the same. The mood, pose, feel; everything feels the same about it. But it's just a tighter, better, more workable file. I'm not trying to pat myself on the back, but I think the conversion is in the same spirit anyway as maybe the Arizona Cardinals or the Seahawks. Those updates were on my mind the whole time.

Like I said earlier. That's fair. That's an opinion. That's a larger issue that you're free to take as a sports and logo fan. If you disagree with any affiliate using parent colors there's little I can do to change your mind. For this? I think it makes all kinds of sense. If you don't mind the palette overlap but wish the jersey were different? That's a reasonable opinion to have too.

I like that they are the same. Honestly. And even if I did not, every project has parameters and particular challenges. It seems a little lost in the shuffle that this too was a QUICK turnaround for the team, the league, the vendor. You could say, "Hey, they're wearing Jets jerseys with a new crest!" Or you could say, "Hey, they're wearing IceCaps jerseys with a new crest!" and you'd both be correct. Yes? Not sure why the Milwaukee Bucks (as a point of contrast) get the benefit of the doubt for putting THEMSELVES in a time crunch. While teams in a real time crunch maybe don't quite get the same benefit of the doubt. Talking now about all relocations...not just the Moose. The real world , operational concerns and efficiency, logistical hurdles and timelines...all of it always plays a part. And I'm only writing anything here at all so you guys know it was always in good hands every step of the way. This was by no means an intern and a recolor.

I chopped a little out of the response, but this gives me what I see as insight into your feelings on the Bucks' reveal. I assume you already had the Moose done or nearing completion, and thus knew that the Bucks' designers response was total BS since you had accomplished what they said they couldn't.

Very awesome insight into the process. Thanks for sharing.

It's where I sit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

UPDATE: I got my hands on some actual merchandise today. Not ashamed to say I'm really pleased with it. I think the colors of the embroidery and silk screening actually work probably some indeterminate percentage "better" than the file does digitally.... if that makes any sense.

You're all still entitled to your opinions of course. But here I am breathing a HUGE sigh of relief. This stuff looks amazing. Very pleased. Go Moose!

Like a freight train with stickum

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.




×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.