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The Continental Basketball League: A History - Project Over


mungojerry311

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After my hockey project crashed and burned, I think I've found something that will stick. This time, I proudly present the Continental Basketball League. To make a long story short, the league was founded in 1938 by prominent Boston businessman George Finlay to capitalize on the growing popularity of basketball on college campuses throughout the nation. In the beginning the league had only six teams, situated in the northeastern part of the US, but the league name suggested that Finlay had much greater aspirations for the league.

 

At this time, the CBL doesn't have a logo, but if I must create one, I will.

 

This time around, I have a preliminary jersey and logo ready. I'll be revealing each inaugural team one at a time. First up is George Finlay's team: the Boston Redcoats!

 

The team logo very simply uses two crossed muskets in the team color, which more or less matches the red color worn by the British Army during the occupation of Boston:

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And here is the uniform the Redcoats take to the hardwood with. All the teams at this time use only one jersey:

rWFS4Jl.png

As I said before, both the logo and uniform are preliminary. While I am mostly happy with the uniform, the one thing that bugs me is that the collar is v-neck, which did not exist at this time. I am quite a beginner where graphic design is concerned so I wouldn't know how to change it. Also, I would like to add piping on the arm holes (is that what they're called?) and the collar that was prevalent at the time but don't how to do that either.

 

Any and all C&C is greatly appreciated and encouraged.

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Next up I present the second of the six inaugural teams in the CBL, the Providence Pilots!

 

The team is named to commemorate the opening of the T.F. Green Airport which opened earlier that decade, although up until 1938 it was known as Hillsgrove State Airport. The team colors are dark blue and light brown, meant to represent the coastal nature of the state of Rhode Island. The team logo features the team name on top of the outline of an airplane:

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And here is their uniform. As they are less well funded than the Boston team, the uniform only has an abbreviated city name on the front and no numbers whatsoever:

CkB84Ag.png

Except for the piping, which the Pilots don't have on their uniform, what I said about the Redcoats uniform applies here. I really want to change the v-neck to a round neck which is more historically appropriate as evidenced by the team photo I posted above but I don't know how to change it. Other than that, I think this team turned out pretty well.

 

As always, any and all C&C about anything I've posted so far is encouraged and appreciated.

 

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  • mungojerry311 changed the title to The Continental Basketball League: A History - Providence Pilots Unveiled
10 hours ago, Darknes said:

This is just me asking, why Redcoats for Boston when they were famously Anti-British during the war?

I picked that name primarily because it is a direct nod to Boston's history. In real life (to my knowledge), none of the real Boston teams that have existed (and I'm counting the "Boston" ones, not the "New England" ones) haven't referenced history in any way. Do you think I should change it? Thanks for asking.

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15 hours ago, Darknes said:

This is just me asking, why Redcoats for Boston when they were famously Anti-British during the war?

 

4 hours ago, Dan O'Mac said:

Perhaps go with something for Paul Revere's ride, since he was on the American side, and call them the Boston Riders. You wouldn't need to change colors or anything.

 

The Boston Redcoats become the first team to change their name in CBL history. What makes this interesting is that the name change occurred before play even began! Allow me to explain:

 

After the team name, logo, and uniform were unveiled in the Boston Globe, both the Globe and George Finlay received many letters in mail which were against the choice of name. It appeared the public at large did not buy Finlay's explanation that he chose the name in reference to the city's history. It did not make sense to most people that a team based in an American city should bear the name of a foreign army. About a week after the initial announcement, Finlay begrudgingly renamed the team to the Boston Colonials. Finlay ordered all the Redcoats jerseys that had been made to be destroyed, however, a couple of them still survive in private collections to this day.

 

As a result of the name change, the team logo gains a blue outline:

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Other than the team name, the jersey remains largely unchanged. The only changes are the number on the back becomes slightly larger and the waistband changes color from white to blue:

6GKzn8o.png

I'd still like to add the piping and change the v-neck like I mentioned in the other posts, but I like it. As always, any and all C&C about anything I've posted so far is encouraged and appreciated.

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  • mungojerry311 changed the title to The Continental Basketball League: A History - Redcoats Name Change

While I'm not too skilled with digital art (I've hand drawn some fictional sports logos and uniforms of my own, but haven't posted them here as I don't think they are refined enough for community standards), I can still give you some input on the teams' looks: 

 

Boston: Aside from the name change, this team's new look is a definite upgrade! The blue outline on the logo also makes it pop out more as well. 

 

Providence: This is a unique look, as I've never seen blue and brown together before, yet you pretty much worked it to perfection! I imagine it may be hard to identify players without numbers on the uniforms, but then again, as you said, the team can't afford them. The logo is also fairly simple yet effective and appropriate for the time period. 

 

 

I can't wait to see what this league brings, and while you apparently new at art as you have said, I do see potential from what you have posted so far. Keep up the good work!

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On 9/11/2018 at 8:39 AM, BengalSteve said:

While I'm not too skilled with digital art (I've hand drawn some fictional sports logos and uniforms of my own, but haven't posted them here as I don't think they are refined enough for community standards), I can still give you some input on the teams' looks: 

 

Boston: Aside from the name change, this team's new look is a definite upgrade! The blue outline on the logo also makes it pop out more as well. 

 

Providence: This is a unique look, as I've never seen blue and brown together before, yet you pretty much worked it to perfection! I imagine it may be hard to identify players without numbers on the uniforms, but then again, as you said, the team can't afford them. The logo is also fairly simple yet effective and appropriate for the time period. 

 

 

I can't wait to see what this league brings, and while you apparently new at art as you have said, I do see potential from what you have posted so far. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the comment. Glad to see you are enjoying it!

 

Here is the third inaugural CBL team, the New York Flames!

 

The team's name references the flame of the Statue of Liberty's torch. The color scheme certainly attests to that. The logo features a silhouette of the upper portion of the statue in the team color, which more or less matches the color of the statue:

H0GS511.png

The uniform, as is the case with the other teams in the league at this point, is primarily the team color. The orange color of the waistband, numbers, and team name symbolizes the color of the flame of the torch. The team name and number on the back have a white outline to help them stand out:

JQGVnJ0.png

The color scheme turned out better than I thought it would. By now, that v-neck is really grinding my gears. I don't know whether to add piping to this uniform or not. Of course, any and all C&C about anything I've posted so far is encouraged and appreciated. Everything I've posted so far is subject to change, as evidenced by the name change of the Boston team.

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  • mungojerry311 changed the title to The Continental Basketball League: A History - New York Flames Unveiled

The pluses: The uniforms, in their simplicity, do look like they're out of the 1940s. I also like the color scheme you're using for New York despite it not looking very 1940s. Flames is also a nice, original name for a New York team.

 

The minuses: So far, all of the logos look like clipart. It doesn't seem like you're drawing them from scratch, at any rate. The rifles have tiny, tiny details that would not be easy to reproduce (and the first hint I had that these probably weren't hand-drawn.) Speaking of the rifles, that blue-on-red is really visually jarring--what if you doubled the outline with white on the inner outline and blue on the outer? Don't do that until you've cleaned up and simplified the lines of the rifle, though.

The line that cuts off the bottom of the Statue of Liberty looks totally random, not just because it's kind of janky, but also because there doesn't seem to be a clear motivation for its shape and placement beyond that it's gotta be cut off somewhere. Random idea: What if you you had a banner wrap around the bottom of the statue bearing the team name? It would also hint at the draping of the fabric on the figure.

Your wordmarks look like they're running through WordArt. A wordmark is so much more than typing. It's careful positioning, and sometimes resizing, of each letter so that they are in balance and harmony with each other. I do get that for the era and style you're going for, it's not quite as much a consideration, but as you move forward, you really want to start thinking about kerning and such.

Good luck as you move forward in your revisions.

rATMcmK.png

 

 

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Thanks for the reply @Whittier S! I'd like to respond one bit at a time:

 

10 hours ago, Whittier S said:

The pluses: The uniforms, in their simplicity, do look like they're out of the 1940s. I also like the color scheme you're using for New York despite it not looking very 1940s. Flames is also a nice, original name for a New York team.

 

I thought the color color scheme worked very well for the 40s. Sure it's kind of flashy but I like. If you have any suggestions as to how I can make it more appropriate for the era I'd like to hear them. As I mentioned, everything I've posted is subject to change.

 

10 hours ago, Whittier S said:

The minuses: So far, all of the logos look like clipart. It doesn't seem like you're drawing them from scratch, at any rate. The rifles have tiny, tiny details that would not be easy to reproduce (and the first hint I had that these probably weren't hand-drawn.) Speaking of the rifles, that blue-on-red is really visually jarring--what if you doubled the outline with white on the inner outline and blue on the outer? Don't do that until you've cleaned up and simplified the lines of the rifle, though.

The line that cuts off the bottom of the Statue of Liberty looks totally random, not just because it's kind of janky, but also because there doesn't seem to be a clear motivation for its shape and placement beyond that it's gotta be cut off somewhere. Random idea: What if you you had a banner wrap around the bottom of the statue bearing the team name? It would also hint at the draping of the fabric on the figure.

 

I was afraid someone would notice that. As I'm quite new to this art thing, my skills aren't nearly good enough to make totally original logos. I found no rule in either the Sports Fan Fiction (where this was originally posted before it got moved) or the Concepts forum rules against using clipart. If it is frowned upon I understand completely. I did make sure that all the clipart I used was free for use. So, yes, I could remove the flintlock and the trigger and such from the Colonials logo but with my current skills the way they are, it wouldn't look very good. The banner thing is also out of the question until my skills get better.

 

11 hours ago, Whittier S said:

Your wordmarks look like they're running through WordArt. A wordmark is so much more than typing. It's careful positioning, and sometimes resizing, of each letter so that they are in balance and harmony with each other. I do get that for the era and style you're going for, it's not quite as much a consideration, but as you move forward, you really want to start thinking about kerning and such.

 

I've used Photoshop for everything posted here. The style of the lettering on the jerseys (if that's what you mean) is very appropriate for the era. If you look at early basketball jerseys, you'll see that the lettering style is nearly the same. I'll probably have to worry about actual wordmarks later on but for now that style will do just fine.

 

Thanks so much for the C&C, I really appreciate it.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Sorry for the long wait everyone. I was finally able to add jersey striping to the uniforms that have it and change the v-neck to a crew neck. Here are the results:

4yCAL8f.pngGJovLbN.pngteYTC17.png

Yes, I know the jersey striping looks kind of wonky but I think it looks good enough for now. Any suggestions about how to make it less wonky are very much welcome. I think these will most likely be the final versions of the inaugural jerseys for these teams. As always, any and all C&C about anything I've posted so far is encouraged and appreciated.

 

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  • mungojerry311 changed the title to The Continental Basketball League: A History - Colonials, Pilots, and Flames Jerseys Updated

Here is the fourth inaugural team in the CBL, the Allentown Ironmen!

 

The team's name references the dominant steel industry in the area. The team adopts a similar color scheme to the Steelers football team, black representing coal and gold representing iron ore, the two primary ingredients needed to produce steel. I'm happy to say that this is my first truly original logo. Even though it's a relatively simple shape, it's a good start I guess. The team logo is the letter I, the first letter of the team name shaped to resemble a steel bar. The city name is written down the middle of the steel bar in gold:

 

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The jersey is primarily black, with a gold waistband and gold and white collar striping. An inverted version of the team logo appears on the upper right part of the jersey, making the team the only one to feature the team logo on their jersey rather than the city or team name:

d3aTBoR.png

 

As always, any and all C&C about anything I've posted so far is encouraged and appreciated.

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  • mungojerry311 changed the title to The Continental Basketball League: A History - Allentown Ironmen Unveiled

Hello everyone, I have a question for you all. After some thought, I don't know if I should keep the Ironmen in Allentown or instead put them in Pittsburgh. The only reason I didn't put them in Pittsburgh is because there was a real Pittsburgh Ironmen basketball team that existed for only one season in the BAA (the precursor to the NBA) in 1946-1947.

 

So what should I do?

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I've decided in the end to put the Ironmen in Pittsburgh. While as I mentioned there was a real basketball team in the BAA called the Ironmen, the BAA/NBA does not exist in this universe.

 

Following @BellaSpurs suggestion, the steel bar/I has been made thicker. Other than that and the city name, the logo is unchanged:

1nrUCgv.png

The uniform is also unchanged apart from the logo change:

S6sFNWw.png

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  • mungojerry311 changed the title to The Continental Basketball League: A History - Allentown Now Pittsburgh

Here is the fifth inaugural team in the CBL, the Albany Tomahawks!

 

Unlike the other teams in the CBL, the team's name isn't meant to reference anything in particular, however it could reference the Native American heritage of the Albany area. The logo is a T meant to somewhat resemble a tomahawk. The city name appears in arched form to match the curvature of the axe head:

TxcSNpI.png

Being the second minor market team in the league (the other being Providence), the uniform features no striping or numbers but only has the city name on the front:

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The last inaugural team will be based in Philadelphia, but I can't for the life of me come up with a team name as the colonial motif has already been taken up by the Boston team. Do any of you have any suggestions? As always, any and all C&C about anything I've posted so far is encouraged and appreciated.

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  • mungojerry311 changed the title to The Continental Basketball League: A History - Albany Tomahawks Unveiled
  • 3 weeks later...

Sorry about the long wait everyone, I haven't abandoned this project.

 

The good news is that I've decided on a name for the Philadelphia team: the Cannons. The bad news is that I'm at a loss as to which color scheme to go with. I was thinking of going with blue and gold like the real life Philadelphia Warriors but that would remind people too much of that team. The color scheme has to be unique to the other five teams currently in the league. I will consider any and all suggestions.

 

As always, any and all C&C about anything I've posted so far is encouraged and appreciated.

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