New Vikings Uniforms

[PALEFACE]

Adrian is modeling the new uniforms at Nike headquarters today according to the Vikings Facebook page

Per Dan Wiederer of the StarTribune:

"Yep, new unis. Fresh. Clean. Expected to have a bit of a retro feel to them.

But for those hoping that the visit by Peterson and Greenway will lead to a grand unveiling of the new attire soon, don’t hold your breath. The Vikings and Nike have opted to slow play the uniform reveal and the designs won’t officially be unveiled until April 25, the first night of the draft. The place for clues on the new uniforms: VikingsUniformInsider.com.

In a quote released by the Vikings on Twitter, Peterson said today, “From the helmet to the jersey to the pants, the guys are going to love it.” That’s the endorsement from the league MVP."

[PALEFACE]

Can't blame EA for the players in wrong numbers. Sure, they could have checked online, but I imagine those numbers will be fixed after they are given official rosters, before the game is released. I bought Madden 13 (my first in 3 years) and the regretted it. The uniforms looked terrible. The Bears' stripes looked like garbage. They were gigantic and looked like a zoomed-in raster image. The numbers on all the Nike uniforms were huge and poorly placed (although all Reebok and earlier jerseys had good numbers). They have always messed up the Bears sleeve font (ignoring the tiny differences they miss from front to back), but the entire uniform looked wrong in the last game. I can't believe they can't make more accurate models for uniforms to the point where they don't look distorted when the files are stretched across characters. I can't believe it's too hard for them to use a second font for sleeves/shoulders, considering those fonts are different from the front/back font for most teams. I was extremely disappointed and won't be buying another Madden for five years, or at least the last one they make for PS3 on sale a year later.

I have a little inside to how that all works as I used to work at EA - Tiburon back in the early 2000's. Just a QA Tester at the time, nothing major, but I understand how some of the jersey mistakes can be made. I hope to shed just a little light... First, for the wrong numbers, they do not have the official roster yet with numbers, so the technically cant update them. And from a marketing perspective, most people associate a certain number with that player, and are not accustom to their new number with their new team. Its just name recognition at this point.

As for jersey inconsistencies, it all depends on who is QA'ing the game for that system at the time. It may have changed a bit since I was there, but the QA testers look for every kind of bug in the game, crash bugs, wrong stats, and yes, art bugs (uniforms included). Now we were are there double checking for the developers, so its kind of a shared responsibility. But when I was there, I kinda made the art bugs, and more importantly, uniform and logo issues the main subject of what i was looking for. Its never official, but guys on the team know what one another likes to check for. So, I was was there when Buffalo changed to those TERRIBLE unis, boy was that a chore to check. So many small things to go wrong on that jersey. All i had to go off of was a printed out version of the NFL team style guide. I also remember seeing the secondary mark that was a Buffalo head with a Blue and Red "B" that actually never saw the light of day. Buffalo decided against it while we were in the middle of making the game. That's the other thing, if a team didnt update their style guide, it didnt go in the game. It also depended on what the game's uniform templates could handle at the time in terms of detail of design and lastly, time. Some times there was enough time to make these edits and some times you had to let them be wrong for sake of timing, money, ship dates, etc.

That's why when I saw the yellow collar on the Viking's home jersey last year, I thought, oh man, some guy wasnt paying attention while QA'ing the game, or the Vikings made a color switch at the last minute and didnt get the style guide changed in time.

So hate on Madden all you want, I get it. But just know that some times there are legit reasons for some of the issues.

Just thought it would be fun to give you guys a little insight. And dont worry, I dont get offended if you talk crap about the game.

[shaydre1019]

Can't blame EA for the players in wrong numbers. Sure, they could have checked online, but I imagine those numbers will be fixed after they are given official rosters, before the game is released. I bought Madden 13 (my first in 3 years) and the regretted it. The uniforms looked terrible. The Bears' stripes looked like garbage. They were gigantic and looked like a zoomed-in raster image. The numbers on all the Nike uniforms were huge and poorly placed (although all Reebok and earlier jerseys had good numbers). They have always messed up the Bears sleeve font (ignoring the tiny differences they miss from front to back), but the entire uniform looked wrong in the last game. I can't believe they can't make more accurate models for uniforms to the point where they don't look distorted when the files are stretched across characters. I can't believe it's too hard for them to use a second font for sleeves/shoulders, considering those fonts are different from the front/back font for most teams. I was extremely disappointed and won't be buying another Madden for five years, or at least the last one they make for PS3 on sale a year later.

I have a little inside to how that all works as I used to work at EA - Tiburon back in the early 2000's. Just a QA Tester at the time, nothing major, but I understand how some of the jersey mistakes can be made. I hope to shed just a little light... First, for the wrong numbers, they do not have the official roster yet with numbers, so the technically cant update them. And from a marketing perspective, most people associate a certain number with that player, and are not accustom to their new number with their new team. Its just name recognition at this point.

As for jersey inconsistencies, it all depends on who is QA'ing the game for that system at the time. It may have changed a bit since I was there, but the QA testers look for every kind of bug in the game, crash bugs, wrong stats, and yes, art bugs (uniforms included). Now we were are there double checking for the developers, so its kind of a shared responsibility. But when I was there, I kinda made the art bugs, and more importantly, uniform and logo issues the main subject of what i was looking for. Its never official, but guys on the team know what one another likes to check for. So, I was was there when Buffalo changed to those TERRIBLE unis, boy was that a chore to check. So many small things to go wrong on that jersey. All i had to go off of was a printed out version of the NFL team style guide. I also remember seeing the secondary mark that was a Buffalo head with a Blue and Red "B" that actually never saw the light of day. Buffalo decided against it while we were in the middle of making the game. That's the other thing, if a team didnt update their style guide, it didnt go in the game. It also depended on what the game's uniform templates could handle at the time in terms of detail of design and lastly, time. Some times there was enough time to make these edits and some times you had to let them be wrong for sake of timing, money, ship dates, etc.

That's why when I saw the yellow collar on the Viking's home jersey last year, I thought, oh man, some guy wasnt paying attention while QA'ing the game, or the Vikings made a color switch at the last minute and didnt get the style guide changed in time.

So hate on Madden all you want, I get it. But just know that some times there are legit reasons for some of the issues.

Just thought it would be fun to give you guys a little insight. And dont worry, I dont get offended if you talk crap about the game.

i don't wanna turn this into an AMA, but do you know the process of the uniform editing? And would you happen to know if it's similar to modding like PES or MVP, where you have a flat uniform template and just edit it on there?

this is the kind of template i was talkng about

[Pizzaman7294]

Appreciate the info!

[tajmccall]

Cool insight, Paleface. As frustrating as it is for those of us who really know and care, I always assumed that any mistake was due to a process that was limited by checks and balances by the NFL, as we all know how rigid they have been about identity. (Probably why NBA games have small mistakes as well.)

Thanks for sharing.

[PALEFACE]

Can't blame EA for the players in wrong numbers. Sure, they could have checked online, but I imagine those numbers will be fixed after they are given official rosters, before the game is released. I bought Madden 13 (my first in 3 years) and the regretted it. The uniforms looked terrible. The Bears' stripes looked like garbage. They were gigantic and looked like a zoomed-in raster image. The numbers on all the Nike uniforms were huge and poorly placed (although all Reebok and earlier jerseys had good numbers). They have always messed up the Bears sleeve font (ignoring the tiny differences they miss from front to back), but the entire uniform looked wrong in the last game. I can't believe they can't make more accurate models for uniforms to the point where they don't look distorted when the files are stretched across characters. I can't believe it's too hard for them to use a second font for sleeves/shoulders, considering those fonts are different from the front/back font for most teams. I was extremely disappointed and won't be buying another Madden for five years, or at least the last one they make for PS3 on sale a year later.

I have a little inside to how that all works as I used to work at EA - Tiburon back in the early 2000's. Just a QA Tester at the time, nothing major, but I understand how some of the jersey mistakes can be made. I hope to shed just a little light... First, for the wrong numbers, they do not have the official roster yet with numbers, so the technically cant update them. And from a marketing perspective, most people associate a certain number with that player, and are not accustom to their new number with their new team. Its just name recognition at this point.

As for jersey inconsistencies, it all depends on who is QA'ing the game for that system at the time. It may have changed a bit since I was there, but the QA testers look for every kind of bug in the game, crash bugs, wrong stats, and yes, art bugs (uniforms included). Now we were are there double checking for the developers, so its kind of a shared responsibility. But when I was there, I kinda made the art bugs, and more importantly, uniform and logo issues the main subject of what i was looking for. Its never official, but guys on the team know what one another likes to check for. So, I was was there when Buffalo changed to those TERRIBLE unis, boy was that a chore to check. So many small things to go wrong on that jersey. All i had to go off of was a printed out version of the NFL team style guide. I also remember seeing the secondary mark that was a Buffalo head with a Blue and Red "B" that actually never saw the light of day. Buffalo decided against it while we were in the middle of making the game. That's the other thing, if a team didnt update their style guide, it didnt go in the game. It also depended on what the game's uniform templates could handle at the time in terms of detail of design and lastly, time. Some times there was enough time to make these edits and some times you had to let them be wrong for sake of timing, money, ship dates, etc.

That's why when I saw the yellow collar on the Viking's home jersey last year, I thought, oh man, some guy wasnt paying attention while QA'ing the game, or the Vikings made a color switch at the last minute and didnt get the style guide changed in time.

So hate on Madden all you want, I get it. But just know that some times there are legit reasons for some of the issues.

Just thought it would be fun to give you guys a little insight. And dont worry, I dont get offended if you talk crap about the game.

i don't wanna turn this into an AMA, but do you know the process of the uniform editing? And would you happen to know if it's similar to modding like PES or MVP, where you have a flat uniform template and just edit it on there?

this is the kind of template i was talkng about

Oh man, I wish I had an ansnwer for you shaydre, but that was above my level, figuratively and litterlly. The dev and designers sat a couple floors up, an area the QA team didnt have access too. Thats one thing about the company, they are pretty secraetive with all elements of the game and rightfully so. Sorry about that.

[PALEFACE]

Appreciate the info!

Cool insight, Paleface. As frustrating as it is for those of us who really know and care, I always assumed that any mistake was due to a process that was limited by checks and balances by the NFL, as we all know how rigid they have been about identity. (Probably why NBA games have small mistakes as well.)

Thanks for sharing.

Glad you guys enjoyed that bit of information, I didnt want to come across as a know-it all or anything. And for the record, it still kills me too when they dont get it right ;-)

Alright folks, sorry about that, back on topic! Who's gonna be a champ and get us a Vikings leak!?

[The_Admiral]

The slogan in the collar of the jersey is most likely designed so that it can change every year (even if the uniform design itself doesn't) which will "force" the hard core collector to buy a new one of his team's jerseys for each season just so he has every slogan.

The idea that it's a "tribute" or "inspiring" to the players is laughable at best. It's marketing. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, just let's not think that it's for any noble reason.

I know every day when I put on a shirt, "Tumble Dry on Low" inspires me to greatness. It's kind of become a personal slogan for me and a tribute to me, the way it captures how I really wring people out and toss them around, but warmly and gently.

[infrared41]

The slogan in the collar of the jersey is most likely designed so that it can change every year (even if the uniform design itself doesn't) which will "force" the hard core collector to buy a new one of his team's jerseys for each season just so he has every slogan.

The idea that it's a "tribute" or "inspiring" to the players is laughable at best. It's marketing. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, just let's not think that it's for any noble reason.

I know every day when I put on a shirt, "Tumble Dry on Low" inspires me to greatness. It's kind of become a personal slogan for me and a tribute to me, the way it captures how I really wring people out and toss them around, but warmly and gently.

For me it's "Wash with Like Colors." , I've got goosebumps and I'm getting a little misty-eyed just talking about it.

[PhlyBoy]

The slogan in the collar of the jersey is most likely designed so that it can change every year (even if the uniform design itself doesn't) which will "force" the hard core collector to buy a new one of his team's jerseys for each season just so he has every slogan.

The idea that it's a "tribute" or "inspiring" to the players is laughable at best. It's marketing. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, just let's not think that it's for any noble reason.

I know every day when I put on a shirt, "Tumble Dry on Low" inspires me to greatness. It's kind of become a personal slogan for me and a tribute to me, the way it captures how I really wring people out and toss them around, but warmly and gently.

The slogan in the collar of the jersey is most likely designed so that it can change every year (even if the uniform design itself doesn't) which will "force" the hard core collector to buy a new one of his team's jerseys for each season just so he has every slogan.

The idea that it's a "tribute" or "inspiring" to the players is laughable at best. It's marketing. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, just let's not think that it's for any noble reason.

I know every day when I put on a shirt, "Tumble Dry on Low" inspires me to greatness. It's kind of become a personal slogan for me and a tribute to me, the way it captures how I really wring people out and toss them around, but warmly and gently.

For me it's "Wash with Like Colors." , I've got goosebumps and I'm getting a little misty-eyed just talking about it.

*slow clap to fast clap* Bravo to both of you. Made my night

[andrewharrington]

The slogan in the collar of the jersey is most likely designed so that it can change every year (even if the uniform design itself doesn't) which will "force" the hard core collector to buy a new one of his team's jerseys for each season just so he has every slogan.

The idea that it's a "tribute" or "inspiring" to the players is laughable at best. It's marketing. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, just let's not think that it's for any noble reason.

I know every day when I put on a shirt, "Tumble Dry on Low" inspires me to greatness. It's kind of become a personal slogan for me and a tribute to me, the way it captures how I really wring people out and toss them around, but warmly and gently.

Joking aside, is this any different than the "Tailored in England" tags Umbro put on their kits? To me, elements like these show that the designers go beyond the minmum scope. Designing the entire uniform as opposed to just the part that is visible from the outside is evidence of a thorough job well done. It's like the nice frame that completes a painting or the perfect dovetail joints that finish a drawer when nails would have done the job. People always moan when costs drive manufacturers to treat every team as an identical cog in a merchandising machine, but when designers add these unique details specific to each team, there's more moaning about it? Doesn't add up for me.

[shaydre1019]

The slogan in the collar of the jersey is most likely designed so that it can change every year (even if the uniform design itself doesn't) which will "force" the hard core collector to buy a new one of his team's jerseys for each season just so he has every slogan.

The idea that it's a "tribute" or "inspiring" to the players is laughable at best. It's marketing. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, just let's not think that it's for any noble reason.

I know every day when I put on a shirt, "Tumble Dry on Low" inspires me to greatness. It's kind of become a personal slogan for me and a tribute to me, the way it captures how I really wring people out and toss them around, but warmly and gently.

Joking aside, is this any different than the "Tailored in England" tags Umbro put on their kits? To me, elements like these show that the designers go beyond the minmum scope. Designing the entire uniform as opposed to just the part that is visible from the outside is evidence of a thorough job well done. It's like the nice frame that completes a painting or the perfect dovetail joints that finish a drawer when nails would have done the job. People always moan when costs drive manufacturers to treat every team as an identical cog in a merchandising machine, but when designers add these unique details specific to each team, there's more moaning about it? Doesn't add up for me.

I don't mind it at all, it's a nice little touch, ray helps make it more unique.

Kinda like Nike sometimes does by putting something on the inside of the jersey right behind the crest of some soccer jerseys.

[FiddySicks]

The slogan in the collar of the jersey is most likely designed so that it can change every year (even if the uniform design itself doesn't) which will "force" the hard core collector to buy a new one of his team's jerseys for each season just so he has every slogan.

The idea that it's a "tribute" or "inspiring" to the players is laughable at best. It's marketing. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, just let's not think that it's for any noble reason.

I know every day when I put on a shirt, "Tumble Dry on Low" inspires me to greatness. It's kind of become a personal slogan for me and a tribute to me, the way it captures how I really wring people out and toss them around, but warmly and gently.

For me it's "Wash with Like Colors." , I've got goosebumps and I'm getting a little misty-eyed just talking about it.

For me it's the "Made in Vietnam" slogan that really reminds me to diversify my perspective and shoot to go as far in life as I can!

[CubsFanBudMan]

Every time I look in my cap and see "One Size Fits Most," I put it on, and it still fits, I take the time to be thankful that I am still part of an exclusive club that not just anyone can join. I remember a time when "One Size Fits All" was the norm, and it's cool to have made the cut. It inspires me every day.

[BlueSky]

The slogan in the collar of the jersey is most likely designed so that it can change every year (even if the uniform design itself doesn't) which will "force" the hard core collector to buy a new one of his team's jerseys for each season just so he has every slogan.

The idea that it's a "tribute" or "inspiring" to the players is laughable at best. It's marketing. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, just let's not think that it's for any noble reason.

I know every day when I put on a shirt, "Tumble Dry on Low" inspires me to greatness. It's kind of become a personal slogan for me and a tribute to me, the way it captures how I really wring people out and toss them around, but warmly and gently.

You lie!

[BrandMooreArt]

The slogan in the collar of the jersey is most likely designed so that it can change every year (even if the uniform design itself doesn't) which will "force" the hard core collector to buy a new one of his team's jerseys for each season just so he has every slogan.

The idea that it's a "tribute" or "inspiring" to the players is laughable at best. It's marketing. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, just let's not think that it's for any noble reason.

I know every day when I put on a shirt, "Tumble Dry on Low" inspires me to greatness. It's kind of become a personal slogan for me and a tribute to me, the way it captures how I really wring people out and toss them around, but warmly and gently.

Joking aside, is this any different than the "Tailored in England" tags Umbro put on their kits? To me, elements like these show that the designers go beyond the minmum scope. Designing the entire uniform as opposed to just the part that is visible from the outside is evidence of a thorough job well done. It's like the nice frame that completes a painting or the perfect dovetail joints that finish a drawer when nails would have done the job. People always moan when costs drive manufacturers to treat every team as an identical cog in a merchandising machine, but when designers add these unique details specific to each team, there's more moaning about it? Doesn't add up for me.

we need you to post more often

i just cant see the stitched slogans as a decision to move product or be a marketing angle. the design decision to me is very much a special finishing touch intended for the team. it really adds some emotional value when done right (Panthers)

[Pizzaman7294]

alright, we get the collar tag jokes.....

[debo0775]

Joking aside, is this any different than the "Tailored in England" tags Umbro put on their kits? To me, elements like these show that the designers go beyond the minmum scope. Designing the entire uniform as opposed to just the part that is visible from the outside is evidence of a thorough job well done. It's like the nice frame that completes a painting or the perfect dovetail joints that finish a drawer when nails would have done the job. People always moan when costs drive manufacturers to treat every team as an identical cog in a merchandising machine, but when designers add these unique details specific to each team, there's more moaning about it? Doesn't add up for me.

we need you to post more often

i just cant see the stitched slogans as a decision to move product or be a marketing angle. the design decision to me is very much a special finishing touch intended for the team. it really adds some emotional value when done right (Panthers)

To andrew's post, I do think they're different. Showing pride in your country, to me, is just fine. I wouldn't have a problem with "Handcrafted in U.S.A." appearing on jerseys (although I don't think it's necessary). That said, that absolutely is a marketing angle - how often do we hear of the need to buy in the USA/support American goods/take pride in our manufacturing? Sure, it's a nice touch, but it's there for sales purposes.

To BMoore, I do agree that it adds emotional value when done right - when I played sports, I had my own phrase that I added to a piece of equipment for every sport I played. That value, however, is for the players on the field - not the consumer. I get that adding those things is intended to make the product as accurate as possible within the price range, but I find it a bit disingenuous to think that they're not using those insignias/slogans as a marketing angle. Seattle, to me, is a prime example of that opinion. The "12th man" patch is a neat little addition, but why is it there? I doubt it's there because the players truly think the fans make a big difference in their wins (psychologically, some might). For the consumer, though, it's something that screams "the team thinks I'm important." Too often, our fandom blurs the line of fan and member. We, as fans, aren't a part of the team. Trying to makes us feel as such I think is a bit disconcerting.

Mind you, I don't place that blame on a designer (or even manufacturer). I think that's more of an issue of a team not really understanding the place of a fan and feeding our desire to feel needed. In short, I think that it'd be wiser of a team to focus on their brand and how it impacts consumers as opposed to "oh hey! Look at this little detail that sets us apart!" on merchandise.

[TheOldRoman]

Joking aside, is this any different than the "Tailored in England" tags Umbro put on their kits? To me, elements like these show that the designers go beyond the minmum scope. Designing the entire uniform as opposed to just the part that is visible from the outside is evidence of a thorough job well done. It's like the nice frame that completes a painting or the perfect dovetail joints that finish a drawer when nails would have done the job. People always moan when costs drive manufacturers to treat every team as an identical cog in a merchandising machine, but when designers add these unique details specific to each team, there's more moaning about it? Doesn't add up for me.

Dovetail joints add incredible strength to drawers, much more so than nails. Embroidering inside a collar is purely aesthetic.

[Audiodrama]

I'm not satisfied unless the inside of the collar features "WE BE HORNY."