colinturner95

funny the black/royal blue conversation has come up... Boise State will be going black/blue/black for their game vs Fresno State... not a huge fan.

I think you guys would call me crazy if you knew just how many projects I have in the pipeline at any given time. My wife thinks I have ADHD, just in the opposite direction of her diagnosis. I don't know about that but she might be on to something. Anyways, I'd been scraping the barrel for things to work on. I've got two projects that are somewhat on-going but pretty massive in relative scale. I needed something to fill in the gaps and not let my creativity lapse, which is how I get designers' block which is good for no one. Anyways, I wanted to jump into the NFL for a third time, but I just didn't feel like it yet, but I was feeling football with college starting and the NFL starting up right after. So I turned my attention north of the border, and decided to take a stab at the CFL for the first time. With some deep history in the league as a whole and of course with the 9 teams, it felt like a good warm up to segway into an NFL series down the road. So for this series, I'll be using a Nike template, though like the New Era jerseys, the Swoosh moves to the back under the collar. Also playing around with a new helmet template after many successful runs with the Revo Speed. Every team will have four uniforms: Home, Away, Alternate (that doesn't have to just be a color swap, looking at you NFL), and a Heritage uniform. Something between a straight throwback uniform and an NBA mixtape uniform. You'll also notice a CFL logo that you don't recognize on the uniform images. It was set to be a new league logo, but I didn't like it compared to what it would replace, but it will serve nicely as a good project logo. We begin in the West, in Beautiful British Columbia (the CFL team I'm closest to): BC Lions - Home & Away - the Lions seem to be in this constant struggle between being an orange first team or a black first team. They started off in orange. Then went to black. And back again throughout their history. I felt the team should continue to embrace the orange over black on their jerseys. For the design. I went back to stripes based around the uniforms around the time the team won their first Grey Cup. Helmets - Black and white. ( I couldn't see any verbage in the CFL's rules about helmet limits, akin to the now repealed one helmet rule in the No Fun League but found nothing, but self-imposed a two helmet limit that I'll try and follow as best I can). Iconic BC lion logo on the sides of both, with both helmets now carrying the triple stripe debuted a few seasons ago. Jerseys - Like I said above, back to a classic stripe on the sleeves, in a way, similar to the Cleveland Browns' stripes. Went with a pretty classic block font for the name and numbers. Pants - Mirroring their helmets, the pants also have the triple stripes down the sides, BC monogram on the hip. Socks & Cleats - The Lions have three sets of socks, all three striped. A rule I'm trying here is that teams can wear either: all white socks that MUST have a stripe or the classic color above white socks that CAN be striped but aren't required to. Plus cleat options for each uniform. BC Lions - Alternate & Heritage: Alternate - For the alternate uniform, breaking away from the stripes on the jerseys and went with something similar to what Baylor football did some seasons ago, with the classic paw print logo becoming the feature of the jerseys, and also giving us a look at the team's black pants. Heritage - Our first entry in the Heritage category. Let's break er down: Helmet - Comes over almost entirely intact from the team's first Grey Cup winning team in 1964 Jersey - Jersey starts out orange, from the 1972 season with the northwestern stripes on the sleeves. You'll also notice the inverse colored TV numbers on the shoulders. Also of note are two smaller stripes both on top and below the NW stripe on the sleeves. Those homage the earlier 70's teams, who rocked a whole lot of stripes on their sleeves. Pants - Silver worked its way into the Lions uniforms around 1969 and stuck around for a long time after that. The pants celebrate that. Socks & Cleats - Black socks and black cleats. Felt classic for a classic style uniform. BC Lions - Apparel - I had a lot of fun designing apparel towards the end of my PLL series, and thought I'd keep it going for, probably the foreseeable future. For the CFL teams and, right now, the BC Lions, just a small sampling of apparel. From a simple hat to things like coaches polos and quarter zip jackets, to player and more active gear like shirts of varying sleeve length to hoodies and shorts. C&C welcome! Really excited for this one!

I know we're getting away from uniform discussion here a bit, but I think Illinois is the next Big Ten school to make the D1 jump. They were going through the process of a feasibility study starting in 2018, but I'm sure Covid played a hand in the university scaling back adding sports. I still think they're close to the jump though.

Very much agree. Would like to see it with a non-chrome facemask, but I'll take it.

I think it's a matter of when, but nothing seems concrete at this point. Plus they'll need a heavy influx of cash to make the jump. Difficult, not impossible. When I played against the club team in 2016, they were a D2 ACHA club team and were already a formidable opponent. And they're slated to play against the UAA Seawolves this season, the NCAA Division 1 team. Again, I think its a matter of when, not if. But not sure "when" is coming.

That would be the "iced-out" look they go for. With silver stripes on a white background that no one further away than 5 feet can see.

Per Uniswag, logo on both sides

Boise State going with the throwback logo on a blue shell against SDSU

DTConcepts touched on this pretty good, but a lot of teams have gone to customizing their red line at center ice: Arizona using their Kachina pattern from their jerseys. Vegas using their jersey stripe pattern as well on their red line, though that one might be a few seasons old by now. Those are just a couple examples. But its's pretty difficult for an NHL to really customize their playing surface. Basketball is different because the lack of sleeves usually means you'll end up with side panel designs. But football and hockey both agree to a point that vertical panels up the sides is usually not well received.

Whipsnakes LC - Uniforms - Our final entry in the series belongs to the two-time champions, the Whipsnakes. Now for those that follow the PLL, this might come as an unpopular opinion, but the Whips look better to me in teal, than in red. With that in mind, the teal takes a much bigger role on this uniform, with a reworked stripe patter on the sleeves that allows for more red. Throwback logo on the patternless helmet. Other than that the Whips keep it simple, with the middle part of the stripe being added to the sides of the shorts. Whipsnakes LC - Fan Gear - Despite my own personal aversion to the Whipsnakes, even though a Matt Rambo jersey might be on my future wishlist, that long sleeve and polo shirt are mighty fine. I know lacrosse doesn't have a huge following on here, but thank you to all who followed along with this series. Another big thank you to @raysoxfor the template that got this all started. I'll see you all soon with yet another project!

Waterdogs LC - Uniforms - Currently my least favorite team in the league, based solely on the fact they beat the Chaos for the championship. From a uniform standpoint however, I think that they had one of the better throwback uniforms. I personally wanted to see more purple on the uniforms, since purple seems to be a lost color in major sports these days. Rather than the purple-black-black set up, this uniform goes purple-purple-white, but unlike my previous Waterdogs concepts, black stays around on the scheme this go around. W-logo on the sides of the helmets. Double stripe sticks around, this time black and white on the purple base. Shorts get the double stripe around the bottom. Waterdogs LC - Fan Gear - My personal belief is that the Waterdogs don't need black in their color scheme, with the two shades of purple they currently have. However for the throwbacks, the black shirts, both long and short sleeves look the best in my opinion. C&C welcome!

Redwoods LC - Uniforms - The Redwoods had honestly one of the best jerseys to come out of the Throwback Weekend. The biggest issue with the real life uniforms? The inexplicable grey shorts. Granted, it didn't completely ruin the overall, well done uniform. The helmet trades out bear logos, opting for the throwback oval bear, with triple stripes on the mohawks of the helmet. Now, based just on colors and stripes, the Packers comparisons are going to come. The stripe pattern changes a slight bit, arced wordmark across the chest above the numbers. Shorts change to white, with a basketball style stripe pattern. Practice tops have the jersey stripes down the front with the bear logo on the front. Redwoods LC - Fan Gear - I'm a huge fan of this color scheme, and so is my dad, since it happens to be his high school's colors as well. Maybe that's why he's become such a huge Woods fan. As my guest picker, he chose between the player shirt or the long sleeve tee. Not bad choices and I can't argue with that. C&C welcome!

Chrome LC - Uniforms: Chrome has a lot of colors going on most of the time, and that's okay. While my previous concept really expressed the pink and blue, the throwback concepts are much more mundane in that sense. Chrome buckets, because it's in the name, it just made sense to keep it, this time with the throwback shield. The biggest change is that the uniform is now grey opposed to white, not much of a change there. New wordmark above the numbers. Shorts now have the stripes from the uniforms. Chrome LC - Fan Gear - Designers Choice? : The uniforms might not have taken the pink and blue to heart, but that trucker hat certainly did! Thank you! Might just be what the Archers need to get over the playoff hump. Though Chaos might have something to say about that

Chaos LC - Uniforms: How would one illustrate the concept of Chaos while keeping things thrown back? Stripes!! Lots of them. Going for something short of a barberpole uniforms, the Chaos trade in the black uniform for a red one (something I feel the team could use, plus I just picked this jersey up, and Chaos in red looks GOOOOOOD). This also gives us a chance to look at the throwback championship tag. Red helmet with the throwback roundel on the side. Shorts don't get wild, we left that to the jersey. Practice tops go horizontal with the stripes. Chaos LC - Apparel - I want it all. But if I have to play by the rules, that polo shirt is coming home with me C&C welcome!

Cannons LC - Uniforms: The Cannons are the only team in the PLL with any real claim to a history, but it's not like the MLL has uniforms to throwback to that fit this mold. Navy-white-navy, with the retro cannon on the side of the helmet. The real change from the real life uniforms is using a northwestern strip on the sleeves instead of the Florida style stripe. The shorts now have the northwestern stripe in something of a classic basketball style design. The practice pinnies use the NW stripes up the sides, with the shield logo on the fronts. Cannons LC - Fan Gear: I gotta say, that trucker hat is calling me, though the long sleeve shirt is speaking to me as well. Let me know what y'all think!

I love that damn team

Given what some teams wear on Saturdays, all-white is the least offensive teams things can do.

Atlas LC - Atlas took some heat on their throwback uniforms for the lack of solid contrast when it came to the stripes and the numbers, something that had to be fixed. The team's purple shade comes into play here to add the contrast the IRL uniform desperately needed. The bulk of the uniform stays the same, save for the shorts which (headscratchingly) were navy previously and now become white. The stripes now feature the previously mentioned purple, as do the numbers. Since the apparel is on the same template for all teams, there's not really a point in explaining it 8 total times. Instead, I figured I would just tell you my personal favorite of the bunch for each team and see what you think. In the case for the Atlas, the coaches polo is my favorite of this bunch, with the stripes across the front and the team logo, especially against that white background. And if we're gonna do this for all 8 teams, for the Archers then, the blue shirt just is vibrant and something I would rock, even though I don't have much love for the Archers. C&C welcome!

Just as we began this series, we'll begin the ending the same way: with the officials! Officials - The referees get to join in on the fun of the throwback festivities with uniforms that most of us that played any sport would probably recognize. Back to the familiar white and black stripes on the shirts. Black hats for the officials, and a white hat for the head official, who's tops also have yellow bands on the ends of the sleeves, much like a head hockey official. Fan Gear - for the fans that don't want a team branded option, a small sampling of league-generic apparel, ranging from short sleeve options, to a long sleeve top, not necessarily the first thing you'd reach for in the heat of the summer, but I don't speak for everyone there. A polo shirt, one thing that I think the PLL should add to it's selection for those of us that work on game days and can't wear their jerseys to work. And finally, a couple hat options: 3 color trucker hat or a classic baseball hat, both with the vintage badge on the chest. And now to the first team, the Archers: Archers LC - Uniform & Practice Pinnies: Uniform - The Archers have really embraced the orange and so I kept that going. I also treated them much like the Oilers and Islanders of the 90's just in the opposite direction, going from navy to royal blue. Went with a white helmet this go around, with the throwback logo wordmark +arrow on the sides of the helmet. For the jersey, the stripes change to a double stripe around the neck and sleeves. The shorts carry on the double stripe as well. Practice Pinnies - Unlike the regular pinnies, nothing too wild going on with these, just the logo on the chest of a white and blue pinnie. Archers LC - Fan Gear: Same offerings for the teams as the PLL-generic stuff, just with a couple changes. Every team will get a shirsey in the same color as the jersey, a short sleeve tee with the throwback logo front and center. A long sleeve option with a college style wordmark. The coaches polo calls back to the time when Barry Switzer was roaming the sidelines in Norman on Saturdays. Hats work the same as the PLL ones, just in team colors and logos. C&C welcome! Many thanks!

Wouldn't mind seeing that helmet stick around in the rotation. It's a nice look.

I mean he started his career with this as the team logo, but I'd argue the majority most people associate his time spent with the team with the the navy/yellow.

Seeing the PLL go for a throwback inspired weekend was a welcomed surprise and also was refreshing to see a league listen to its fans. At the same time, it did feel somewhat rushed onto the field, but did seem a success and something that would continue into the future. With that, I'd like to see the league and Champion take things even further for the future. League Branding - The league logo goes in the time machine and emerges with a retro vibe. I drew on the old NFL logo as well as the old NCAA logo to create the vintage feel. Champion - Champion also goes back in time, with the jersey patch bearing the same logo as Champion tags did in the 40's and 50's. The makers mark uses script from a 1953 catalog in conjunction with the iconic C logo. The biggest failure of this even was the lack of using these logos. I didn't even know they created throwback logos until Lax All Stars ranked them. So that had to change. All the logos you can see here: https://www.lacrosseplayground.com/pll-retro-logo-power-rankings/. I left the majority of them untouched, save for a few: Archers - went for a royal blue instead of their navy, also tweaked the font choice. Atlas - removed some of the drop shadows, and added Lacrosse Club to the branding (like every other team had except them) Cannons - no change Chaos - changed the words to red to add some more color to the logo Chrome - changed the script from a blackletter font to a more unique script font Redwoods - went with a lighter shade of green and a brighter yellow Waterdogs - went with a completely new dog illustration and added Lacrosse Club Whipsnakes - no major changes, LC font changed ever so slightly C&C welcome! Teams coming soon!

Those aren't even the worst uniforms in Tampa Bay history.

The final member of our second act of this series: the Riptide LC Riptide LC: While a visual representation of a rip current which is what the team is named for is not impossible, making it into a good and well done logo proves more difficult. So the shark mouth logo sticks around, just with LA going away in favor of LC. Riptide LC - Primary Uniforms: The Riptide only existed for 2 seasons, and their uniforms were MLL standard, templated ... is garbage too strong a word? The teal and orange color scheme, while very Dolphins, serves as a unique look, even in the expanded PLL we have seen play out here. Helmets - stuck with the white buckets, with teal and orange accents and the shark logo on the sides Jerseys - the most striking thing about the uniforms is the gradient treatment. It's meant to be a very subtle representation of a rip current, with the darker areas being the current itself. The stripes come from a stylized look of a sharks' fin. Shorts - the stripes from the jerseys make their way to the sides of the shorts. Riptide LC - Clash Uniform & Practice Pinnies: Clash Uniform - Opting for a different avenue than another orange uniform, I went for a black uniform, not head-to-toe, going for a teal helmet there. The gradient goes away for a much more literal and linear representation of a rip current. Practice Pinnies - The gradient shifts from to a solid top-to-bottom fade, utilizing the linear representation from the black jersey and using the wordmark on the chest. Well that wraps up the expansion 8 teams, but we have one more thing to get through for the current 8 PLL teams: Stay tuned for what's next!!