fortunat1

Upon seeing that Ryan Smith will be involved with new NHL Utah ownership, I decided to tap into his psyche and deliver some new designs. My immediate first move was to give the team a complete makeover, effectively ushering in the new era of ownership and tying into the Utah Jazz brand. I started by changing the name to the Utah Grizzlies, which seems fitting given the ECHL team of the same moniker. I followed that up by creating a new color scheme akin to the Jazz in the sense that it has little to no relevance with prior team history and uses a neon color. I continued ushering in the new era with a set of 3 new jerseys. The white jersey features the new team icon on the front in black, with very traditional stripes rounding out the minimalist design of the jersey. The black and orange jerseys feature plain wordmarks paired with oversized numbers below them as another nod to the NBA's Jazz. It should also be noted that the jerseys have no other identifying features besides the attention grabbing bright-orange and seemingly useless sleeve-trim, which utilizes a new accent color that's close enough to other brand colors that it could've been omitted entirely. Departing from my Jazz parody, the new logo seen on the white jersey is meant to take the general shape of a bear paw and combine it with Utah's recognizable Delicate Arch.

My latest jersey pays homage to one of the greatest hip hop groups of all time, A Tribe Called Quest. Their catalogue features some of the 90's most impressive albums, as well as a stunning return in 2016, making them one of the artists that I listen to most frequently. The jersey takes inspiration from their classic 1991 album, "The Low End Theory". It remains one of the most iconic album covers in music history thanks to the distinct striped model in the middle and the unmistakable red, green, and black color scheme. Seeing as this was the basis for my jersey, I chose to use a black base with red and green accents to evoke the imagery found on the album cover. The base of the jersey features a two-tone black stripe pattern meant to imitate the stripes seen on the cover of the album. Green and red stripes running up the jersey would be far too busy for my taste, so I opted to use two shades of black in order to make the pattern noticeable but not overwhelming. I created a wordmark in the style of the classic Knicks wordmark (which is superior to the current version and needs to return). I chose for the wordmark to say Queens, as the group is from Queens and frequently references the borough in their lyrics. The numbers are simply the regular Knicks number font. The jersey trim uses a green-black-red pattern, mostly meant to add some more color to the jersey while limiting how much green and red actually touch. I know that letting red and green touch is oftentimes a bad idea in design, so I took some steps to create contrast between the two shades. I experimented with different shades of green and red and sent each jersey through a color blind filter to make sure that the design was still visible and not too muddy. Please let me know if there's any issues. This will be the last jersey in this series as of now, but I am fully open to returning at some point. Suggestions for new jerseys are still appreciated though, as I am more than willing to come back when I get some more designs put together. C&C appreciated!

I agree with this. Why the Raptors haven't gone back to purple, red, and black is beyond me. Surely any new purple jerseys will be differentiated from the throwbacks, meaning that they won't really be stealing sales from their throwbacks. I partially agree about the Rockets. While I'd say that their red and yellow look is good in a vacuum, it's not a great scheme given the existence of the Atlanta Hawks. I'd rather them go for a double red scheme, much like they experimented with on their earned jersey a few seasons ago. Something like a classic-ish set based off this year's city jerseys would look nice, swapping blue for burgundy of course. It'd be unique to them and should look pretty nice. I also wouldn't hate them going back to red and silver as long as it comes with refreshed logos and uniforms. The current R logo seems a bit dated and the uniforms they wore through the 00s-10s just weren't that good. They can do so much more with their name and brand. Red and silver could totally work if done right. As shown by their current city jersey, a traditional red and blue look isn't awful either, but it's not necessarily my first choice for a rebrand.

My newest jersey is inspired by the very talented Selena! Her impact on music cannot be understated thanks to her role in launching Tejano music into mainstream popularity all while being showered in critical acclaim. The jersey utilizes the San Antonio Spurs' famous "fiesta colors", originally used throughout the 1990's. The color scheme is fitting, as Selena rose to fame during this era. I refrained from using orange in this jersey as I couldn't seem to include it in a way that created good balance between each of the jersey's colors. The wordmark is a handwritten "San Antonio" done in the style of Selena's iconic signature, known for adorning her album covers and endless pieces of merchandise. While the side panel and trim look plain, I assure you that my vision for them is anything but. I struggled to create a metallic/sparkly pattern on my 2D rendering of the jersey, but the trim and side panel are meant to appear as this Golden Knights jersey does; sparkly up close, but normal looking from afar. This idea stems from the fashion of Selena, as I loved the sparkly design of many of her outfits and believed it to be a unique yet tasteful inclusion to the jersey. For reference, here is my best attempt at recreating a sparkly fabric on the jersey. One of my initial ideas for the jersey included a stacked wordmark, which notably has an interlocking S and A. The dimensions of the wordmark didn't translate well to the front of a jersey, so I opted to write San Antonio all on one line. As mentioned before, 90's hip hop/New York is up next, with no other jerseys on deck for the time being. C&C appreciated, as are suggestions!

This jersey takes inspiration from Lupe Fiasco and his 2006 album "Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor". Lupe is a stunning lyricist, making this album one of my favorite releases of the 2000's, courtesy of strong lyrics, themes, and production. Thanks to @Burmy for the suggestion. The colors are meant to evoke that of a classic Bulls jersey, but also lend themselves well to the imagery of a food and liquor store. The jersey's trim is meant to play on this idea, with the center being white, then light-red, then red to emulate the glow of the illuminated signs typically found on these stores. This idea works well with the black base, tying together the "neon sign at night" look. The edge of the side panel features the same pattern. Additionally, the side panel features a set of 4 dots at both the top and bottom, meant to imitate the screws that attach trucks to the deck of a skateboard. This decision was made to reference one of the album's most popular songs, "Kick, Push", which is known for its distinct focus on skateboarding. The jersey's script is a recreation of that found on the lower-right corner of the album cover, which is English stylized to look like and Arabic script. Selena/San Antonio and New York/90's hip hop are both up next. Those two will be the only ones scheduled for the time being. C&C appreciated, as are suggestions!

I'd say that I enjoy them. I always thought that more NFL teams could use a helmet that isn't just a logo slapped on a shell. I don't think the numbers bring the identity down at all, and act as a decent way to break the mold of "team logo on side of helmet". With that said, the whole brand is incredible and I wouldn't be up in arms if they decided to ditch the numbers. They're fine, but don't make or break an already strong identity. Going on a bit of a tangent from my initial point, I love it when teams use numbers, non-logo imagery, or patterns on their helmets. That's why I love helmets like the Bengals, Michigan Wolverines, and the Bears' throwback. I'd even be fine with older franchises rocking plain helmets with stripes like the Browns because it works for classic teams with classic looks. Modern teams can get away with non-logo imagery (like the Vikings or Eagles), but unfortunately it's a lot more difficult for those teams to adopt helmets with patterns or plain sides. Those designs are mostly viewed as dated, or "throwback" looks, making it unrealistic for teams to use those helmets unless there is already precedence to do so. Makes me wish that teams would've opted for those designs around inception rather than the basic approach of slapping the team's logo on the side of the helmet.

Mallards

Detroit

Could be nothing, but the water does have a fairly clear white/powder blue/navy gradient. I wonder if they have plans for some kind of Devil Rays inspired design where the gradient uses modern colors.

Juice

This is a really strong concept. The color scheme is fantastic, and I think that the talldeco font compliments the cursive script well. I like the inclusion of the compass logo, but think it could be removed from the wordmark, and be saved for the shorts or waistband as a standalone logo. It just seems a little out of place since the primary logo already has a nice composition of imagery, and the cursive script doesn't need much more flair. I think you could also play around with the weight of outlines on the ship and script, just to see what you think looks best. I think the clipper could go for a black outline as to look more consistent with the rest of the logo, but I understand that it may look off due to its close proximity to the seams of the basketball. A thicker orange outline on the script could also be an improvement, but it's nice as is too. I don't think any of these suggestions will really make or break the concept since your initial showing is so strong, but I'd love to see how you feel about them. Great work all around! Really excited to see the uniforms!

I agree to an extent. Catering to non-traditional markets has made teams deviate from their normal identities, which flops more often than not. I imagine that jersey manufacturers kind of know what market they have for new jerseys, and they have to make designs to maximize that. More often than not, the fan base of a specific team will buy a lot of a particular jersey (should it not be too egregious) because it's their team. Since those sales are essentially a lock, I think that designers aim to appeal to a wider audience of young people and those who spend money on streetwear. Somewhere in this reality, I think there is a balance where we get good designs that resonate with fans, jersey enthusiasts, and a general population. Like you said though, we should probably put less emphasis on fashion and streetwear markets in order to make the best jerseys. While this isn't the best approach for sales, I could really care less. It's not like I make money off their sales. I just want to see each team look their best, whether or not it translates well to traditional fashion settings.

I've also had this issue for a while now. My phone cannot open the forums or news articles on Chrome unless I go incognito. This is not applicable to other browsers, other devices, or the regular mothership site.

Solely in terms of jersey design, I've seen both events as a what-if type deal. Recently the Winter Classic has become a bit of "What would a _____ jersey look like if it was from the past?" whereas the Stadium Series is more of a "What would a futuristic _______ jersey look like?". This is really the way I interpreted them as a bit of an outsider. I'm also not sure how much the league is going to prioritize sticking to classic markets if there is already a surplus of classic Bruins and Blackhawks jerseys. If it turns out that teams like the Kraken and Stars show themselves as more profitable markets for the Winter Classic, then I'm sure they'll lean that way. I imagine that they can still build a game that seems retro and classic without using classic franchises. Also, for the sake of fresh ideas, I'd almost like to see classic franchises get the futuristic jerseys and newer franchises get the classic ones. I think a good way to breed new ideas in these special event games is to apply experimental and unconventional design to more traditional franchises and apply a retro touch to teams with newer/modern identities. I totally get opposing opinions though, as this idea almost directly contradicts the initial idea behind these games.

This is great news. The white outline seemed very out of place and cluttered a jersey that would be just fine with plain navy letters. I wouldn't hate a single stripe of navy piping on the sleeves, but once they are worn in game, I may come to like the plain sleeves.