Concept series: League du Nord

[-kj]

EDIT: Due to some server shuffling, the images aren't on this thread right now. You can find them on my Behance portfolio.

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A couple of weeks ago, someone on the Minnesota United subreddit suggested people make up fake Minnesota teams, as if soccer had developed in Minnesota in a similar manner to how it developed in European countries. This piqued my interest; I was definitely in the mood for a creative project.

So I set out to make my own league: League du Nord. Originally it was twenty teams, but the "finished product" ended up being eighteen. If I get bored again, I might go about creating a second division, as there are plenty of places in Minnesota left.

I chose locations based on a number of factors, including geographic spread. There are multiple teams in the Twin Cities metro, much like there being a lot of teams in London. The research was an enjoyable part of the whole process, though it did lead me to change a few of the locations, upon learning that some of the cities are simply dull places.

First things first: the league logo.

I didn't go too wild with the league logo. I thought about including a loon, much in the same way the Premier League uses a Lion, but I decided to go a more basic route. We're modest people up here in Minnesota, after all.

All of the logos and kits are done, and I'll be posting them over the next week or so. I've decided on posting them in alphabetical order, rather than the order in which I completed them. I haven't decided yet how much backstory I'm going to create for each club as of yet.

Constructive comments are always welcome; however, I'd rather this not devolve into a discussion of the viability of such a league, or debate over which locations I chose. I've already done the design, so you're not going to get me to change my mind now.

(Also, yes, they're all "FC"s. The idea was to imagine that the league had developed back in the days where the game was called "football" in the States.)

[-kj]

Albert Lea AFC

Albert Lea, Minnesota

The city of Albert Lea in southern Minnesota was named for a topographer with the United States Dragoons who surveyed the area in 1835. The city is on the shores of six lakes.

The logo is pretty basic, depicting a riding dragoon on a riverfront. The overall shape of the badge alludes to an "A" for the city name. Blue for water and green for earth seemed like natural choices for this area. (You'd be surprised how many city logos in Minnesota use a blue/green/white color scheme.)

Albert Lea's kits are made by Puma. The primary kit is all-white with blue trim, including a wavy stripe across the chest to symbolize the nearby waters. The change kit follows the same template, this time in green with blue trim and shoulders.]

The club is sponsored by Albert-Lea-based Schweigert Meats, the official hot dog supplier for Twins games.

A note for the entire series: the numbers on the back correspond to the incorporation or founding dates of the location. I also tried to tie the sponsors into the local area as much as possible; Albert Lea was one of the toughest.

[JCRGraphix]

So far, so good. I'm interested to see what else you can come up with.

[PackerFan98]

Interesting. Good start.

[-kj]

Bemidji Forest FC

Bemidji, Minnesota

The badge includes a silhouette of a pine tree and an axe, as a nod to Bemidji's logging industry and nearby state forests. And in the "home of Paul Bunyan", how could there not be plaid?

(Yes, I have a thing for silhouettes in logos.)

Bemidji's kits are supplied by Nike. The primary is definitely "lumberjack chic": a red/black plaid shirt with black shorts and socks. The change kit is Babe blue with a strip of plaid on the front of the shirt.

Sanford Health, formerly North Country Regional Health, sponsors the Woodsmen.

[@UniformDesigns]

Can you do shakopee?

[dgthree]

Bemidji is on point.

[raysox]

That plaid and color combination really pop. Good job on Bemidji, Kevin.

[PackerFan98]

That's a very nice crest.

[mamiller99]

Both of these are stellar. Albert Lea has the best color combination of all time, so that's a plus. And Bemidji looks awesome too, I love the whole plaid look. And the badges are on point.

[-kj]

Brainerd FC

Brainerd, Minnesota

The shape of the badge pays tribute to Brainerd's uniquely-shaped water tower. The flags on the top are US flags in real life; in this case, the checkered flags pay homage to the Brainerd International Raceway.

The badge is designed to be one color; the primary color is a deep forest green, but it will change color depending on the application.

The kits, made by Admiral, retain the simple green-and-white color scheme of the crest. The crest printed in white on green, while the sleeves and trim use a green-and-white checkerboard pattern. The change kit is fluorescent orange with black crest and trim.

The team is sponsored by the Grand View Lodge, one of the local resorts.

[illwauk]

Loving this series so far. I've been thinking about doing something like this for Wisconsin.

I'm confused though, because I thought Brainerd was considered the home of Paul Bunyan. Or is that something a lot of Minnesota towns claim (just like Hayward, and a bunch of Northern Wisconsin towns).

Either way, I'll probably have some better C&C once you post concepts for teams in areas I'm more familiar with, like the cities, Duluth, an Rochester.

[-kj]

Yeah, it's definitely like that. But Bemidji has this:

Also, someone suggested a way better sponsor for Albert Lea: Schweigert Meats, the suppliers of hot dogs for the Twins, are in Albert Lea. I'm totally down with that, and am even considering making the change... but I can't find a decent version of their logo online.

[Guest]

Love the style here Kev !!

[MrRockyTop16]

I love the concepts so far

[-kj]

I went ahead and changed the sponsor for Albert Lea; I traced the Schweigert logo to the best of my abilities. That blackletter S is a pain in the rear, and definitely not quite right in my rendition.

Also, thanks to everyone for the compliments so far. I'm waiting for the first one I post on Saturday to be a bit divisive; I'm not even sure if I'm convinced it's good.

[-kj]

Brooklyn United FC

Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

(also represents Brooklyn Center)

Brooklyn Township, Minnesota, split in 1860 into two villages that eventually became suburban cities of Minneapolis: Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center. Each city had its own team, but decided to merge in order to "keep up with the Joneses" of the Metro area.

The badge is two Bs locked together in rotational symmetry, to symbolize the joining of the two previous clubs. The two cities and clubs both shared a similar blue and green color scheme, so the new club carried over the look. Along the bottom is the club's latin motto: Per unitatem, victoria, meaning "Through unity, victory".

United's kits are made by Umbro. The primary kits are green and dark blue half-shirts, with dark blue shorts and socks. The change kit is similarly halved in white and gray, with white shorts and socks as well as a matching tonal version of the team crest.

The club is sponsored by Brooklyn-Center-based Surly Brewing, a prominent craft brewery in the Twin Cities.

[-kj]

Duluth FC

Duluth, Minnesota

Most Duluth iconography centers around the Aerial Lift Bridge. This badge does feature the bridge; however, the main icon is the Enger Tower up on the hill. The green beacon at the top is shining over the hill and the bridge.

An unexpected badge deserves unexpected colors on their Nike-supplied kits. The base of the primary kit is a reddish-tan color, similar to the color of the bricks that make up the tower. The shirt features black sleeves as well as a series of vertical black stripes down the center; black socks complement the trim. The change kit is of a similar pattern, with a white shirt utilizing blue sleeves and a faint set of stripes in a similar color to the home shirt. Blue shorts and green socks finish the look.

The Shoremen are sponsored by Cirrus Aircraft, a local aircraft manufacturing company.

[nas1787]

I get why the motto for Brooklyn is fitted into the shape the way it is, but the m in unitatem looks really odd. Going with a pentagon shape instead might fix the issue, allowing for a horizontal bottom.

Great stuff all around so far.

[tBBP]

Brooklyn United FC

Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

(also represents Brooklyn Center)

Brooklyn Township, Minnesota, split in 1860 into two villages that eventually became suburban cities of Minneapolis: Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center. Each city had its own team, but decided to merge in order to "keep up with the Joneses" of the Metro area.

The badge is two Bs locked together in rotational symmetry, to symbolize the joining of the two previous clubs. The two cities and clubs both shared a similar blue and green color scheme, so the new club carried over the look. Along the bottom is the club's latin motto: Per unitatem, victoria, meaning "Through unity, victory".

United's kits are made by Umbro. The primary kits are green and dark blue half-shirts, with dark blue shorts and socks. The change kit is similarly halved in white and gray, with white shorts and socks as well as a matching tonal version of the team crest.

The club is sponsored by Brooklyn-Center-based Surly Brewing, a prominent craft brewery in the Twin Cities.

Where's Shingle Creek in all this???

(I'll let you figure out how and why I know about that.)

Where does the hexagonal shape come from, or is it just arbitrary? If the latter, maybe try something like a horizontal oval, even if only to do something about that "M" at the bottom--it's a huge distraction right now.

The Bemidji one right now is the best of the bunch--but when you have that kind of iconography to draw on, it makes it rather easy, doesn't it? Crazily enough, I'm actually familiar with all these places...which is why I'm curious what might pop up for, say, St. Cloud or, say, Moorhead, or Worthington ...or maybe Greenbush...