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AAF Redux


WideRight

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So, being somewhat underwhelmed by some of the decisions the AAF has made with its first 4 teams, i decided to make a few adjustments.  Don't get me wrong.  I really respect the work that Joe Bosack does.  His portfolio is outstanding.  But...in the case of the AAF I suspect that the league handcuffed him with some of their decisions regarding team names and logo focus.  Since I don't actually have to live by those compromises, here is how I would tweak what the AAF has produced.  So far only the Eastern teams.  I am sure I will revisit this again when the Western teams are revealed next week. 

 

1. Swap identities, colors and logos (to a degree) between Memphis and Atlanta.  This eliminates the Atlanta team using Orlando FC's colors (their newest big rival, MLS) and gives Atlanta another team with red as their primary color (Braves, Falcons, Hawks).  Express also makes more sense for Atlanta, especially with a jet in the logo, since they have the world's busiest airport.  It also gets rid of the obvious Fed Ex tie in that Memphis would have.  For Memphis, we take the crown logo and rename the team the Kings.  This makes perfect sense as a tribute to Elvis, B.B. King and MLK.  

 

2. I change the E logo for express into an A for Atlanta.  If you are going to use a letter in your logo, it should be the city letter and not the nickname (Niners, Chiefs, Giants, Packers, Bears, Ravens, etc.)  This can also make the logo more easily transferable to both sides of a helmet with only minor adjustments.

 

3. Memphis's main change is the font.  I wanted to capture the neon light effect that you see in some of the Blues clubs in the city.  It also keeps a nice 1950's vibe to the logo. 

 

4. Changed the name of the Birmingham team from Iron to Forge.  This was an early suggestion, and I loved it, so I made the change.  It is still a tribute to the steel industry, but it brings in the fire/heat/coke of hot iron instead of just the metallic image.

 

5. To emphasize the new name, i added some fiery orange and created a "splash" of molten iron along one side.  I believe adding just a hint of orange makes the color scheme more dynamic.  The

team will still wear mostly black, silver and grey, but this gives them a bit of "pop". 

 

6. No changes to Orlando. I thought about trying to adjust the elbow/forearm of the archer, because it just doesn't feel right to me, but decided against it. 

 

So, here is the Wideright revision of the AAF's first 4 teams.  Hope you enjoy.  

 

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15 minutes ago, WideRight said:

The blobby splash is supposed to represent molten iron splashing around the ball logo.  

 

Oh ok, it's a bit hard to tell, it looks like a bubble popping more.

 

I do like what you have done don't get me wrong.

Logano wins BOWL before Chargers.

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I have added helmet designs.  Pretty traditional, with one minor exception.

 

Atlanta:  Satin finish in red, with a white facemask, no striping.

Birimingham:  Metallic black with a consistent width striping, black facemask.

Memphis: Satin purple with a single metallic (not chrome!!!) gold stripe, purple facemask.

Orlando: A 2 tone fade (much more gradual than the Jag's had) from darker to lighter orange (getting lighter near the crown) and a navy facemask. No striping.

 

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I have to say, I really think just adding that little bit of orange to B'Ham makes a huge difference.  This helmet in just black/grey/silver does not work for me. 

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Atlanta +++ (killed this—atl deserves a dynamic team and not the cheese-fest “legends” they received)

Birmingham ++ (not sure the blob thing is necessary but I think it looks cool. Adding orange was smart too)

Memphis + (this concept fits Memphis better than Atl, but it’s still cheesy. You tried something at least with the neon lights look)

Orlando + (you didn’t change the logo, but agree this has to have an orange helmet!)

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Guest darkpiranha

Atlanta: Big upgrade all around.  Only thing bugging me is the different slant angles for the A and the wordmark.  if Atlanta Express was flat, no problem, but you have two different angles going.  I'd try matching the wordmark to the A's angle.

 

Birmingham: Mostly an upgrade.  Agree with the name change and the splash of orange, but the blobby splash isn't the best implementation of it yet.  I think you can probably try some sparks instead, or maybe have a glowing orange edge, like a sword has as it's being forged.  I also like the suggestion of maybe making the football the head of a hammer.  That would provide for great marketing and mascot opportunities.

 

Memphis:  Agree with the name swap, but not feeling the new wordmark yet.  As stated above, the two different type styles are competing.  I'm not getting much of a neon vibe from the Kings part.  It's going to be tough to pick one route to go with.  The obvious one would be to tie it in with the musical heritage, but then it diminishes all the other ties.  You're probably best off just doubling down on pure kingly Kings, and then letting the secondary logos and marketing materials tell the story of all the different meanings "King" has for Memphis.

 

Orlando: Agreed.  It's the most ready for primetime.

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