NAFA Project | DAL, ATL, CLT, NY tweaks added 6/1

[chcarlson23]

I absolutely love the hockey sweaters you came up with for these identities! 
 

The Minnesota sweaters are especially phenomenal! 
 

Only a couple of tweaks on those, and I guess I don’t know how much you know about traditional hockey aesthetics, but white jerseys typically have white socks to match. And socks usually have stripes to not look like practice socks. Teams also generally wear the same colored breeders for the home and road, and typically don’t wear a white/light color. 
 

And the captains patches usually go on the opposite side of the chest, so the left side haha. 
 

But all of your identities are just so, so good, and I’d love to see a full hockey league from you!

[LaGrandeOrange]

Man, I love everything going on here. Please release that hockey template, it's a beauty!

 

I prefer the anchor logo and it's stylised enough that I think it's separate from Toronto.

[PERRIN]

2 hours ago, raysox said:

A few really good brands here, but absolutely love the sleeve designs on St. Louis

Appreciate it! Means a lot coming from you haha, everything you've made continues to inspire me, glad some of my work holds up to a professional standard.

 

2 hours ago, chcarlson23 said:

I absolutely love the hockey sweaters you came up with for these identities! 
 

The Minnesota sweaters are especially phenomenal! 
 

Only a couple of tweaks on those, and I guess I don’t know how much you know about traditional hockey aesthetics, but white jerseys typically have white socks to match. And socks usually have stripes to not look like practice socks. Teams also generally wear the same colored breeders for the home and road, and typically don’t wear a white/light color. 
 

And the captains patches usually go on the opposite side of the chest, so the left side haha. 
 

But all of your identities are just so, so good, and I’d love to see a full hockey league from you!

I know just enough to realize I was breaking some rules as I went along, especially in regards to pant colors. I mainly wanted uniforms to still feel like the football uniforms in terms of color balance, even if it went against tradition. Had no clue about captain's patches though haha, I just went with what felt better with the available space. I don't plan on doing another fully original league anytime soon, but I'm considering doing some NHL redesigns, could be a lot of fun.

 

2 hours ago, LaGrandeOrange said:

Man, I love everything going on here. Please release that hockey template, it's a beauty!

 

I prefer the anchor logo and it's stylised enough that I think it's separate from Toronto.

I would if only I knew how, but trust me getting into all the layers it's far less polished than it looks haha. Plus, I made it in Affinity so I don't really know how it'd fair with other software. I'll look into it some point in the future, don't really have the time or knowhow to figure it out right now. 

 

Definitely leaning toward the anchor for San Diego, I'll keep fiddling around with it. Still needs something more, I think. Might try bringing back the laurel wreath from a previous version.

 

Appreciate the feedback from you all!

[PERRIN]

Recently I've been working on a new SpeedFlex helmet template since my previous helmet template wasn't as detailed or realistic as I'd like. I tried it out with all 36 of the teams, and thought it'd be fun to share a lil graphic of all the team helmets, just to have them all in a single image.

 

I don't have any major updates yet, though I'll have some new NAFA-related presentations shared on my Bēhance in the next few weeks, one revisiting my old Atlantic Division compilation and another for the updated league branding. I’ve got some ideas for a few team updates, namely Miami, Charlotte, and an updated logo for LA, but those are still a ways away from being complete.

 

Until next time! Hope this little graphic satiates y’all for now haha

 

Made in Affinity Designer. C&C appreciated.

[PERRIN]

It’s already been a few months since the last substantial post, so here’s another batch of small updates.

 

Miami Tropics

Miami gets an updated logo, their first update in years. The concept remains the same as the previous version, but now features cleaned-up lifework, reduces empty space, and fits into the circular shape better. I’m in the process of updating the wordmarks and uniforms as well, but I’ve hit a bit of a rut. Hoping to get them finished sometime soon.

 

Chicago Stars

Chicago has undergone a bevy of small changes over the last few years, but I somehow managed to not post any of them. The badge logo has been cleaned up with better spacing, bolder coloring, and a more unique C mark. An additional badge, designed for use on the helmets, makes its debut, along with secondary logos: a standalone C/star mark and a badge featuring Chicago’s Municipal Device. The uniforms are mostly the same, with the twisty inline of the C logo appearing on the numbers and the secondary logo on the sleeves.

 

San Antonio Longhorns

I just updated their uniforms in November, but since then I decided to abandon the Wranglers moniker and roll with Longhorns, partially due to the similarity in pronunciation between Wranglers and the division rival Rangers. I recycled the wordmark and number font from a LongHorn Steakhouse redesign I made a few years ago, like I did with the logo. Might as well reuse my own work if it fits haha. I included a closeup of the jersey in case the details are hard to make out.

Spoiler

 

Detroit Mechanics

Detroit receives a fresh coat of paint for everything except the logo. The shades of cherry and chrome have been made bolder, the uniform striping is updated to reflect the racing stripes found on the hoods of sports cars like the Ford Mustang, and the wordmark is updated to have more of a retro automotive vibe. Jersey numbers are updated as well; varsity block numerals just didn’t fit anymore. A jersey closeup is included here as well.

Spoiler

 

Lastly, I wanted to plug a recent project I posted on my Bēhance, a massive in-depth presentation of the Atlantic Division teams and how their brands have evolved since December 2021. I put way too much effort into a lot of team history, I don’t really care how realistic it is exactly, but it’s still fun to add details like this in order to make the league feel more alive. Would greatly appreciate if y’all took a look!

https://www.behance.net/gallery/186935565/Atlantic-Division-Revisted

 

That’s all I have for now. Made in Affinity Designer. C&C appreciated.

[Vinny0930]

A bit late, but solid updates across the board. Really like that wordmark for Detroit. The number font for San Antionio is also really good. Like the Behance presentation. Really goes to show just how much you have improved as a graphic designer. 

[jbird669]

That new Miami logo is fire!! And I love all of the updates. 

[sky1324]

Great to see you again! It's been a while since I commented so let me catch up.

 

SD: I love the metallic gold. Between the two logos I think I prefer the version without the anchor, I really like the monogram and as you mentioned the Lakers also use an anchor in their logo. The laurels on the collar is such a fun touch.

 

Hockey: Those Arizona jerseys are fantastic. A burst of color and the pattern translates expertly to the sleeves and hem. The others look amazing as well, that NY cream alt is something else entirely. The only change I'd make is that almost 100% of the time in hockey, the sock color should match the jersey color. The cream pants with Minnesota's green set is also something I personally would avoid. Other than that these are great, I'd love to see your takes on more hockey stuff!

 

Scorebug: Looks great! I like both the linear and condensed versions.

 

MIA: Excellent rendering of the palm tree. I've always had trouble with those things and you've pulled it off expertly.

 

CHI: I like the new look! It's a really classy set. Love the new municipal device mark as well. I think there's a bit of a discrepancy between the shades of navy being used between logos - I prefer the slightly less saturated shade in the municipal mark personally. The uniforms are stellar.

 

SA: I loved the Longhorn Steakhouse redesign you made so I'm happy to see it being reused here! The jerseys still look great, no notes here!

 

DET: Oh, I love that script. As a selfish request I'd love to see a Detroit version of it make its way to a helmet. The number font is amazing as well. Nice job!

 

Atlantic Division: I remember reading that basically as soon as it came out on Behance! I love the in-depth look at each team and I'm excited to see the rest of the NAFA in that form.

 

Keep it up, your work has been top-notch and it's been so much fun seeing you evolve as a designer over the course of this project!

[Kooky01]

Hopefully the Texas Longhorns don't sue or any... Oh right. 

 

Jokes aside, they all look fantastic. Love the Behance as well, hopefully we see more of it soon!

[LaGrandeOrange]

You have a lot of really cool custom (I assume) typefaces for your wordmarks- the Warriors  and Towers especially. Do you create whole typefaces or just do the characters for the wordmark?

[PERRIN]

On 1/23/2024 at 2:22 PM, sky1324 said:

I think there's a bit of a discrepancy between the shades of navy being used between logos - I prefer the slightly less saturated shade in the municipal mark personally. 

I'm not sure what's going on there, it's the same shade across the whole logo package on both the .png file and the Affinity file. Could be a monitor issue or optical illusion on your end. 

 

On 1/23/2024 at 2:22 PM, sky1324 said:

As a selfish request I'd love to see a Detroit version of it make its way to a helmet.

I'l absolutely consider it for a fauxback alternate, would be a fun addition. Glad you like the style! I've wanted to do something similar for a long time, this was the first version that actually came out well.

 

On 1/24/2024 at 8:59 AM, LaGrandeOrange said:

You have a lot of really cool custom (I assume) typefaces for your wordmarks- the Warriors  and Towers especially. Do you create whole typefaces or just do the characters for the wordmark?

I only make what I need, saves quite a bit of time. I often do full number sets whenever I'm making custom numbers, though. The Towers wordmark isn't custom, it's Crafter, a display typeface, but yes, many of my wordmarks are fully custom. It's always been fun to explore making my own type, often it's easier to make one than to scroll through hundreds of existing font options.

[trelemar]

I know it's been awhile but I just wanted to say I love everything about this project and I hope you do more designs.

[BostonMeerkats]

I wanted to say that these are some wonderful concepts.

 

Honestly I had never seen this thread before 3 hours ago, and I have to say that it is remarkable how I took two concepts of yours. I picked up Toronto Lakers, because a rule in my concept was the stealing of names in all major leagues, so I stole the LA Lakers and put them in Toronto. What is most striking is how we came up with Quebec Lumieres, because I was putting words into Google translate, until lights came out sounding pretty out of a list of over 20 French names.

 

Good stuff.

[PERRIN]

Hey gamers, as you’ve probably noticed, almost four months have passed without an update. This past semester was my busiest yet, so I’ve had very little time to work on any substantial updates aside from minor tweaks to color schemes. I thought I’d share a few of my lil tweaks, as well as share some ideas for future rebrands.

 

I also updated my uniform template, with enough small tweaks to the seams that it’s clearly my own template. I don’t feel weird about slapping my logo on a blatantly traced Nike Vapor Untouchable template anymore! It’s a bit cleaner, more realistic, and fixes some small issues that bugged me about the previous template.

 

Let’s start with the small tweaks.

 

Dallas gets some tweaked uniforms with more traditional striping. The stars on the shoulders are now gone, as I realized that I had three teams in that division with stars on the shoulder cap (Arizona and San Antonio were the others, both denoted their respective state flags) and decided that the Outlaws didn’t really need them. I plan to revisit Dallas’ logos and wordmarks and give them a fresh coat of paint soon. They’ve stuck around since 2020 and could use some polishing.

 

Atlanta gets a tweaked color scheme and more striking uniforms. This recycles elements from my concept for the Atlanta Falcons, but keeps the honeycomb patterns from the previous set, reworks the pants striping, and tweaks the number font. Atlanta is another team I want to polish up soon. I’m also considering changing their name to Hornets to better reflect the aggressive styling of the uniforms.

 

Charlotte gets an updated uniform set, but I remain unsure what to do with this team. I really like this look for them, but the downside of reducing plum to an accent color is that they now look a bit too similar to the Winnipeg Blizzards from a distance. The Flyers’ logo package also needs an update. The winged C doesn’t really work on a helmet, as the wings point the wrong way when the helmet is facing to the left. I’m also not sold on the flyers name anymore, but can’t think of anything that works better whilst still embracing both the flight and racing histories of the region. I’ll be sure to carefully revisit them, and would love some ideas from y’all in the meantime.

 

I’m also in the process of giving New York an overhaul. I like the general vibe they’ve got going, but the primary logo and name simply weren’t very strong. I’m switching the nickname from Towers to Emperors. It may be a bit obvious and generic for a concept team, but it’s a damn good name that opens up far more ideas than Towers. As part of this ongoing rebrand phase, I’ve put together a custom typeface for the word marks and numerals, which I’m quite pleased with. I’ve tweaked their NY monogram to match and refreshed the Empire State Building-in badge logo to be more detailed and realistic, but might opt for a different direction for the primary logo. I absolutely love the potential of this new, more gothic-inspired direction and am having a blast with it so far. My one concern with this rebrand so far is that the modern logos and typeface won’t work with the classic uniform aesthetic they’ve got going on right now. Here’s what it looks like with the updated logos and typeface, let me know if it’s too jarring.

 

 

For future rebrands, there’s a handful that I’ve already got clear directions on. I want to refresh the logo package and word marks for Houston, keeping everything mostly the same but cleaning things up a bit to feel more sporty. I plan on doing the Same for Los Angeles, San Diego, and maybe Nashville. I’m at the point in the project where the vision for each team has largely been fulfilled, it’s just a matter of polishing things and making them as perfect as they can get.

 

Lastly, an advertisement. I’m on the verge of graduating college and entering the design field as a young professional, so I’m slowly working on making my projects as polished and portfolio-ready as possible. I’ve put together an in-depth brand presentation on the Boston Mariners brand identity over on my Bēhance, and would greatly appreciate engagement or feedback on it. It was super fun to put together, I’ll be giving other teams the same treatment eventually, and do one for the league itself soon. Hope y’all enjoy!

https://www.behance.net/gallery/199899439/Boston-Mariners-Brand-Presentation-The-NAFA-Project

 

That’s all I have for now! Would greatly appreciate any ideas or feedback on New York or Charlotte. Until next time!

 

Made in Affinity Designer. C&C appreciated.

 

[Bomba Tomba]

Is it just me or would the Hornets look sick with black replacing the blue?

[tsizer]

On 7/24/2019 at 3:08 PM, Brian in Boston said:

Atlanta Rampage or Atlanta Silverbacks - The first name simply sounds good to me. For some reason, in my mind's eye, I see the logo package for it revolving around images of a charging rhinoceros. As for the second suggestion, it is a tip of the hat to Zoo Atlanta's simian ambassador for nearly 40 years, Willie B. Though Willie has passed on, his legacy lives in Zoo Atlanta's world-renowned gorilla program, as well as his many offspring who call the zoo home. 

Cincinnati Centaurs or Cincinnati Steamboats - The first suggestion - like your own Cincinnati Dragons - draws upon a powerful figure of myth and fable with which to brand itself, though the Centaurs identity is both more unique amongst North American pro and college teams and also provides for a pleasingly alliterative name. As for the second suggestion, it calls to mind Cincinnati's position as an American port city during the era of steam-driven paddlewheel transportation.  

Cleveland Guardians - Named for the iconic "Guardians of Traffic" sculptures adorning Cleveland's Hope Memorial Bridge (formerly the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge.)

Colorado Cutthroats or Denver Dinos - The first recognizes the Greenback Cutthroat Trout, the official state fish of Colorado. The second is a nod to the fact that Colorado was the site of the very first Stegosaurus fossil finds (hence, the creature being the official state fossil), discovered in 1876.  

Indiana Thunderbolts or Indiana Warbirds - Both names salute the official state aircraft of Indiana, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (a "warbird" is a vintage military aircraft, particularly from the World War II era).      

Kansas City Stampede - A tribute to the importance of the livestock industry in Kansas City, particularly during the 80-year heyday of the Kansas City Stockyards.

Las Vegas Vipers or Las Vegas Venom - The former refers to the Horned, Mojave, and Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnakes that call the area home, while the latter expands the field of Southern Nevada's namesake poisonous pests to include scorpions, as well as desert recluse and black widow spiders. No shortage of imagery to draw from when designing a logo. 

Memphis Pharaohs - Memphis shares its name with that of an ancient Egyptian capital city (hence the decision to build the former arena originally dubbed the Great American Pyramid).  

Pittsburgh Vulcans - Vulcan was the god of the forge and metalworking in Roman mythology, making him a fitting namesake for a team representing the longtime center of the American steelmaking industry. 

Portland Stags or Portland Cutthroats - The former name recognizes both Oregon's abundant wildlife and the famous sign atop the structure at 70 NW Couch Street in Portland that has featured the depiction of a leaping white stag - originally promoting White Stag Sportswear - since 1957. The latter name (should you opt not to use it for a Denver-based franchise) is that of a gamefish much prized by local anglers.         

San Francisco Sea Wolves or San Francisco Stellers - Both names recognize sea creatures. The first is a colloquialism for the killer whale/orca; the second is the largest species of sea lion.    
 

Reading this post is wild because I have started to create a fictional league myself, and I have used like 4-5 of these team names. This is my first time seeing this as well lol.

[sky1324]

Glad to see an update! Sorry for the delay in getting some feedback to you.

 

DAL: I like it! I agree that they could use a bit of polish, I think the logo blends in too much on the helmet. The stripes are nice and feel fitting for this team.

 

ATL: Oh these are really nice. The aggressive striping and bold color palette are really appealing to me. As a Charlotte Hornets fan, the name Atlanta Hornets make me recoil, but I do think it fits the team the best, haha.

 

CLT: Hmm, not really feeling this one. It looks like the blue was pushed towards powder and the minimizing of purple leaves the team feeling like a knock-off UNC. The Flyers name is the best I've come across that elegantly alludes to both the Wright Brothers and NASCAR, but I think if you're changing the name, it might be worth it to just focus on flight (Charlotte has the region's aviation museum, for what it's worth). I remember you liked my Griffins suggestion from a while ago, I think it's worth reconsidering it. A bold blue and brown color scheme and a winged helmet would be really sick, IMO.

 

NY: I really like the shape of the new NY mark as well as the switch to Emperors. I'm not sold on the Empire State Building mark personally; I'm not sure it really has a place in the brand with such a strong primary in the NY. Maybe swapping the towers on the jerseys for TV numbers is a good idea? I think it would help the color balance on the home set as well, the massive white numbers with no white anywhere else is a bit jarring. The wordmarks, numbers, and NY seem to fit nicely together while the tower mark isn't doing much for me.

 

Excited to see the next few updates!