2020 NFL Fixer Upper Concept Series

[Mattyice]

Los Angeles Rams: I full well know that the Rams are getting their own special refresh this year, but here is my hope for the Rams' set. The biggest change comes with the color scheme, as the Rams return to the classic gold they had been using for decades, while I give the team a new blue as well, which is a blend of the old royal and modern navy. The logos do not receive much change physically save for a subtle white drop shadow and the full-on recoloring. The helmet designs go relatively unchanged, solely reverting to the "retro" helmet and changing the blue to match. The uniforms are where the changes truly come up. The home and road uniforms get complete redesigns, with new, more aggressive horns adorning the sleeves, a new number font to better match the style of the classic team word-mark. 

I will be doing the 8-8 teams next in the Bears, Steelers, and Cowboys, which, spoiler alert, will not receive many changes.

[Mattyice]

Here are the 8-8 teams:

Chicago Bears: As you can see, I made very small changes to the Bears. The iconic "c" and alternate logo merge to become a more "bear-centric" primary logo. The only change of note on the uniforms is the changing of the sleeve colors on the home uniform to match the coloring of the numbers (the socks are done to match as well). The orange is also brightened across the board to match the older color of the team and brighten things up.

 

Dallas Cowboys: Another iconic brand that didn't need much changing were the Cowboys. A new secondary is introduced featuring a literal "Big D", which is just as clean as the primary. The overall uniform design is mostly constant from the prior set, with only changes to coloring taking place. The blue on the white home uniform is darkened to match the colors of the logos and road jersey, while the black on the sleeve design is scrapped entirely. Additionally, the silver on the sleeves and neck of the blue road jersey are switched to just white to match the styling of the numbers.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers: Like the other two, changes to the Steelers brand are very minor, with no changes to the logo, helmet, or numbering. However, the sleeves receive a slight reworking with the removal of the white from the sleeves of the home jersey and the addition of black on the road jersey. The most notable change I gave the team was the addition of a new third jersey that isn't a throwback for once. Instead it is a yellow-based jersey, with the design pretty much flip-flopped from the home uniform and the introduction of a new black pant that could be used with the home and road uniforms as well.

These designs were a bit boring due to how iconic they are, but I promise the next several teams (the 7-9 ones) will receive much more drastic changes, specifically for the Falcons, Broncos, and Bucs.

[mvk]

Not a fan of taking the white out of the sleeve stripes for the Steelers.  Also, always liked that Dallas had different shades of blue and silver for home/away.  

[Mattyice]

2 hours ago, mvk said:

Not a fan of taking the white out of the sleeve stripes for the Steelers.  Also, always liked that Dallas had different shades of blue and silver for home/away.  

Here's the set with the white returning to the sleeves, which I can see looking a little better, especially with the white numbers. However, the fact Dallas has the different colored/shade of blue for the road jersey has always bugged the hell out of me, so I'm not gonna back down on that change. The set still looks classic and very clean.

[simtek34]

Here are a few things I have to say on these concepts. First of all, for all of these, I would make sure that Pants and Socks are always contrasting. Otherwise, reverse the Number Colors on the Navy Texans Jersey, and remove the contrasting collar on the Alternate Vikings Jersey.

[mattr1198]

Sorry for the sudden account swap, since I recovered my old, more developed account, so I'll be continuing this series from this account. So here it keeps rolling...

 

Atlanta Falcons: While I absolutely love the Falcons' primary logo, I do think (like most everyone else) that they need a complete refresh for the uniforms. Thus, I created a completely redesigned uniform set for the Falcons. The first, notable change is the return of black as the home uniform main color, which I think looks a lot better with the black helmet and represents the coolest attitude era of Falcons history with Primetime and Vick in the 90s and early 00s. As to why I stuck with the black helmet, the old red helmet was generally associated with failure, as the Falcons were absolutely horrid with the red helmets and only got good with the black helmet. The red jersey now becomes a third jersey, with the numbers going to silver to honor the uniforms of the 70s and 80s, where the numbers were silver. The pants also become silver to honor the said teams as well. The second notable change is the new sleeve design, which incorporates the design of the older Falcons jerseys and the modern design of the logo. The Falcon on the sleeve remains, as it has since the team's inception. Finally, the numbers are redesigned to better fit the word-mark and quick nature of the Falcon. 

[mattr1198]

Denver Broncos: While I kept the team's primary and color scheme in tact (as it is directly associated with the Broncos' Super Bowl wins), I made some notable alterations to the uniform, kind of taking a "best of" approach. First, I removed the ugly and outdated side piping on the sides of the jersey. The pants and sleeves are drastically changed to better reflect the team's appearance for the majority of its history (1962-1996). Additionally, I altered the helmet extending the side stripes of the helmet stripe and making it white instead of orange to better reflect the older helmets, while still keeping the new styling.

[Carasik]

I really like that Falcons refresh.

[mattr1198]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Another team due for a redesign this year are the Bucs. The main colors are where my changes first are apparent. Promoted from accent color to secondary color is the classic and much desired "Creamsicle orange", while the dirty silver previously used is demoted to purely an tertiary/accent color and black is dropped almost entirely. The red also changes to a blend of the Super Bowl-era shade and the modern shade. Outside of color changes, the primary logo sees minor changes, namely adding more detail to make the flag appear more battle-worn, like it's meant to be portrayed. The pirate ship sees the replacement of the black with a darker red to make the shadows pop. Uniform-wise is where the biggest changes occur. While the red is still the main home uniform color, a new third Creamsicle colored jersey takes the place of the color rush uniform alternate. The sleeves also finally get a true design for the first time in nearly 25 years, resembling the older styles, but featuring the new colors. The pant also is solely white now, replacing the dirty silver before. The new, clearer number font more akin to the word-mark replaces the much maligned "alarm clock" numbers that looked abysmal on the prior set. The helmets lose the dirty silver color and shift to a matte white, while adding a modernized version of the old school stripe as well. The logo also shrinks to a more conventional size. Finally, and probably most minor change, is the addition of the "Bucs" word-mark to the chest.

[heavybass]

1 hour ago, mattr1198 said:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Another team due for a redesign this year are the Bucs. The main colors are where my changes first are apparent. Promoted from accent color to secondary color is the classic and much desired "Creamsicle orange", while the dirty silver previously used is demoted to purely an tertiary/accent color and black is dropped almost entirely. The red also changes to a blend of the Super Bowl-era shade and the modern shade. Outside of color changes, the primary logo sees minor changes, namely adding more detail to make the flag appear more battle-worn, like it's meant to be portrayed. The pirate ship sees the replacement of the black with a darker red to make the shadows pop. Uniform-wise is where the biggest changes occur. While the red is still the main home uniform color, a new third Creamsicle colored jersey takes the place of the color rush uniform alternate. The sleeves also finally get a true design for the first time in nearly 25 years, resembling the older styles, but featuring the new colors. The pant also is solely white now, replacing the dirty silver before. The new, clearer number font more akin to the word-mark replaces the much maligned "alarm clock" numbers that looked abysmal on the prior set. The helmets lose the dirty silver color and shift to a matte white, while adding a modernized version of the old school stripe as well. The logo also shrinks to a more conventional size. Finally, and probably most minor change, is the addition of the "Bucs" word-mark to the chest.

Ah I see someone else went with the orange as the accent colour instead of silver.

[mattr1198]

4 hours ago, heavybassX said:

Ah I see someone else went with the orange as the accent colour instead of silver.

Orange is way too poignant and associated with failure to be anything more than such, but it's so ingrained in the team identity it can't be restrained.

[mattr1198]

The next 7-9 teams are the ones with the newest identity and the newest NFL city...

 

New York Jets: While the Jets' recent re-brand has some good aspects, there were some flaws that could be fixed up. Logo-wise, the New York over the Jets looks off, so I removed it entirely. I kept the traditional oval, football, and font, but I added the jet streak that has been incorporated in a lot of other promotional materials onto the J to pay homage to the logo of the late 70s-late 90s (even though the Jets were putrid in this era) and make the logo more "jet-like". I also made a new secondary logo that features the team abbreviation with the same jet streak. The uniforms receive mostly minor changes, as I generally liked a lot of the change. First, I changed the streaks on the uniform to face more forward/downward, making it look more like a charging streak rather than two jets about to crash into one another like on the current set. The TV numbers are moved to the sleeve to accomplish this as well. Next, I removed the outline on the jerseys, which I think looked rather off and would look outdated quickly, plus the numbers now match the streaks on the home and road jersey. Finally, I shrunk the "New York" word-mark above the numbers and extended the pant streak down to the leg (although it can't be seen easily).

 

Las Vegas Raiders: To be honest, even with the move to Vegas, there's almost no touching this brand. It's the most iconic of the NFL worldwide and oozes cool. However, I did a cleanup/emboldening of the logo to make it cleaner, more merchandise-friendly, and much clearer for fans. I left the regular home and road uniforms completely untouched, as they are arguably the best in the league. However, I did fix the pants on the white and silver color rush third, making silver the primary stripe color, while adding a black outline to match the styling of the other uniforms.

Last of the 7-9 teams, the Colts, are up next before I move to the 6-10 teams...

[mattr1198]

Indianapolis Colts: Another classic look I really didn't want to mess with all too much. However, I did change the primary blue to a deeper and more royal shade of blue, as I found the current muted shade to feel rather boring. I also brought back the old Baltimore Colts logo as an alternate logo, featuring some minor alterations to fix the look up a bit for modern day. Finally, I got rid of the off-putting gray face-mask and returned it to the white of the Baltimore/early Indy days, which looks far better and in line with the color scheme.

[mvk]

I like the single black stripe on the Raiders primary pants, not sure if it needs any white in it.

[mattr1198]

Cleveland Browns: Much like the rumors for their new uniforms, I am bringing the Browns back to their roots. The set is pretty much a return to the old layout mostly used from the 1940s until the awful redesign in 2015. However, one thing I kept from the redesign is the shade of orange and brown face-mask on the helmet, which I think look better than the prior shade and white/gray face-mask, respectively. The uniform set is not the only thing returning to the way it once was, the logo set will as well. Gone is arguably the worst primary logo in the NFL and the "dawg-pound" logo. In their place, Brownie the Elf returns to the primary for the first time since the 60s and receives minor updates in coloring and boldness. I decided to bring back Brownie because he was the icon used during the team's championship era and they haven't made it even close since they dumped him. Plus, it actually gives the team a unique icon once again and only one mascot. The old secondary used in the 2000s returns as well, as I think it looks very classy and is simpler for things like merchandise.

 

[mattr1198]

Jacksonville Jaguars: While I like this Jags color scheme and logos a lot, I made some notable changes to the whole set. With regard to the logos, I changed the secondary shield's background to the team's unique and poppy teal. When it comes to the uniforms, the general style stays the same, but the "claw-marks" on the neck extend further down the neck and are added to the sleeves to make the uniform feel less empty and unique to the team. The pants get a single, angled stripe to also reduce the emptiness of the prior set. Additionally, the numbers get a much much much needed outline and the logo moves from the chest to the pant, with the word-mark added. The "claw-marks" also receive an outline to match the numbers.

Next up: the Cardinals, who will be getting radical changes...

[mattr1198]

Arizona Cardinals: In my opinion, the Cardinals uniforms are the most outdated in the NFL, thus I made major changes to their entire look. First off, I decided to brighten and deepen the red the Cards use, which I think is way better looking, adding a dark red as an accent color. With regard to the uniforms, while I only slightly altered the font they're using now, I removed the original outlines and replaced them with darker shades of their uniform colors (with exception to the black alternate, which I kept the white outlines for clarity-sake). Those darker shades are also moved to the pant as well. The ugly design on the sleeves is replaced with an ingrained and subtle pattern resembling the Arizona state flag (similar to what I did for the Ravens). Finally, I gave the helmets red face-masks, replacing the dated and insanely out of place gray ones.

Panthers will be up next

[nuordr]

Side view of the pants would make this concept series so much better. 

[mattr1198]

Carolina Panthers: The Panthers don't receive many changes to their branding, as I love the Panthers' current logo set and color scheme. However, the unnecessary silver is officially eliminated from the color scheme and the logo and uniforms reflect that. The uniforms, as you can tell, though, provide significant updates to a rather dated set. First, I sharpened the side striping to give it a more claw-like appearance, match the styling of the helmet, and make it feel more modern than the out-of-place traditional striping used currently. Second, I updated the number font to a quicker and smoother appearance more in line with the logo and word-mark. Last, I changed the color of the helmets from that silver to black and adjusted the stripe to match the home uniform, which I just think looks cooler. The logo is also removed from the pant in order to reduce the overabundance of the primary logo already in the uniform.

I'm going to be doing something special for the Chargers, so that'll be next

[Bomba Tomba]

On 2/25/2020 at 10:09 PM, nuordr said:

Side view of the pants would make this concept series so much better. 

Yeah and the usage of different numbers, not just 00, so we could know the number fonts better.