The Old-Continent League of American Football project (All teams added, NOW IN BEHANCE! )

[Josef_Bretones]

 

 

EDIT:
Hi again, everybody!

Nineteen months have passed since I finished this topic. In between a lot of exciting things (I won the X Logolympiad!!!) and some not so exciting things but I have started uploading the final projects of the OCLAF teams on my Behance profile. The difference with respect to what I have shown you here is that I have created the definitive uniforms (that all of you helped me to finish) in Mockup render.

I invite you all to visit my profile and give it a like if you like it.

Thanks a lot!   

https://www.behance.net/JosefBretones

 

Welcome all of you to OCLAF! The Old-Continent League of American Football.

Hi, everyone. I'm a Spanish graphic designer and I would like to introduce you to my personal project. What would an NFL-style league look like in Europe? What name would the teams have and in which cities would they reside?

My answer to all these questions is the OCLAF. For five years I have been gradually developing all the concepts: team names, logos and uniforms. They are definitive so they cannot be changed but I will appreciate all your evaluations in this regard.

Thank you! 

The principal logos of the league.

 

 

 

 

 

Why this logo?

 

 

Alternate version.

 

 

 

 

 

32 cities in 25 countries.

 

At this point I thought about what the organization of the league would be like.
Due to the idiosyncrasy of Europe I decided to divide it into four conferences with two divisions each. The Play-offs will be played by the best two players in each division and the champions of each conference will play the final four known as the Galaxy Bowl.
Ladys and gentlemen, I'm honored to introduce you THE TEAMS:

 

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I really think it's not bad to start with. To be continue.

Thank you for your attention.

 

 

 

[Brian in Boston]

Of the 32 cities that appear on the OCLAF map, just 28 are listed as playing host to franchises. 

Four markets on the map - Budapest, Warsaw, Wien and Zagreb - aren't shown hosting teams in the Conference/Division breakdown. Meanwhile, the cities of Athens, Marseille, Napoli and Rome are each depicted as hosting a pair of OCLAF teams:

One would presume that the East Conference's Central Division should be comprised of franchises representing Budapest, Warsaw, Wien and Zagreb.    

[UnclearInitial]

Really impressive work, all of these logos are very well crafted.

 

You seem to have forgotten to replace the city names of the central division from the Mediterranean division. I’m guessing they were supposed to be Warsaw Devils, Wien Imperials, Zagreb Rebels and Budapest Lancers. Regarding the Rebels logo, I feel like it looks like more of a P than what I imagine is supposed to be an R. The shape of Croatia looks more like a bird when scaled down to small sizes, I would advise just using checkers on the flag as it’s just as recognizable as Croatian. Maybe try flipping the flag pole and making it part of a Z?

 

League logo looks good but I’m not sure about how a European flag inspiration would fly when not all of its members are EU and it’s such a  charged political subject, especially with teams in the UK, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey.

 

Excited to see more of your work!

[Josef_Bretones]

56 minutes ago, Brian in Boston said:

Of the 32 cities that appear on the OCLAF map, just 28 are listed as playing host to franchises. 

Four markets on the map - Budapest, Warsaw, Wien and Zagreb - aren't shown hosting teams in the Conference/Division breakdown. Meanwhile, the cities of Athens, Marseille, Napoli and Rome are each depicted as hosting a pair of OCLAF teams:

One would presume that the East Conference's Central Division should be comprised of franchises representing Budapest, Warsaw, Wien and Zagreb.    

 

Thanks for your comment. I did not substitute the names of the cities.

It is already corrected.

[Josef_Bretones]

29 minutes ago, UnclearInitial said:

Really impressive work, all of these logos are very well crafted.

 

You seem to have forgotten to replace the city names of the central division from the Mediterranean division. I’m guessing they were supposed to be Warsaw Devils, Wien Imperials, Zagreb Rebels and Budapest Lancers. Regarding the Rebels logo, I feel like it looks like more of a P than what I imagine is supposed to be an R. The shape of Croatia looks more like a bird when scaled down to small sizes, I would advise just using checkers on the flag as it’s just as recognizable as Croatian. Maybe try flipping the flag pole and making it part of a Z?

 

League logo looks good but I’m not sure about how a European flag inspiration would fly when not all of its members are EU and it’s such a  charged political subject, especially with teams in the UK, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey.

 

Excited to see more of your work!

 

You're probably right about the Rebels logo.
I made the decision to put the country map instead of checkers so as not to link it in this case with the national soccer team.
About the logo of the league it is true that there are cities outside the EU (when I started the project it was only outside Istanbul, Kiev and Moscow) but I think that those colors also represent the idea of Europe and in the end this is an essentially European league. I think about the colors of the NBA logo (colors of the USA flag) and Toronto Raptors.

 

Thank you very much for your evaluation and your comments. I am looking forward to teaching more details.

[sportsfan7]

More of a comment than anything, but I couldn't help but notice that the map has Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia on it. Any particular reason for this?

[Josef_Bretones]

11 minutes ago, sportsfan7 said:

More of a comment than anything, but I couldn't help but notice that the map has Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia on it. Any particular reason for this?

You're right. I didn't notice when choosing the reference map. I will change the map. It seems to me an important detail.

Thank you very much for noticing.

[Josef_Bretones]

I would like show a new detail about the OCLAF project: organization of the match schedule.

The regular season is sixteen weeks long and each team plays one game per week.
Teams are played twice against teams from their own division.

Teams face teams from the other division of their own conference once and repeat a match against the team from that division that remained in the same position within that division the previous season.
Teams will face all the teams from another division from another conference once and will repeat against the team that remained in the same position within that division the previous season. Each year the divisions of other conferences they will face will rotate.

At the end of the regular season the post-season will begin. The teams that qualify for the Play-Offs will be the first and second classified in each division. The first classified will play the first round against the second classified from the other division of their own conference. The winners will play the conference final.

The conference champions will meet in a final four, known as the Galaxy Bowl, which will decide the annual OCLAF champion. The Galaxy Bowl is played over a weekend at a different venue each year.

And finally this is my design for the Galaxy Bowl trophy:

I hope you like it.

To be continue...

[stumpygremlin]

28 minutes ago, Josef_Bretones said:

I would like show a new detail about the OCLAF project: organization of the match schedule.

The regular season is sixteen weeks long and each team plays one game per week.
Teams are played twice against teams from their own division.

Teams face teams from the other division of their own conference once and repeat a match against the team from that division that remained in the same position within that division the previous season.
Teams will face all the teams from another division from another conference once and will repeat against the team that remained in the same position within that division the previous season. Each year the divisions of other conferences they will face will rotate.

At the end of the regular season the post-season will begin. The teams that qualify for the Play-Offs will be the first and second classified in each division. The first classified will play the first round against the second classified from the other division of their own conference. The winners will play the conference final.

The conference champions will meet in a final four, known as the Galaxy Bowl, which will decide the annual OCLAF champion. The Galaxy Bowl is played over a weekend at a different venue each year.

And finally this is my design for the Galaxy Bowl trophy:

I hope you like it.

To be continue...

My first thought when looking at the trophy: a bong

[Josef_Bretones]

5 minutes ago, stumpygremlin said:

My first thought when looking at the trophy: a bong

Hahahaha.
That's the spirit. Well, any shape remember something.
I will think to change the name to Galaxy Bong. Hahaha.

[Dan O'Mac]

On the map, it looks like Oslo was labelled as Stockholm, and vice versa. Nothing too major. And I was under the impression that it was "Istanbul", and you have it as "Istambul".

I'm not sold on some of the names (Steampunkers specifically), but I'm excited to see the looks that you've developed. It's clear you built the league around the divisions, as there are some cities that frequently get picked for things like this that weren't (Dublin), so there's some unique looks.

 

As far as these looks go, I assume this league is meant to be played by males, and the face in Bucharest's face is very feminine to me. I'd have shortened the hair or gone with a different color scheme to avoid that.

[GhostOfNormMacdonald]

5 hours ago, stumpygremlin said:

My first thought when looking at the trophy: a bong

So Amsterdam is going to be a powerhouse in this league?

[Josef_Bretones]

4 hours ago, Dan O'Mac said:

On the map, it looks like Oslo was labelled as Stockholm, and vice versa. Nothing too major. And I was under the impression that it was "Istanbul", and you have it as "Istambul".

I'm not sold on some of the names (Steampunkers specifically), but I'm excited to see the looks that you've developed. It's clear you built the league around the divisions, as there are some cities that frequently get picked for things like this that weren't (Dublin), so there's some unique looks.

 

As far as these looks go, I assume this league is meant to be played by males, and the face in Bucharest's face is very feminine to me. I'd have shortened the hair or gone with a different color scheme to avoid that.

I am definitely not correct with this map. Thank you for your appreciation, I just fixed it.
About the names of the teams I understand your point. My idea has always been to endow teams with a historical, local European and also different essence, that's why some names may be more personal. I will explain it when I develop the team but in the specific case of Manchester I saw an opportunity to represent the steampunk aesthetic that I love. 

This is certainly a men's league but I don't see why that should be an impediment to a logo with a feminine character. It seems to me that it can be a kind of protective superior being (I think of the "Sons of the Harpy" in Game of Thrones). In any case it is a creative decision on my part.

It is very interesting to be able to share impressions about a job to which I have dedicated so much time alone. Thank you very much!

[Seadragon76]

Color me interested in this project. I love the professional looking logos and, personally, I can't wait to see what the idea process was when it came to creating the teams.

 

For example, the identities of Prague and Barcelona are the most interesting (to me) because they're something completely different and that interests me.

[Philsphan]

I just logged into my account after a long time away from the forums because I want to follow this project! I love how you built the league around the divisions and the team names and color schemes are very creative. In my opinion, you found a good balance between traditional names (Atlantics, Royals, Dragons) and more unusual names (Golems, Segadors, Steampunkers). I like that you were willing to take risks. 

 

The logos also perfectly match the style of NFL logos. I can already see in my head how they would fit on helmets! My favorites are the ones where you added a little bit of depth (Invaders, Polars, Corsairs). Perhaps a couple of the logos would benefit from similar depth (Copenhagen and Porto?), although I respect if you want to keep some of the logos flat for variety. I also really like Munich, Kiev and Glasgow

 

The league logos and the trophy logo look great as well. Excited to see more of your work! I returned from an study abroad/exchange program in the UK last month and I was really surprised at how popular American football is becoming in Europe. This was a great idea to make a continent-wide league.

[GhostOfNormMacdonald]

I just checked the updated map and noticed the tiniest of mistakes. The Kaliningrad oblast which is an exclave of Russia is included in Polands borders.

 

I can't wait to see how the branding works for Moscow. Cyrillic is such a cool looking alphabet but then you run the risk of non-speakers not being able to even sound out the words. Very interesting predicament 

[Josef_Bretones]

Thank you very much for your comments, guys!
I'm preparing the team presentations so I can show you. I can't wait for it!

[Josef_Bretones]

Ok, here we go!

 

The first team is the Oslo INVADERS. This team belong to the North Conference and the Scandinavian Division. It was de the first team I think for this division and and I was clear that I wanted to base it on Viking culture. From the beginning I envisioned as the primary logo the head of a Viking drakkar but the first name I gave them was that of the Oslo Braves. I finally traded it for Oslo Invaders as it seemed to me that he was more direct and aggressive. Coincident with the Viking culture of exploration and expansion during the first millennium of our era. About the color scheme I have chosen I have to say that it was relatively easy. You can take a look at the images I took for reference: wood and mold due to a very humid environment. Rivals suffer these circumstances when they face the Oslo Invaders in their stadium: Valhalla Arena.

About uniforms I want to say that they must be my weakest point. I am fond of the basic uniforms more typical of other times. This will be reflected in almost all the concepts that I have developed. However, I have tried to be a bit more risky than my head was telling me.


Mood Board:

 

Primary logo, wordmarks, numbers and motto:

 

 

Uniforms concept:

 

I hope you like it.

 

[Seadragon76]

Invaders does make sense from what you're saying. Braves is something more or less Native American sounding and that doesn't work in that sense.

 

I do appreciate the mood board being shown. It gives the reader a glimpse into your thought process (which apparently included the show 'Vikings') into creating the identity of the team.

[GriffinM6]

Loving this series so far. Oslo is a great start with a very unique color scheme.  I'm also a big fan of how much thought you're putting into each team. Looking forward to seeing how the rest goes!