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Revisiting the California Soccer League! (SERIES FINALE)


TheGiantsFan

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I've been meaning to comment on this series for a while, but I hadn't gotten around to it! I'm just gonna limit myself to some recent ones, but you've got some really excellent work here!

 

First off, other people have been saying it, but that La Jolla concept is really beautiful! Heraldic animals are hard but those seals are well-executed, the diamonds are a really nice touch, and the home jersey is so pretty. Perfection!

 

I like that Grass Valley look, and using of the Cornish flag is a fun idea. The home jersey is quite nice, and the away jersey is a decent idea but the lighter shade of gold is kinda unpleasant. You might replace it with a darker shade of gold with some sorta speckled texture or something.

 

I really like the Carmel jerseys but they're really undercut by the counter-colored white lower collar. Otherwise, both the grass pattern and the arched brown bridge pattern are really unique and classy. I like that the crests at home and away are slightly different.

 

Same goes for Laguna's home, the white collar feels out of place. Otherwise, they're fine as-is, but I'd be down to see the chevrons on the home and a French national team-style horizontal stripes away jersey for an extra yacht-club vibe.

 

You've totally nailed the vibe for Napa; both have really understated but standout patterns.

 

Folsom's a solid look; the gradient at home is a nice subtle touch, and I like the away but if you're going for a water theme maybe the shades of gray could be slightly randomized rather than repeating perfectly, idk.

 

Regardless, you've got some really inspired looks here, and I'm really impressed by all of the local references for every designs. Outstanding!

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On 4/14/2021 at 6:33 PM, vtgco said:

I've been meaning to comment on this series for a while, but I hadn't gotten around to it! I'm just gonna limit myself to some recent ones, but you've got some really excellent work here!

 

First off, other people have been saying it, but that La Jolla concept is really beautiful! Heraldic animals are hard but those seals are well-executed, the diamonds are a really nice touch, and the home jersey is so pretty. Perfection!

 

I like that Grass Valley look, and using of the Cornish flag is a fun idea. The home jersey is quite nice, and the away jersey is a decent idea but the lighter shade of gold is kinda unpleasant. You might replace it with a darker shade of gold with some sorta speckled texture or something.

 

I really like the Carmel jerseys but they're really undercut by the counter-colored white lower collar. Otherwise, both the grass pattern and the arched brown bridge pattern are really unique and classy. I like that the crests at home and away are slightly different.

 

Same goes for Laguna's home, the white collar feels out of place. Otherwise, they're fine as-is, but I'd be down to see the chevrons on the home and a French national team-style horizontal stripes away jersey for an extra yacht-club vibe.

 

You've totally nailed the vibe for Napa; both have really understated but standout patterns.

 

Folsom's a solid look; the gradient at home is a nice subtle touch, and I like the away but if you're going for a water theme maybe the shades of gray could be slightly randomized rather than repeating perfectly, idk.

 

Regardless, you've got some really inspired looks here, and I'm really impressed by all of the local references for every designs. Outstanding!

 

I really appreciate the feedback! I've always really liked your soccer work as well, though I'm a little bummed that all your image links don't work right now :/

 

I'm glad that you like all my stuff so far, especially La Jolla! That one was a particularly fun (yet somewhat challenging) team to work on, and I'm glad the people on here are really liking that one. Carmel was a fun one too, and I figured that the home kit wouldn't really need the full roundel logo unlike when they're out on the road.

 

I'll definitely incorporate your suggestions for Grass Valley and Folsom edits in some future revisions, but I was able to make some Laguna revisions this morning. As I've mentioned, I have no idea what yacht club looks really are (other than what I saw at Nautica stores at outlet malls), so your Laguna suggestions definitely added to that look:

 

Spoiler

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As far as collars are concerned, are counter-colored lower collars common in real-life soccer aesthetics? I know I should probably do some more research on real-life soccer kits for that, but I started doing those types of collars for better collar contrast on darker kits. If it's more realistic without the counter-colored collars, I'll definitely make the necessary edits!

 

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It's been a minute since we were last in the Valley Division, so here's the next team from the Central Valley!

 

Valley Division

Oakdale SC

Oakdale, California

Founded: 1988

Affiliated with: Stockton United

 

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Although the town of Oakdale is much closer to Modesto than it is to Stockton, Oakdale serves as Stockton's CSL2 affiliate to the team's reach in this part of the Central Valley (and to irk their bitter Modesto rivals a little more). As a result of this partnership, Oakdale uses Stockton's brown/red color scheme with a greater emphasis on brown than red. Oakdale prides itself as a "Cowboy Capital of the World", but I decided to go with a leaping mustang identity as 1) Clovis already has a cowboy-themed identity and 2) Oakdale's high school mascot is the mustang. 

 

The home kit features a diagonal line pattern matching the angle of the mustang (slightly inspired by the Buffalo Bills) as well as Oakdale's slightly-diagonal street grid. The clash kit honors the area's almond industry (Wikipedia states that Oakdale supposedly has "the most almond trees per capita per square mile" in California) with an off-white base and a diagonal gradient pattern inspired by almond shells. Like their mother club in Stockton, the kits are supplied by Nike and the sponsor is Sconza Chocolates.

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8 hours ago, TheGiantsFan said:

I really appreciate the feedback! I've always really liked your soccer work as well, though I'm a little bummed that all your image links don't work right now :/

Aww, thanks! I keep putting off either upgrading my website to HTTPS-certified or just copying everything to Imgur, so that's why those links are broken :(

 

8 hours ago, TheGiantsFan said:

As far as collars are concerned, are counter-colored lower collars common in real-life soccer aesthetics? I know I should probably do some more research on real-life soccer kits for that, but I started doing those types of collars for better collar contrast on darker kits. If it's more realistic without the counter-colored collars, I'll definitely make the necessary edits!

Personally, I can't recall any collared jerseys where a long, buttoned placket is counter-colored from the base jersey color... I think if you want to do something similar, you could either counter-color the buttons or switch to the unbuttoned, combo V-neck/polo collar used by the 2019 Whitecaps, because I know those types have been counter-colored from the jersey base before!

 

8 hours ago, TheGiantsFan said:

I have no idea what yacht club looks really are (other than what I saw at Nautica stores at outlet malls)

Lol fair enough, I think that's a decent place to look. I just associate them with those stripy navy shirts, which I think Nautica might even sell.

I think the away could go with some non-tonal stripes, but it looks good either way, and it's much better with the collars fixed.

 

Really liking the almond design away kit for Oakdale, though maybe an even browner off-white shade for the base would be nice!

Not feeling the fade-away on the home so much. You might do one thick diagonal, or do an X shape, or spread them apart, but I think those stripes are complicated enough that they need to be solid. Also kinda wish the collar was red with white trim to match the sleeves and pants.

Finally, I think the horse in the logo feels a bit too far to the right.

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On 4/18/2021 at 8:09 PM, vtgco said:

Aww, thanks! I keep putting off either upgrading my website to HTTPS-certified or just copying everything to Imgur, so that's why those links are broken :(

 

Personally, I can't recall any collared jerseys where a long, buttoned placket is counter-colored from the base jersey color... I think if you want to do something similar, you could either counter-color the buttons or switch to the unbuttoned, combo V-neck/polo collar used by the 2019 Whitecaps, because I know those types have been counter-colored from the jersey base before!

 

Lol fair enough, I think that's a decent place to look. I just associate them with those stripy navy shirts, which I think Nautica might even sell.

I think the away could go with some non-tonal stripes, but it looks good either way, and it's much better with the collars fixed.

 

Really liking the almond design away kit for Oakdale, though maybe an even browner off-white shade for the base would be nice!

Not feeling the fade-away on the home so much. You might do one thick diagonal, or do an X shape, or spread them apart, but I think those stripes are complicated enough that they need to be solid. Also kinda wish the collar was red with white trim to match the sleeves and pants.

Finally, I think the horse in the logo feels a bit too far to the right.

 

I think I may end up counter-coloring the buttons on my darker kits! Thanks for all the input about that stuff, and thanks for helping improve Laguna's look 👌

 

As far as Oakdale is concerned, I thought about a browner off-white color for the clash but didn't want it to look too similar to Clovis' look in the same division. I definitely was feeling very iffy about the home kit, as I felt that a singular diagonal stripe just felt a little empty. I'll play around with the Oakdale home some more, as I'm planning on having a mass edit session of my CSL2 teams very soon!

 

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To celebrate my birthday today, here's the next team!

 

Western Division

Santa Clara Sporting

Santa Clara, California

Founded: 2015

Affiliated with: San Francisco 49ers

 

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I recently learned that the San Francisco 49ers have a stake in the ownership of Leeds United FC, so it would make some sense that the 49ers would also own a soccer team in their own backyard (since 2014, they have played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara). The team's crest is a heavily simplified version of the 49ers' alternate logos alongside a slab serif font similar to the one used in the "SF" monogram logo

 

The pinstriped home kit is inspired by the 49ers' red home jerseys, right down to the gold pants and striping patterns. The clash kit is a white-based jersey with a single set of stripes inspired by the crest; I tried pairing the clash shirt with gold pants like the 49ers road jerseys, but that didn't work out too well. The kits are supplied by Nike, and the sponsor is PayPal (who is headquartered not too far outside of the Santa Clara city limits).

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On 4/20/2021 at 11:25 AM, QCS said:

Happy birthday! I hope you have a good day. I love SCS's look, the Niners colors fit perfectly and it looks gorgeous. Great work as always!

 

Thank you very much, and I sure did! I'm glad you liked Santa Clara's look as well :)

 

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We've reached the halfway point of CSL2! To close out the first half of the teams, here's Team No. 35 from Riverside County!

 

 

Basin Division

Circle City SC

Corona, California

Founded: 1993

 

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The city of Corona in the northwestern corner of Riverside County is nicknamed "The Circle City" due to the perfectly-circular Grand Boulevard that goes around the city center. Inspired by these Peruvian soccer concepts I found on Behance, I decided to go with an SEC-style "CCSC" monogram logo for this team. The blue and orange color scheme is inspired by the Corona city seal.

 

The home kit is a modern twist on the traditional blue/white striped jersey, as the white stripes contain a circular gradient pattern coming out of the crest. The clash kit references Corona's former status as the "Lemon Capital of the World" with a lemon cross-section being the center of a cross pattern. The kits are supplied by New Balance and the sponsor is Fender, whose guitars are manufactured in Corona.

 

---

 

Before the next CSL2 team, I will be working on some requested edits on previous teams, so stay tuned!

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On 4/23/2021 at 10:27 AM, MDTrey4 said:

Haven't been commenting on this for a while simply bc there is absolutely nothing that I would change on any of the recent designs. Santa Clara is one of your strongest ones yet. Keep up the good work.

 

Thank you very much! I always appreciate the support 👌

 

---

 

As promised, here are some team revisions now that we're past the halfway mark of the CSL2! I always appreciate the suggestions that y'all throw my way, and I always try to incorporate your feedback in one way or another. There's several minor edits, but I'll start with one biggest elephant in the room:

 

Delanteros SC

Spoiler

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@every.ones.a.lobo and @TrueYankee26 had brought to my attention that I designed the original Delanteros crest a little too close to the Dayton Flyers logo that I had never seen before this concept. Because of that, I decided to redo my Delanteros crest to an idea that I had thought of when I was first drafting the team: making a shield logo with a full eagle. I kept the curves of the original "D-wing" logo and adapted it to accommodate the new "D shield". The kits remain otherwise unchanged.

 

The next few edits are in response to kit suggestions from @vtgco.

 

Mission Carmel SC

Spoiler

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After a whole conversation about counter-colored bottom collars, I decided to rid the white bottom collars and replaced them with white buttons instead. The originals can be seen here.

 

SC Grass Valley

Spoiler

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As suggested, I darkened the gold in the middle of the clash kit and added a shiny gold pattern inside the "cracks". The original clash kit can be seen here.

 

Folsom Town SC

Spoiler

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To make a somewhat more natural "falling water" pattern on the clash, I changed it from alternating gray stripes to a more gradient-heavy pattern. The original clash kit can be seen here.

 

Oakdale SC

Spoiler

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I got rid of the extra sets of diagonal stripes and the gradients on the home kit so that only one set remains. I decided to leave the crest as-is due to how the mustang interacts with the "O", and the lighter base for the clash remains the same to not be a Clovis lookalike. The original home kit can be seen here.

 

---

 

As a sort of a life update, I recently started my first full-time graphic design job for the University of the Pacific in Stockton, so concepts might be a little slower than before. I already have ideas for a Half Moon Bay team to start off the second half of CSL2, so stay tuned for that this week!

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Los Delanteros look far better with that updated crest; my only feedback is that the neck is too skinny. The more I look at that away jersey, the more I feel like it would work better with the Nike logo & crest centered like on the old Philadelphia Union jerseys and/or the sponsor lower.

 

Carmel's collars are already much improved, but I think tan would be better than brown for the placket at home.

 

That Folsom away update really worked well! It's very pretty. Well done.

 

Circle City's logo feels a tad awkward to me. The banners are far too big, I think. You could make them smaller, or maybe you could replace them with a crown?

The citrusy away jersey is fun. The home is not quite doing it for me, because the circles are totally overpowered by the stripes. You might make the circles bigger and counter-color the stripes with them (sorta like how the diagonal stripe counter-colors the yellow & black on the Maryland flag).

 

Santa Clara looks solid, I like the pinstripes.

 

Congrats on the job, and I'm looking forward to seeing Half Moon Bay!

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On 4/25/2021 at 4:56 PM, vtgco said:

Los Delanteros look far better with that updated crest; my only feedback is that the neck is too skinny. The more I look at that away jersey, the more I feel like it would work better with the Nike logo & crest centered like on the old Philadelphia Union jerseys and/or the sponsor lower.

 

Carmel's collars are already much improved, but I think tan would be better than brown for the placket at home.

 

That Folsom away update really worked well! It's very pretty. Well done.

 

Circle City's logo feels a tad awkward to me. The banners are far too big, I think. You could make them smaller, or maybe you could replace them with a crown?

The citrusy away jersey is fun. The home is not quite doing it for me, because the circles are totally overpowered by the stripes. You might make the circles bigger and counter-color the stripes with them (sorta like how the diagonal stripe counter-colors the yellow & black on the Maryland flag).

 

Santa Clara looks solid, I like the pinstripes.

 

Congrats on the job, and I'm looking forward to seeing Half Moon Bay!

 

On 4/26/2021 at 4:20 AM, every.ones.a.lobo said:

I think the new Delanteros SC crest looks fantastic! I would agree with @vtgco that the neck may be a bit skinny, but I think it's a great pivot away from the Dayton-esque logo. 

 

Thanks for the feedback, and I'm glad that the revised versions are better! :)

 

I wasn't 100% satisfied with the new Delanteros eagle, so I'll revisit that one with a wider neck and tweaked clash kit before the next team, alongside with some Circle City crest edits! As far as as the circles and the stripes on the home kit are concerned, I actually wanted the circle pattern to be quite subtle and not be overpowered by the stripes.

 

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Northwest Division

Half Moon Bay SC

Half Moon Bay, CA

Founded: 1988

 

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I had recently started reading World Football Club Crests and felt particularly inspired by Leeds United's 1971-73 script logo; the city's unique "HMB" initials was perfect for this type of logo! I wanted to go with something retro and classic, and the letters are stylized with waves to reference Half Moon Bay's world-famous Mavericks surfing competition

 

The home kit is a hybrid between the San Jose Earthquakes' 2020 clash kit and the 1981 kits of the NASL's California Surf, with a half moon-style wave leading to the team monogram. The clash kit references Half Moon Bay's famous pumpkin festival with an orange, pumpkin-inspired design. The kits are supplied by Puma, and the sponsor is GoPro (which was founded in HMB and is now headquartered over the mountain in San Mateo).

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That Half Moon Bay home jersey is as gorgeous as the town itself! I love how the stripe/wave pattern forms a half-moon on the right side of the crest!

 

The away is also quite nice too. Before I read that it's pumpkin themed, it already gave off overall Bay Area vibes to me for some reason. Maybe cuz it almost feels like redwood.. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

1 hour ago, TheGiantsFan said:

I actually wanted the circle pattern to be quite subtle and not be overpowered by the stripes.

Odd decision for a team named "Circle City," but if you feel that way, you might still try something besides the awkward gradient, like small circular pinstripes that cut through the thick stripes?

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On 3/19/2021 at 8:46 PM, TheGiantsFan said:

Southern Division

Ciudad Nacional CF

National City, California

Founded: 1995

Affiliated with: Coronado International

 

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National City is a rather small suburb located southeast of downtown San Diego, and it is best known for the Mile of Cars. The Mile of Cars welcome sign was shaped perfectly for a Spanish-style crest, specifically in the style of Real Betis. The team's name is in Spanish, as National City has a majority-Hispanic population. A "CN" monogram makes up the top of the crest, and the checkered pattern and color scheme is also taken from the Mile of Cars sign.

 

The home kit features the checkered pattern from the crest, whereas the clash kit puts the checkered pattern into two chevrons (referencing the Naval Base San Diego located just outside National City). The kits are supplied by Adidas, and the sponsor is the Filipino supermarket chain Seafood City, which had its first store in National City.

 

I knew exactly what these kits were for when I saw them. This badge is such a great representation for this city. It connects some recognizable soccer logos with the flags that go hand and hand with auto activities. 

 

On 3/31/2021 at 5:40 PM, TheGiantsFan said:

Southwest Division

SC Vandenberg

Lompoc, CA

Founded: 1996

Affiliated with: Solvang fB

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In 1996, Solvang fB celebrated its tenth anniversary by creating an affiliate team in the town of Lompoc, ~20 miles to the west of Solvang. The team is named after the Vandenberg AFB (which will be turned into a US Space Force Base this year!), which heavily fuels Lompoc's economy. The crest is styled after USAF rank insignia and features a "V" monogram that shoots up into the sky (inspired by this Adelaide United concept by @mcrosby) like the many rockets launched at Vandenberg. An LA Galaxy-style star further represents Vandenberg's role in American space launches, and I thought that a gray/light blue color scheme similar to Minnesota United FC could easily relate to space exploration.

 

The gray home kit features a "rocket launch" pattern against a starry backdrop. The clash kit references Lompoc's nickname as the "City of Arts and Flowers" with a patriotic flower field that uses the stars from the crest; the colors are taken directly from the 30th Space Wing based out of Vandenberg AFB. The kits are supplied by Nike and the sponsor is SpaceX, which uses Vandenberg as one of its launch facilities.


These are such cool kits. The rocket launch pattern flows so well in my opinion.
 

On 4/14/2021 at 4:56 PM, TheGiantsFan said:

Capital Division

Folsom Town SC

Folsom, CA

Founded: 1989

 

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The town of Folsom is home to a prison that was immortalized by "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash, and I figured that this team's identity would be based around that song. The crest features an "Ft" monogram that's stylized like the various arched bridges that cross the American River. The vertical lines on the crest both represent guitar strings and the flow of water from the Folsom Dam (more on both of those later).

 

The home kit is the "Folsom Prison Blues" kit inspired by this poster design I found on Dribbble; the six vertical stripes represent the strings of Johnny Cash's guitar as well as vertical prison bars. The granite clash kit (named after the neighboring community of Granite Bay) features a sublimated stripe pattern inspired by the spillways of the Folsom Dam. The kits are supplied by Adidas, and the sponsor is Intel* (which maintains a huge presence in Folsom despite being headquartered in the Bay Area).

 

*I'm aware of Intel's recent rebrand, but we will be using the older logo due to this being set in the 2019 season


Wow, what a logo. What good representation of the area after looking into those sources you posted.

 

On 4/7/2021 at 11:44 PM, TheGiantsFan said:

Southern Division

La Jolla SC

San Diego, California

Founded: 2007

 

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La Jolla is a San Diego neighborhood known for its coastal scenery and marine wildlife (as the world-renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography is found here), so the La Jolla team crest features two California sea lions*. The center of the crest features an "LJ" monogram, and the banner below it has two diamonds that reference La Jolla's "Jewel City" nickname. The teal is a marine-inspired color, and the shades of brown are taken from the area's rocky shores and sea lions.

 

*These are NOT to be confused with seals, who do not have prominent ear lobes and cannot stand up like the sea lions in the crest.

 

The home kit is an ocean gradient inspired by waves crashing onto the beach. The "Jewel City" clash kit uses the colors of UC San Diego (located in La Jolla), and the sublimated pattern turns UCSD's Geisel Library into a diamond. The kits are supplied by Puma, and the Birch Aquarium sponsorship adds onto the marine theme of the team.

 

This is so dope. I'm currently right outside La Jolla while my fiancé attends UCSD. Those clash kits give such a subtle nod to the library while keeping the design simple. Also, I just love this badge. It's very clean and really looks royal or high class which also lends to the very rich area.

 

On 4/25/2021 at 2:22 PM, TheGiantsFan said:

As a sort of a life update, I recently started my first full-time graphic design job for the University of the Pacific in Stockton, so concepts might be a little slower than before. I already have ideas for a Half Moon Bay team to start off the second half of CSL2, so stay tuned for that this week!


Congrats on the full time opportunity! I'm still so stoked on Santa Ana and more of the San Diego areas whenever the time presents for it.

 

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On 4/29/2021 at 12:25 AM, vtgco said:

That Half Moon Bay home jersey is as gorgeous as the town itself! I love how the stripe/wave pattern forms a half-moon on the right side of the crest!

 

The away is also quite nice too. Before I read that it's pumpkin themed, it already gave off overall Bay Area vibes to me for some reason. Maybe cuz it almost feels like redwood.. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 

Quote

I actually wanted the circle pattern to be quite subtle and not be overpowered by the stripes.


Odd decision for a team named "Circle City," but if you feel that way, you might still try something besides the awkward gradient, like small circular pinstripes that cut through the thick stripes?

 

I'm glad you liked Half Moon Bay! A personal, nitpicky gripe of mine is how many logos and designs in Half Moon Bay actually feature a crescent moon instead of a half moon, and I wanted to ensure the correct phase of the moon in this design 😂 . Regarding the comment about redwoods, there will be a redwood-themed team in the future, not too far out from HMB!

 

I went ahead and made the Circle City edits that you suggested, starting with making the banners around the crest a little smaller. I also played around with a rather-unusual circular pinstripe design that radiates out of the crest and ends up centered with the jersey.

 

Thanks for the feedback as always!

 

Spoiler

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5 hours ago, LastSonOfSD said:

*National City*

I knew exactly what these kits were for when I saw them. This badge is such a great representation for this city. It connects some recognizable soccer logos with the flags that go hand and hand with auto activities. 

 

*Vandenberg*
These are such cool kits. The rocket launch pattern flows so well in my opinion.
 

*Folsom*
Wow, what a logo. What good representation of the area after looking into those sources you posted.

 

*La Jolla*

This is so dope. I'm currently right outside La Jolla while my fiancé attends UCSD. Those clash kits give such a subtle nod to the library while keeping the design simple. Also, I just love this badge. It's very clean and really looks royal or high class which also lends to the very rich area.


Congrats on the full time opportunity! I'm still so stoked on Santa Ana and more of the San Diego areas whenever the time presents for it.

 

I'm glad that the SD-area ones represent their respective communities accurately, and I'm glad that you like those other ones as well :)

 

Thanks for the support and lucky for you, Santa Ana is up next!

 

On a side note, do you happen to know some things about the four remaining San Diego County teams (El Cajon, Encinitas, Escondido, and Poway) that I should consider? I still haven't done much research into those cities yet, but it would be cool to get a local perspective as well! If not, that's still totally fine by me~

 

---

 

Here's a team that any people have been waiting for!

 

Southern Division

Real Santa Ana

Santa Ana, California

Founded: 1992

Affiliated with: OC United

 

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Santa Ana is a CSL2 powerhouse representing a city of ~330,000 people, with four-fifths of that being of Hispanic descent. As a result, I went with a royal-themed Spanish name and created a crest inspired by Charlotte soccer concepts, this Málaga concept by @PascalHugo, and the real-life Orange County SC. The crest is loaded with local imagery, as the diagonal black sash and "sunburst" pattern are taken from the Santa Ana flag and seal and two shades of orange referencing Orange County.

 

The home kit is the Santa Ana flag kit, with the aforementioned diagonal sash and sunburst making an appearance against an orange base. The clash kit is inspired by the infamous Santa Ana winds that wreak all sorts of fiery havoc when dry desert winds funnel southwest towards the coast; the triangles of various sizes are inspired by wind maps. The kits are supplied by Umbro, and the sponsor (as suggested by @LastSonOfSD) is Suavecito Pomade, a Santa Ana-based hair product company.

 

Many suggestions were given to me for Santa Ana, so shoutout to @ItsSlothy and @LastSonOfSD for all the input!

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No real suggestions for Santa Ana; they're really top notch. Love how the subtle gradient on the jerseys works with the red & orange in the crest.

 

Sorry to say, but I'm still not feeling Circle City. The more I look at the banners on the logo, the more I feel like the only solution is to ditch one of them.

As for the jersey, I think maybe the pendulum has swung too far... Together the drifting center of the circles, the varying line weights, and the random cutoff halfway down the jersey make for the design feel kinda busy. Idk, maybe you had it right the first time and I shouldn't have have doubted it!

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On 5/3/2021 at 10:42 PM, vtgco said:

No real suggestions for Santa Ana; they're really top notch. Love how the subtle gradient on the jerseys works with the red & orange in the crest.

 

Sorry to say, but I'm still not feeling Circle City. The more I look at the banners on the logo, the more I feel like the only solution is to ditch one of them.

As for the jersey, I think maybe the pendulum has swung too far... Together the drifting center of the circles, the varying line weights, and the random cutoff halfway down the jersey make for the design feel kinda busy. Idk, maybe you had it right the first time and I shouldn't have have doubted it!

 

I'm glad that you liked Santa Ana! :)

 

For Circle City, I decided to keep the crest with the smaller circles as I was quite satisfied with it; it kinda helps differentiate the Corona team from the nearby Inland Empire and OC United roundel crests. When I was first drafting their home kit, I experimented with circles that don't drift away from the crest but that looked quite awkward; I decided to revert to the original home kit with the sublimated circle pattern. I appreciate all the feedback regarding Circle City, though!

 

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Before I continue with the next team, here is another revision for Delanteros CF with a wider eagle neck and a tweaked clash kit (with a centered crest and Nike logo):

 

Spoiler

51044396217_3c57b3c257_o.png

 

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Valley Division

Heart of California SC

Madera, California

Founded: 1996

 

51158090103_4aa01cd650_o.png

 

I had recently read about Scotland's Heart of Midlothian FC and realized that a name like that would be perfect for the Central Valley city of Madera, which just so happens to be nicknamed "The Heart of California" due to its proximity to the geographic center of California. Inspired by the Scottish team, this ancient Connecticut Hearts concept by @raysox, and the 4-H logo, the crest consists of four hearts with the team's "HoCA" initials. The shade of blue is taken directly from the Madera County seal and the shade of green taken directly from the Flag of California.

 

The blue home kit features a diagonal sash of hearts that match the diagonal orientation of Madera County. The green, two-tone clash kit references "Where the Palm Meets the Pine" on Highway 99, which symbolizes the junction of southern California palm trees and northern California pine trees. The kits are supplied by New Balance, and the sponsor is the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino.

 

Up next is Marin County!

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The two applications of hearts on those jerseys are perfect. Love the two tone top on the Clash. Only thing I would change is that those two jerseys probably wouldn't clash enough in a real application. Could always be remedied by a white Third which I'd be confident you would knock out of the park if you did Thirds too.

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On 5/5/2021 at 6:13 AM, raysox said:

Thanks for reminding me how bad the Photobucket experience is now!

Looks great, that team could fit into any existing league nicely.

 

Thank you very much!

 

Yeah, I always preferred Flickr over Photobucket personally :/

 

On 5/5/2021 at 7:24 AM, PascalHugo said:

Thanks for the inspiration my friend!

By the way, is a really cool concept this Real Santa Ana, simple modern and original. Cool work!

Keep going, and I hope to see something about outside US in the future...

 

Thanks a bunch! I'm glad that you really liked Santa Ana :)

 

As far as making some international concepts, I have thought about making teams for the Philippines (my home country) at some point. Maybe I may take that on one of these days!

 

On 5/5/2021 at 9:00 AM, MDTrey4 said:

The two applications of hearts on those jerseys are perfect. Love the two tone top on the Clash. Only thing I would change is that those two jerseys probably wouldn't clash enough in a real application. Could always be remedied by a white Third which I'd be confident you would knock out of the park if you did Thirds too.

 

I'm glad that you liked Heart of California! :)

 

I didn't want to be overly reliant on white jerseys, so I decided to make the green clash kit much lighter than it was before. I don't know if I'll be doing third jerseys just yet unfortunately, and I would have to figure out how to modify my presentation template to fit a third jersey.

 

Spoiler

51158090103_4aa01cd650_o.png

 

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It took a while for me to figure out this team's final aesthetic, but here's Marin County!

 

Northwest Division

New Albion SC of Marin

San Rafael, CA

Founded: 1996

 

51172610860_c591bbf903_o.png

 

The coasts of modern-day Marin County have a unique history involving the English explorer Sir Francis Drake, who also plundered Spanish ships off of the California coast. In 1579, Drake landed on what is now Point Reyes and claimed the area as New Albion for the English. Four centuries later, Marin County's team honors Sir Francis Drake's legacy with a crest that features the Golden Hind and Drake's coat of arms. In the team's recent redesign, Marin County officials really wanted to emphasize the county name, which now appears as the largest text on the crest.

 

The black home kit is inspired by this Golden Hind replica and its chevron patterns; I haven't had any kits with a saltire just yet, so I decided to put one here with the crest's wave pattern inside of it. The clash kit is inspired by the rainbows painted on the entrances of the Robin Williams Tunnel just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The kits are supplied by Umbro, and the sponsor is Lucasfilm.

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