USFL 2023 - Uniforms and Logos

[gosioux76]

30 minutes ago, LogoFan said:

 

You asked how that Stallion would work on a helmet. If they're trying to go for a full recreation of the old USFL, I would assume they'll end up trotting out a full-body horse that will go on the helmet, much like the original.

 

 

[LogoFan]

2 minutes ago, gosioux76 said:

 

You asked how that Stallion would work on a helmet. If they're trying to go for a full recreation of the old USFL, I would assume they'll end up trotting out a full-body horse that will go on the helmet, much like the original.

 

 

 

But that's the unknown.  We really don't know if they'll use the entire horse like the original version did on both the helmet and logo-wordmarks, or if it will be the head only.

[SFGiants58]

I’m disappointed that there’s no San Antonio Gunslingers. The world needed a trash fire team akin to the original Gunslingers, complete with chairs on a running track.

[MJWalker45]

1 hour ago, LogoFan said:

I wonder if Brandon Williams has seen this as it looks like a direct rip-off of his logo design for the A11FL Bandits.

Not direct. His is better. 

[BengalErnst]

1 hour ago, LogoFan said:

I wonder if Brandon Williams has seen this as it looks like a direct rip-off of his logo design for the A11FL Bandits.

Agreed. Rip off of it, but idk if he has any leverage with it coming from an original USFL team in the first place. 
 

The Stars logo is the league’s  worst. Looks like clip art. Breakers, stallions and Gamblers are the top three 

[Dilbert]

1 hour ago, SFGiants58 said:

I’m disappointed that there’s no San Antonio Gunslingers. The world needed a trash fire team akin to the original Gunslingers, complete with chairs on a running track.

Well the San Antonio Gunslingers name is now being used in the NAL indoor football league

 

[Sodboy13]

1 hour ago, SFGiants58 said:

I’m disappointed that there’s no San Antonio Gunslingers. The world needed a trash fire team akin to the original Gunslingers, complete with chairs on a running track.

Good news - this league is about to bring you eight of them.

 

[SFGiants58]

1 minute ago, Sodboy13 said:

Good news - this league is about to bring you eight of them.

 

[4_tattoos]

Going to be honest after the AAF and 2nd XFL came in went in the last 2 years, I just can't get excited about any part of this. Between The Spring League, the new USFL and the 3rd XFL the whole spring pro football niche is becoming crowded. 

 

but FWIW I like that Michigan Panther logo the best of the bunch.

[Cujo]

Quote

 

Man, there was wayyyy too much red going on here

 

 

  

6 hours ago, ScubaSteve said:

Both the AAF and XFL (second iteration) were quite popular in their recent attempts. The former folded due to RUNNING OUT OF MONEY, and the latter due to RUNNING OUT OF MONEY.

 

Corrected.

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

I can nitpick with the best of them, and I know that that is what we do here. Still, I am surprised at the reactions I am seeing.

 

While I would have been happy with all teams using original logos, as the Houston Gamblers are doing, these modernisations to me are as good as the new version of the Blue Jays' logo, which got almost unanimous praise here.

 

If someone were to beat a complaint out of me, I suppose that I would say that the new Birmingham Stallions logo has the least in common with the aesthetic of the original, which had a stately and almost patrician feel to it. The new logo and wordmark lack that grandeur; but at least the letterforms, while slightly too modernistic for the brand, are not in themselves unattractive.

 

Recent leagues have had the occasional team with an outstandingly beautiful logo, in a very mixed field: the San Francisco Demons, the Atlanta Legends, the St. Louis Battlehawks.  This league has eight teams with logos that meet or approach that level of quality, without a single clunker in the bunch.

[LogoFan]

3 hours ago, MJWalker45 said:

Not direct. His is better. 

 

True, his was better.  What I meant when I called it a direct ripoff was the horse's pose (just changed which leg was bent and which is extended), and everything else is like a trace of a poor-quality copy. 

[ScubaSteve]

1 hour ago, Cujo said:

Corrected.

 

C-correct, those issues did cause them to then run out of money....(?)

[Cujo]

59 minutes ago, ScubaSteve said:

C-correct, those issues did cause them to then run out of money....(?)

 

XFL 2.0 seemed to be hanging in. Plus. an unpredictable global pandemic did contribute them to folding. I'll give you that.

 

However, the AAF was dead on arrival. Never scored a big tv contract. Smaller markets (compared to XFL). Zero buzz after Week 1. Never stood a chance.

[MJWalker45]

15 hours ago, BBTV said:

More Stars logos:

 

They should flip the primary logo. 

[Brian in Boston]

TOP TIER USFL 2.0 LOGO PACKAGES

In my opinion, the Pittsburgh Maulers are the class visual identity of USFL 2.0. Their primary logo strikes me as the best in the league and a vast improvement over that which was sported by their USFL 1.0 counterparts. Meanwhile, their secondary is also terrific.

I'd slot the New Orleans Breakers' visual identity just behind that of the Maulers. While I'd give the edge to Pittsburgh's primary mark, that's not to say that the Breakers' main logo isn't a  tremendously effective update on the original design that graced USFL 1.0 teams in Boston, New Orleans, and Portland. I also love the simplicity of the Breakers' NOLA secondary mark.

The logo packages for these two USFL 2.0 teams are, to my mind, clearly a cut above the rest of the league.

MIDDLE TIER USFL 2.0 LOGO PACKAGES

Next up, I'd  rank the New Jersey Generals' visual identity as the third best in USFL 2.0. The subtle alterations that have been made to individual components of the Generals' visual identity make for a significant upgrade in its overall feel. The word mark is rendered in a manner that seems less "fussy" than in the original logo. Similarly, the laurel wreath in the mark is depicted in greater detail, imparting a certain strength to the device. The decision to place the five stars in a tighter configuration within - as opposed to overlapping - the wreath, makes for a visually cleaner and bolder mark. And the manner in which the Navy Blue has been added to the color scheme makes everything "pop" just a bit more.

Trailing behind New Jersey in this middle tier of USFL 2.0 logo packages are the Michigan Panthers and the Houston Gamblers. Both teams have harkened back to their USFL 1.0 roots in putting their new logo packages together, but have traveled different paths in doing so, 

The Michigan Panthers - checking in fourth in my USFL 2.0 identity rankings - have opted to alter the design of their original marks to a greater extent than Houston. Their primary mark is once again a stylized depiction of a roaring panther, with said big cat once again situated beneath the team word mark within a rectangular containment shape. As in the original version of the logo, alternating horizontal Royal Plum and Champagne Silver lines provide a backdrop for the depiction of the panther. In the new version of this mark the color balance is reversed, with the panther primarily Champagne Silver in color, rather than Royal Plum. Further, the word mark within the logo is rendered in Light Blue and Champagne Silver, as opposed to  Royal Plum and Champagne Silver.  Finally, the containment shape is now taller than it is wide, and pitched at an angle.

Frankly, there are two aspects of  the new Panthers' identity package that bother me. First, in the primary mark, I'd have preferred it if the graphic designer(s) had figured out a way to render the panther primarily in Royal Plum. Other than that, I find said logo's design to be a dynamite modernization of the Panthers' original mark. Further, in the secondary mark, I'd have liked to have seen three Light Blue stripes on each side of the M, as that would have been a nod to the three Light Blue stripes that were featured in the sleeve striping on the original Michigan Panthers' uniforms.

The Gamblers are the USFL 2.0 team that clearly made the decision to  hew as closely to their market's original visual identity as possible. That being the case, word mark font and the slightest of deviations in the shape of the State of Texas aside, the primary mark for Gamblers 2.0 is a virtual carbon copy of the original main logo. Personally, I always thought that the original Houston mark was a bit overrated, so aping it this closely here doesn't impress me much. The secondary mark, while not  necessarily pushing the envelope design-wise, is nicely rendered. All things considered, the Gamblers have turned in a safe - if unremarkable - logo package. I'd rank it fifth amongst USFL 2.0 identities.

BOTTOM TIER USFL 2.0 LOGO PACKAGES           

In my bottom tier of USFL 2.0 visual identity systems - in a dead heat, three-way tie for eighth place -  we find the Birmingham Stallions, Tampa Bay Bandits, and Philadelphia Stars.

The Birmingham Stallions can celebrate little more than the the fact that the equine mascot in their primary mark is better-rendered than the candidate for the glue factory featured in the main logo of the Tampa Bay Bandits . As LogoFan opined earlier in the thread, Birmingham's primary mark looks like it could be adorning the athletic teams at a middle school. That said, Tampa's primary mark takes the school theme a step further by resembling a homework assignment that a student poured time and effort into early on, only to forget said project's due date until the night before it was to be turned in, and was then forced to slap the final third together on the morning it was to be presented in class. Tampa Bay's  word mark is solid, if unremarkable. The bandit is more of the same. However, the horse just says, "I've grown tired of this... I'm not comfortable drawing horses... aaaaaaand, this is going to have to be good enough." The horse's mane, it's face, it's right foreleg... I don't know what to say beyond, "The old gray mare , she ain't what she used to be... and she needs to be put down."

Now, where the Stallions could use some help is in the secondary logo department. Is that supposed to be a "B", or did the folks in Birmingham know I was going to rank them co-eighth place  finishers and adopt a stylized "8" as their secondary? 

As for the Philadelphia Stars, their secondary mark is reasonably well-designed and would make a lovely addition to the identity system of a World Football League 2.0's Philadelphia Bell.     Beyond that, the team is plagued by the fact that the original USFL franchise that bore their name played three seasons (including one in Baltimore) sporting a logo that already looked dated the minute it was rolled out in 1982. Electing to pay visual homage to said identity going on 40 years later is recipe for graphic design disaster. Speaking of recipe's their old primary mark wouldn't have looked out of place on a late-1970s-to-mid-1980s fast-food restaurant marquee.  Despite being well-rendered, the same holds true for the modern update.

So, the standings as I see them...

NORTH DIVISION
Pittsburgh Maulers         10 - 0
New Jersey Generals       6 - 4    
Michigan Panthers            6 - 4 
Philadelphia Stars              1 - 9

SOUTH DIVISION
New Orleans Breakers    9 - 1
Houston Gamblers             4 - 6
Birmingham Stallions        3 - 7
Tampa Bay Bandits             1 - 9

      

[Est1980]

14 hours ago, gosioux76 said:

 

You asked how that Stallion would work on a helmet. If they're trying to go for a full recreation of the old USFL, I would assume they'll end up trotting out a full-body horse that will go on the helmet, much like the original.

 

 

 

Would much rather have this minimal-style Stallion silhouette than the new "thick-border-syndrome" logo. Not that the latter is a bad one but it has that style of horse that feels like it's been used a million times before.  Maybe if the streaking horse of the current iteration was more like the Baltimore CFLers (Stallions) streaking style with no shadows, I'd like it a little more.  Shout out to SMU & Calgary Stampeders for arguably the best silhouette- style horse logo in the game  

[LogoFan]

1 hour ago, Brian in Boston said:

TOP TIER USFL 2.0 LOGO PACKAGES

In my opinion, the Pittsburgh Maulers are the class visual identity of USFL 2.0. Their primary logo strikes me as the best in the league and a vast improvement over that which was sported by their USFL 1.0 counterparts. Meanwhile, their secondary is also terrific.

I'd slot the New Orleans Breakers' visual identity just behind that of the Maulers. While I'd give the edge to Pittsburgh's primary mark, that's not to say that the Breakers' main logo isn't a  tremendously effective update on the original design that graced USFL 1.0 teams in Boston, New Orleans, and Portland. I also love the simplicity of the Breakers' NOLA secondary mark.

The logo packages for these two USFL 2.0 teams are, to my mind, clearly a cut above the rest of the league.

MIDDLE TIER USFL 2.0 LOGO PACKAGES

Next up, I'd  rank the New Jersey Generals' visual identity as the third best in USFL 2.0. The subtle alterations that have been made to individual components of the Generals' visual identity make for a significant upgrade in its overall feel. The word mark is rendered in a manner that seems less "fussy" than in the original logo. Similarly, the laurel wreath in the mark is depicted in greater detail, imparting a certain strength to the device. The decision to place the five stars in a tighter configuration within - as opposed to overlapping - the wreath, makes for a visually cleaner and bolder mark. And the manner in which the Navy Blue has been added to the color scheme makes everything "pop" just a bit more.

Trailing behind New Jersey in this middle tier of USFL 2.0 logo packages are the Michigan Panthers and the Houston Gamblers. Both teams have harkened back to their USFL 1.0 roots in putting their new logo packages together, but have traveled different paths in doing so, 

The Michigan Panthers - checking in fourth in my USFL 2.0 identity rankings - have opted to alter the design of their original marks to a greater extent than Houston. Their primary mark is once again a stylized depiction of a roaring panther, with said big cat once again situated beneath the team word mark within a rectangular containment shape. As in the original version of the logo, alternating horizontal Royal Plum and Champagne Silver lines provide a backdrop for the depiction of the panther. In the new version of this mark the color balance is reversed, with the panther primarily Champagne Silver in color, rather than Royal Plum. Further, the word mark within the logo is rendered in Light Blue and Champagne Silver, as opposed to  Royal Plum and Champagne Silver.  Finally, the containment shape is now taller than it is wide, and pitched at an angle.

Frankly, there are two aspects of  the new Panthers' identity package that bother me. First, in the primary mark, I'd have preferred it if the graphic designer(s) had figured out a way to render the panther primarily in Royal Plum. Other than that, I find said logo's design to be a dynamite modernization of the Panthers' original mark. Further, in the secondary mark, I'd have liked to have seen three Light Blue stripes on each side of the M, as that would have been a nod to the three Light Blue stripes that were featured in the sleeve striping on the original Michigan Panthers' uniforms.

The Gamblers are the USFL 2.0 team that clearly made the decision to  hew as closely to their market's original visual identity as possible. That being the case, word mark font and the slightest of deviations in the shape of the State of Texas aside, the primary mark for Gamblers 2.0 is a virtual carbon copy of the original main logo. Personally, I always thought that the original Houston mark was a bit overrated, so aping it this closely here doesn't impress me much. The secondary mark, while not  necessarily pushing the envelope design-wise, is nicely rendered. All things considered, the Gamblers have turned in a safe - if unremarkable - logo package. I'd rank it fifth amongst USFL 2.0 identities.

BOTTOM TIER USFL 2.0 LOGO PACKAGES           

In my bottom tier of USFL 2.0 visual identity systems - in a dead heat, three-way tie for eighth place -  we find the Birmingham Stallions, Tampa Bay Bandits, and Philadelphia Stars.

The Birmingham Stallions can celebrate little more than the the fact that the equine mascot in their primary mark is better-rendered than the candidate for the glue factory featured in the main logo of the Tampa Bay Bandits . As LogoFan opined earlier in the thread, Birmingham's primary mark looks like it could be adorning the athletic teams at a middle school. That said, Tampa's primary mark takes the school theme a step further by resembling a homework assignment that a student poured time and effort into early on, only to forget said project's due date until the night before it was to be turned in, and was then forced to slap the final third together on the morning it was to be presented in class. Tampa Bay's  word mark is solid, if unremarkable. The bandit is more of the same. However, the horse just says, "I've grown tired of this... I'm not comfortable drawing horses... aaaaaaand, this is going to have to be good enough." The horse's mane, it's face, it's right foreleg... I don't know what to say beyond, "The old gray mare , she ain't what she used to be... and she needs to be put down."

Now, where the Stallions could use some help is in the secondary logo department. Is that supposed to be a "B", or did the folks in Birmingham know I was going to rank them co-eighth place  finishers and adopt a stylized "8" as their secondary? 

As for the Philadelphia Stars, their secondary mark is reasonably well-designed and would make a lovely addition to the identity system of a World Football League 2.0's Philadelphia Bell.     Beyond that, the team is plagued by the fact that the original USFL franchise that bore their name played three seasons (including one in Baltimore) sporting a logo that already looked dated the minute it was rolled out in 1982. Electing to pay visual homage to said identity going on 40 years later is recipe for graphic design disaster. Speaking of recipe's their old primary mark wouldn't have looked out of place on a late-1970s-to-mid-1980s fast-food restaurant marquee.  Despite being well-rendered, the same holds true for the modern update.

So, the standings as I see them...

NORTH DIVISION
Pittsburgh Maulers         10 - 0
New Jersey Generals       6 - 4    
Michigan Panthers            6 - 4 
Philadelphia Stars              1 - 9

SOUTH DIVISION
New Orleans Breakers    9 - 1
Houston Gamblers             4 - 6
Birmingham Stallions        3 - 7
Tampa Bay Bandits             1 - 9

      

 

Funny how tastes vary.  IMHO, I absolute hate, loathe and despise the Maulers logo.  It and it's secondary look like clip-art.  I guess I'm one of the few that actually like the original Maulers logo, which, dated as it was, kind of fit back in the day.

On the other hand, I think one of the better logos is the Stars.  I didn't hate the old logo but felt it was too dated, too busy and it just didn't stand out well on the helmet.  The new design simplifies it and makes it a little clearer...plus I kind of like the yellow-orange-red transition.  The bell logo design is okay, but making the main logo coloring "fade" looks really, really forced to me.

One thing I noticed this morning is, on top of how lazy the Gambler's secondary "H" is, the "H" font is similar but clearly doesn't match the primary "G".

All-in-all, the modernized logos underwhelm.  It's like they all have potential and were at some state from the initial concept to final execution when their refinement stopped.
 

[tBBP]

4 hours ago, MJWalker45 said:

They should flip the primary logo. 

 

But then they'd be the Philadelphia Bells...

[LogoFan]

Has anyone else noticed the inconsistency with the Mauler's logos?  The primary led me to believe they dropped silver from the color scheme because it's purple, orange and white.  But the secondary is purple, orange and silver with no white.

 

What gives? And was this an uncaught error?