Washington Commanders to debut new NFL identity

[gosioux76]

I said something yesterday about how all the name leaks helped me get acclimated to the name "Washington Commanders."

 

Well, nothing could have prepared me for these horrendous uniforms. Just abysmal.

 

Also, is it possible the W on the front of the black helmet is an attempt to mimic a Navy fighter pilot helmet? I'm not entirely familiar with military uniforms to know. 

[MJWalker45]

23 minutes ago, LordBigMad said:

That "W" logo is one of those things that skirts between 3D and 2D and bugs the hell out of my eyes.

 

I'm in the same boat as everyone else though. The awful that is these new Commanders uniforms is completely on par with the 2014-2019 Browns and Buccaneers uniforms. Wow they're bad.

Those at least had a single idea, these look like three separate groups designed each version of the uniform.

[tron1013]

27 minutes ago, Pharos04 said:

I can’t get over the Black helmet! The W on the front just seems so tacky. It’s like they saw Dartmouth and went “that looks fire” without understand what makes it so iconic. It’s closer to the Arizona Hotshots but that at least worked.

 

I’d call these a train wreck but train wrecks have some semblance of cohesion. These are just awful.

 

If the Badgers jumped off a bridge, I feel comfortable assuming Dan Snyder would too. 

[infrared41]

Comrades fans, allow us to introduce you to Nike.

 

 

[Digby]

Seems clear that Nike/NFL have fully bought into the notion of soccer-ish clash kits ... no more color-swaps for aways or alternates, different templates and color schemes instead. We've now seen it with these guys and the two LA teams and I'd expect it for more rebrands than not going forward.

 

What sticks out to me here is that roundel crest. The concept is fine but something about the execution just feels like a design student project that has the fundamentals down but not quite the finesse. The "Commanders" wordmark seems amateurish, like it's a free font from the web somewhere and not one you'd see on such a high-profile client.

[Ridleylash]

The entire Commanders rebrand summed up in one .gif;

[Old School Fool]

12 minutes ago, FinsUp1214 said:

Honestly, if a 90-year old franchise is going this far off the rails with the removal of the one-helmet rule, there’s a part of me that’s worried for any future rebrand from any team at all. I don’t think I can trust teams to not look at this and get wild ideas they shouldn’t be running with. 
 

Give it five years and we’ll have a game with Arizona in a copper helmet vs Minnesota in a black helmet. That of course isn’t anything I’m rooting for, but I think that could be where we’re headed. The NFL unlocked the door, and Washington just kicked it down.

 

These uniforms would not have happened if the team name didn't change. If they were still [REDACTED] then they probably would have brought out the Lombardi Era throwback again.

 

 

Most importantly, this stuff is only happening because Dan Snyder is a piece of trash. I'm glad they changed their name but any other team would've done this sensibly.

[tBBP]

Aaannnd the drivel is out about the gradient. I was only half-right about it being flag inspired, but I was onto something about the "motion effect:"

 

Quote

Additionally, the numbers for the away jerseys now include a gradient design, which is the first of its kind in the league. It helps to emphasize the forward-moving theme of the uniforms, which is a tribute to a city born of innovation, paying tribute to the pioneering ideas of individuals such as Charles L'Enfant and Benjamin Banneker who helped build Washington, DC.

The away uniforms also feature a black outline around the numbers, which paved the way for…

 

See the rest of the "inspiration" details here.

 

28 minutes ago, oldschoolvikings said:

Monochrome.  Told ya.

 

Alternative helmet just for the sake of having one.  Told ya. (Just the start... You wanted second helmet options? Congratulations.)

 

Oh it gets better, my friend...from the same article:

 

"The black helmets feature the DC flag on the back of the helmet is what was inspired by the "follow-me" stripe on military helmets that was meant to help a group of forces know where their leader was on the battlefield. It also stands as a symbol that honors and celebrates the DC community. The numbers on the sides of the helmets, which was a feature fans liked about the Washington Football Team helmets, are the largest visual identity element."

 

So there you have it, folks, straight from the team website.

 

(Also, note: the league itself, not Nike, maintains creative control over team logos and helmets, so we really can't fault the swoosh on this one--though we certainly can blame the swoosh for their influence. )

 

Overall, Imma be straight: I don't find these uniforms to be horrible; I do, however, find the aways and alternates, along with certain details and of course the marketing drivel speak, to be unnecessary. The burgundy homes are solid by themselves, though I would have liked to see the sleeve stripes also applied to the pants and maybe even the helmet (albeit in thinner guise). I also really like their new primary W.  (For those who think that took five minutes to do, try coming up with an apparel logo that's sharp, simple, scalable, and translates legibly across all types of media--print, screen, and textile--and see how easy it is. Fifteen years in this game and I can't tell you it ain't.) And I absolutely LOVE the rounded logo...that to me is thr best thing to come out of this whole process, and I can just about bet will become a standard bearer for future team rebrandings. (Eyes on you, Arizona...you're on deck. Shoot, you, too, Tennessee.)

 

If I had to rank this overall identity, it wouldn't be dead-last for sure (especially while the Snatit and Rams still exist in current guise.)

[BrySmalls]

11 minutes ago, CS85 said:

 

Ever since Commanders leaked weeks ago, Commies was totally being bandied about, even on a particular podcast.  Heh.  The WashingtonNFL subreddit is embracing the Communist memes for now while they prepare to overdose on their medications of choice.

 

The black shiny helmet is just...it's a kick to the nuts.  The rest of the design is garbage, but then you float the BFBS crap, AND a BFBS helmet that's ALSO shiny, while your main helmet is matte.

 

This is a nightmare.  The more I look at this the more I hate it.  I want the entire franchise identity to be mercy-drowned in a shallow creek.

 

I can only imagine that those subreddits are having a field day now. 

 

11 minutes ago, infrared41 said:

 

It's Comrades, comrade.

 

хорошо (OK), Comrade. 

[jgiff17]

There have been several concepts with this name that look 10000000 times better than these. The main jersey is fine but no pant stripes wtf and the helmet stripes should match the home jersey stripes. It’s like Nike took ALLLLLL their crazy ideas from pro and college for the last decade and figured out ways to implement them in to all of these jerseys. Be on the lookout for a yellow jersey next year. The only great thing Nike has done is to revert the Bucs back to their initial look. Crazy. 

[infrared41]

Put a W on this helmet and call it a day.

 

[bushy]

Name doesn’t bother me but I don’t like the uniforms. 
 

or the alternate logo 

[DEAD!]

14 minutes ago, Ridleylash said:

If we don't hear the Soviet anthem breaking out at Washington Commies games, it will be highly disappointing. 

Mikhail Gorbachev's revenge. 

[MJWalker45]

10 minutes ago, tron1013 said:

 

If the Badgers jumped off a bridge, I feel comfortable assuming Dan Snyder would too. 

These at least looked good. That tiny W on the front of the helmet makes no sense. 

[WBeltz]

Honestly, I really liked the Washington Football Team name/branding. I know they were essentially the leftovers of the [REDACTED] name and image. But the name was ironically, funny & very soccer esque. But if you think about it, the numbers on the helmet were a great look, and it still retained the classic look that was left over from the [REDACTED] and it didn't hurt anybody in that essence. 

[infrared41]

4 minutes ago, tBBP said:

Additionally, the numbers for the away jerseys now include a gradient design, which is the first of its kind in the league. It helps to emphasize the forward-moving theme of the uniforms, which is a tribute to a city born of innovation, paying tribute to the pioneering ideas of individuals such as Charles L'Enfant and Benjamin Banneker who helped build Washington, DC.

The away uniforms also feature a black outline around the numbers, which paved the way for…

 

5 minutes ago, tBBP said:

"The black helmets feature the DC flag on the back of the helmet is what was inspired by the "follow-me" stripe on military helmets that was meant to help a group of forces know where their leader was on the battlefield. It also stands as a symbol that honors and celebrates the DC community. The numbers on the sides of the helmets, which was a feature fans liked about the Washington Football Team helmets, are the largest visual identity element."

 

Dear Nike,

 

off with this nonsense.

 

All the best,

infrared41

 

[Lights Out]

So apparently the hip new fad is to have uniforms that don't match each other and look like they're from completely different teams? Thanks again, Rams. 

 

I can handle the maroon jersey and even the BFBS alternate, but that white jersey is utterly appalling. It looks like an ugly Christmas sweater. What on Earth were they thinking with that?

[Est1980]

59 minutes ago, Ridleylash said:

Oh dear lord, you've got to be :censored:ing kidding me. How the  do you not have all your branding sorted out before you reveal the damn brand?

 

Creating a fight-song in modern times? Good luck with that.  Fight songs that still exist (PHI, CHI, MIA, etc) have been been "grandfathered" into the fabric of those teams through time, shielded from ridicule by the armor of tradition.   'HTTR' was one of those fight songs (RIP).  I think it's easier to adopt a song like the Bills have with "Shout" or something that isn't hokey-ra-ra, otherwise you'll end up with some cringy fight song like Real Salt Lake. 

[cajunaggie08]

For any of you who are fans of reality tv competition shows, you may recognize the new Commanders logo from The Challenge on MTV

 

 

[CS85]

Looks like a set of child pajamas or a bad halloween costume.