My Ideas for a Milwaukee Pro Soccer Team - Updated Smelting Milwaukee Logo

[Wildcomet]

Greetings! I figured I'd post once more with some additional uniform designs. Since no one commented on the last post I'll assume the updated logo design and uniforms are all "good enough" and leave them be, but I decided to add an alternate uniform and the Goalkeepers uniform to complete the set. 

 

EDIT: I'm also reposting the main home/away kits so they can be viewed together without jumping between pages. The final logos are above each pair of kits for viewing them.

 

The alternate "Iron" uniform was me having a little fun with one of Owaya's jersey templates; it felt very Iron Man to me and since the team's new stadium will be in what is being called the Iron District it felt fitting to give the team a kit with that theme. The roundel also works well with this type of jersey design. The front has a small "Mk. ##" marking which would match the number on each jersey.

 

To make the goalkeeper kit different from the others I omitted the navy blue almost completely and focused on the sky blue and cream. It uses the same sublimated pattern on the primary home/away, albeit much smaller, this time in white to give it an almost shiny appearance. It has accent markings unique from the other kits to help it stand out as a goalkeeper uniform. I'll admit this is the first time I've ever tried to do a goalkeeper uniform so if there are rules about their appearance that I didn't follow it's because I didn't know them; all I found in researching it was that they should be visually distinctive from other uniforms the team uses.

 

 

Thanks to those who've commented on and liked posts throughout. I feel the feedback helped make what I feel is a solid design for this team, as this is the first soccer team concept I've ever done, and now I'll be waiting to see if an actual pro team comes to fruition in Milwaukee (and if so, what they end up looking like). If anyone has any thoughts on the designs I definitely welcome them, otherwise I'll probably be done with this concept unless an inspiration comes to me. Hope you all enjoy!

[VampyrRabbit]

Love the logos, both of them are excellent. As for kits, you should go all in on cream for the home - cream shirts, socks and shorts, like a wave washing away the opposition.

[Wildcomet]

On 6/13/2022 at 4:33 PM, VampyrRabbitDesign said:

Love the logos, both of them are excellent. As for kits, you should go all in on cream for the home - cream shirts, socks and shorts, like a wave washing away the opposition.

 

Thanks! I may give that a try with the home uniform. Even if it doesn't become a primary kit, it could be a fun Color Rush alternate.

[Wildcomet]

As Milwaukee's entry into the USL-C has become official for 2025 I have read and heard more discussion with fans about potential names that are more creative than "City (Nick)name" FC, and plenty of fans have taken to wanting a name referencing Iron (the team's stadium is being built in what's been named the Iron District) so I had this idea for another concept. I am not terribly familiar with Soccer naming conventions, but I have the impression that there is a tradition for naming teams after industries or occupations associated with the city so I think this fits.

 

Milwaukee is the home to Harley Davidson, and motorcycle parts are typically cast rather than forged, so I focused my identity on that method of metal manufacturing. I went for the idea of pouring the molten metal into a soccer ball mold, encased in a metal roundel. The secondary logos are just pulling the mold out of the roundel.

 

 

C & C is always appreciated. I hope you all enjoy!

[fortunat1]

There's a lot to like about this concept. The colors and Iron District inspiration are great and really feel connected to the city.

 

The only tweaks I would make would be to have the iron fill the mold completely, or opt for a black/darker grey for the mold. I think the top half of the M could get lost against the other grey.

 

I also really like how the iron is being poured into the mold, but don't think that the top text should be separated. If there was a workaround that could maintain the iron stream, but also use an uninterrupted "SMELTING" script, that would be ideal.

[Wildcomet]

On 11/22/2022 at 1:49 PM, fortunat1 said:

There's a lot to like about this concept. The colors and Iron District inspiration are great and really feel connected to the city.

 

The only tweaks I would make would be to have the iron fill the mold completely, or opt for a black/darker grey for the mold. I think the top half of the M could get lost against the other grey.

 

I also really like how the iron is being poured into the mold, but don't think that the top text should be separated. If there was a workaround that could maintain the iron stream, but also use an uninterrupted "SMELTING" script, that would be ideal.

 

Thanks, I appreciate it! I tried the couple of tweaks you mentioned and when I get them done I'll share the update. The more filled ball is definitely looking better. I'm trying to experiment with the text more. I think I found an improvement in moving the text to the outer ring, and adding more bolts in the inner ring so it isn't too empty. I just need to find the best balance and placement for those elements so the logo doesn't get too busy.

[MilSox]

I keep saying.... Milwaukee Iron FC. No need to overthink it. I feel like that or MKE Iron FC or Milw Iron FC would fit better on your design.

 

I love the colors though and the overall concept. You've definitely got something here!

[Wildcomet]

On 11/27/2022 at 3:50 PM, NicDB said:

I keep saying.... Milwaukee Iron FC. No need to overthink it. I feel like that or MKE Iron FC or Milw Iron FC would fit better on your design.

 

I love the colors though and the overall concept. You've definitely got something here!

Thanks, appreciate the compliments!

 

That's a fair point; I avoided that name in part because of the old Milwaukee Iron arena football team. I don't know the status of that trademark so I decided to just avoid it. 

[Wildcomet]

Here's an updated version of my Smelting Milwaukee FC logo concept.

 

I increased the fill of molten iron in the soccer ball, moved the text to the now wider outer ring, and to re-fill the space in the inner ring, I added more of the bolt heads from the first version.

 

 

[MilSox]

23 hours ago, Wildcomet said:

Thanks, appreciate the compliments!

 

That's a fair point; I avoided that name in part because of the old Milwaukee Iron arena football team. I don't know the status of that trademark so I decided to just avoid it. 

 

I'm not a laywer. But I'm quite sure the AFL Milwaukee Iron abandoned the trademark when they bought the rights to the Milwaukee Mustangs. I'm also told that Seattle Sounders FC skirted trademark issues with the original Seattle Sounders by adding the FC.

[Brian in Boston]

A quick check via the United States Patent and Trademark Office's Trademark Electronic Search System reveals that Harley-Davidson filed an application to secure ownership of the phrase Milwaukee Iron back in August of 2019, with said application being published for opposition in May of 2020. As one would expect, Harley-Davidson was seeking use of said LIVE trademark in relation to the manufacture, marketing, and sales of "[m]otorcycles and structural parts thereof".

Whether Harley-Davidson would put up a fight over a USL Championship side seeking to dub itself Milwaukee Iron FC is an open question.