Reviving Arena Football (Arizona, Iowa Added)

[LAWeaver]

Here's the updated Dallas DESPERADOS look with a few drafts that were left on the cutting room floor. I might revisit Dallas at a later point as I experiment with color schemes to help every team stand out from one another.

 

 

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Spoiler

 

[LAWeaver]

Back at it again with two of the most iconic brands in Arena Football.

 

ARIZONA RATTLERS

(Current Identity)

 

Arguably THE most successful franchise in Arena Football history. Over the last 30+ years, the Arizona Rattlers have only missed the playoffs three times in their 30+ year history, winning five Arena Bowls and even an IFL championship in their first year in the league. Following the league's bankruptcy, the Rattlers returned by reaching the Arena Bowl five times in their last seven seasons, winning three in a row from 2012-14 before jumping ship to the IFL. 

 

The Rattlers cleaned-up their 90s inspired look in 2012 and honestly, I think it's damn near perfect. My only changes involve the color scheme and some minor adjustments to the diamondback pattern on the snake. I went back and forth on how to present the logo (all teal? All copper?) but ultimately decided to show it off this way. I think the teal snake just pops better than the copper, although copper will still play a significant role in the uniforms later on. Like most of the league up to this point, only minor adjustments were needed, in my opinion.

 

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IOWA BARNSTORMERS

(Current Identity)

The team that famously put Kurt Warner on the map. During the team's initial run in the mid-to-late 90s, the Barnstormers compiled a solid 61-32 overall record, reaching the Arena Bowl twice in back-to-back seasons, and attracting over half a million fans over the course of six seasons. When the team returned to the AFL in the post-bankruptcy era, the "new" Barnstormers were just a shell of their formers selves. Iowa would miss the playoffs in each of their next five seasons, compiling a 31-57 record before moving to the IFL, where they have found moderate success and even won the 2018 championship over Sioux Falls.

 

Once you really begin to look at the Barnstormers' primary logo, you realize that it's quite a mess. Large wordmark, wings, plane, arena, skyline, roundel... It's too much. For this redesign, I isolated the plane from the logo and swapped some of the colors to remove all traces of white. I think this was the best course to take short of a complete overhaul of the brand. Let me know your thoughts!