Milwaukee bucks concept

[Sterling84]

My posts are getting more longwinded every week, so I'll try to keep this short.  I do want to layout the history of this concept for y'all though.

I hate the current Bucks scheme from head to toe.  Over the last few years, I wasn't designing, but I was thinking about how to fix it.

I did some sketches and roughly worked it up in IA format.  By happenstance, the company I worked with at that time was doing some work for George Karl's charity.  I had an opportunity to meet him several times and got brave enough to ask him to look at my logo ideas.  Astonishingly, he said "sure".  The links below are what I showed him.  Unfortunately, I wish I could go back and do them properly.  He still liked them, but not with a "let's implement this" type passion you know??  So here they sit, on my PC for a long while now.  I don't want this to be so structured or annoying as the Tampa Bay Lightning post, but if any of you have suggestions, I'd be happy to listen and try to use them.  Feel free to take what I've got and change it all up too..

There are some things, like all old artwork left behind, that I just hate about this concept.  I was sloppy and didn't think it out well.

Conversely, I absolute love parts of it too.

I replaced the forest green with an even darker green.. I call it "Bucks Black Forest"  I wanted to show motion with the animal since our current one looks mounted and half-human.  I wanted to showcase the beauty of the "cage" the antlers form and make it clear that it references a white-tail.

Before anyone tears me apart on the unis....I designed these strongly based on the old, now new, Pistons uniforms.  But I swear on my Grandpa's grave, I did it before Detroit switched back.  I loved those old ones, and although I am glad they are back in use, that kind of squashes my idea a little.

Just so you know, no matter which end of the TBL thing you sat on, I really loved seeing others take posted ideas and add their own elements to them.  If the mood hits you, go nuts on mine.  I was very intent on keeping it to two colors, plus white...but I'm not real good with color sometimes so like I said...have at.

If by fate or chance I get a second go round with the Bucks, I won't use anything without permission from the artist(s).

PS - George granted my favor at his house.  And dude had PBR in the fridge.  How cool is he??  I know the Worlds and the Bucks collapse has really tarnished his public shine in the years since, but he's a super nice guy and I've never met anyone with a passion for hoops like him.  He likely wont be here long, but I hope he recharges and whoops tail somewhere else someday.

http://www.north18.com/images/bucks_logo.jpg

http://www.north18.com/images/bucks_logo2.jpg

http://www.north18.com/images/bucks_logo3.jpg

[tajmccall]

This is a nice improvement from the current purple and green nightmare they adorn, but the colors are a wee bit blah. Maybe i just cant see the green, im not sure. I understand they are woodsy, and i love when the colors make sence, or at least are partly congruent to the subject. So im undecided i guess.

I think the wordmark and unifomrs are nice, pretty simple and thats always classy and safe.

The head logo is very strong, and id like to see that be the main logo, somethin about the deers legs maybe?

But this is really nice, a great NBA concept, and is something that is leaps and bounds better than the current. im glad you didnt automatically throw the multi tone stripes down the sides or some other retro fitting as well.

Great Job

[Discrim]

as a bucks fan, i like the logo a lot cus i can tell that it's a buck.  the current logo looks like whoever did it got lazy with the snout (or got lazy period)...however, i am apparently in the minority when i say i like the current colors.  i'd like to see green as the primary, though.  but nice touch with the "oregon 'green'" ::

[Sterling84]

THanks guys.

It is blah...in many many ways.  I just set up a stupid challenge for myself in making it out of few colors as possible, and yet a 3/4 view in 3-D.

I was going for...and this has always confused me...is an update to the original Bango buck...the little reindeer.  He was goldish in color, but the uniforms never reflected that, not for 20 years not a touch of that brownish gold.  So I brought that in.

Discrim, I am actually glad to hear someone say they like the current colors.  I've never heard anyone say that before so maybe I'm in the minority.  A little crazy man on the corner action.

Here's the thing guys..the purple, green, and silver...they are all middle ground colors.  There are no highs and lows (save white) and no contrast.  The home unis are the best cause the white automatically gives you contrast.  But then green virtually disappears by default.

Secondly, counting the Bucks, 7 teams feature...not just use, but feature purple in the NBA.  Thats nearly 1/4 of the league.  By my best count, only 7 other teams in baseball, hockey and football combined wear purple.  And every other team in the NBA uses it more effectively than we do...to depict something royal, or southwestern etc..

It's just sad is all.  Our updates look exactly like the Nugs and the Kings updates of the same period.  Like you said...lazy lazy lazy.  It's like no one even put any time into it or fought for it.  "What man...purple sells to little inner city kids...look at Charlotte.  Just put them in purple".

'Preciate the feedback though.  Thanks.

[STL FANATIC]

The green is too dark, and I don't think the Antlers are prominent enough. It's still really nice though.

I just saw another awesome concept from someone else on the board for the Bucks. Maybe he'll get around to posting it sometime.

[NewYawkSeahawk]

ABSOLUTELY LOVE the type Font!

[GMS1122]

awesome job here, i like it a ton. i agree the green is too dark though. my only other dislike is the antlers, something just doesnt seem right about them. i cant pick it out quite yet. either way you look, you've done a fantastic job, keep up the good work

[Snowcap30]

wow great work. there hasnt been many concepts around here for a while and this just gave the board a boost. i like the buck head but i think the whole body is a little too much. i love the jerseys and the woodmark as well. great work!

[Moser316]

The wordmark is god-like, and I really dig the uniform designs

[amare32]

I agree w/ the last caller.  The wordmark and unis are very strong.  I'm not sold on the buck logo, tho.  The fluffy white tail was off-putting.  It's well rendered, but I can't see it as an NBA logo.  Still, you're certainly on track w/ the rest of the concept.  Great work.

[whchoclte]

I had this concept done for a while for one of my fantasy teams and took it further into a Bucks concept.

I stuck with the old Dark Green and Red added tan and tried for a new look.  The word mark isnt teh greatest but didnt have much time for it.  I do also have the deer head on its own angling down in the back.  

I didnt knwo where to post and Sterling said post here so take a peek and let me know.

http://hometown.aol.com/whchoclte/bucksconcept.html

As for Sterlings design, I like the action of the deer and the wordmark.  I am not fond of the dark colors, almost drowns it out.  I think if refined and lightened up it can work very well, Kudos.

[Discrim]

whchoclte's logo is good too, mainly for the reason that like sterling's logo, it looks like a buck instead of a pug with antlers.

[Sterling84]

Great work whchoclte

I really like some of whats going on with your concept.

Regarding the antlers that someone brought up:

It was actually one of my main focuses to show them how they are.  I know there isn't enough hilight to bring them out effectively.  So often, when you see antlers they are exaggerated for coolness level....as in whchoclte's, bambi's dad, and countless other uses.

I was intent on making it clear that our mascot is a white-tailed deer.  15 minutes outside the city and that's all anyone cares about here.  I find it interesting that technically the term "Buck" or "Bull" really relates to no specific species but is a sexual designation.  There are Bull Moose, Bull Elk, etc.  But Chicago is just the Bulls.  White-tails and also Mule Deer have unique antlers that curl up and out while forward.  All other large game animals...Moose, Elk, Caribou have antlers that extend up and to the back.  So I wanted to show from a 3/4 view the architectual aspects occuring in our beloved whitetails.  Perhaps too ambitious for a sports logo.

Everyone who has ever seen it has echoes all your sentiments though that the head alone is far more powerful.

I appreciate the workmark props.  It's an entirely custom font with two versions...a wide font for BUCKS and a tall font for the whole alphabet to accomodate MILWAUKEE and all the player last names.

I took a root font....I cant remember which, and modified every letter.  It was fun.

So anyways, that would be my comment is that whchoclte's rocks but it slips away from being recognizeable as a white tail.

But its still hard core.  I might take a stab at it if you dont mind.

[whchoclte]

See that remains the problem, If you go out and just use the head as everyone likes and suggests you lose the tail and it becomes just another deer.  But then again if you use the whole body it gets kind of long winded and not as strong.

The trade off must be between realism and a cool logo that the fans will love.  Hopefully thatcan be accomplish.  I gave it a shot.

[NewYawkSeahawk]

whchochlte's logo with Sterlings word mark would be a SOLID Combination!

[bosox]

I really like your logo and uniform idea. The only thing I would change is to not use the full deer/buck as a logo, just the head. Maybe a little lighter green?

[tajmccall]

whcho-

i like the direction you are going there, but whats the stevie wonder the buck is doing, he looks a tad 'special'

But the production is solid. Im not sure i like that bright red with the colors, maybe more of a brick red?

id love to see some unis as well.

good job

[Brian in Boston]

Very nice work... BOTH whchoclte and Sterling84! I think that whchoclte's "buck" is phenomenal, and I agree with his assessment that there needs to be a "trade-off" between "realism and a cool logo". A better word would be compromise. Sterling84, whether consciously or not, has already made such a compromise: despite his attempt not to exaggerate the antlers for effect, he does allow himself to show the white-tail gritting his teeth menacingly in what I refer to as the "Louisville Cardinal Snarl Mouth".

The only reason I bring this up is that I think both of you have done outstanding work here, and I would hate to see either of you get so caught up in attempting to capture some sort of "photorealistic" effect in your design, that you handcuff yourselves creatively. There's a fine line between realistically rendering a figure in a logo and slavishly trying to capture every minute detail.

Brian in Boston

[Cuss16]

This is very very nice!

[CDunn]

I think Sterlings has incredible potential to be more than NBA worthy.  First, the font is great.  Awesome job.  Now here is what I'd change:

1.  Make the green lighter.  Maybe something in the range of whchoclte's green.  I can't even tell your is green.  It looks like black and brown to me.  Like you said, you need high's and lows in colors, and these are both really dark colors.  I'd definately go for a lighter green.

2.  I like the idea of a full body logo for the main logo.  A lot of designs have a full body for just the main logo and use the head for basically everything else.  For example, the Bucknell Bison have a main logo which has a full bodied bison, but on everything else, like football helmets, hockey jerseys, etc. they use the Bison's head with the B logo.  Another example is the Gwinnett Gladiators.  Their main logo is a Gladiator where you see his full arm and down to his chest.  However on the unis, they just use the head.  Main logos can look good with a full-bodied look, as long as you don't use the full body on the gear and such.  My Webdav challenge design has a full bodied main, but the head is the logo on the jerseys.  

 I don't really like how your full bodied buck goes to a point.  Just doesn't look right.  I'd recommend legs.  With just the point style, the tail looks like it's just pinned on there and looks out of place.

The second point calls for a big change with adding legs while not making it look like an after thought, but if you do that and lighten the green, your golden.