San Antonio Cavalry

[Mings]

Howdy folks. This concept has actually been completed for a couple of months. It was made for the same contest that Greg (GMS1122) entered with his Copperheads concept.

The basis of the concept is in the heart of San Antonio, the Alamo, as well as the Battle of the Alamo. You have the Cavalry riding on horseback signifying "Charge" with his sword. You can see on the shield and the wordmarks the outline of the Alamo, and the insides of the A's and the R signify the windows located on it. The font is custom made. I explored a non-serifed option, but in the end, the serifed version pulled the concept together better.

As this is a concept for a relocated New Orleans Saints team, I kept the traditional colors. Even though it wouldn't seem like it, the combination of black and gold is only used by the Saints.

For the uniforms, I took inspiration from the uniforms of the Cavalry. The chevrons on the shoulders resemble the ranking patch on a soldier's uniform. This theme is also carried on to the pants. I kept my usual modern, but not too modern style with these as well. The number font is also custom made. Both sets of pants can be used with the Home jersey and the Black pants go with the Away jersey.

So what do you think? Any and all C&C is appreciated.

[Fred T. Jane]

OK, I'll be the first to bite.

Let me just say right up front that I have a B.A. in History, and my specialty is military history, and sooner or later I'm going for my M.A. in that. So if I seem to really be nitpicking, it's nothing personal, it's the way I am.

I really like the workmanship, and I realize that you're trying to mimic the Saints' colours, but the colours don't say cavalry to me, which is the same problem I had with the Ft. Worth Cavalry of the AFL.

I eyedropped a cavalry officer's uniform, and here's the colours I came up with:

Unlike what most people think, a cavalry tunic is more of a dark indigo/slate than navy blue, and the pants were a denim colour. As a result, I would have chosen those colours over the set you have now.

As for the logo, I'd work on the cavalryman more, as he's no cavalryman. The biggest thing that caught my eye was his sabre. That looks more like a mix between some sort of broadsword with the hilt of a sabre. Sabres look like this:

I'd also work on his head, as a Cavalry slouch hat looks more like this:

It's these little things that catch my eye immediately when it comes to military logos. I figured I'd point them out, since you were asking our opinions and all.

I like the inclusion of chevrons into the design, though I'd also point out some other possibilities for your design:

The Cavalry's Cross sabres insignia:

Cavalry guidons (insignia flag of a Cavalry troop/squadron)

[gueman]

That would make a kick ass set for USMA even with the Alamo shaped shield. Really just throw a bit of gray and swap the name to Army Cadets and you have a winner!

[sonks]

C'mon....black and gold is close enough. I look at a cavalry stetson they have in the U.S. Army and bam! I see black with gold accents.

Anyway, it's a great concept, the best I have seen for a San Antonio football team. Nice work!

[uniguy22]

I love the look of this entire concept but I have two gripes. The first is the horse's head. The black line betweeen the neck and the head is so thick that it sort of looks like the head is going to come off. The second thing is the R in the word Calvary. When I first saw it I thought it said Calvalay because the A and R look very similar. Other than that this is very well done. I love the uniforms, although I woudn't mind seeing some gold pants.

[BrianVlietDesign]

Howdy folks. This concept has actually been completed for a couple of months. It was made for the same contest that Greg (GMS1122) entered with his Copperheads concept.

The basis of the concept is in the heart of San Antonio, the Alamo, as well as the Battle of the Alamo. You have the Cavalry riding on horseback signifying "Charge" with his sword. You can see on the shield and the wordmarks the outline of the Alamo, and the insides of the A's and the R signify the windows located on it. The font is custom made. I explored a non-serifed option, but in the end, the serifed version pulled the concept together better.

As this is a concept for a relocated New Orleans Saints team, I kept the traditional colors. Even though it wouldn't seem like it, the combination of black and gold is only used by the Saints.

For the uniforms, I took inspiration from the uniforms of the Cavalry. The chevrons on the shoulders resemble the ranking patch on a soldier's uniform. This theme is also carried on to the pants. I kept my usual modern, but not too modern style with these as well. The number font is also custom made. Both sets of pants can be used with the Home jersey and the Black pants go with the Away jersey.

So what do you think? Any and all C&C is appreciated.

I like the logos and the colors chosen. Very nice, but I think they should've been more calvary looking colors. Such as the ones expressed before. Other then that, I love it. Keep up the good work.

[MJWalker45]

Since this was for a relocated Saints team black and gold work for me. As far as the sword, the change suggested by Fred T. Jane would make for a more accurate sword. As far as the hat, the cavalry may have had a standard hat but the hat on the rider would have been used as well. San Antonio does have a history with cavalry as it was where the Rough Riders met up for training during the Spanish-American War. But as was suggested by several folks, the true cavalry coat isn't a navy blue type jacket. However, the pants are not denim colored. They are a pale light blue with a gold stripe. The Army dress blues are based on these uniforms.

[andrewharrington]

The only issues I have are the silhouette and the text. The silhouette just needs more work. It's rough around the edges. The sword isn't quite right, same with the hat. The horse lacks definition and frankly, it looks fat. The serifs on the text are so small that you really have to look to notice them. The ambiguity of certain letters should also be fixed, like 'A's looking like 'R's and 'V's looking like 'U's.

[DomTheAthlete29]

I like the logo, and how you tied in the Alamo. The overall colors are really awesome, have have always like the way black and gold go together. Really nice job!

Dom

[BigShoop]

You have black on the away sleeves, but you dont have white on the home sleeves. Any reason?

[BallWonk]

Why all the hullaboo about U.S. cavalry colors? Isn't this team supposed to be in San Antonio? So in fact the cavalryman should represent an officer in the Texian cavalry, like William B. Travis. (And yes, it's "Texian" when referring to folks fighting for independence from Mexico around 1836.) Near as I can find, Texian soldiers pretty much wore whatever they had to wear, with uniforms where they existed established by individual fighting units. More of a collection of militias than any centrally organized army. So a civilian hat works just fine. The sword, you definitely want to curve like a real saber. A straight-bladed sword like that would be very likely to break clean off, or stick in its victim, the first time you tried to use it from horseback.

The gold cavalryman and horse actually make me think more of an equestrian statue than of an actual guy, which is another reason I prefer the colors you're using to anything based on actual cavalry uniforms, even assuming that U.S. cavalry uniforms would be appropriate for this team. I also don't mind the thick black lines running into the horse; rather than looking half-beheaded it looks more statuesque to me. This whole logo gives me a feeling that's more to do with heritage than with actual soldiers on horseback. If that makes any sense. The Alamo, the subdued metallic colors, the statuesque shape of the figures, this all seems like it's commemorating past glory than any ongoing soldiery. And I like that; it fits with San Antonio's very history-conscious civic spirit.

I love the "helmet logo" crest in particular, though I'm not sure it really works on the helmet. I mean, it doesn't not work, but it's pretty static. The rearing cavalryman has a strong sense of forward motion (or rather a sense of suspended motion -- he's poised just at the point of rushing forward). You might want to experiment with just him on the helmet. Or make a helmet logo incorporating the rearing cavalryman inside (or emerging from) the shape of a cavalry guidon. Either way would create a more dynamic, forward-moving helmet logo.

I also really like the chevron shapes you've put into the sleeves and pants cuffs, but on the black version of each I'd really rather see more contrast, with white instead of black beyond the gold chevron. But that's a purely aesthetic judgment; tastes will differ on that point.

I really like the overall look of the Saints, putting aside year-to-year variations in their uniforms. But this concept, with a few minor quibbles such as the shape of the sword, would be very much the equal of what the franchise would leave behind. Great concept.

[winghaz]

Why all the hullaboo about U.S. cavalry colors?

It's just that certain team names evoke certain colors, especially when they have historic names.

For example, imagine a team named the Patriots wearing redcoats.

Oh, wait a minute ...

[Mings]

Ball Wonk pretty much hit it on the head as far as what I was going for. Here is what I sent in as my description for the contest:

San Antonio. The first thing that comes to mind is the Alamo and its defenders. That's what my concept is based on. The San Antonio Cavalry.

The Logos:

The basic concept of the logos is utilizing the elements of the Alamo and the Cavalry Name. A Cavalry officer on horseback with sword raised signifies action, readyness and will to fight and defend. The wordmarks utilize the shape of the Alamo and if you look closely the insides of the A's represent the windows on the Alamo. The star is also in there to signify the Lone Star State without being over the top. The shape of the logo is also reminiscient of a unit badge on the shoulders of a soldier. The colors remain black and gold to reflect upon the history of the Saints and that color combinations relative uniqueness to the NFL (the Saints are the only team with black-gold).

The Uniforms:

Partly based on a soldiers uniform, they are modernistic, yet not overly done. The striping on the sleeves suggest a ranking patch, and that shape is also carried out on the bottom of the pants. The numbers follow the font that is used in the Cavalry name.

With this package the Saints can move to San Antonio and become the Defenders of the Pride of the City. It embraces the past and looks to the future at the same time.

Thanks for the C&C so far, and I plan on reworking the wordmark font, as well as some other things. Keep the C&C coming.

[Fred T. Jane]

Why all the hullaboo about U.S. cavalry colors? Isn't this team supposed to be in San Antonio? So in fact the cavalryman should represent an officer in the Texian cavalry, like William B. Travis. (And yes, it's "Texian" when referring to folks fighting for independence from Mexico around 1836.) Near as I can find, Texian soldiers pretty much wore whatever they had to wear, with uniforms where they existed established by individual fighting units. More of a collection of militias than any centrally organized army. So a civilian hat works just fine. The sword, you definitely want to curve like a real saber. A straight-bladed sword like that would be very likely to break clean off, or stick in its victim, the first time you tried to use it from horseback.

Whilst Travis and some Texian Cavalry (all 60 of them! Though to be picky, if they were dismounted cavalry, they would be considered dragoons. Hmm... San Antonio Dragoons? I'd prefer Curiassers, but that's ahistorical.) were at the Alamo, there are few people outside of the State of Texas (Nowadays, it's more native Texans than the people moving there) who would realise that. If you ask Joe Six-Pack about cavalry, the majority of references would be to (1) John Wayne's The Horse Soldiers, (2) Custer getting smacked at Little Big Horn, and (3) the TV series F-Troop

Whilst I'll concede that Travis' men wore a mismash of outfits (more befitting of the fact that they were scouts, not true cavalry), the Republic of Texas tried desperately to issue uniforms to its soldiers during the War for Independance. However, during the Republic of Texas' existance, the Army did have specific cavalry uniform regulations, resulting in the following uniforms:

Of course, there would be large outcries from certain groups (which shall remain nameless... ) if Texian Cavalry would be used, so the safest thing to go with would be the traditional US Cavalry style, as (1) it's an appealing colour scheme, and (2) it resonates well with popular culture images.

Of course, all of this is superflous, as Tom Benson is too much of an oxygen thief to care about his team's image to change it when he moves it to San Antonio, much less actually get uniforms to actually have the same colours throughout...

[Mings]

I figured I would give this a bump to get some more C&C before I revise it tomorrow.

[L-Train33]

I love the concept of everything youve got there. Ill agree with the comments that the R looks too much like the A. All the history majors here may have a point about the colors. And that is something you can expand on and add as you go. But I also like the colors you have now. If this package does need any work, its not too much. Great job!

[walkdesign]

Howdy folks. This concept has actually been completed for a couple of months. It was made for the same contest that Greg (GMS1122) entered with his Copperheads concept.

The basis of the concept is in the heart of San Antonio, the Alamo, as well as the Battle of the Alamo. You have the Cavalry riding on horseback signifying "Charge" with his sword. You can see on the shield and the wordmarks the outline of the Alamo, and the insides of the A's and the R signify the windows located on it. The font is custom made. I explored a non-serifed option, but in the end, the serifed version pulled the concept together better.

As this is a concept for a relocated New Orleans Saints team, I kept the traditional colors. Even though it wouldn't seem like it, the combination of black and gold is only used by the Saints.

For the uniforms, I took inspiration from the uniforms of the Cavalry. The chevrons on the shoulders resemble the ranking patch on a soldier's uniform. This theme is also carried on to the pants. I kept my usual modern, but not too modern style with these as well. The number font is also custom made. Both sets of pants can be used with the Home jersey and the Black pants go with the Away jersey.

So what do you think? Any and all C&C is appreciated.

I think you did a nice job here, but forget San Antonio... these should be the Sainst new uniforms. Get the fluer de lis and work it in the with a new wordmark and I think your cooking with gas!

[quantum]

I think an existing team relocating to a new city would add a color or switch up their colors altogether. Plus, I don't think the old gold would be used as an outer trim on the main logo. If you did use your current logo as is, I think the logo would be trimmed in white if used on a black helmet.

As for the uniforms, I like the design used. Both the chevron and pant striping used is rather unique.

[BlueSky]

I think the "concept" of the Saints relocating sucks!

With that said, this is a nice uni concept. The only thing that jumped out at me was the back of the horseman's head. It's presumably the hat and hair but looks like the profile of a man wearing a baseball cap, so the effect is a guy in a ballcap with a sword on a horse looking back over his shoulder.

Oh yeah, and one other thing. Sure reminds me of this, which happens to be Jackson Square in New Orleans.

[Mings]

So yeah, I have decided to turn it into a baseball concept, since I have a UL team now (it would become their identity next year). As of right now I have worked on the wordmark to make it look much better. I haven't really done much with the logo itself as I am stuck on it. I know the sword, hat and horse need work, but I don't know how to go about it. I have tried a bit today, but it all ended up looking worse. If one of you would like to step in thats cool by me. If you have ideas for a hat logo, I would definitely be up to hearing them.

Anyways here is the revamped concept so far:

This one has the Alamo worked into the wordmark a bit.

I'm leaning towards this one though, it is cleaner.

I was wanting to get your guys' opinion since I have a couple days off from work with nothing (and no one) to do now, so yeah....

Thanks in advance dudes.