Buffalo Sabres Crest Rebrand Concept

[leggman01]

skye - these changes have improved the logo's drastically, in my opinion - i agree with the changes you are going to make...get that gold/yellow right and thin the outlines a bit (they look a bit to chunky right now) and i think you've got a logo that could realistically be utilized by an nhl team...now the trick is getting them to see it!

[cward]

Thanks for all the input guys. Had a little spare time to edit the logo.

Here is the latest revision...

1. New gold to match original era

2. Thinner outlines

3. Eliminated bottom part of sabre butt to streamline the silhouette

4. Slightly darker, more saturated red for the eyes

Note, the one color, dark background version, just pretend the white offset path is thicker...just noticed that.

Also, if I find some time tomorrow, I'll try to post a version with the swords facing up.

Comments welcome as always guys.

[ZBoyer]

I'm liking it, but I think that you should go with the gold eyes instead of the red. I can understand using the red, though, almost as a little throwback tribute of sorts to the most recent look, but if you're going to go all retro to eliminate that taste, then you should probably stick with gold, or even white, eyes.

[jkrdevil]

I'm liking it, but I think that you should go with the gold eyes instead of the red. I can understand using the red, though, almost as a little throwback tribute of sorts to the most recent look, but if you're going to go all retro to eliminate that taste, then you should probably stick with gold, or even white, eyes.

Actually the original jersey crest had a red eye.

From Drop the Pucks

[zig]

i'm liking this update a lot but I agree the eye should be changed to gold.

[ltravisjr]

This concepts includes the best characteristics from the Bills and Texans', and each of those is a fine logo in its own right. My only real comments are for yellow eyes and upward pointing sabres. I would also lose the tip of the horn that impinges on the circle, but that's minor.

I think this logo passes the notebook test, too. It is simple enough that I can see schoolage fans doodling it in their notebooks during history class. That is the ultimate compliment!

LT

[ebod39]

good call on losing the horn that crops into the outer circle, I saw that too.

I would suggest still having that horn present, just have it be white so it also helps

define that side of the face better. my only other two cents is to look at a thinner line weight for the yellow, but that's it.

[andrewharrington]

It's a great idea. The only suggestions I have ti improve it as is are as follows: The blue horn impeding the white circle bothers me as well. I would probably create a white horn on the blue ground. Make it look good. Secondly, I think having a copy and paste deal with the two identical forelegs shoots this concept in the foot (hoof?), so I would definitely alter that a little. I actually think the leg on the left should be connected to the white shape that defines the body, leaving the far leg on the right partly in shadow as it is now. I don't think the near leg should be in shadow.

[leggman01]

for what it's worth, i think the horn "impeding" on the circle is one of the best things about this logo - it makes it look as though the buffalo is jumping out of the circle - but that's just one man's opinion...tempest, ebod39, and ltravisjr have probably sneezed out logo's more impressive than anything i've done

[cward]

Ok, heres another update guys...

1. Fixed the colors again, hopefully this is what I was going for in the first place.

2. Slightly thinned the gold outline

3. Eliminated the white "nub" around the horn

4. Gold eyes...not that it would be that hard to make them red again, this is just to compare.

I've inlcuded the rough draft with the swords going upwards...just something that holds it back IMO. I'd love to hear ppls thoughts on it in comparison to the original. Its tough because the angle is determined by the protruding horn, the blade has to come out above it, obviously, and it almost makes it look as if its stabbing the buffalo. haha, thought we'd save that for the buffaslug.

I played around with making the right horn white so it wouldnt protrude, but realistically it looked out of place, since that side of the fact is in shadow...also, like Jamie said, the goal here was to integrate modern design styles into a traditional logo, thus the buffalo was designed to be coming toward the viewer out of the circle..but I did make the horn smaller to accomodate the smooth white circle.

Thoughts welcome.

[iconoclast]

The horn coming into the circle is kind of the point (no pun intended), don't you think? Do not change it.

My one suggestion would be to eliminate the white outline, and go for just a gold (or yellow) outline. Yes, it would lose the effect of the white buffalo body merging with the white outline, but I think it would make the logo more streamlined. As for where the white body contacts the yellow outline, either leave the white body touching the yellow, or use a blue line to separate the white and yellow, completing the blue circle.

This is, by far, the best Sabres' logo concept I've seen.

[shiznit1083]

I am very impressed with the way you've approached this and thought it out. I think the last concept is solid iconic and simple yet well rendered and it gets to the point. The thing that is really throwing me off is the roundness to the head. For some reason it just doesnt match the rest of the head. Maybe a slight show of hair will do the trick.

The reason I'm impressed with this logo is when I ask myself "If Buffalo had released this as the logo, would I be dissapointed?" I say "no".

[BBM]

This is an excellent design, and I certainly like the gold eye better than the red one. I think the integration of an old idea with a new feel to it is a big help.

I know these days it's taboo to use royal blue in logos, but I'm curious how this logo would look in the orginan=l royal and yellow gold of the Sabres. So many teams are navy these days...

[jerseyfan]

great concepts!

In my opinion, the logo with the sabres pointing up fits the overall look a bit better. My reasoning is that I feel it is more in line with the motion of the charging buffalo. Just my opinion, but it looks more visually appealing that way.

[Brendan]

I love this logo one things is bugging me though. The legs arnt't attached to the body.

[VitaminD]

I love this logo one things is bugging me though. The legs arnt't attached to the body.

Yeah, they are. The blue areas convey the shadowing around the buffalo's chest.

I really like this concept. I'd buy this in a second (as I sit here in my Sabres' throwback ringer T) and I would think this a great update. Count me among those who prefer the far (left) horn obscuring the white ring - it gives nice subtle depth to the buffalo without calling too much attention to itself.

I'd still like to see the swords pointing up, as they did in the original Sabres logo.

Red eyes make me think of the original logo, and how many people failed to notice it. Gold eyes make me think your buffalo's liver is failing. I vote red!

But honestly, I wouldn't do too much more to this. It's incredibly well done, and light years ahead of the Buffaslug.

[leggman01]

skye - swords up or down...i don't think it really affects the logo that much either way, so maybe up as a tribute to the originals - red eyes (again, a tribute to the original logo...and it just looks better, to me)

one little nitpick - the path of the outermost outline doesn't follow the path of the white outline at the junction of the sabre handle and the circle...not sure if you meant it to be that way, and i'm not sure it needs to be changed...just something i noticed and wondered about

[iconoclast]

The reason I'm impressed with this logo is when I ask myself "If Buffalo had released this as the logo, would I be dissapointed?"  I say "no".

If the Sabres had released this as the new logo, I would have been ecstatic. To me, this is a classy design that says "Major league." Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the Buffaslug.

I haven't decided which I like better, swords up or down. I assume you probably went with swords down because, with two horns pointing up, having the swords point up might be visually distracting. Pointing them down gives balance to the design. I think yellow eyes works better, because I think that yellow needs to be represented in the logo aside from the outline.

Just curious, have you given any thought to a shoulder patch?

[andrewharrington]

I like the subtraction of the white bump outside the horn, but I think the horn needs to be bigger to avoid looking like a flaw at small sizes, which may require moving the animal a little to the right or increasing its size to the right to avoid the horn sticking out too far.

[cward]

well put guys...I really appreciate the feedback.

The thing with the horn on the right is the more i move it to the right, the thicker the white outline has to be...and I had to tighten it up to begin with since the logo was too bulky at first...having said that, its a tough call...

anyway, if I find some time this week I'll try posting an update comparing the final version with swords up vs swords down and gold vs red eyes...

if anyone wants to incorporate the crest into jersey concepts, be my guest...not sure if I'll find the time to.

thanks again fellas