Detroit Lions Concept

[Davidson]

okay so this is a bit of a cheat. the logo and some of the concepts have been canibalised from my sketch a thon entry for the bc lions.

as everybody else was making detroit logos and lion logos recently, i thought id give my original a bit of a progression. tring to stay true to the current lions colours and logo, i added the scratch marks on the sleves and trousers.

please let me know your thoughts.

[ColeJ]

logos = thumbs up. well done and professional.

uniforms = thumbs down. look minor league and tacky.

[Davidson]

fair enough.

i think they are a little off the wall for the nfl.

although i dont necessarily think that because a design is more remeniscent of

a lower leaague team it is automatically inferior to a more conservative nfl outfit.

i wish there were a few more teams like the chargers and bengals where the teams

name/concept was utilised more throughout the design of the kit (ie the bolts and the

stripes). i think there are a few missed opportunities for use of deisgn elements outside

the helmet logo.

[leggman01]

i agree that the claw marks are a bit over the top, but i think they'd be over the top for any level, including a minor league organization

on the logo - i really like the head...that's one badass lion - the body is cool, too...i like how you've simplified the lines and it's really clean - the problem is that the 2 don't seem to fit together - the head has nice details that really make it pop and the body is primarily shapes and shadows...they don't seem to belong together - it looks to me like you've drawn this beautiful head in one style and this nice body in another style and thrown them together

that and the head looks enormously large in comparison to the body

it's a fantastic start, and the elements for a GREAT LOGO are there

[Mings]

You need to integrate the colors and stylization of the head with the body more. Besides that, its looking pretty good. I would get rid of the ripping claw logo though. Most NFL teams only have one logo.

[Davidson]

i think the head is more detailed than the rest in order to make it the focal part of the design. i used the original lions logo as a template for the design so it is as oversized as the original logos head.

however, i did draw the body after the head so perhaps it could stand a little more detail in order to ballance it out a bit.

most teams dont just have a single logo. they usually have a main logo and several secondary and tertiary logos, and normally a few variations of the wordmark and logo combos.

i really wanted to give the whole uni an element that tied the concept together, hence the claw marks and seeing as its just a bit of fun i just wanted to create something a bit different from the standard unis. i think you are all right, it wouldnt fit in with the nfl branding and somewhat destroys the classic lions banded sleves but as i said, its just an idea and perhaps some of the modern uni designs could stand to be a little more adventurous.

thanks very much for the comments, they are very much appreciated, and as the majority of the site is north american, its interesting to get feedback from people with a hsitorical knowledge of american sport branding and an eye for what does and doesnt fly in the u.s.

this site is awesome, im addicted to it to the detrement of my job.

[Mings]

The multiple logo is usually not the case in the NFL. NFL teams favor a single, iconic logo. There may be a couple of teams with more than one logo, but those logos are rarely used.

[MVP]

Wow... awesome logos!

The jerseys are great, but just not for a big league like the NFL, somewhat like the Bengals. It would be perfect for a more minor league though.

[tron1013]

The multiple logo is usually not the case in the NFL. NFL teams favor a single, iconic logo. There may be a couple of teams with more than one logo, but those logos are rarely used.

I agree with that. Also, although the Lions currently do this, I think the (over)use of black in their jerseys make them more and more indistinguishable from the Panthers. I think the shoulder style on this jersey, especially the black one, furthers this problem.

[gordie_delini]

I agree with mingsy here - I feel the head needs to be better integrated with the body - it's too detailed IMO, and I like the simplicity of the body. Also, it may just be me, but the body seems out of proportion with the body. From a production standpoint, get rid of the gradient on the watermark - it'd be near impossible to reproduce in embroidery, and I think it just doesn't suit a classic team like Detroit. I also think the unis look to much like the Carolina Panthers. Maybe try a more traditional uni look that the Lions have used.

[EJ_Barlik]

Lots of great comments so far.

The obvious solution (at least to this reader) is to use the Lion head as the primary logo on the helmet (w/o) the word "Lions"). Then, you have a fierce looking helmet logo, accomplishing the first objective. Secondly, while I do like the claw marks, I do see what others are saying about the "over the top"-ness of them on the jersies (take a cue from the Orlando Predators of the Arena League, who dropped the claw thing altogether). The Lion head would make a nice shoulder logo and move the numbers to the end of the sleeves.

Personally, I like the number font, it looks unique, without being hard to read. That being said, it might not fit the bill for NFL style numbers, I just don't know.

Finally, maybe go for a unique paw print logo on the uniform pants. Sort of a black-grey-blue-grey-black stripe pattern, with a lion's paw outlined in a white diamond over the stripes. Either that, or come up with a capital letter "D" where the negative space is the lion's paw print. That would certainly be unique, if somewhat derivitive to some degree of Denver's old logo and slightly derivitive of the Clemson Tigers paw print. The unique thing would be putting them together into a single logo. My idea would be a black "D" with a blue paw print, with the print and the D outlined in grey (or the D in grey, with outlines in black).

Keep up the good work, it's a wonderful start.

[TIGERSFAN92826]

I'm a Lions fan and I think those would look great. They look phenomanol. Major props on the logo and is this the same person who made the BC Lions concept for the "Sketch-A-Thon" because I can see the resemblence.

My only problem is the numbers

[jack8u]

looks arena-league... right where the Leos belong. (Michigander here, fwiw.)

[Phil]

I am probably just parroting what others have said, but that's okay. It deserves repeating.

The logo is fantastic. Looks like the parent club for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Now, maybe it's just a preferential thing, but if the entire logo was consistently styled, it might look even better. By that I mean if the entire logo was outlined like the head, or allowed the blue in the facial area to stand on its own (no outline) like in the body, it would be an even better logo.

Not sure about the gradient in the wordmark. Logo like this needs a stronger, more dynamic wordmark (like the Panthers or Titans), or a simpler, standalone wordmark (like the Broncos, Seahawks, or Texans).

Finally, the claw-mark has got to go, IMHO. Breaking, tearing through, or otherwise emerging through a "wall" of empty space looks cheap to me. Remember, it's not a cartoon strip, it's a logo.

As a result, the jersey struggles similarly. Claw marks might work as a jersey (as a kid, I once designed what I thought to be a really sweet Chicago Bears uniform, predicated largely on the use of claw marks). However, the claws gotta go.

Really nice work overall. One of the best Detroit Lions logos I've seen.

[-(dp)-]

I love the head logo. One thing about it does bug me, is it looks like he has a double chin. That could just be me though, I know it isn't supposed to like like that, but it is what I see. Other than that, I pretty much agree with what other people have said. The head seems too big for the body also. I am also not crazy about the gradient in the wordmark. This was some nice work.

[winghaz]

That leaping Lion logo is fantastic. You keep the leaping part, thus maintining some tradition, but go away from the silhouette and add detail. It's a nice combo of old and new.

The uniforms ... ugh. But great job on that logo.

[Davidson]

thankyou my friends.

with your comments in mind i shall return soon with a revised edition of the strip and logos.

[Davidson]

a modified logo version.

a step in the right direction or not?

(latest revision on the left)

[Fyrwulf]

Eh, it's good, but I'm not really into it. I think you should do like everybody's suggesting and go with the head only as a logo.

[buckeyenut]

I like the updated logo. I personally love the uniforms. I like the claw marks. That being said, I don't see a NFL with them.