Tampa Bay Lightning concept

[IceCap]

Ok, so we've all seen what appears to be the new Tampa Bay Lightning logo set. While, IMO, it's an improvement over the previous mark, it's still far from being an iconic mark.

In fact many here have said the Lightning dropped the ball on the current redesign by failing to create a simple, iconic mark. I agree. A simple lightning bolt is striking, iconic, timeless.

I used that idea to design the logo. At first I had the bolt inside a blue circle, but it ended up looking like the Flash's logo (as someone predicted it would in the NHL logos thread).

Anyway, I removed the circle, and added a "T" to the right side of the bolt, and a "B" to the left side of the bolt.

The jersey design was the end result of about an hour of playing around with the design, trying to find something that worked. I like the way it turned out. Its traditional elements complement the logo, but it's also a progressive enough design to work for a 90's expansion team with a dynamic name like "Lightning."

So without further adieu, I present you all with my latest Tampa Bay Lightning concept:

C&C welcome as always.

[Alphabet Man]

Maybe on the angled stripes on the main part of the jersey could be changed to lightning bolts.

Other than that its not bad. Good work.

[FiddySicks]

The execution on the jersey pattern is nice, but the logo just dosen't do it for me. The biggest problem with the previous set is that many felt it had too much of a clip art feel. While I like the striping on your set, I feel that the logo itself gives it even more of a generic, clip art like feel. Your set also seems to lack uniformity. You ahve three layer basic block varsity font for the numbers, a single layer font for the names, and an italic font for te crest. Also, I think removing the circle was probably the wrong direction because it makes the crest feel too spread out. I feel the crest has to all tie in togather unless it's a full wordmark, which this is not. So overall your on the right path but you need to make some things more uniform and work to tie some other things togather better and you'll have a winner.

[I Am A Flaming Douche Bag]

That logo doesnt work as the main logo. Its a good shoulder logo but too small for the front.

[HarperK]

A simple lightning bolt is striking, iconic, timeless.

Ill disagree with that point. I think that, at least nowadays, a simple lighting bold is cheesy, uninspired, and overdone. I think it comes off as very amateur, mainly because any low level, low buget team can come up with a lighting bolt. But if you are an NHL team, you should have something fresh and easily identifiable with your organizational. I think those new logos are step up and the secondary marks could look good on a jersey though, but the lightning bolt is a hard thing to make look classy.

[patsox]

No offense, but that logo is far from iconic. It's a bolt with a separated T and B. Keep working on it.

[slapshot]

Did you steal that from Elvis?

[SenatorJake]

TB?... Isn't that some kind of tuberculosis?

If you slapped on the new logo they are supposed to have for next year it might look better.

However, I'm not sure that it would be an improvement from what they currently wear.

Actually, I could get used to the white one. But that blue one... I'm not feeling it.

[VitaminD]

Honestly, it's a little spare.

It's very well rendered, but the integration of the elements isn't really there.

The logo is a single-color lightning bolt that is fairly boilerplate, flanked by two plain letters. And that's it; there isn't anything to interrelate them, nothing to tie it all together. Most of the time, the easy thing to do is meld the two letters into some sort of monogram; I give you credit for not doing the simple thing, but maybe a stronger connection linking the 3 parts of the crest is in order here. Maybe a bolt passing through a hole in the "B"?

Expanding on the disconnected theme, the stripes don't play up the nature of the name or the logo. Again, you chose to go away from the conventional, safe answer, which is noble. But diagonal stripes make me think of Pittsburgh, who employ the triangle as a nod to their home city. Here, there really isn't anything that diagonal stripes reinforce.

It's solid, and very well done, but it leaves me feeling like it's missing something at this point.

[fonz]

The Penguins called and want their template back.

[Milo Meningocele]

The Penguins called and want their template back.

ya, i agree

[patsox]

The Penguins called and want their template back.

ya, i agree

Needs different stripes!

[Krona]

You beat me to it. Im also working on a TB logo for the Lightning. I'll post it a bit later. This is a good step though. Maybe if the letters are seperated by an angled bolt, try staggering the letters diagonally.

[Krona]

oops douple posties

[IceCap]

With dumb and dumber both "contributing" to this thread, I'm amazed it's taken me as long as it has to get an update posted

Anyway, let me first say thanks to everyone who actually contributed to the discussion at hand. Your comments were extremely helpful.

Did you steal that from Elvis?

Would you look at that....well I guess even Elvis had to have some good taste eh?

The logo-I know it's a little on the plain side, but incredibly simple was what I was going for. The Maple Leafs use a single leaf, I was trying to apply that same logic to the Lightning. I went with bucfan56's suggestion and re-added the circle. I have to say, I agree, it looks better. It may not have a "Toronto Maple Leafs" type of simplicity, but it definitely, IMO, has a NJ Devils form of simplicity, and that's more then good enough for me.

The striping-Fonz, I didn't use the Penguins' template. I was inspired by it, but the actual striping pattern is different.

I decided to go with something so similar to the Pens' actual template because my own Pens concept used their Stanley Cup era template rather then the current one. So when viewing all my NHL concepts side by side I noticed that the Pens' current template was going unused, so I used that as a jumping-off point when I began working on my Lightning template.

That said I did decide to re-do the striping. I went with something a little more traditional, and more in tune with what we're used to seeing the Lightning use.

So enough stalling, here's the update:

[zer0dotcom]

It looks like you're channeling some Niagara Fall Thunder for this one Icecap (or I've spent too much time in the OHL section of the site)

I like the older look of the uniform, the large numbers are different, they don't seem out of place in this design.

I'd like to see what else you can do with the logo. It is nice and simple and matches the rest of the design, but I think it could be tinkered somewhat to have something more eye catching. Perhaps raise the T and lower the B and make them larger, see what you get.

[OnWis97]

I much prefer the striping on the first one. Perhaps those stripes could be put straight across to avoid the Penguin problem. Though Those stripes do remind me of the Detroit Lions.

The logo on the second one reminds me of the Flash. I think the circle is an improvement, though I like the serifs from the first logo.

[Chief.]

I see what you're going for here, and I'm liking the direction you're taking it in. I do like the simple look of the uniforms, that's an improvement. As it's been said, the logo could use some work. Right now it looks a little too simple, not exactly iconic yet. Maybe try some bolder outlines and a different layout of the letters (or even ditch the letters if it looks better). I like where it's going though.

[gueman]

Dude..I like you! But this looks like the shirt a '70's era sitcom superhero would wear. Now I will be the first to admit that coming up with a "WOW that is effing great logo" for the Lightning is hard. I like the idea of TB and the Bolt. Not just the way you did it. I like the first jersey design better. Keep plugging away!

[FiddySicks]

Ahh, thats much better. But two things that I think would work a bit better. Thicken the black outline around the circle just a bit more, it seems almost fragile right now, and now that I see the update, I almost think the original TB logo that was used for the crest would work for the shoulder logo if just to help the placement of the patch and nothing more. With how it is now, it'd be very difficult to stitch the bolts onto the shoulder consistantly in the exact same direction on multiple sweaters. I think the letters would help to straighten out the look and give it a bit more of a foundation. Overall I like the look. it gives the lightning a bit of a retro and uniform look without being too clip art (for what you gave yourself to work with. it's difficult to make a logo thats iconic and simple at the same time. hell, it's what many professional designers still can't figure out how to do)