CCSLC APPRENTICE: CHALLENGE 3

[GFB]

Alright, I'm not sure why the other Apprentice thread is closed, but I'll just go along with it.

First off, I'm sorry that I was absent this weekend. Big birthday weekend with friends, and well... this was my last teen birthday, so we went out and had some fun...

Anyway, I'm fully aware that everyone has lives going on apart from the CCSLC (or at least I sure hope you do!). So to make sure that we get through this contest alot quicker there are going to be some changes: shorter deadlines, less requirements, and quicker transitions between challenges. You guys are going have to show me some patience, this is the first time I've run a contest here. Any minor bugs are going to be dealt with and corrected on the fly.

This brings us to the Challenge 2 elimination: jake22 has been eliminated. It would have definitely been much closer if he did not seem to forfeit himself up.

So here is your 3rd challenge OPTIMUS & PRODIGY:

I first saw this challenge in a contest when I first started roaming the boards. I really thought it was a great idea, so I'm stealing it...

Your challenge will be to choose one rising athlete (any sport) and you will design a logo for that specific athlete. Some of the more common athlete logos include the Michael Jordan "jumpman" and the Tiger Woods "TW". More recent examples of this is the Chris Paul "CP3" logo or the Rodger Federer "RF".

You will also have to choose a company to produce the products. You may choose Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Russell, Majestic, Puma, Umbro, etc. The choice is up to you...

So for this challenge your only requirements are:

Logo

At least one piece of sample apparel featuring the athlete's logo and company logo. (Shirt, shoes, practice gear, etc...)

Don't let the lack of requirements stop you from going above and beyond with this. This challenge is what you make it out to be...

There will be no official deadline for Task Managers now, just have one selected by the final presentation or you guys will forfeit...

Deadline for Final Presentation: Next Wednesday @ noon EST

I'll make sure the board is ready to go when your final presentations are made...

I figure you guys are old enough to make your own team threads now, so you can do it yourself. Good luck to both teams! I'll be watching....

[chestnutz]

Oh man I am extremely pumped for this one, great, great challenge GFB. Looking at that one thread about people's sportsman logos about a week ago got me really into this.

[Cola]

does it have to be a "rising" star or can it be any marketable player that doesn't already have their own logo? for example, (and i'm not doing this one) but A-Rod...not a rising star...but he has no logo. Is that okay?

[GFB]

does it have to be a "rising" star or can it be any marketable player that doesn't already have their own logo? for example, (and i'm not doing this one) but A-Rod...not a rising star...but he has no logo. Is that okay?

Well, I'm not going to stop you from using a current star.... so I guess the only restriction is that it must be a player not already having a logo...

[pollux]

Just for clarification, Next Wednesday means tomorrow or next week?

(I believe you should post the date too...)

[Cola]

Just for clarification, Next Wednesday means tomorrow or next week?

(I believe you should post the date too...)

Next Wednesday...not THIS one, but the next...so the date would be July 23rd at noon.

[pollux]

Just for clarification, Next Wednesday means tomorrow or next week?

(I believe you should post the date too...)

Next Wednesday...not THIS one, but the next...so the date would be July 23rd at noon.

I'm still wondering as you had a full week for both previous assignments, and Matt mentioned shorter deadlines. I guess, in French, next Wednesday can mean tomorrow, and that's why I mix them up...

[Cola]

Just for clarification, Next Wednesday means tomorrow or next week?

(I believe you should post the date too...)

Next Wednesday...not THIS one, but the next...so the date would be July 23rd at noon.

...and Matt mentioned shorter deadlines.

I could see how that could be confusing, since he did say there would be shorter deadlines and this one is pretty much the same as the former deadlines. Anyhow, I am 99% sure he meant July 23rd because neither team is close to finishing up for tomorrow at noon!

[GFB]

Sorry, yes it is the 23rd... I'm just really bad with dates

[heernumurr]

Bumping this for the final submissions.

[mania]

[maz]

Cheztnutz unfortunately could not make the presentation today, so on behalf of him and the rest of Team Prodigy, I present our logo for Devin Hester. I apologize for the sloppiness of this pressentation. The schedules and whereabouts of our teammates have been scattered helter skelter for the past few days, so it was very difficult to get anything consistent going in the final stretch. Hopefully later today, with the allowance of the board, I can update this presentation with anything dp or chestnutz may have made. If not, I, an im sure the rest of the team, will understand.

We chose Devin Hester because he is a young and promising player in the NFL. He is talented at returns and is known throughout the league for his speed and agility. We thought that with the popularity of the NFL, Hester, and Under Armour, a Devin Hester line by Under Armour would sell very well.

Without further ado, here is the logo itself:

Its known that one of Hester's nicknames is "the Windy City Flyer". So, we wanted to reflect his nickname and speed in the logo. Obviously, DH are his initials, while the wing motif signifies flying, speed, and moving forward.

Our color choice of Blue and Orange was to match the team he plays for - the Chicago Bears, id definately does not have to be limited to just those colors. Any combination of almost any two colors is possible, providing great flexibility for many designs or occourances that warrant a color change.

And now, we present some designs in which the logo can be used:

First, "street wear":

The blue shirt has the logo in the design on the left (our right) shoulder, and if looked at closely, one can even make out a bear at the top. The skyline of Chicago his outlined across the middle. The socks, pants, and headbands can all be worn interchangably as part of an outfit, or can be worn individually with other clothes as part of a different outfit. This is modeled by Mr. Hester himself.

Now, "field wear":

Shown here are the Devin Hester undershirt for any use, shoe for casual wear or training, and Devin Hester cleat for on field performance. Each come in other colors, all sizes, all ages, and the small name/number part on the cleat can be customized with any name or number.

Last, but certainly not least, print advertisment.

First, a store sign/possibly billboard ad:

and, magazine ad:

[GFB]

Well, there is grace for Chestnutz's allergic reaction. Some things are uncontrollable... this was just an unfortunate accident that affected your team... however, I am freezing the final presentations as they are to uphold the integrity of the contest.

With that being said, these final presentations have their flaws. Prodigy did not use their template to post their final designs. It was also past the deadline by almost 30 minutes (which I am somewhat overlooking because of Chestnutz's unfortunate situation). But on the other side, Optimus didn't explain even a single aspect of their presentation. I thought that the deadline for this contest was longer than it could have been, considering the requirements of this challenge...

Now let me get down to business:

OPTIMUS

Player: Albert Pujols. Pujols is a good choice. He is arguably the best player in the majors. Definitely more substance than style.

Logo: I have mixed feelings. I like the whole idea, "Prince Albert" and all. Very solid base to build a marketing campaign around. I just think that the logo looks a little forced with the small, tight areas running through it. With a little work, it could very nice. Right now, I would put it as "serviceable". Though, I do like the colors. Cardinal red was a smart color to choose.

Equipment & Clothing: All together, it is very nice. There isn't a single piece that I find "wrong". There only a two hiccups that I would like to point out. The first is the placement of the Crown5 logo on the shorts. Unless everyone tucks in their shirts, that logo would never be seen. And what's the point of buying Pujols shorts if no one can see it? Also, on the cardinal T-shirt, why place a picture of him fielding. I mean, yes he's an underrated first baseman, but that's not what puts people in the seats. His prolific hitting is why people consider him as one of the best in the game... so why not show that off in his clothing?

Propaganda: A little too simple for my taste. Again, I want to see him smacking the cover off the ball, not standing in the on deck circle.

Overall: Very nice. Everything fits nicely together. Fluid.

PRODIGY

Player: Devin Hester. I really like this choice. While Optimus went for the "substance" player, you guys went for the premium "style" player.

Logo: It goes down smooth. Pretty ingenious concept if you ask me. It does look similar to the Detroit Red Wings logo, but I think your safe. The colors are predictable, but I can stomach them.

Equipment & Clothing: Definitely different than what the other team put up. While they had more of "typical" athletic clothing, the DH street wear is definitely unique (although the Under Armor logos is mysteriously absent from it). I think your presentation style hurts your here. Optimus' presentation of their apparel was much neater and cleaner.

Propaganda: I love the "Catch him if you can" slogan. Fits Hester like a glove. However I do have some problems with that first ad, actually two minor problems and one major problem. First your text has some spacing issues between some of the letters. Second, the placement of the DH logo is bothering me. Lastly (here's the biggie), look at Hester's shoes. What's that symbol there? A swoosh? The folks at Under Armor would not be too happy with that...

Overall: Very nice as well.

I alerted the board members Monday night to be prepared to give their critiques. So hopefully we can move onto the next challenge soon enough...

[maz]

It was also past the deadline by almost 30 minutes

That was because I started it a 12 rather than earlier because I thought it wouldnt take long, and wanted to give as much time for someone from the team who would happen to come on to help out. It took longer than I expected to do (30 minutes) because I had to put some images together and upload them to my photobucket and all.

Bad call on my part.

Also, as far as the first ad goes. That was mine. I made it sorta quickly as an idea of what can be done, and didnt think it would be used as part of the final presentation. I never once thought of letter spacing, and didnt notice the nike swoosh on the cleats. I knew the logo placement was iffy, but once again I didnt think it would be used as the final. As far as fixing those things, I was also too careless to save it in photoshop format. I could blame the situation we were in for these mistakes, but I wont. It was mostly bad judgement and carelessness on my part again.

The presentation is not the best because, once again, things sorta fell apart in the final hours, and dp and chestnutz were unable to do anything with this today, so it basically was me trying to tie it all together. Im not blaming them, though. Its not their fault.

[fiasco!]

PRODIGY:

First off, I'm a bit disappointed in the Prodigy team's PM not being available to make the final presentation. This shows a lack of planning and a bit of disrespect to his team. I understand emergencies are part of life, but the fact that the time on this project wasn't managed very well speaks volumes, resulting in a great identity not given the proper presentation.

Identity: I love it. Hester is THE impact player in the league. Teams kick away from him in crucial situations. The logo shows speed, agility, and is just damn cool.

Streetwear: Again, very cool. I could see that t-shirt (with the skyline) being worn by legions of Bears fans. I don't think that's a bear head on the shirt, rather the logo being flipped and forming a bird soaring over the city (correct me if I'm wrong). Shorts, headbands, and socks are a nice touch. I would have liked to see the high top shoes in with this section, as they would go with the rest of the line very well.

Fieldwear: Good stuff again. I dig the undershirt, especially the white one. The cleats look a little off to me, maybe it's the color panel, but it just wasn't executed that well.

Ads: The logo on the top ad is fuzzy, and WWW.UNDERARMOR.COM is misspelled on the bottom ad (it should be UNDERARMOUR). The color on the top ad is executed way better than the bottom ad (very nicely, in my opinion). Also, instead of the effect used on the copy on the bottom ad, I would have liked to see the text transparent (maybe 50% white, maybe 70%). The ads, while similar, just don't work well as part of a campaign. If it makes any sense, they are too similar while being way too different.

All in all, this is a great idea sullied by a terrible presentation. Kudos to maz for stepping up to the plate when his PM should have had something prepared and ready to go.

OPTIMUS:

I love this identity as well, and I really enjoyed reading through the thread and seeing the evolution of the design. Good stuff.

Identity: The logo is sexy. I see a crown and the 5 and I think "Prince Albert", as any knowledgeable baseball fan would. A casual fan would see a cool logo and the Nike swoosh and know that this is something he/she should be wearing. I like that you stuck with a one color design. It's so easy to add colors to stuff when it really isn't needed.

Gear: The hoodie is a little clunky with "Baseball Royalty" added, but the rest of the stuff is really nice. I especially love the batting gloves and cleats, great job on that stuff. The t-shirt is great, but should be part of a series, with one showing his defense and one showing his follow through on his swing. Again, "Baseball Royalty" should have been left off, the logo speaks for itself.

Ad: The only thing I would have done differently is use a black & white image or placed the logo in a different spot, so it isn't obscuring home plate. That said, great choice of image, nice job of just letting the logo and image speak for themselves.

Great presentation to go with an excellent identity.

VERDICT: Initially, I thought Prodigy would pull this out. I think the Hester logo is almost brilliant, but the lack of cohesiveness to their products is their downfall. Optimus put together a helluva package and in the end gets my vote.

[pollux]

OPTIMUS

Pujols is a great choice. He has to be one of the best players in the MLB right now.

I really dig the logo, it has that super-hero feel. The 5 is cleverly placed within and the crown tops it off really well. It is very fluid.

The gear is nice, although I would've liked to see more versatility color-wise. While you went with a red and black logo, the black and white logo could've bee used on other colored gear. I believe that marketing one player doesn't stop at colors.

The ad is cool, although an action shot would give him an edge over just standing at the plate. And the logo placement should not hide the plate, since it is part of the field. Maybe atop would've ended up being better.

Overall a strong design. I dig the super-hero logo.

PRODIGY

While chestnutz is sick, a deadline is a deadline. Professionaly, this would be inexcusable.

With that said, Hester is an intriguing yet amazing choice. He is one of the best at what he does, and no one can argue this. He can be one of the most marketable guys in the NFL, and let's hope the league realizes the potential in him.

The logo looks very good! I love the flying-like letters, and it fits his character perfectly with the impression of speed.

The gear is good, and I like that you went with an excentric blue shirt along with the rest of the street-wear toned-down . I dig the unique undershirts too.

The ads are very well thought out, although it seems that the second one is paler than the first one. The oranges don't seem to match in both.

Overall a very fluid and complete design.

VERDICT

I have to say that both identities, in my opinion, are as good as they can be. However, since this contest is not only about the entries but everything that is involved from thought processing to final product, I have to give my vote to Optimus, especially since the deadline was missed be Prodigy.

[chestnutz]

Maybe too early to defend myself? Oh well...

If you look through our thread, there were several instances (basically every other day) where I tried my best to pull the team together and come up with some due dates to keep us organized. Due to lack of participation early on, whether it be people's inabilities or just gone, I felt it was basically me and dp coming up with logos in the early stages. In the final days, especially last night, it seems everyone else realized HEY OH GOD WE NEED TO GET GOING and started contributing loads of stuff. This is partly due to we took so long to decide on a logo, which I also tried to get decided early on, yet nobody answered the call. Maybe nobody respected me or just couldn't do it, but again and again deadlines I had come up with to get us organized were failed by the rest of my team.

And, about not being here for the presentation, I guess excuses don't matter at all to you guys. I have a life outside of this, in which last night I had an extreme allergic reaction and was gone for several hours in the hospital, and dead tired after that with all the meds they gave to me. Yet I kept trying to rally my team and get organized. Today there was no opportunity for me to be online, as I'm a volunteer for kids in the city, no computer or anything.

Just thought I may say that, as fiasco's constant rips at me as a PM kind of rubbed me the wrong way.

[Cola]

OPTIMUS

The gear is nice, although I would've liked to see more versatility color-wise. While you went with a red and black logo, the black and white logo could've bee used on other colored gear. I believe that marketing one player doesn't stop at colors.

Just wanted to make you aware that we did do other color options for the gear. If you check out our thread (mainly page 4 and after) you will see cleats and shirts/tees in various colors. We didn't include all variations because we wanted the presentation to be seamless and only include the main/pushed color option. I think if our team would have explained some of this in writing, it would have been more clear. I just wanted to give you a heads up in case you'd like to check the original thread out. Thanks for the other comments.

[fiasco!]

Maybe too early to defend myself? Oh well...

If you look through our thread, there were several instances (basically every other day) where I tried my best to pull the team together and come up with some due dates to keep us organized. Due to lack of participation early on, whether it be people's inabilities or just gone, I felt it was basically me and dp coming up with logos in the early stages. In the final days, especially last night, it seems everyone else realized HEY OH GOD WE NEED TO GET GOING and started contributing loads of stuff. This is partly due to we took so long to decide on a logo, which I also tried to get decided early on, yet nobody answered the call. Maybe nobody respected me or just couldn't do it, but again and again deadlines I had come up with to get us organized were failed by the rest of my team.

And, about not being here for the presentation, I guess excuses don't matter at all to you guys. I have a life outside of this, in which last night I had an extreme allergic reaction and was gone for several hours in the hospital, and dead tired after that with all the meds they gave to me. Yet I kept trying to rally my team and get organized. Today there was no opportunity for me to be online, as I'm a volunteer for kids in the city, no computer or anything.

Just thought I may say that, as fiasco's constant rips at me as a PM kind of rubbed me the wrong way.

If you are the PM and your team doesn't respond to your requests, it's up to you to get it done. Deadlines aren't just for your team, they are also for you. As the leader of the team this round, your responsibility was to see this project to its completion. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings through my critique, but those are the breaks. The thing is, chestnutz, in this business, you need a thick skin.

[chestnutz]

I just think it's a bit unfair that when barely anyone else makes an attempt to get things done on time, it all falls on me to do it. I'm sorry, but this competition is a bit different from your real life boss and getting due dates on time there. In real life, a boss (or PM) can threaten his workers (team members) with firing and such. In this, an online forum contest, can I do anything like that? I can't interchange who my team members are and how I make them do tings at deadlines I assign, besides say, "Ok, well that didn't work. Can't do anything now." I realize I'm only a 16 year old kid, so I suppose maybe to you, as the PM if no one listened to me I had to do it all myself, but I don't know, just think it's a bit unfair. Half of my team was gone (I assume) and even some members when they were here, contributed next to nothing compared to some other members.

I'm not trying to offend anyone at all, but I suppose the fault all goes to the quarterback in the football game.

But just to get it straight...

when I assign deadlines on an internet forum where I have no leverage and half the team doesn't go through with it, I'm at fault?

when people finally decide to get things done less than a day before it's all due, and by that time I'm in a hospital and can't do anything to prepare any sort of presentation or summary, because I don't have the materials needed (our template, which only dp has as far as my knowledge goes) and don't even have an idea of what stuff we're using (ads, shirts, etc.), I'm at fault?

/rant