Buc's NFL Revolution

[tBBP]

Here I go again with the NFL thing!

FWIW, I've had a couple concepts I've held onto for a while, some I've been working on for a long while...and what's to follow in this thread are the ones I've finally wrapped up and/or the ones I'll eventually wrap up and choose to post.

I'm already up to number two here. Number one in this series (though I need to go back and redo the headliner to match) was my second take on the Seattle Seahawks. That thread can be seen through this link, but I'll go ahead and repost that concept package in this thread for the sake of continuity.

SECOND TAKE: SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Over in the "Sports Logos" forum, a thread exists discussing why the Seattle Sea Hawks seem to only be locked into two uniform sets. While reading through that, my mind got to flowing...and it made me dig up my previous Seattle Sea Hawks concepts, done long, long ago. (They can be seen right here and right here...and yes, I've come a long way since then. ).

To the Illustrator I went...to recreate this here.

To start with, I actually like this current Hawks identity. However, I feel that with a modest refreshening (which is really all this is), with a few minor enhancements, the scheme may actually have a little more life to it. As is, while the Hawks identity isn't bad, it can be a bit drab to look at at times, especially considering they use two shades of blue that are damn near indistinguishable when put next to each other (I haven't seen them in person, so the Puget Slate/Seahawk Blue and the navy may have more contrast than what we see on TV, but I can't speak to that.)

Anyway...that's one of the first things I did...kinda brighten up that Puget Slate a little bit to provide better contrast with the navy, which itself is a tad bluer than the current navy. Also, I noticed the current lime color Seattle uses is a bit more dullish-yellow, so I injected some more, er, green, into it to make it a bit more vivid. (You'll see.) In addition, I went and made one little minor edit to the Hawk head logo--adding some neon green. Yes, it sorta kinda messes up the original form of art this log was originally styled from (and modernized in current guise), but I think it works okay. Along with that, I manaded to style a new wordmark, only because I ain't too fond of the current one. It's definitely a little quirky, but I wanted to capture more motion with the wordmark, as well as tie it into the form of the Hawk head logo. Also, "Sea Hawk Block" returns, in the form of the jersey numbers--those particular block numerals were unique to the Seahawks, and I figured they'd help here.

Here's the logo sheet:

On to the uniforms. As I said, I kinda like what they have now, so I kept the overall style, while making a few adjustments. The main thing most will notice is that there are now three different pants to choose from--white, navy, and the Puget Slate. Along with that, at least with the white pants, the striping has changed to evoke more of the sleeve-stripe style of the older Sea Hawks jerseys. Also, on both home and road jerseys, the sleeves remain navy. Why? My aim was for better balance between the two blues. I also worked in just enough neon green to be noticed but not overpower the set--or at least that was the aim. As mentioned earlier, the Sea Hawk block numbers return. The aim with this set was to revive elements of the past and mesh them with the current set to make the set more readily identifiable--with a few modifications mixed in for good measure, to "freshen it up".

Here it all is in visual form:

And...of course, I took the time to render all these in action view, as well. Here's that look for y'all:

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So there's that one there.

CONTINUED NEXT POST...

[tBBP]

...And now on to part two.

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ST. LOUIS RAMS...REVISITED

For the second installment of my revolution series, I've churned out a package for the St. Louis Rams. Really, this is an updated version of my previous Rams concept from this thread from over two years ago. In that package, I reverted back to the Rams' old royal and athletic gold colors, with some minor adjustments. This go-round, I've basically brought that look into my brandONE mold...but with several more tweaks.

First and foremost, the old blue and gold (yellow) return; however, the hues have been adjusted. Whereas last time I went with more of a pure royal, this go-round, I went with a much deeper shade--something to split the difference between the old royal and the current navy. Also the old athletic gold has also been adjusted; in this guise, it's a tad bit darker than the old athletic gold. The goal with that was to try to provide a better and more visually appealing contrast.

As for the logo package, I did nothing with those--actually, yes i did. In my last concept, I added the arch from the older Rams logo to the wordmark of the current package to create a new secondary logo; that logo returns for this package as the wordmark. Last go-round I used the current Rams numbers; this time, I've freaked them a good bit. I used the wordmark as inspiration from that...and the result came out as a cross between the current (and, to me, bland-ish) Rams numbers and the old classif serif numbers so famously associated with the Dallas Cowboys--not that that's a bad thing, especially since the whole aim of this concept (as was the case last time) was to split the difference between classic and modern.

As for the uniforms themselves, not much has changed this time from the last time. Once again, I utilized the St. Louis Gateway Arch as inspiration for the shoulder stripes (though it may be a little hard to tell; it ws definitely difficult trying to render). The other thing you'll notice is the white highlight detail on the helmet horns. Like last time, that came from the white highlights on the Rams' logo--which is also why I've gone with a white facemask this time, as well. (The old masks were gray; not much difference there.) You'll notice both the collars and shoulder loops are accented by a thin strip of either white or blue, depending on the jerseys. Speaking of those, the TV numbers are back on the sleeves (armholes?), just like the old Rams unis. The sleeves of the road jerseys are blue, however, rather than gold (just like now). Both home and away shirts can be paired with either gold or blue pants. Just to satisfy curiosity, I have included a white-over-white set (that one was a shout-out to the Fearsome Foursome era). As for the alternate, I've done the same thing this time as last time in using the Norm Van Brocklin era sets as a base. I utilized the current numbers (the ones I created), however, rather than the old block numerals--again, in keeping with the "modernized classic" direction.

I think, with this package, I may have achieved what I was going for--a modernized classic. Depending on how you squint your eyes and look at this, you may either see the old classic set or the current set. Sometimes the "mass appeal" approach works (trying to cater to those who love the classics as well as those who like the current set)...but I'll let you all determine that.

Okay--enough yappin' about this...time for y'all to see it.

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Aiight...y'all know what to do--hit me up and let me know what's up with this here. All C&C appreciated.

~Buc

[Shumway]

Nicely done and presented, as usual. I'll break it down for you, I suppose...

Seattle:

I'm not a huge fan of their current set, but I think you've done reasonably well working with it. I honestly think their current slate/blue looks best in monochrome form, as shown in your Hasselbeck below. Distinguishing the two blues helps a lot, as does utilizing the green a bit better. Part of me wants to see what you could do throwing in some silver pants and helmets, since, well, I'm kinda partial to the Seahawks unis I grew up seeing.

Rams:

I think I'm in love with these, really. The yellow looks so much better than the metallic gold in my book. The uniforms are modern enough, yet so classically simple. Really, the only thing I'm not diggin' here is the set of yellow socks, but otherwise, these are really nice.

[bigmike]

Great Work as usuall, I really like the Seahawks uni's, not crazy about the navy pants but I love the rest of the set, I also wouldnt mind seeing how you could incorperate silver in there. I like the Rams alot too, it is absolutley flawless. I can't wait for the next set.

Keep up the Good Work!!!

[chestnutz]

Back to what you're best at, NFL concepts. Don't get me wrong, your HBC project is great, but I love when you delve into the professional world.

Love the Rams concept. The helmet looks worlds better, I'm not sure why. Overall it fits the team perfectly, great job. I can't wait to see what you have next.

OT: How do you apply your helmet logos in your action template? What specificalities, if you don't mind me asking, do you use to warp the logo to fit on the helmet so perfectly?

[AHcreative]

The Rams concept is absolutely beautiful. I love the incorporation of the Arch on the sleeves, and of course the throwback colors are amazing. The helmet looks great with the addition of the white around the horns like the Rams have on their logo.

Also, I love the yellow jersey.

Great work Brandon.

[TFoA]

Seahawks

The thing I really don't like is the number font. Then again, I've never really liked that number font ever so I guess I'm being a tad bit biased against it. Other than that, I'm really feeling it. The two tone pants stripe with the lime green stripe in the middle was a great idea, since it matched perfectly with the helmet and I love when that happens. The only other thing are the navy pants...Idk, just not really feeling that. Other than that, excellent concept as usual.

Rams

I'm just saying that I would've outlined the entire ram horn instead of one side. I can tell that if that ever got onto the field, the horn only having one side outlined would irk me to no end. Other than that...I like it. You merged old school and new school together very nicely. The throwback was freakin awesome as well.

[dgthree]

love the rams concept. the minor changes to the helmet are amazing (the little white added)

[tBBP]

Back to what you're best at, NFL concepts. Don't get me wrong, your HBC project is great, but I love when you delve into the professional world.

Love the Rams concept. The helmet looks worlds better, I'm not sure why. Overall it fits the team perfectly, great job. I can't wait to see what you have next.

OT: How do you apply your helmet logos in your action template? What specificalities, if you don't mind me asking, do you use to warp the logo to fit on the helmet so perfectly?

To answer your question about helmet warping...(if you're using Illustrator) a while back, the artist formerly known as Tempest (andrewharrington) posted a tutorial on warping helmet logos to make them look more realistic. Real quickly, I'll run through how I go it:

First, take your logo, copy and paste it somewhere. Next, draw a box and place it behind the logo. Group both those objects together, and then go Effect ->Warp-> Fisheye. I usually push the warp value up to 90, and enter. From there, use the direct selection tool (white arrow) to deselect the box, but keep the actual logo selected. Then, you can use the selection tool itself to actually move the logo around inside that box. This is the part that takes some time. Just be sure to click and drag on the selected object or you'll have to start over. From there, a couple scales, some rotations, a little resizing...and eventually, I can get the logo (or ram horns) to look right. This takes a lot of practice, so don't expect to get it right the first time out.

It's also a good idea to have the helmet you're transferring this warped logo onto somewhere nearby as you're playing with the warping, to eyeball the logo and see when/if it looks right.

Once you're satisfied with how the logo looks, Go up into Object -> Expand Appearance. Then, deselect the warped logo and the box and use the direct selection tool to select just the box, delete it and voila...warped logo for your helmet. Hope that helps.

Also, thanks to all who've commented thus far.

[crashcarson15]

I'm now feeling the blue and gold for the Rams. Great job!

[BBTV]

Rams

I'm just saying that I would've outlined the entire ram horn instead of one side. I can tell that if that ever got onto the field, the horn only having one side outlined would irk me to no end. Other than that...I like it. You merged old school and new school together very nicely. The throwback was freakin awesome as well.

I think that it's perfect with only the one side outlined - it ties in to the shoulder stripe on the blue jersey and give it the illusion of being a matching horn (like the classics) but of course we know that it's not.

The only thing is that the there should be a matching white stripe next to the yellow shoulder stripe on the white jerseys too. It should go yellow, white, blue. Make it happen.

[Jezus_Ghoti]

This project has the potential to be one of the best ever on this board.

[Trevis Meseroll]

I think they are both SWEET looking to me, let us see a Tampa Bay Buccaneers one!!!

[jake22]

great work, i love how you made it so that the seahawks have many pairs of pants to wear with both jerseys, i like it when teams do that, when they have a classic look but they can and will swich it up, i would change nothing about that set

on to the rams, loving the old colors in use. it looks great, but two things, the white pants that go with the yellow jersey i think would look great as an alternate for the blue and white jerseys, also on the yellow jersey which btw is the best jersey there,. i think it would look great if the small stripes on the sleeves were white, so the striping went white blue white, my high school team uses jerseys like that and it looks classic clean and good and i think it would work great with the yellow jersey

great work and keep it up

[TalktoChuck]

I love this set! R u planning on doing the whole NFL? If so, I suggest the Broncos next. I'd love to see what you wcould do with them.

To the comments: The Seahawks is brillian, I love that the Seahawk stripe matches the pant stripe! Matching is always great! The only thing is the navy pants. To me they just don't look right. Great job though. A

The Rams is great, I like the "arched' themed shoulder stripes, and the return to the classic colors. You were trying to mix old with new, and you definitly did! The only thing that I can think of that might make it better is to add a blue facemask instead of a white one. A+

[Rambulance]

Your previous Rams' concept was one of my favorites, but I think you've outdone yourself here.

Couple of comments:

1. Don't care for the blue pants at all. I'd love if they had the yellow and white sets only.

2. The alternate yellow jersey = WIN

3. Think it'd look better with a blue or even a yellow facemask.

4. Still want a little lighter shade of blue, leaning more towards royal. But I'd rather deal with the navy and keep the yellow than the other way around.

[tBBP]

Wanna thank all who've commented thus far. For now, let's press on with yet another update from the past.

CONCEPT REVISITED: NEW YORK JETS

For the longest time now, I've been working and reworking a beta version of my previous concept draft for the New York Jets. My first go-round looked like this here, from this here thread (the update to that original's in there, as well). That go-round, my aim was to keep the current overall look while adding a few modern touches to sorta kinda bring it into the new century here.

Well...for this here draft, I really didn't stray too far from that formula.

My main objective with this package was to create something distinctive for the Jets. Sure, we all know they wear green, have contrasting-colored sleeves on their jerseys (with a single offset stripe looped around it), and the like, but still...at least to me, the look is rather generic. While I do like the base look of the uniform (color arrangement, in other words), to me, it just doesn't say "Jets", so what I've attempted to do here is inject some sense of motion into the look of the Jets, while still keeping the overall look in line with their current traditional guise. In short...I've attempted to give the Jets an actual identity here.

The first thing I'll mention is this: when I set back to redo this several months ago, I had several ideas I wanted to play with here, and one of those was the use of double-green. Would only make sense for a team nicknamed "Gang Green", right? So, I've eliminated any and all traces of black and replaced it with what looks to be a silver-green. (In actuality, it's a 35% shade of the actual base green color, which I've also tweaked a bit for this set.)

So now let's get to the logo package. I'll be blunt: the current Jets logo is pathetically generic and plain-jane boring. At least the Kotite-era Jets' logo had some sense of life to it, so, just like last time, I revived that logo/wordmark--but with a certain few tweaks that probably won't even be noticed unless you break it down with a ruler and a protractor. For good measure, I've also added "New York" in all caps, sheared at the same angle as the word "JETS", underneath the bottom. As was the case previously, that logo (the "JETS" by itself) is enclosed in an oval shape. Now, this go-round, I've also managed to finally develop a disctinctive secondary logo that actually accomplishes what I tried so feverishly hard to do last time...encompass something of a stylized jet. Actually, I was reluctant to even use this logo, due to possible negative connotations some may have by putting "New York" and "jet" together, especially considering what else I've done with this logo. Some kind of way, I really wanted this to represent New York, so I stole an idea from the New York Mets and utilized an outline of the New York skyline. What you'll see is a jet taking off over New York city--just like the LaGuardia airport, from which the Jets actually derived their name (or so I've been told). Once I finally figured out how to render it to look how I wanted it, I ended up liking it so much I went on ahead an made it the helmet logo--we'll see how that one goes over on y'all. As for the numbers, last time I used some sheared numbers to try to replicate the look of the JETS wordmark; I've done the same this time, except I've made them more of a block shape, to kind of keep more in line with the JETS wordmark.

As for the uniforms, I didn't see the need for fixing what wasn't really broke, so I kept the base look the same. The one thing I did do was trade out the double-green stripes for a single wide green stripe bordered by the lighter silver-green (and on green backgrounds, white bordered by the lighter green). The numbers (and shoulder stripe) are also trimmed in silver green, as well as the single stripe on the white socks (still not sure if I should have went with double stripes on those or not...y'all tell me what y'all think.) Both home and away jerseys are interchangeable with white or green pants. No alternate uniform with this set here. (And no, I'm not even tryna do a New York Titans draft, so don't even ask. )

IMO, this set keeps the traditional look the Jets have had for quite some time now, yet has enough modern touches to freshen the overall look--a look that, in my eyes, now actually says "Jets" rather than "a football team nicknamed the Jets", if that makes any sense. It appears more streamlined now, as well.

But that's all my opinion...so here now, I present my revisted New York Jets concept package...

Okay, folks...C&C this thing away...and holla back!

~Buc

[scottysprings]

As a Jets fan, I approve. I rarely see a Jets uniform concept I would approve of for actual use but this is one of them. I'm glad you left the black out. One critique would be to possibly thicken up the shoulder stripe and the gap between the sleeve and stripe if you understand what I mean. The overall look reminds me of Michigan State but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

[O_Town_Clown]

I'd prefer this concept with the primary logo on the helmet rather than the alternate. Otherwise, fantastic as usual!

[Shumway]

As nice as that alternate logo is, I'd prefer it to remain an alternate. I'd slap that on the upper left chest, then put the "Jets" on the bucket. I like that you didn't do anything drastic to the Jets uniforms, since they've got a top-3-in-the-NFL uniform in my book. I'm not entirely sold on the numbers, but it matches the wordmark nicely. Then again, I'm a sucker for simple block numbers.