Buc's NFL Revolution

[chestnutz]

Not sure I'm a fan of the 35% greenish gray. Just looks kind of like a mistake rather than intentional. Also, not feeling the alternate logo (which is great, btw) on the helmet. I'd say either JETS or the NY oval. Solid job though buc.

[tBBP]

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.

The funny thing is that I actually thought about slapping that alternate logo on the chest, as sort of a "badge of civic pride", but, for some reason, became entirely too attached to that thing and as such it ended up on the helmet. I think Imma have to go on back and switch those out with my primary logo...and try the "civic pride" badge and see how that works out.

Updates to come soon...

[BJBerthiaume]

Love how you intertwined the retro feel with the modern feel. I agree with putting the jets circle on the helmet and leaving that sweet alternate on the chest because the Jets do have a chest logo right now and it would be cool to keep that going.

[nuordr]

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:

*****************************************************

So there's that one there.

CONTINUED NEXT POST...

I like the Seahawks concept, however, I wish people would stop trying to change their look they have now, because I love it. In fact, I think all they need is too add more green.

[dcameronh]

I really like all these concepts. My favorite is the Rams so far. I love the additon of white to helmet and the return to the yellow instead of gold. I also am one of the few who would lve to see the Seahawks use a green alternate on the field.

Hey, sence you have done two of the four NFC West teams can you do the 49ers? It would be good to see one for them sence they may be getting new unis next year.

Also where could I find the templates you use for these?

[See Red]

I really like all these concepts. My favorite is the Rams so far. I love the additon of white to helmet and the return to the yellow instead of gold. I also am one of the few who would lve to see the Seahawks use a green alternate on the field.

Hey, sence you have done two of the four NFC West teams can you do the 49ers? It would be good to see one for them sence they may be getting new unis next year.

Also where could I find the templates you use for these?

http://boards.sportslogos.net/index.php?showtopic=62950

[BlueSky]

Great work as usual. I especially like the thin white stripe around the Rams' helmet horns, I've felt for years that adding that small detail would make their excellent helmet design even better.

As for the Jets, you said the basic uni design isn't broken, and maybe that's true, but their execution of it is broken. The shoulder stripe, one of the great elements of the uni, has been rendered ridiculous looking by the dreaded 'halfway syndrome'.

I'd never really noticed until I looked at these pics, but the original Jets jersey mimicked the shoulder design on the sleeves below the TV numbers. Looks pretty damn cool but obviously that particular look is gone into history along with full sleeves.

My suggestion for your concept would be to just eliminate that extra stripe and have the sleeves only in the contrasting color. That way you could use a chest logo too - notice how bad it looks up against the extra stripe in the Pennington pic. IMO the helmet logo (nice btw) should be a little bigger too.

While I'm on half vs. full shoulder stripes, can anyone explain why the Panthers can do it and nobody else can?

[maz]

Personally, I think most teams that do it (Indianapolis, NYJ, UCLA, etc.) actually look better that way.

[crashcarson15]

Personally, I think most teams that do it (Indianapolis, NYJ, UCLA, etc.) actually look better that way.

Agreed 100%.

Well said (of course that maybe because I see it just about everyday on a Colts jersey here in Central Indiana )

[BlueSky]

You guys really think the half-look beats the way the jerseys were designed to look? That logic escapes me.

Give the Colts credit though...it's a beautiful uni and they haven't changed much in 50 years.

For you trivia fans, #24 above is Lenny Moore and his nickname was 'Spats' for the way he taped his ankles.

Spats =

And for you young 'uns who might be wondering what that orange-ish stuff on Lenny's tape is, it's called 'stickum' and was used by players who handled/caught the ball. It was very sticky and they'd get a little on their fingers to get a better grip. It was outlawed years ago after some players (*cough* Lester Hayes *cough*) went a little overboard:

We now return you to our regularly scheduled topic.

[ryanlion13]

I'll play devils advocate regarding the Rams since no one else is. I think your best set is the throwback yellow jersey. I think that works very well for its intended purpose and I'd actually love to see it on the field. That said, I'm not a fan of either versions with blue pants. I've always thought blue pants are hard to pull off because you need an alternate sock color otherwise it looks like sweatpants. The Solid blue uni is too blue, it might as well be one of these solid black uniforms in the nfl and the away shows that yellow socks don't work. So, simplify and stick to one set of pants. That would be my advice for most teams anyway. I'm not crazy about the arch themed shoulder/sleeve combos. Those are the part of the current set I'm not a fan of. They don't fit in with the nice lines on the pants. My suggestion would be to rework the yellow jersey as a blue/home and white/away playing with the yellow/white/blue scheme as you see fit. Something tells me the design could be fantastic, a classic look incoporating the new colors.

I like the colors you've picked. I love how you've done the yellow pants with the lines, along with the blue socks with the simple yellow line at the bottom. The white tracing on the horn is a nice idea but it looks odd not having a complete outline and I bet a complete outline wouldn't look to good. I'd like to see a simpler number font too.

Please, though, I beg you. Make the blue home and yellow away with a riff on the throwback and match them with the yellow pant design. I have a feeling you'd creat my dream set for my home team if you try it!

[tBBP]

I'm back, yet again.

I think it's been something like two months since I last posted a concept set in here, and I told myself then I was going to take a break from doing this for a while. But y'all know how creative inspiration is...sooner or later, the urge always wins.

Having said that, I got a nice little DOUBLE feature for y'all here...one that literally came together out of nowhere, and one that I've dusted off, cleaned up, and transposed to my newer templates. So let's get back into the Revolution here.

"AMERICA'S" TEAM: THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Before I even get going with this here...let me say that I thought I'da been the LAST person up in here to do up a concept set for, of all teams, the Patriots. But, you know how sometimes you'll just be sitting somewhere or looking at something and then BOOM!--out of nowhere an idea just formulates? Well that's what happened to me with this set. This all came together for me (the uniform design, at least) literally in about an hour! (Took longer to actually complete the set, however.)

Basically what I wanted to do here was simplify things--that is, nix out all the unnecessary details from the current Pats set (read: the silver shoulder "stripes", the side panels with red piping). The other thing I wanted to do was to try to combine different features from all the different Pat uniform eras into a new "modernized" yet simplified design--with an extra twist. So with that said...

...I didn't do anything new or different to the logo package. In fact, I didn't even include the "NE" logo that I've seen pop up at various places (though that's chiefly because i couldn't find a large enough logo to trace). I did, however, keep the current number style, except I cut the silver stroke out of them, leaving only the solid number and one outline. I did come up with a very interesting idea for the uniform striping, however--or at least it's interesting to me. Some of you may have noticed how I like to take simple details like striping but do crazy thing with it--controlled chaos, in a way. (It fits into my idelogy of design: complexity within the confines of simplicity.) That said, what I did was use the Flying Elvis as inspiration without actually using the Elvis--you'll see what I mean. What I did was turn the Elvis into a sort of abstract striping pattern. Shoulder stripes return to the jerseys as a nod to the Pat Patriot era uniforms (which is also why I moved the TV numbers back to the sleeves). Oh, and I lightened up the navy just a little bit to get away from the drabness of the current navy and push the overall look closer to the mid-90s Apex One Patriot sets. (Squint your eyes, and you'll see elements of that jersey design in this current one--minus the subliminated flag pattern.)

Overall, I think this uniform design is fairly simple and straightforward, yet with a certain modernized "edge" that will certainly make it stand out amongst other uniforms. Some may think this is a set better suited for either an All-Star team or some team named the Generals or Federals or something like that. I think it'd be a nice way for the Pats to update.

Here it all is for y'all to check out.

Okay...so there's that set. Feel free to leave your C&C for me on this here!

But for now...

CONINUED NEXT POST...

[tBBP]

you

SAN DIEGO SHAKE-UP: THE CHARGERS GET A MAKEOVER

Okay...this is one I've been sitting on for nearly two years now, tryna figure out which way to go with it next. Well, in doing up the Patriots concept up above, I decided to dust this one off and see what else I might add to it. The answer might surprise quite a few folks.

For starters, letme say that I don't quite share the overwhelming enthusiasm for the powder blues as most of Charger Nation does (and, for that matter, a sizeable contingent of this here community). I actually prefer the '90s set, and for this reason: the sky during a thunderstorn is normally pretty dark, and most representations of lightning bolts are some shade of yellow, though we know lightning is usually white. As you're reading this, keep the idea of "storm" in the back of your minds.

My main goal with this set was to eliminate the Mighty Morphin Power Ranger-esque look a little bit...and make it appear a bit more, well, stormy. I didn't completely eradicate the powder. It's still included as a trim color...on the primary uniforms, anyway. (I will go ahead and say this: I got a special surprise cooked up for the powder lovers later, so stay tuned.) Basically, what I did here was unify patterns--that is, yellow base, navy outline, with a powder offset. That's true for both the bolts and the numbers. But that ain't even what'll immediately catch your attention. It's what I did with those bolts and numbers that will.

What I've decided Imma do from here on out is treat my concepts as if they were showroom entries at a car show somewhere...some elements may make it to production; others may not. I say that to say this: I actually borrowed an idea I had from an entirely different concept set for another team just to see how it turned out here. I'll just go ahead and say it:

Prepare for the return of the GRADIENT.

There..now that that's out the way...let's talk logos.

For the primary, I used the all-too-familiar bolt. For the alternate (this is what I've spent most of my time with concept trying to work on), I revived the horse-shield look, with a diffrerent twist. I also took time to style a new wordmark. I've never been a fan of either the current Chargers wordmark or the previous one--something about that yellow line going through the word never really worked for me. So I concocted a new custom font created from the same basse font the Bolts use now. I think it adds a bit more flair. (And just for the hell of it...I threw in a solid one-color version of it, too.) I also "reined in" the numbers a bit, making them appear less goofy, while still maintaining some sense of "edge".

Here's that logo package for y'all to peep out:

And now that you see what it is you have to look forward to...let's get on to the uniforms.

My original idea was to keep the gradient effect to the bolts alone, but after seeing it on my uniform template, I couldn't resist using it on the numbers, so I did it here. The helmets, as you saw above, are back to navy (again--keep that "thunderstorm" idea in your mind), but, with uniform number added, just like the old days of Charger lore. (I've long wondered why the Chargers never thought to add those back to their current helmets.) Okay, now...let me explain something here. The bolts and numbers all keep the same gradient pattern...on both home and away sets. Now, having said that, I know that yellow may be hard to read on a white background--especially with a slight gradient in it--but my rationale is this: for a short time, the Raiders had silver numbers on white jerseys. The Saints had gold numbers. And if anyone's seen Central Florida's uniforms, it's hard to tell what is what color, since the gold they use looks so washed-out. (Same for Vanderbilt.) BUT...I liked the idea of keeping yellow on a white backgorund, and so I stuck with it. Daring? A little bit, I'd say. One other note on the jerseys: I made the collar and sleeve cuffs white on the dark jersey, to sort of break up the monotony of all the navy; conversely, the white jerseys have navy cuffs. Good move/bad move?

Check it all out right here:

So there's that set for y'all.

Okay...remember that surprise I said I had for all you powder lovers out there???

Far too often, I've seen Charger concepts that are primarily powder, but in the current uniform style. My against-the-grain mindset in making these alternates? "If you're gonna go throwback, why not throw it all the way back???" So that's what I did...throw it back all the way to the '60s. However, having said that, it ain't a complete replica of the '60s set...there's still some modernized elements of the set, namely the navy trim found throughout.

And...I made two sets here--one "home" and one "away". Both also include...get this...yellow pants. The number style is from the early '60s--figured y'all would get a kick out of that. (Plus I love those old-school block numbers, anyway.)

Powder lovers...here's one for y'all!

So there you have it...my two-year-old concept set for the San Diego Chargers. Holla back...let me know what's up with this here!

(And thus...that completes your double-header concept post. Should give some people a good bit to discuss for the next month or two. )

**********************************************************

NOTE: For those of you looking for action renderings, got some bad news...something happened to my files on my machine as I was upgrading my platforms, so I'm performing some maintenance on those right now...it's taking some time. So you may not see those for a little while.

[BB61]

I love what you've done with the Chargers. I also love that you've used the gradients to perfection, and I think they look absolutely dynamic against the blue. My only gripe with them is that I don't think it looks as good against the white, but it's not terrible.

Great job, bud. Keep it up.

[Beast Mode]

Not sure I'm a fan of the 35% greenish gray. Just looks kind of like a mistake rather than intentional. Also, not feeling the alternate logo (which is great, btw) on the helmet. I'd say either JETS or the NY oval. Solid job though buc.

What about just using that line above the Jets script on the helmet?

[neo_prankster]

Not a big fan of the gradients in the Chargers' set.

Out of curiosity, I would like how a yellow bolt would look against an electric blue helmet.

[OrangeBalloonCoast]

Patriots: These are a tremendous upgrade of a jersey that already looks good. I love how you incorporated the star and strips of the logo throughout the rest of the uniform...I'm really nitpicking here, but I think I'd prefer a gray facemask and socks with a combination of red and blue striping. Maybe that's overkill on the striping theme, but I wonder what that would look like?

Chargers: Maybe it's just me, but I think the powder blue unis look a lot better than the navy.

[See Red]

I'm back, yet again.

I think it's been something like two months since I last posted a concept set in here, and I told myself then I was going to take a break from doing this for a while. But y'all know how creative inspiration is...sooner or later, the urge always wins.

Having said that, I got a nice little DOUBLE feature for y'all here...one that literally came together out of nowhere, and one that I've dusted off, cleaned up, and transposed to my newer templates. So let's get back into the Revolution here.

"AMERICA'S" TEAM: THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Before I even get going with this here...let me say that I thought I'da been the LAST person up in here to do up a concept set for, of all teams, the Patriots. But, you know how sometimes you'll just be sitting somewhere or looking at something and then BOOM!--out of nowhere an idea just formulates? Well that's what happened to me with this set. This all came together for me (the uniform design, at least) literally in about an hour! (Took longer to actually complete the set, however.)

Basically what I wanted to do here was simplify things--that is, nix out all the unnecessary details from the current Pats set (read: the silver shoulder "stripes", the side panels with red piping). The other thing I wanted to do was to try to combine different features from all the different Pat uniform eras into a new "modernized" yet simplified design--with an extra twist. So with that said...

...I didn't do anything new or different to the logo package. In fact, I didn't even include the "NE" logo that I've seen pop up at various places (though that's chiefly because i couldn't find a large enough logo to trace). I did, however, keep the current number style, except I cut the silver stroke out of them, leaving only the solid number and one outline. I did come up with a very interesting idea for the uniform striping, however--or at least it's interesting to me. Some of you may have noticed how I like to take simple details like striping but do crazy thing with it--controlled chaos, in a way. (It fits into my idelogy of design: complexity within the confines of simplicity.) That said, what I did was use the Flying Elvis as inspiration without actually using the Elvis--you'll see what I mean. What I did was turn the Elvis into a sort of abstract striping pattern. Shoulder stripes return to the jerseys as a nod to the Pat Patriot era uniforms (which is also why I moved the TV numbers back to the sleeves). Oh, and I lightened up the navy just a little bit to get away from the drabness of the current navy and push the overall look closer to the mid-90s Apex One Patriot sets. (Squint your eyes, and you'll see elements of that jersey design in this current one--minus the subliminated flag pattern.)

Overall, I think this uniform design is fairly simple and straightforward, yet with a certain modernized "edge" that will certainly make it stand out amongst other uniforms. Some may think this is a set better suited for either an All-Star team or some team named the Generals or Federals or something like that. I think it'd be a nice way for the Pats to update.

Here it all is for y'all to check out.

Okay...so there's that set. Feel free to leave your C&C for me on this here!

But for now...

CONINUED NEXT POST...

Winner. Hot damn those are sexy.

[TFoA]

The Patriots concept is PERFECT. Can't really make any criticisms. You basically did something that I've wanted them to do for the longest, and that's wear silver pants with their current set. Damn good job on the Pats concept. Awesome.

The 'modern' Chargers concept would be nice, if it weren't for the gradient and some other elements that I ain't really feeling too much. I wish I could specify it, but there's just some other stuff that just doesn't look right. So I guess that concept was a miss to me, IMO.

The 'throwback' Chargers looks great as usual. I honestly would've taken a page out of your monochrome madness ways and threw in some powder blue pants for good measure. But other than that, I love the numbers and the rest of the design looks great too.

The Patriots concept is one of your best and my favorite.

[aerodynamix]

That Patriots concept screams awesome all over the place. Job well done, I can't wait to see more!