49ers still new uniforms?

[sc49erfan15]

New set > old set, for the 294,827th time.

The old set was great in the 70s, great in the 80s. By the mid-90s, it was tiiiiime for a change.

And it's not time to go back to the old ones, either. Leave the uniforms alone.

Ok... for the 294,828th time... here's what sucks, and cannot be ignored by anyone who claims to care about design, about the "new" uniforms.

1. Helmet stripe and pants stripe do not match. This unbelievable simple rule is so easy that getting JUST THIS wrong is more than enough to blow up the whole uniform.

2. The helmet logo is repeated on the sleeve AND on the pants. OK, we get it already! What, couldn't find a way to shoehorn it onto the socks?

3. The sleeve logo DOESN'T FIT. No room... but hey, what would a "modern" jersey be without extra logos? Damn, I'd rather see on the back above the name plate!

4. The hip logo (ugh) actually alters the thickness of the stripes that its sewn over. I've never seen this before, but check it out. Looks cheap.

5. That weird "shadow" that's supposedly coming off the individual sleeve stripes... seriously? Who thought of that? Beyond dumb.

6. In fact the whole sleeve design is such a mess that some linemen are actually wearing a different unifrom... not just an altered cut, but a completely different design.

7. And, yes, the multiple outlines and deep drop shadow of the numbers looked cool... for about a game and a half.

Personally, I wouldn't want to see the throwback become regular, either... plenty of problems there, too. But if the choice is one or the other, I'd have to take the throwback... the current uniforms are the definition of "over designed".

The only thing I agree with you on is the pants stripe / helmet stripe. Throw a gold stripe on the helmet separating the red and black stripes, and it looks much better.

I don't know what you mean about the hip logo altering the thickness of the pants stripes? Also about the linemen wearing an entirely different uniform. Do elaborate.

On the numbers, there is only one outline plus the drop shadow. I don't think they're overdesigned at all.

Fix the helmet stripe and you've got nothing but a beautiful football uniform there, folks.

[Nomad]

I disliked the gold used on the '80s uniforms. If they combined the current gold with the old template, I could tolerate them. Or just tone down the black in the modern unis.

[bigdub81]

Without going completely back to the 80's this is about as good as they can get IMO.

> Eliminate the stripe logo and add thin gold outline to stripes to go along with jersey numbers

> Lighten the red a bit...keep the deep tone but not as much as they use now

> Add '49ers' wordmark in solid gold

> Switch Reebok shoulder logos to gold on home and away

> Helmet stripe matches pant stripe

> Logo removed from hip of the pant

Perfection!

[BBTV]

^

Keep the current darker red, and that's a winner.

I too originally thought that the old red was the way to go, until I saw an authentic 9ers jersey in person. The current dark red is just a beautiful color.

[O_Town_Clown]

Without going completely back to the 80's this is about as good as they can get IMO.

> Eliminate the stripe logo and add thin gold outline to stripes to go along with jersey numbers

> Lighten the red a bit...keep the deep tone but not as much as they use now

> Add '49ers' wordmark in solid gold

> Switch Reebok shoulder logos to gold on home and away

> Helmet stripe matches pant stripe

> Logo removed from hip of the pant

Perfection!

Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

[andrewharrington]

The reason you can't make the sleeve stripes match everything else like that is because the elements are not the same scale. It clutters up the uniform badly and for no reason because that is an element that is barely visible unless you're wearing the jersey. I just don't think anything they did when they made that change was a good solution to any of the problems.

[bigdub81]

I

too originally thought that the old red was the way to go, until I saw an authentic 9ers jersey in person. The current dark red is just a beautiful color.

I will agree with you that the color is beautiful since I too have seen an authentic up close and personal. The color only looks dark when the team plays in domed stadiums but when you catch the 49ers playing at home in bright sunlight the red that they use now is better looking. I was going for a combination of both. Not the old school red but not the new one either. A marriage perhaps of the two!

[DallasSports]

I would LOVE the 49er's current uniform... if they won 4 Super Bowls in them. But they didn't. They won 4 Super Bowls in their 80's set, and 1 in their throwback uniform.

I just feel, if you win championships in your current set, why the haste to change the look? Now if you have years of struggle, OK... but not when your old look was pretty fresh.

Let me guess, you guys don't like the Chief's jerseys? Are they not "modernized" enough?

[O_Town_Clown]

I would LOVE the 49er's current uniform... if they won 4 Super Bowls in them. But they didn't. They won 4 Super Bowls in their 80's set, and 1 in their throwback uniform.

I just feel, if you win championships in your current set, why the haste to change the look? Now if you have years of struggle, OK... but not when your old look was pretty fresh.

Let me guess, you guys don't like the Chief's jerseys? Are they not "modernized" enough?

I don't agree with this logic. The Giants won a Superbowl wearing these:

But I think their current set is infinitely better (there are those who'll disagree, but this is my example). I'm very much in favor of retro styling, but that's because I appreciate the aesthetic, not because it honors past glories.

[IceCap]

I have to say the 49ers current set may be one of the most unappreciated in the NFL today. They took the best of the Montana-era set, the best of the SB XXIX throwbacks ( ), and came up a with a near perfect update.

All they need to do is fix the helmet striping to match the pants striping and it's perfection, IMO.

An other idea would be to remove the logos from the sleeves and place the plain "SF" monogram under the collar ala the NYGs/Bengals.

On the whole though, the look is solid and shouldn't be thrown away in favour of a throwback or throwback-inspired look.

[Billy B]

I would LOVE the 49er's current uniform... if they won 4 Super Bowls in them. But they didn't. They won 4 Super Bowls in their 80's set, and 1 in their throwback uniform.

I just feel, if you win championships in your current set, why the haste to change the look? Now if you have years of struggle, OK... but not when your old look was pretty fresh.

Let me guess, you guys don't like the Chief's jerseys? Are they not "modernized" enough?

The Chiefs jerseys are actually one of my favorites. Just because the 49ers won four Super Bowls does not make the old set look any better. That is some of the worst logic I have heard. If they go back to the old uniforms, they won't win any more games than if they didn't change uniforms. If you think that the old uniforms are better, I'll disagree with you but that's your opinion, it isn't wrong.

But just saying you shouldn't change your uniform because you won in them doesn't make any sense.

[SmoothieX]

I dig the Niners look. The only thing I prefer on the throwbacks is the cherry red over the crimson on the current set.

[andrewharrington]

Outlining everything, matching up stripes making everything 'the same' is the most amateur way to solve the problem, which is what they did. It's predictable, it's easy and it's not exciting to look at. Not all the elements on a great uniform have to match all the other elements; in fact, I'd argue that uniforms using less can be more difficult to design, have intricacies and nuances that are more unexpected and interesting to look at, keep the visual history of the game intact and look absolutely stunning, refined, resolved and to the point all at the same time. The elements of a uniform must coordinate with each other in order to look great. Making them all match is the easy way out and shows little to no design sense. Much more can be said in a much more interesting way with one well-placed contrast than with a bucketful of sameness.

[oldschoolvikings]

I have to say the 49ers current set may be one of the most unappreciated in the NFL today. They took the best of the Montana-era set, the best of the SB XXIX throwbacks ( ), and came up a with a near perfect update.

All they need to do is fix the helmet striping to match the pants striping and it's perfection, IMO.

An other idea would be to remove the logos from the sleeves and place the plain "SF" monogram under the collar ala the NYGs/Bengals.

On the whole though, the look is solid and shouldn't be thrown away in favour of a throwback or throwback-inspired look.

Yeah, maybe there's a reason why its so "unappreciated".

[cappital92]

Both jerseys really don't do it for me. The old one's too plain, and the new one's too saturated. For example, if the 49ers lost the gold outline on their numbers or made the shadowing just an outline, then it could work. Another idea is lightening the gold up to more of a Vegas gold.

[McCall]

I personally have no problem whatsoever with the Niners set. Maybe ditch the logo on the pants (that is a bit TOO overkill), but other than that... I really don't even mind the logo on the sleeves, though it would still look good without it. The drop shadow on the numbers also doesn't really bother me, but if it was just a black outline/no shadow, that'd look fine too. The helmet to pants striping is the only other thing that really needs to be fixed, and it's rather simple; adding a thin gold stripe on either side of the thick red stripe and your golden (ha. the punnery). But this set is definately better, in today's terms, than the throwbacks, which do make a great throwback alt set, possibly worn twice a year.

The Niners were a team whose uniforms in the past were nice, but didn't transcend eras, as mentioned previously. Their striping patterns and shades of colors were TOO basic to go unchanged. I know some teams have managed to keep there's, but the flatness of the gold and the red back then would just not be today what they were then. Overall, they've made an excellent transition from the past to present while maintaining a basic, classic identity.

And I am one of the biggest proponents of traditional uniforms staying throughout the years (if they can appropriately do so. The Niners' wasn't one of them) and absolutely HATE unecessary black. But San Fran uses it well, as only a trim color, and it compliments the new shades of red (add me to the list of those who thinks it's a beautiful shade) and gold.

Ok, I'm done.

[walkdesign]

I'm trying to figure out why most people seem to love the 80s era unis more than the current ones. The current ones blow the old ones out of the water. Like BBTV said, the flaws in the old unis were fixed with the new one. The throwbacks are just really boring. I'm not buying "but they won championships in them so they're better!" as a reason why the throwbacks are better.

In my opinion the new unis are only seen as better by a majority since they include black. An old instructor of mine used to joke that if you don't have a good logo, reverse it out of black and people will think it's better.

I see this new 49ers set as implementing that logic (as did the Lions). Instead of refining the look and making it right, they simply added black outlines and a few other tweaks and the public perceives it as better. It's basically the easy way out and doesn't address or solve the problem.

I would argue just the opposite. I think the small accents of black help make the richer red pop a lot more. The Red masks on the gold are and the best part of the uniforms, so black helps but in the way it is supposed to help by strengthening the red. Plus the Niners always had black as part of the uniforms unlike the Lions and other teams that overuse the black. I do think they should get rid of the logo on the sleeves that they and Dallas put on there jerseys around the same time.

[sc49erfan15]

I'm trying to figure out why most people seem to love the 80s era unis more than the current ones. The current ones blow the old ones out of the water. Like BBTV said, the flaws in the old unis were fixed with the new one. The throwbacks are just really boring. I'm not buying "but they won championships in them so they're better!" as a reason why the throwbacks are better.

In my opinion the new unis are only seen as better by a majority since they include black. An old instructor of mine used to joke that if you don't have a good logo, reverse it out of black and people will think it's better.

I see this new 49ers set as implementing that logic (as did the Lions). Instead of refining the look and making it right, they simply added black outlines and a few other tweaks and the public perceives it as better. It's basically the easy way out and doesn't address or solve the problem.

I would argue just the opposite. I think the small accents of black help make the richer red pop a lot more. The Red masks on the gold are and the best part of the uniforms, so black helps but in the way it is supposed to help by strengthening the red. Plus the Niners always had black as part of the uniforms unlike the Lions and other teams that overuse the black. I do think they should get rid of the logo on the sleeves that they and Dallas put on there jerseys around the same time.

Exactly. The 49ers didn't add black just to add black - it's been in the color scheme for years.

In fact, black predates gold on the 49ers' uniforms. The black was used as an accent color in the early 1950s, while gold didn't even enter the color scheme until 1964. Now, I think it's a little ridiculous to not have gold for a team called the 49ers - but I think they emphasized both the black and gold well on the new jerseys.

And I wouldn't say that the 49ers added "black outlines and a few other tweaks" either - they redesigned the whole friggin' uniform. Basically the only design element that holds over are the three stripes on the sleeves - present on the red jersey since 1950, and on the white since 1964.

"A few other tweaks":

-modernized the intertwined "SF" logo

-switch from gray to crimson facemask

-switched to a darker crimson

-switched to a darker, metallic gold

-moved numbers to shoulders, instead of sleeves

-placed "SF" logo on sleeves, with a drop shadow on the stripes

-gold outlines on the numbers, along with the drop shadow

-completely overhauled the pants

The only similarity between the Lions and 49ers is they added black - except the Lions did it for no apparent reason, the 49ers did it because it's a design element from the throwback jerseys.

[infrared41]

I would LOVE the 49er's current uniform... if they won 4 Super Bowls in them. But they didn't. They won 4 Super Bowls in their 80's set, and 1 in their throwback uniform.

I just feel, if you win championships in your current set, why the haste to change the look? Now if you have years of struggle, OK... but not when your old look was pretty fresh.

Let me guess, you guys don't like the Chief's jerseys? Are they not "modernized" enough?

I see that you are just 84 posts into your CCSLC career. Maybe this will save you some time.

You'll find that among all the varying tastes around here, there also exists two distinct camps. "The Modernizers/Updaters" and the "Old School Idiots." Both are very passionate about their positions.

"The Modernizers/Updaters" believe that any jersey that has been around longer than three seasons has "outlived it's usefulness." They also believe that Cincinnati, Atlanta, Arizona, Denver, and Minnesota look better than they ever have. They like sideways stripes, weird piping, and facemasks that are any color but gray.

"The Old School Idiots" believe that any new uniform designed since 1970 is garbage. They live for "throwback" games and claim that perfection cannot be improved upon. They believe that the best uniforms in the NFL belong to Cleveland, The Giants, Green Bay, and (only if they go back to their old number font) Pittsburgh. If you even approach the idea of changing the Browns helmet you will be met with ridicule and abuse. Old Schoolers also believe that the best facemask is a gray facemask.

You are completely wasting your time if you try to get either group to see it any other way.

[O_Town_Clown]

I would LOVE the 49er's current uniform... if they won 4 Super Bowls in them. But they didn't. They won 4 Super Bowls in their 80's set, and 1 in their throwback uniform.

I just feel, if you win championships in your current set, why the haste to change the look? Now if you have years of struggle, OK... but not when your old look was pretty fresh.

Let me guess, you guys don't like the Chief's jerseys? Are they not "modernized" enough?

I see that you are just 84 posts into your CCSLC career. Maybe this will save you some time.

You'll find that among all the varying tastes around here, there also exists two distinct camps. "The Modernizers/Updaters" and the "Old School Idiots." Both are very passionate about their positions.

"The Modernizers/Updaters" believe that any jersey that has been around longer than three seasons has "outlived it's usefulness." They also believe that Cincinnati, Atlanta, Arizona, Denver, and Minnesota look better than they ever have. They like sideways stripes, weird piping, and facemasks that are any color but gray.

"The Old School Idiots" believe that any new uniform designed since 1970 is garbage. They live for "throwback" games and claim that perfection cannot be improved upon. They believe that the best uniforms in the NFL belong to Cleveland, The Giants, Green Bay, and (only if they go back to their old number font) Pittsburgh. If you even approach the idea of changing the Browns helmet you will be met with ridicule and abuse. Old Schoolers also believe that the best facemask is a gray facemask.

You are completely wasting your time if you try to get either group to see it any other way.

Idiot must be Ohio slang for "aesthete".