NRL/AFL Concepts

[Gazzzaf]

Trying to get on a roll here. The second of the clubs I’d like to see back in the NRL is the Perth Reds.

As the Bears already use red and black, I decided to promote the use of gold in the colour scheme. The secondary may blind many who view it but it not likely to clash with too many other teams.

[Primal]

Speaking as the ex-Sandgroper here, I love it. But when I look at the logos I find the palette a bit too muted, particularly compared to the first image you've got.

[Gazzzaf]

Added a white outline to the roo and removed the orange from the background to make it stand out a little more.

[Gazzzaf]

Simplified the Bears set and fixed the shade of red in the logo.

[Gazzzaf]

Newcastle Knights

[mad dog]

Very nice work mate. Looking forward to seeing the rest go up.

What program are you using to design these? Are you only doing NRL and AFL clubs or will you try made up one's as well?

[Gazzzaf]

What program are you using to design these?

Illustrator for logos, Photoshop for uniforms.

Are you only doing NRL and AFL clubs or will you try made up one's as well?

I'm planning on getting the NRL and AFL done first, I've also got another project on hiatus for the Super 14 as well as some international rugby.

Here are the Melbourne Storm:

[Gazzzaf]

Bunnies Redo

[Gazzzaf]

Sydney Roosters

[Gazzzaf]

Auckland Warriors

Changed back to Auckland from New Zealand

[Gazzzaf]

St. George-Illawarra Dragons - Switch to Reebok

[Dave Ship]

Ciao Gary,

all of them are some little masterpieces. Good job, as always!

[Kit]

Oh wow; I've been gone for so long it's great to come back and see some Gazzzaf on the first page of the concepts. Your templates especially have improved leaps and bounds since last I saw them.

On to the feedback, and it's mixed. In the order posted (excluding AFL concepts which I don't feel sufficiently able to respond to):

Dragons (oh, my Dragons). I'll address just the most recent concept.

First the logo; I like what you've done to the shield even if I don't consider change strictly necessary (though as it's been said throughout the threads, your vectors are clearly being converted from CMYK to RGB; the black in the Dragons shield has been presented as a navy colour), but disagree with the need to include the word "Dragons" in the crest (though thanks for using Futura and not getting too flashy with the wordmark). I also think the logo in-situ demonstrates the need to retain the outer outline on the shield. I'd make the current shield outline black, drop the word "DRAGONS", move down the "St. George-Illawarra" text into the space (though as an Illawarra Steelers tragic, I agree with the equal billing for the two locales) and wrap the whole thing in an outer shield outline (in the red).

One practicality concern; the counters in "St. George-Illawarra" may be too small for embroidery at chest size.

I like the primary jerseys just fine, though I doubt if St George Bank would be OK with the loss of the word "Bank" in the logo. The arse-piping on the shorts doesn't do anything for me, but I like the little dashes of colour on the short legs.

The secondary/Illawarra jersey doesn't need the white panels on the sides at all. The classic Steelers jersey ought to be a good starting point I'd say (given the reds only ever get worn in Wollongong and usually only for Steelers heritage matches)

I always liked the "Where's Wally" backup jersey you've shown there (but not sure what situation would justify it?).

Titans

Your first concepts (with the side panels) appeals to me more than the second set you posted. Strongly disagree with the need for a black jersey for that team though regardless of how classy your blacks look (especially given you put Preston Campbell on the back, it feels like the 2003 Panthers). Totally stripping out their yellow from the palette is understandable, but if you insist on these "third jersey" strips, I'd consider running with some tasteful yellow.

I really love the shorts and socks you've put together for these guys.

Rabbitohs

Haven't really got anything to complain about; you've retained the best logo in the league and you've kept the jerseys nice and simple as they should be.

The white third jersey is a little lacking in character, though. The green line atop the nameplate looks awkward on its own like that.

Bears

While I doubt the Bears will end up in the comp next year I'll indulge. I really, really like the bear mascot you've put together. Classic pose and yet modern treatment is a good combination for a team with a tonne of history starting afresh. I do think the legs are a little overly articulated (almost like a toy in that the legs look too separate from the body by being so well defined; maybe just reduce the amount of red towards the head?). I'm not sold on the wordmark but it's adequate at worst. I'd be inclined to maybe give it something more squat to add some more asymmetry to the logo.

As for the uniforms, the primaries are faultless; really excellently executed. I think the secondary (in the most recent set) should be something oriented around a black V on a red jersey, perhaps similar to , but the jersey you've put together isn't bad standing alone.

The white jerseys you posted first don't do anything for me at all; I think they're lacking a sense of classicism that is the essence of the Bears as a franchise.

Raiders

I trust you know what you're doing with these guys, and I much prefer the blue over the black ones you've linked to on the website (bleargh!), but I don't and won't associate the Raiders with blue. I still consider you guys green through-and-through, and to leave behind a jersey that looked so good on the likes of Meninga, Daley and Stuart for one that offers nothing notably better is a mistake IMO. In my head, Canberra's secondary colour is yellow (blue is more of a spot/highlight colour to my mind).

That having been said, the jersey you've posted is excellent viewed in isolation (I especially like your white shorts); I just don't see it as a positive move for an organisation with the winning history Canberra has. I also consider strongly green/blue jerseys as old-style Warriors colours, not Canberra.

All Blacks

Well you haven't given us anything to dislike. The All Blacks are as close to All Black as humanly possible and the whites don't look bad at all.

Panthers

I applaud you for bringing back the brown. Your third concept should be their secondary uniform. I don't know about the combination of the chocolate and black on the one jersey. I think you either need to use real white between the colours to provide some contrast or you need to reintroduce either purple or teal instead (as much as I hate their current look).

Your white concept looks like a soccer kit to my eyes.

Reds

I'd love to see the Reds return (does this mean we'll get a Rams concept?), and I really like the simplification of their abomination of a logo. Your textured Photoshop version of the logo is terrific, but the vector versions are suffering from a pretty profound colour shift on my monitor. Your blacks have turned to #18

[Kit]

(continued from above...)

Reds

I'd love to see the Reds return (does this mean we'll get a Rams concept?), and I really like the simplification of their abomination of a logo. Your textured Photoshop version of the logo is terrific, but the vector versions are suffering from a pretty profound colour shift on my monitor. Your blacks have turned to #18181A (way off) and your kangaroo shifts from a great red to a muted orange. The yellow has a blue shift that leaves it looking a little sickly and green.

None of it would look as bad had you not given us a sample of how good it could look . I will say that the thin double strokes on the kangaroo are looking just a little too thin, but it's only a tiny bit too thin. I might consider just doubling the thickness of the white offset stroke (to match the outside of the crest on the other background colours) and leave the black as-is.

The strip is great, and certainly very unoffensive (though it feels a little Country-origin). I would think dialling up the saturation would do well for these concepts. I think the sort of red the QLD Reds are sporting would be a good start for any team named the Reds (though of course your league would be competing with the Bears' and Dragons' red strips, so who knows).

Knights

Wow. Your primary really, really appeals to me. As someone who loved their look in the late 90s but who absolutely hates it now, I think any change toward a better use of their colours is a positive one.

I like the lightening-up of the blue you've done (whether it was intentional or otherwise) and think it looks absolutely tops.

The secondary is a little bizarre, but totally terrific regardless. The third, though, is just their current crap and I've never liked the Knights in horizontal stripes .

Storm

You've nailed both sets here. Melbourne have never managed a good white jersey (their previous single-bolt jersey was the most horrific jersey I've ever seen in person), and you've solved their problems so effortlessly it makes their outfitters look like amateurs. I think a case could be made for navy shorts in the whites, but I can appreciate the way you've tackled the problem with only two colours (and white).

Roosters

These guys are in need of a logo update. I don't know if I ever posted it here before (and apologies for hijacking your thread) but I did a bit of a throwback logo for the Roosters years ago for my Uni portfolio (you can see it here). I think the current one looks a bit out of place on their great classic jersey and especially bad on that excellent throwback Easts jersey.

I like the primaries a lot. While I like that you've consolidated their whites to look like they match the primary as a set, I think the third (classic Easts) uniform works more than fine as a secondary jersey. I guess they might need a white as a clash strip but I wish they didn't.

I'm not a fan of the baby blue jersey though (which is odd, because I love the Pittsburgh Penguins' baby blue unis).

Warriors

I agree with the reversion to the Auckland Warriors, and really, really like what you've done with the main two jerseys. I really, really like your third jersey when viewed as independent of the team's identity, but I think a touch of their old green might do well to present it as a bit of a coy "throwback" than a team trying to steal the Bulldogs' identity.

All teams

I don't agree with the choice of a rounded font for the League. It looks very soccerish to me (rich and flashy), as opposed to something more rugged or "working class" like Rugby League. It looks particularly odd on the more traditional looking jerseys like the Dragons, Bears and Souths.

But that having been said, I'm super anxious to see what you do with the Sharks, Broncos, Tigers and Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have a new logo lined up for next year (see this page for pictures), and I think it sets a tone for their look going forward as a bit restrained and classic.

Aside:

Your newest templates could probably use some work on the socks; you've applied the same texture to them as the jerseys despite them having significantly different materials and in some situations the colours look positively metallic because of it. The biggest issue is the colour variation it introduces between the two socks (the top of the leftmost sock is much darker than the other sock and the bottom of the rightmost one has the same problem); it's not immediately evident whether or not the variation is part of the template or the design until you compare a few alternate designs.

[Gazzzaf]

Hey Kit, great to see you around these boards again. I began writing a response a month ago but I lost steam on it due to commitments. Anyway, I enjoyed your indepth feedback, particularly regarding the templates and I've since made adjustments. Hopefully the tone issues are a thing of the past and I also made the watermarking less obtrusive. I will try to address concerns on a team by team basis but for now I've adjusted the Panthers and modernised the design a little.

Penrith Panthers: Update

Also, I'd appreciate feedback on the number font. I decided against using a block font to me this is the middle ground between blocky and what I had before.

[Gazzzaf]

Manly-Warringah Sea-Eagles

[Gazzzaf]

Canberra Raiders

[Gazzzaf]

Auckland Warriors

[Kit]

Alright! I was waiting for an update from you! Awesome!

OK, feedback: the Panthers uniforms is much improved, and the template is a lot better. The tan (rather than brilliant white) away jersey is better. The new numbers fit very nicely.

I'm amazed I didn't notice them before, but I really like the shorts numbers. Do you know if that's ever been done before by any other teams?

The Manly outfit is terrific; particularly the return to the consistent striping. I wish the primary sponsor wasn't *blue*, but hey, what can you do?

The Canberra uniform is a perfect balance between your old concept and the golden era of the club. Kudos!

The updates to the template for the Warriors kit is an improvement too.

Hey, everything here is fantastic. You're very good at what you do (I'm sure you know that)

[Gazzzaf]

TV sleeve numbers have been used in State of Origin beforehand but I can't think of a time that numbers on the shorts were used. I got the idea from the EPL after noticing that the shorts look too plain when you take away sponsors logos.

After reviewing the original Panthers design I felt that they were too simple and that there wasn't enough contrast between the brown and black so I decided to modernise it a little and add more tan. I'm not a fan of the majority of teams using a white secondary jersey so its been a bit of a mission to reduce that number, your comments on the white jersey were what convinced me to go with a tan secondary. I had played around with the idea of a tan jersey for a several years when I saw someone wearing a very faded 1970's era jumper and I think that it contrasts well with the brown.

The Manly design was a no-brainer. Those stripes represent the most contiguous period of identity in the history of the club and that subsequent redesigns have only served to dilute the brand (asides form the current logo which I think is excellent).

The Raiders secondary has been a case of trial and error. When I showed the last iteration to fellow supporters, there was a general feeling that the design was a little too similar to Parramatta's Cumberland heritage strip from the previous two years. I've been pretty stubborn on that fact that I like the idea of a chest stripe for the Raiders and felt that using a unique striping pattern would make it stand out from other similar designs. Luckily there are four colours to the Raiders scheme and this allowed for an effect slightly similar to the rainbow striping used by the Nuggets and Astros jerseys in the past, certainly something not seen in the NRL.

There wasn't much to change with the Warriors. I forgot to respond to your comment on the heritage strip looking like the Bulldogs. Its based on the jersey of the old Auckland District Rugby League team and has been used by the warriors for the past two years (albeit bastardised beyond recognition this year by Canterbury), its just a little nod to reconsolidating the clubs identity in Auckland.

I'm looking to get the Titans concept up tonight after working on an Adidas template last night.