Houston, we have a(nother) concept...

[tBBP]

Been a while since I done posted in here, ain't it?

Yep...for the first time in nearly three months , I'm presenting a newly finished concept set...and who woulda thought I'd mark my comeback with a baseball concept? With this, I'm also re-launchcing my own personal (sports) brand identity. I've had several concoctions brewing for a very long time now...I just didn't/don't have anywhere near the time I wanted to work on them. Most of those ideas that have been slow-cooking are now nearing completion, though, so keep an eye out.

There, now that that's out the way...

I've long had many different ideas going for a Houston Astros concept, as part of my Major League Makeover series (which, like every other concept series I've created in here, I never finished). Part of the reason it's taken so long is because I had the goal in mind of taking an Astros concept where none has gone before now--at least that I've seen or can remember. As such, I've sketched, scribbled, drawn, illustrated, done it, done it over again. While that was going on, the Concepts forum became flooded with Astros concepts, which really motivated me to get something done on this here. (Yeah I'm late to the party...I know.) So how did I go about creating this set? Let's break it down.

First and foremost: while I don't hate the current Astros identity, the "old west" theme never sat right in my mind for a team with a space-themed nickname. I actually much prefer the identity the team had back in the mid-late '90s (the shooting star look). While I also don't mind the current color scheme, again...it just doesn't seem right in my mind for the Astros. Blue and orange have been done ad nauseam in the 'Stros concepts in this forum, so I sought to develop a different color scheme that hadn't been tried with the 'Stros before--and then it hit me: what two colors are most prevalent in space? Black and white. Sure, the White Sox use that pair as their colors, but they don't pair it with copper--a color that came to mind after watching a space flick and seeing all the wires they were fooling around with while fixing some contraption out in space. Plus, of the big-league teams that use black as a primary, none pair it with gold--in fact, I believe only one other team in the bigs features gold prominently, that being the Brewers. So there's my logic & reasoning behind the colors.

As I said, I much prefer the mid-late '90s identity, so, after burning many pencil leads, I looked to update and build on that theme, but with a bit of a twist. The thing I liked about that identity was that the shooting star was so pathetically simple and yet so daggone effective at the same time. In this guise, I've revitalized the shooting star look with some updated wordmarks--and, as is customary for me, some team-specific numbers. As far as the uniforms go, well...this one was a bit of a challenge. The Astros's "fashion sense" has long been innovative, from the tequila-sunrise getups to the pared-down version with the tequila racing stripes (this one--which is actually my favorite Astros set of all) on up to the shooting-star look. I wanted to keep a sorta "astronaut" look to the uniforms with this set, which is why I leaned so heavily on the black-and-white theme. Well, I eventually ended fusing that idea with my favorite Astros set to create kind of unique-looking primary home and away set. They do include the racing stripes--though not of the tequila sunrise varitey. I saved that for the alternate uniform set--but with a bit of a twist. You see, in visualizing "space" in my mind, I came up with the idea to use sort of an "atmospheric blue" to create the tequila effect, with the main stripe being copper, all of which is on a black jersey. (And yes, there's pants to match, though they're not black--yet .) The look is supposed to give off the aura of outer space while harkening back a bit to those oh-so-beloved tequila sunrise looks of yesteryear--or, at least, that's what I was going for. (Oh--and there's a batting practice jersey included in this set, too.)

All in all, the overlying goal of this set was to present a different spin on the Astros' brand--something that hadn't been tried before. Some may like it; some may not. (But you can't say I didn't try to take it somewhere it ain't been took before, neither.) And now, having said all that, here's my take on the Houston Astros. Have at it, people...

(DISCLAIMER: for some reason, the hues used in this concept set appear a little washed-out from what they originally looked like during creation. The difference may be more in apparent in some monitors than others.)

Remember, any and all comments and critiques are welcome and encouraged.

~Buc

[TalktoChuck]

I love seeign your work Buc. And this is yet another great concept from you. I like the updated logos and the uniform design looks great. My only concer is that the blue seems to come out of nowhere. It is nowhere in the logos or the primary uniforms, and then all of a sudden comes into work for the alternate and BP. I feel if you were to incorporate the blue into the logos and the primary uniforms, even just a tad, it would look a lot better. Also, do you think you could send me those action templates?

[aci]

I echo what Chuck said. I had the exact same thoughts about the blue the secon I saw it. I was like 'Whoa, did I miss something?'... either you need more or you need none. The general idea is quite good, though, except for that.

[LEWJ]

I'm really loving this set.

A very fresh new look, while paying homage to their past.

I, also, am not really feeling the blue. It's not really necessary IMO.

But great job anyway.

[bohob]

I love the racing stripes, but has been said, the blue doesn't fit the set. Considering the deep space idea behind this, maybe a darker blue or even a purple would be better suited for the tertiary color. That said, if you keep the tertiary color, it should appear on the home and road uni's in some capacity. The only other comment I really have is that maybe the hats could be a little more innovative to keep up with the jerseys.

[joshhockey]

These are very nice. But, as has been said by everyone one else the blue kind of appears out of nowhere. Also, I think darkening the copper would be a good idea.

Any way I could get those action templates in svg.?

[Bmac]

This is a good concept, but there are a few things I would fix. For starters, I don't like the blue. I'm ok with how you use it and everything, but I just don't like it. The star behind the script is faded a little too much. It is a good effect, but I can't see the star enough. Maybe make it a little...brighter/sharper? Overall, this is a great concept. Nice job.

[Ben5]

Excellent job on this, Bucco. It's been said, but the blue does come out of nowhere. I think it can fit, but we need to be introduced to it before the alt and BP. It makes me think of a movie introducing a character at the start of the third act. Otherwise, awesome job. The jerseys are a good nod to the past while still being modern. The logos take the best elements of the 1990's update and improves on them. I look forward to your next concepts.

[BJBerthiaume]

I will be the first person to say that this set just isn't cutting it for me. The logo sets aren't anything revolutionary, really, and the color choice is very boring and bland IMO. The primary home and away uniforms are very unexciting, and I personally don't think those shoulder stripes look good on a baseball uniform, and they certainly don't work for the Astros. The blue thrown into the alternate and BP is very random, as well as distracting. I've never been a fan of thick stripes on baseball pants, either. The best part about this concept are the action templates. This is a huge downgrade for me, but it is partly because I love their current set and it is hard for me to try and envision the Astros in anything else but their current set.

Also, I think that a teams set should, in a way, echo their stadium. The Astros current set is perfect for Minute Maid Park, and this set would seem to be out of place at that stadium. If you think about it, the brick and sand and a little black look perfect to watch a baseball game at that park, don't they? Just a quick little rant, I don't know if anyone can relate, but I thought I would throw that out there.

[RoughRiders9]

I love the whole set with the exception of the blue. It just came out of nowhere all of sudden. Maybe if you put in a blue trim somewhere in the logo, it might look less "out of the blue," lol.

Any chance you'll release that action templates to the public? *flashes eye-lids*

[oddball]

I like the blue and think there should be more of it. If that's copper, then it's too bland and you need more orange in it. Try and get it to feel metallic and you have a winner here.

[philly97flyer]

Yea not a fan of the blue, other than that, SWEET Maybe you can rework some of the blue into gray or white as a remake? Nice work.

[tBBP]

So...so far, the blue caused exactly the kind of reaction I was expecting--caught just about everyone off-guard.

Truth is, I originally thought to go that route with all the uniform sets, but then had to rein myself back a little bit, thinking that might be overdoing it a bit. Additionally, I also originally thought to try to sneak some of that blue somewhere into the identity package, but then with what I have now, it began to look a bit cluttered, so I stuck with black, white, and copper, and decided to make a truly alternate third jersey with matching pants. (I'm of the belief that an alternate should be just that...an alternate, rather than simply a recoloring of the primary.)

Having said all that, I need to figure out what happened in the optimization process while saving these files that caused the colors to appear more washed out than I wanted them to. That copper was originally much more reddish in appearance; the blue a tadbit more purplish. I believe it happened somewhere in the transfer between my Mac desktop (where I create my work) and my PC laptop (where most of those files are backed up and loaded onto the web). The colors appear as I like on my Mac, then get like ten shades brighter via the PC. I'm currently trying to solve that issue.

(OH--and one other thing: the templates for those player models you see are not available for public release at this time, and I can't say that they ever will be. Honestly, these were really created for more proprietary purposes, like my online portfolio once it gets back up and running. -Plus...I already gave out a free gift of football player models ).

All that said, thanks to all who've commented and critiqued thus far...and to any who may do so after this post.

[Shumway]

Really diggin' this, Buc. I love the color combo, as well as the nod to the old uniform style. I don't really have anything as far as a criticism at this point. The action temps, as always, are sweet. Stangely enough, I came onto the boards to update my Astros concept...although ours are each very different, they both seem to work.

Also, glad to see you stuck with the "Lombardi Fist" logo.

[Jamikel]

Wow. I just posted last week that I thought black and copper would be a great color combination for a team named after astronauts, and then I check the concepts board and see just that. I've always loved how much thought you put into a team's identity when you make your concepts, and this is one of the best examples yet.

I personally prefer the current star logo, but the "shooting star" works perfectly with the overall design. The thick shoulder and pants stripes also have an appropriately space-age feel, as do the wordmarks.

As others have said, I think you need to darken the copper in this concept, because when I think of astronauts, I usually think of the Apollo lunar landers.

A darker, more metallic copper is the way to go, as opposed to the current shade, which looks peach to me. Though I don't think that would look so good with a copper brim, and the star logo might need a white outline for contrast. And while you're at it, darken the gray uniform as well. As it is, it isn't very distinguishable from the home whites.

And as others have said, the blue came really out the blue. (out of itself?) If you wish to include blue, perhaps switch the black to navy. Navy and copper could still have a "spacey" enough look, and would tie into the team's historic colors. Or just save that for throwbacks. Any "tequila sunrise" striping should be reserved for throwbacks as well.

[tBBP]

Wow. I just posted last week that I thought black and copper would be a great color combination for a team named after astronauts, and then I check the concepts board and see just that. I've always loved how much thought you put into a team's identity when you make your concepts, and this is one of the best examples yet.

I personally prefer the current star logo, but the "shooting star" works perfectly with the overall design. The thick shoulder and pants stripes also have an appropriately space-age feel, as do the wordmarks.

As others have said, I think you need to darken the copper in this concept, because when I think of astronauts, I usually think of the Apollo lunar landers.

A darker, more metallic copper is the way to go, as opposed to the current shade, which looks peach to me. Though I don't think that would look so good with a copper brim, and the star logo might need a white outline for contrast. And while you're at it, darken the gray uniform as well. As it is, it isn't very distinguishable from the home whites.

And as others have said, the blue came really out the blue. (out of itself?) If you wish to include blue, perhaps switch the black to navy. Navy and copper could still have a "spacey" enough look, and would tie into the team's historic colors. Or just save that for throwbacks. Any "tequila sunrise" striping should be reserved for throwbacks as well.

Okay...you've just managed to spook me.

That image you posted looks almost exactly as if it came from the spack flick I was watching the other day that prompted the color use in my concept here. I don't even remember what the flick was called; I was just flipping through channels and happened upon something doing with space..and, I guess as they say, the rest is history...

On a side note, I'm gon' figure out what's going on with the color shift in my files when I optimize/send them, eventually, and when I do, I'll repost these, but probably not before I make a change or several...

[chestnutz]

I really like everything except the royal blue. It just doesn't work here, doesn't fit. I had to double take on the alternate uniform (black one) to see if that was really blue, because I hadn't seen it anywhere else in the concept. just looks out of place. Lose it, exchange it for a silver maybe, and you're good. Great job like always (and killer action templates dude).

[tBBP]

Aiight, fellas...update time.

I think I'm beginning to solve the mystery of the color changes that occur when optimizing and saving through my Mac to my PC laptop...although I don't think I'm quite there yet. (I ain't no kind of tech-head, neither. )

In any event, I've gone back and made some changes. The first thing you'll notice is the newer copper color. Now, in saying that, I sorta wanted to make a "bright copper"--but as anyone who's fooled with RGB values can attest to, it's damn near impossible to replicate a metallic color. Depending on your screen, it may appear a bit brighter, more orange-ish or a bit duller and more gold-ish. (i see the difference between my Mac screen and this PC notebook.) Also, you'll notice I axed the blue completely in favor of a silver with a bit of a greenish tint to it (almost like the Dallas Cowboys, although nowhere NEAR that green--and again, depending on your screen, you may or may not pick it up). Reason being...well, first of all, no team in professional sports uses both silver and gold (and I've long wanted one to), and second, I figure it'd add a bit of a quirky look to this team with the space-themed nickname. (Plus, bluish silvers are used quite often--greenish silvers, not so much).

Anyway, here are the updates...

How y'all feeling 'bout those?

(One other thing: for some reason, baseball jerseys without front numerals look a little empty to me. Now, with this set, my point of contention with leaving them off is due to the sharply italicized script; having the regular numbers on the front would kinda kill that whole "motion idea", in my mind. Anyone else wanna chime in on that? Remember, I'm no baseball expert, so this is as much a learning experience for me as it is a viewing experience for y'all.)

~Buc

[floydnimrod]

The update is much better, the colors fit nicely. And I love the striping on the pants. It's not a pattern you see everyday in baseball. It's simple and fresh.

As for the front numbers, I think you could do it, but I'd have to hold off judgement until I actually saw them.

[habsfan1]

The blue lines in the first one are what made this good concept look bad. Now that they're gone, it looks fabulous. I love the modern/retro look.