NHL Remix: St. Louis Blues

[worcat]

Here's the first of hopefully many NHL team remixes. This isn't necessarily a rebranding thread but looking into a teams history and making choices that I believe fans would appreciate. My first team is the St. Louis Blues - my personal favorite.

While creating this jersey I wanted to keep certain styles in mind to keep with as much tradition as possible:

1: I wanted to try to bring back the feeling of the 1995-1997 Blues jerseys. While they may be a part of the "tacky" jersey era, these are still fan favorites in St. Louis. I would almost say you will see more jerseys of this style than the current set at any home game. Second in popularity would have to be the 1998-2007 Jerseys. Which is why I decided to go with my 2nd topic (see below). I did not want to add the base stripes but only the stripes on the arms. It breaks away from the busy aspect of the 90's jersey and still keeps it very simple by keeping the bottom of the jersey open - much like the Blues current RBK style. However, I am on the fence with keeping the Blues trumpet logo. This is a huge fan favorite but actually makes the jersey look a little too busy. I removed the circular design behind the trumpet and the "St. Louis Blues" word marking to focus solely on the instrument. I've always wished the Blues would bring it back.

2: In this concept, you will see many features from the 98-07 uniform. The 1998-2007 jerseys brought back the shoulder designs to the Blues. Also removing the red from the color scheme. The Blues adopted a two blue set uniform - incorporating the two different shades of blues from the teams past. This is something I did not want to lose as the scheme goes very well together. I also wanted to keep the diagonal "V" arm designs as it was used for both jersey styles during the 95-07 seasons - also being brought back with the Blues current third jersey.

3: Fans in St. Louis were largely disappointed when the team resigned the 98-07 jerseys to the modern RBK style. The design was simple and worked very well with the teams fan base. However, with the leagues RBK series in full swing I wanted to make this appear to follow it's guidelines. By adding the stripes to the arms, this will flow nicely into a throwback sock pattern from the 95 style jersey - only with updated colors.

4: My main problem with this concept was this. Going back to the trumpet logo, as seen with this Away jersey (problem is also with the home and alternate) the Trumpet colors are different than that of the main crest color. While the Blues use two different main crest colors with the home and away (Light blue note for white jersey and Navy for blue jersey), I wanted to follow suit with the trumpet. While the Blues have never had a shoulder patch with a shoulder design I was put in a rather difficult decision in following the traditional aspect. As you see here, I decided to go with the light color main crest against the white jersey but navy blue trumpets on the blue shoulders. As it flows together with the jerseys colors, in my own opinion I think it flaws the jersey to an extent having two logos with two different shades of blue. This is why I also decided to render a jersey without the trumpets at all.

I've created all three versions of the jersey already - a home, away and third jersey to display. However, I want to collect C&C before I release the next two so I have time to correct any flaws on this first presentation. If it helps, I can post different variations of all three jerseys. For example:

Home Blue Jersey without trumpet patches

Home Blue Jersey with light blue trumpet patches

Home Blue Jersey with navy trumpet patches

This way you will be able to see exactly what my problem is in deciding on what to do with the different colored logos being on the same jersey.

Thank you for viewing my concept - I hope to work on all NHL teams - However, taking my time to ensure enough research is done to put together a decent concept and information.

[BrianVlietDesign]

I like your idea a lot and I want to really adore this, but I can't. I've never been a big fan of the blue, gold, and black designs from the '00s. It's always seemed a bit too bland to me. The uniforms you described above from the '90s that had red included were legit. I like the bringing back of the music staff stripes, but I'm not feeling the modern color scheme. Maybe try adding some of that old red in there and maybe work on some bottom stripes. Because the way this looks now is incomplete to me. It's a good start, but I suggest a few more tweaks.

[worcat]

Here's some more ideas. I really like the traditional home and away jerseys. For the white jersey, i tried something a little different with only using the navy blue instead of the lighter blue - this way it'd flow better with the third jersey.

The third jersey is using the Blues current circular arch design for a shoulder logo - which i think serves a much better purpose in my opinion than a primary logo. I left the shoulder logos off the back of the jersey design to show what it'd look like without logos at all - not because i forgot.

Still playing around with the possibilities. I have about 4-5 of each jersey style...yikes

[-kj]

I've never been a big fan of the blue, gold, and black designs from the '00s.

That was royal blue, gold, and navy blue; it was never black. In fact, the colors are the same now.

(And it was highly superior to the big red diagonal blotches.)

[bohob]

It's a solid start, but numbers are important in showing the whole concept. No NHL jersey would have a giant blank space where the numbers should be when on the ice.

[worcat]

I agree that numbers and lettering is a must - i already have the fonts picked and prepared. However, I would also need to put together the helmets, pants, socks and player model. Before I can run I need to walk, I want to make sure that I can focus on one home jersey instead of 4 different ones. I'm still looking on C&C on which style to pick.

[crkraider22]

Not that what you are doing is frowned upon here, but you would probabily get more C&C with a completed concept with everything presented at once than just unfinished jersey options that people can just be like "I like option B" and not give you much constructive criticism to help you improve.

The thin sleeve stripes would blend in when viewed from the upper levels of an arena or on TV without close-ups, just something to consider.

[bohob]

I agree that numbers and lettering is a must - i already have the fonts picked and prepared. However, I would also need to put together the helmets, pants, socks and player model. Before I can run I need to walk, I want to make sure that I can focus on one home jersey instead of 4 different ones. I'm still looking on C&C on which style to pick.

Going a piece at a time is fine. But to get C&C on a jersey, you need the whole jersey IMO.

[BrianVlietDesign]

I've never been a big fan of the blue, gold, and black designs from the '00s.

That was royal blue, gold, and navy blue; it was never black. In fact, the colors are the same now.

(And it was highly superior to the big red diagonal blotches.)

You're right, it was navy blue, I don't know where I got black from. But, as far as them being superior I think it's a matter of opinion. The "new" colors are alright and by no means look terrible. However, I'm more partial to the red. Only thing I didn't like were the scrunched up numbers along the diagonal lines. Anaheim had diagonal lines and they didn't scrunch the numbers. I will say though that I like the current Blues alternate. It looks phenomenal.

Now going back to the concepts, the updates look alright. Option's A and B look a little better, with A looking the best IMO. I'd still like to see some more of your ideas for I like the return to the music staff piping.

[worcat]

thanks for most of the "C&C" - where can i get a full template with a model to render the proposed concept? So far all I've found are these types of blank jerseys

[pastajoe]

I hate the new style jerseys that don't have the striping across the waist.

[Edubdesign]

I gotta agree with PastaJoe here, and the musical staff stripes won't work unless they're spaced further apart, so they don't turn out like the checkerboard pattern on the Preds' thirds.

It is nice to see that you've brought back the trumpet logo. I, personally, always loved it. Also, this is one of those rare designs when the angular stripes look very good. Great work.

Oh, and if you need a full, blank template, I've made one. It's on this link. RBK EDGE FULLBODY TEMPLATE

[worcat]

at first i hated the reebok jerseys too. NHL traditional jerseys were being destroyed for a new generation of fashion. However, looking back, the NHL was the only league to sport such stripe patterns and they really don't make all that much sense to begin with. The rbk design is a stream line design that really emphasizes the jersey.

I don't think the staff lines would be an issue - after all, the blues actually used a concept similar to this for many years. This isn't a fantasy jersey that someone has dreamed up out of no where. It's whatever - if you want to say it's no visible, so be it. As a Blues fan, I can personally tell you that you can tell from sitting from the upper deck what jersey is on the ice. I guess I better switch to thick block stripes. What's this site come to? Where's the originality gone?

Eric Westhaver - thank you for posting that template. You are a huge help. I'll post a few of my designs using that. Maybe here or another site - it all depends.

[crkraider22]

I don't think the staff lines would be an issue - after all, the blues actually used a concept similar to this for many years. This isn't a fantasy jersey that someone has dreamed up out of no where. It's whatever - if you want to say it's no visible, so be it. As a Blues fan, I can personally tell you that you can tell from sitting from the upper deck what jersey is on the ice. I guess I better switch to thick block stripes. What's this site come to? Where's the originality gone?

I'm not saying that they would be a problem. If the Blues had someting similar to this and it worked, then so be it. For future designs, when you have little details that you want to make a key point of the design, just zoom out of the image a few times and see if they are still easily distinguished. I would hope that since you are a Blues fan you would know what jersey they are wearing, but then again it couldn't be that hard considering it could only be one of two or three jersey styles. No one is saying you need to just use standard stripes and nothing else, but I wouldn't really call this original if the Blues had something similar for many years. Its one thing to make "edge-ify" older jerseys, but its another to come up with a whole new logo set or more unique jersey ideas.