Latest Rumor: NHL Team Expected to Announce Rebranding in 2012

[elliott]

the coyotes had a very nice looking uniform set, albeit entirely generic and devoid of character, when they ditched the picasoyote and went to the gretzky-era look...

then they ruined it with the edge system and the colored yoke and no waist stripes. now it's just boring and ugly. before, it was just generic.

Boring? Yes. Ugly? No. How is a simple 3-stripe design "ugly"? The loss of the hem stripe is unfortunate, yes, but I find that when they moved that stripe to the pants, it kept the balance of the red-white. I find the word "classy" to be much more appropriate for the Coyotes, obviously they don't have a long or storied history in the desert, but the simplicity of the design is a marked improvement over both the overdesigned jerseys of the Edge era and the wacky, busy "picasso" era. Their simpleness is on par with other great looks in the NHL such as the Wings or the Leafs. They were trying to emphasize the desert-ish color palette of brick red and white, and I think it's a successful brand. Plus the logos are great, excellent rendering of a howling coyote, plus a great representation of the state of arizona with the state sillhouette, sun pattern, and "PHX".

Clearly I'm biased, but in no way is the Coyotes look ugly. It's boring, but so are other simplistic, traditional designs that get so much love around here.

[Sterling84]

The Coyotes uniforms are nice. The secondaries are fine too. Their primary logo is the worst in all of professional sport.

[BBTV]

The Coyotes uniforms are nice. The secondaries are fine too. Their primary logo is the worst in all of professional sport.

I'd probably put it a close second behind either of Nashville's.

[Morgan33]

The Coyotes uniforms are nice. The secondaries are fine too. Their primary logo is the worst in all of professional sport.

What are you talking about?

The logo is the only interesting/visually appealing aspect of the entire design. They toke the face of the Picasso Coyote, made it more realistic and dynamic while retaining it's visual quirks like the two tone face and the 4 triangles representing the four peaks. It does look worse on the Edge jerseys because they tilted it so far upwards.

The Pre Edge jerseys looked great but tilting the logo, losing the hem stripes and shoehorning a shoulder yoke on the road has made them mediocre at best.

[tBBP]

I still think the Tkachuk/Roenick/Khabibulin-era Coyotes logos and uniforms were the better ones, and probably one of the coolest, definitely most unique, uniform sets in all of North American professional sports.

Go 'head...say sum'n bout it!!!

[Sterling84]

The Coyotes uniforms are nice. The secondaries are fine too. Their primary logo is the worst in all of professional sport.

I'd probably put it a close second behind either of Nashville's.

Hmmm. Respectfully disagree. I don't like the Predators logos (any of them) but I think their problems are mostly conceptual. A cyborg sabretooth? O.......K. The problem with the Coyotes is in its execution. It's the only work that comes to mind at the major pro level that is for lack of a better term, drawn WRONG. It looks like when you are in Jr High and doodling on your book cover with your head down on your desk. You think you've got a nice rendering going until you sit up straight and the perspective is all off because of where your eyeline was when you drew it.

Of all the hated logos/identities......Picasso Coyote, Gordon's Fisherman, Thrashers "bowl of soup" etc....those are still all executed perfectly. They are beautifully and expertly crafted pieces of digital art. Just not maybe fitting for a jersey crest. Those all fall under the "not my cup of tea" umbrella IMO.

For contrast purposes, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior league basically provide a tutorial on how to execute a similar animal from the exact same perspective and do it properly.

Adrenalin (It was Adrenalin right?) has done some good work...excellent work...but the Coyotes primary belies that all and makes you wonder how they even got the gig in the first place. It seriously looks like a first draft of a concept on these boards; well-intentioned, well conceived but 100% amateur. What is with the black on the face? It ain't a shadow....it ain't "local" color as Coyotes aren't striped on the face. To contrast that with the Preds...the superfulous detail on the face could at least be argued to be faux-chrome effects or something.

These kinds of inconsistencies and lack of artistic skill are actually very common in the minor leagues and college brands (Kentucky and the Snappers just off the top of my head) but at the highest of levels its nearly unheard of now. Thankfully.

Sorry. Bit of overkill I know. Just never gonna stop beating this drum. Horrible. Can't wait til they move and swap it out.

[nash61]

I still think the Tkachuk/Roenick/Khabibulin-era Coyotes logos and uniforms were the better ones, and probably one of the coolest, definitely most unique, uniform sets in all of North American professional sports.

Go 'head...say sum'n bout it!!!

I own a white one. It may not be the prettiest uni, but at least it's unique.

[BBTV]

The Coyotes uniforms are nice. The secondaries are fine too. Their primary logo is the worst in all of professional sport.

I'd probably put it a close second behind either of Nashville's.

...

Of all the hated logos/identities......Picasso Coyote, Gordon's Fisherman, Thrashers "bowl of soup" etc....those are still all executed perfectly. They are beautifully and expertly crafted pieces of digital art. Just not maybe fitting for a jersey crest. Those all fall under the "not my cup of tea" umbrella IMO.

...

Adrenalin (It was Adrenalin right?) has done some good work...excellent work...but the Coyotes primary belies that all and makes you wonder how they even got the gig in the first place. It seriously looks like a first draft of a concept on these boards; well-intentioned, well conceived but 100% amateur. What is with the black on the face? It ain't a shadow....it ain't "local" color as Coyotes aren't striped on the face. To contrast that with the Preds...the superfulous detail on the face could at least be argued to be faux-chrome effects or something.

...

OK, I certainly agree with you when you put it like that. I won't say that the Predators' logos are bad art the same way that the Coyotes' primary is. They're great drawings, just absolutely horrible when used as logos to represent a sports franchise. Maybe for a cartoon or comic book or something.

I guess I look at it more from an "appropriate as logo" perspective - the Preds logos are better drawn and executed, but IMO worse as logos than the Coyotes, which is not as well drawn but is more simple and IMO works (slightly) better on a sweater. It's like saying that my crap after eating a steak looks better than my crap after eating 6 servings of broccoli - while it might technically be true, in the context in which they're used, they're both just piles of crap.

[Sterling84]

The Coyotes uniforms are nice. The secondaries are fine too. Their primary logo is the worst in all of professional sport.

I'd probably put it a close second behind either of Nashville's.

...

Of all the hated logos/identities......Picasso Coyote, Gordon's Fisherman, Thrashers "bowl of soup" etc....those are still all executed perfectly. They are beautifully and expertly crafted pieces of digital art. Just not maybe fitting for a jersey crest. Those all fall under the "not my cup of tea" umbrella IMO.

...

Adrenalin (It was Adrenalin right?) has done some good work...excellent work...but the Coyotes primary belies that all and makes you wonder how they even got the gig in the first place. It seriously looks like a first draft of a concept on these boards; well-intentioned, well conceived but 100% amateur. What is with the black on the face? It ain't a shadow....it ain't "local" color as Coyotes aren't striped on the face. To contrast that with the Preds...the superfulous detail on the face could at least be argued to be faux-chrome effects or something.

...

OK, I certainly agree with you when you put it like that. I won't say that the Predators' logos are bad art the same way that the Coyotes' primary is. They're great drawings, just absolutely horrible when used as logos to represent a sports franchise. Maybe for a cartoon or comic book or something.

I guess I look at it more from an "appropriate as logo" perspective - the Preds logos are better drawn and executed, but IMO worse as logos than the Coyotes, which is not as well drawn but is more simple and IMO works (slightly) better on a sweater. It's like saying that my crap after eating a steak looks better than my crap after eating 6 servings of broccoli - while it might technically be true, in the context in which they're used, they're both just piles of crap.

Ha! Yes. So used to Facebook I find myself looking for the "like" button. Well said.

[wildwing64]

I don't see what exactly there is to hate about the Coyotes logo. Aside from a feeling of imbalance which can be fixed by tilting it slightly to the right, it's a perfectly good logo for a sports franchise.

Now the Preds logo on the other hand is a mess. They took a step in the right direction by simplifying it a bit for the third jersey, but they need to lose the chrome.

[Gothamite]

I'll never understand why Browns fans let his kid get away with the public masturbation of a permanent patch.

The owner can do whatever he wants. The patch is unnecessary, but it's his team.

Of course he can (provided the NFL lets him). Nobody is suggesting otherwise.

But when he does something so colossally arrogant and stupid as elevate his father above Paul Brown, then he deserves to be ridiculed for it.

Ain't America grand?

[Morgan33]

Adrenalin (It was Adrenalin right?) has done some good work...excellent work...but the Coyotes primary belies that all and makes you wonder how they even got the gig in the first place. It seriously looks like a first draft of a concept on these boards; well-intentioned, well conceived but 100% amateur.

Yes it was adrenalin. After seeing countless first drafts by both professionals and noobs (for lack of a better term) on these boards, I can say with confidence this logo looks nothing like one. In fact the only thing about it that seems remotely amateur is how the eye is rendered.

What is with the black on the face? It ain't a shadow....it ain't "local" color as Coyotes aren't striped on the face. To contrast that with the Preds...the superfulous detail on the face could at least be argued to be faux-chrome effects or something.

The Black seperates the two tone face and adds further contrast between the colours and dimension to the coyote. What people who bash this logo always seem to forget is that it's rendered in a southwest art style. It's not meant to look realistic. Just for kicks here is the logo without the black outline. Does anyone think this looks better? Looks flat without that detail to me.

[fishheatcats]

The Coyotes logo just looks terrible IMO. The facial expression/perspective makes it look like if you could see the rest of his body he'd be getting kicked in the stomach. The colors are very nice, but the logo kills it.

For what it's worth I think the old logo/jerseys were some of the best ever. Very unique, instantly recognizable, locally relevant and fitting for a "modern" team.

[NEW.ERA]

Coyotes don't howl at the moon, Wolves do. Maybe Coyotes do I don't hang out with any. Still I find the Coyotes logo Top 10 in the league, It's clean, has obvious Southwestern tones in it and the colors Maroon and Sand? (Not color buff) are just beauties.

The one thing I will miss with the Yotes is their identity.

[Sterling84]

Adrenalin (It was Adrenalin right?) has done some good work...excellent work...but the Coyotes primary belies that all and makes you wonder how they even got the gig in the first place. It seriously looks like a first draft of a concept on these boards; well-intentioned, well conceived but 100% amateur.

Yes it was adrenalin. After seeing countless first drafts by both professionals and noobs (for lack of a better term) on these boards, I can say with confidence this logo looks nothing like one. In fact the only thing about it that seems remotely amateur is how the eye is rendered.

What is with the black on the face? It ain't a shadow....it ain't "local" color as Coyotes aren't striped on the face. To contrast that with the Preds...the superfulous detail on the face could at least be argued to be faux-chrome effects or something.

The Black seperates the two tone face and adds further contrast between the colours and dimension to the coyote. What people who bash this logo always seem to forget is that it's rendered in a southwest art style. It's not meant to look realistic. Just for kicks here is the logo without the black outline. Does anyone think this looks better? Looks flat without that detail to me.

I realize that the black separates the brick and tan. I know that because it is currently sandwiched between the two. Ridirect your honor? Why do the brick and tan need to be separated?

What dimension does it add? In a rendering of this style (not line art) which let's face it, every logo is today...shapes are either containers (BGs), surface decoration, or they are revealing where light falls or does not fall. You do not (re: should not) plop something in there that does not reveal shadow (coyotes do not have deep grooves in the sides of their heads),does not serve a decorative or informative purpose (correspond to local color...ie. the stripes of a tiger which lie atop the form) or serve as a boundary for the image (indicating that the logo starts or stops here).

Furthermore...this is NOT Southwestern style. The old one? That was. It was a combination of southwestern style (repeated cultural-ish patterns and symbols) and cubism...kind of. It was a bold decision and handled pretty brilliantly. I can see what you mean where Adrenalin "tried" to divide the face in half similarly ( I guess) and pasted a couple repeating triangles on the nose cause the other one had the same thing. But it's a horrible idea executed even worse than that. It's something, honestly? That I would have pushed back and refused to do had it come from the client as an idea. Because cubism was about playing with rigid shapes and planar/spacial relationships (amongst other things). This, is not that. This is loopy and flowing and angular which is fine taken separately. But it is not a suitable "nod" to the 2-D face, to divide that face of a 3-D image along a different axis.

Yes, it still looks flat. And it still looks like . And it does so because for whatever reason the artist that day couldn't get their head around a 3/4 view render and make it work. The skull, jaw head...etc..should be below (yes) and behind (nope) the snout as it heads skyward at this angle. Look at the Huskies logo I referenced. The eye should pretty much not be visible at all. Again, here the Huskies artist navigated that "truth" very effectively. What this looks like is when you texture a model in Maya or something...like if you peeled it off the 3D form so that you could see it all at once. His cheek/furry spikes,ear,brow...they are all pushed leftward and downward. In other words..take a breath..close your eyes and look at it like you've never seen it before. The snout/mouth? 3/4 view...3D coming at ya. The rest of the logo? Horizontal (side)view looking left to right. KNow who draws like that? Amateurs.

Hey, I don't make the rules buddy. Talk to the Renaissance painters. 3/4 view logos are F'ing hard and that is why there are so VERY few good ones out there in any sport.

Still, this is the NHL. "hard" doesn't excuse the fail.

[Morgan33]

The Coyotes logo just looks terrible IMO. The facial expression/perspective makes it look like if you could see the rest of his body he'd be getting kicked in the stomach. The colors are very nice, but the logo kills it.

For what it's worth I think the old logo/jerseys were some of the best ever. Very unique, instantly recognizable, locally relevant and fitting for a "modern" team.

I'll agree that the original Coyotes logo and colour scheme looked great but those jerseys had alot of problems. On the Road you have a deep hunter green shoulder yoke outlined in deep brick placed on a black sweater. Theres zero contrast rendering it almost invisible from afar. Outlining it in tan would have gone a long way.

Similarly on the Home you have a striping pattern that places Black, Dark Green and Maroon together with no light colours seperating them. From a distance you can hardly make out the pattern. The Southwest striping was unique and looked good on the (Black) Away jersey but putting in on the neck was just overkill.

[NEW.ERA]

It was a typical mid 90's NHL Sweater. If you weren't an Original Six team (Boston's Alt not included) most teams had at least tried a crazy alternate or full on jersey change. Carolina is the one today that would I love to see get changed, who is in desperate need of a revamping.

[Sterling84]

Should also note that the brick/tan divide is particularly confusing here because many of the dog family DO in fact have lighter fur extending from the snout down under the neck. (Again, see the Huskies logo)So is it a haphazard cubist nod to the old one? Or is it just a local color distinction pertaining to the fur of a coyote? Both neither? THat shouldnt be a question.

[Morgan33]

I realize that the black separates the brick and tan. I know that because it is currently sandwiched between the two. Ridirect your honor? Why do the brick and tan need to be separated?

To add further contrast like I said.

What dimension does it add? In a rendering of this style (not line art) which let's face it, every logo is today...shapes are either containers (BGs), surface decoration, or they are revealing where light falls or does not fall. You do not (re: should not) plop something in there that does not reveal shadow (coyotes do not have deep grooves in the sides of their heads),does not serve a decorative or informative purpose (correspond to local color...ie. the stripes of a tiger which lie atop the form) or serve as a boundary for the image (indicating that the logo starts or stops here).

Your right Coyotes do not have deep grooves in the sides of their heads, neither do they have two tone faces, triangles running up their snout or a square jaw. What is your point? Its not meant to be a realistic rendering of a Coyote, it's stylized. They toke the original logo and did it from a different perspective and made it look more dynamic. Was the original logo realistic? Of course not! So why does it get a pass and this doesn't?

Furthermore...this is NOT Southwestern style. The old one? That was. It was a combination of southwestern style (repeated cultural-ish patterns and symbols) and cubism...kind of. It was a bold decision and handled pretty brilliantly. I can see what you mean where Adrenalin "tried" to divide the face in half similarly ( I guess) and pasted a couple repeating triangles on the nose cause the other one had the same thing. But it's a horrible idea executed even worse than that. It's something, honestly? That I would have pushed back and refused to do had it come from the client as an idea. Because cubism was about playing with rigid shapes and planar/spacial relationships (amongst other things). This, is not that. This is loopy and flowing and angular which is fine taken separately. But it is not a suitable "nod" to the 2-D face, to divide that face of a 3-D image along a different axis.

Yes it is.

Every discernable element that could be considered southwestern is retained on this logo. The repeated cultural patterns and symbols (Triangles on the snout and lower jaw) and the cubist elements (the way the jaw is rendered with straight lines as opposed to curved. the two tone face, and skewed perspective).

Yes, it still looks flat. And it still looks like . And it does so because for whatever reason the artist that day couldn't get their head around a 3/4 view render and make it work. The skull, jaw head...etc..should be below (yes) and behind (nope) the snout as it heads skyward at this angle. Look at the Huskies logo I referenced. The eye should pretty much not be visible at all. Again, here the Huskies artist navigated that "truth" very effectively. What this looks like is when you texture a model in Maya or something...like if you peeled it off the 3D form so that you could see it all at once. His cheek/furry spikes,ear,brow...they are all pushed leftward and downward. In other words..take a breath..close your eyes and look at it like you've never seen it before. The snout/mouth? 3/4 view...3D coming at ya. The rest of the logo? Horizontal (side)view looking left to right. KNow who draws like that? Amateurs.

Hey, I don't make the rules buddy. Talk to the Renaissance painters. 3/4 view logos are F'ing hard and that is why there are so VERY few good ones out there in any sport.

Still, this is the NHL. "hard" doesn't excuse the fail.

Here is a rough definition of Cubism:

"In cubist artworks, objects are broken up, analyzed, and re-assembled in an abstracted form?instead of depicting objects from one viewpoint, the artist depicts the subject from a multitude of viewpoints to represent the subject in a greater context. Often the surfaces intersect at seemingly random angles, removing a coherent sense of depth."

Seems like that description fits both Coyotes logo's to a tee. What it is has to do with Renaissance painting I'll never know but then... I don't make the rules.

[elliott]

The Coyotes logo just looks terrible IMO. The facial expression/perspective makes it look like if you could see the rest of his body he'd be getting kicked in the stomach. The colors are very nice, but the logo kills it.

For what it's worth I think the old logo/jerseys were some of the best ever. Very unique, instantly recognizable, locally relevant and fitting for a "modern" team.

I'll agree that the original Coyotes logo and colour scheme looked great but those jerseys had alot of problems. On the Road you have a deep hunter green shoulder yoke outlined in deep brick placed on a black sweater. Theres zero contrast rendering it almost invisible from afar. Outlining it in tan would have gone a long way.

Similarly on the Home you have a striping pattern that places Black, Dark Green and Maroon together with no light colours seperating them. From a distance you can hardly make out the pattern. The Southwest striping was unique and looked good on the (Black) Away jersey but putting in on the neck was just overkill.

Oh how I love these jerseys. And let's not forget the green alternate (how could anyone?) which was just as ridiculous, if not more, than the home and away. The desert landscape, cactuses and moon in the striping, and touch of purple accenting the orange-dominated detail will always cement it in my mind as one of my favorite jerseys ever. It's gotta be up there with the blue Lightning alternate and Islanders fisherman unis as most unique in the NHL but also in all of professional sports. I still have all 3 jerseys of the Coyotes old identity in my closet somewhere, sadly, I was about 10 at the time and I've grown just a little bit. Picked up the black picasso jersey on ebay for $20 dollars, great condition with the nice stiched logos/patches that the edge system no longer utilizes. So happy with that purchase.

The coyotes rebrand in the early 2000s has to be one of the biggest 180 degree turns when it comes to a rebrand. Over-the-top, gaudy, so many colors, epitome of the 90s in the former... simplistic, traditional, one-color-dominated scheme in the latter. Massive shift from one end of the spectrum to the other. Once again I'm incredibly biased but I love both identities for what they are.

People complaining about the unrealistic dimensions and features of the current logo, then applauding the picasso logo.. please. Both are abstract representations of a Coyote that represent the state of Arizona well. Both work well for a unique sports team and the contradiction that the Coyotes are at their core: an ice hockey team in the desert.