Tampa Bay Lightning

[IceCap]

I've thought of ways to make a good looking, unique "classic" Lightning concept for a while now. While I applaud the thought process behind their new classic Original Six-esque look, it still leaves a lot to be desired.

Which is the case with every Lightning look, in my opinion. Lee's right. This team has never looked particularly good. The rumour is that the team's first logo was drawn on a napkin by Phil Esposito. That may be true, it may not be. It sure looked like it though. The Edge redesign gave the logos a facelift and introduced a very cool, again in my opinion, "TAMPA BAY" wordmark. Still, they used a generic Reebok template that the Penguins and Senators also used (and still use), and like the previous traditional sweater design, the dark royal blue and the black seemed to bleed into each other. The current redesign has an awkwardly skewed logo and a general colour scheme/uniform design that's way to close to the Toronto Maple Leafs for comfort. Even with the added black to the pants and numbers. Games between the two teams look like an inter-squad scrimmage, made worse by the fact that the Lightning use the same blue Toronto uses. The team's blue BOLTS sweater is the closest thing to a great looking sweater they've ever had, but the minor league nickname wordmark down the front ruins it.

So I set out with the same goal the team had when they began the most recent redesign: make a classic looking Lightning uniform. I added to that, however, with "and they can't look like Toronto"

The blue's the same that the team currently uses, via ColorWerx's site. It's still the same blue the Leafs use. I've never had a problem with the Lightning using this shade. The problem I have is them using it in an almost exclusively blue and white scheme like the Leafs. So I added black, not just to the numbers, but to the striping, pants, and helmet. The striping pattern is simple, classic, but still unique in the NHL.

A problem often sited with the Lightning's pre and immediate post-Edge sweaters is the fact that the dark royal colour and the black bleed into each other. So to avoid that I kept the colours separated by white throughout the concept. In no place do black and blue touch.

The logo is an attempt to take the simple "lightning bolt and circle" concept and make it truly iconic. Something that seems on par with the Colts' horseshoe or the Red Wings' winged wheel, at least design wise. The stretched, skewed perspective of the current logo just seems awkward to me. So I took the basic concept behind it and simplified it to its basic form. The alternate logo is a stylized TB logo. It always struck me as strange that they never tried one. Location initial logos almost always look great when the location's name is comprised of two or more parts. With that in mind I stuck the Lightning with one. The concept seemed to fit the "classic" look I was going for.

The pants and helmet are black, inspired from comments in the Sports Logos forum that the team should start with blue sweaters paired with black helmets and pants and go from there. So I tried it, and I like it. It not only helps further separate the look from that of Toronto's, but it also creates a unique home combination in the NHL, black/blue/black.

In the end I wanted to create a look that was both traditional and unique. I think that, at the very least, I'm off to a good start in that regard.

C&C is welcome, as always.

[BigBubba]

The biggest issue I have with this set is the logo. As someone in the uniform changes thread said, the logo on their jerseys is less complex than the numbers. This logo has the same issue. It's too simple and is really just a lateral move from what they have now. It's no less clipart-y and is devoid of black. If black's gonna be one of the primary colours, it should have at least some black; preferrably in the form of an outline or somehow "filling the circle". While I hate the idea of them going old-school, considering that was the whole point of the concept, the jerseys look good. The logos need some work, though (shoulder patch included).

[Midway]

Clean, simple, and to the point. Yet still reminds me of their current look, that maybe just going ahead and using their lighter shade of blue from their early years instead will give this the distinctive look you're going for. Oh and nay to the collar laces.

[Mr. Aware Eagle]

I agree with Bubba. The logo should use black somehow. But you have a generally nice-looking jersey otherwise. I would buy one.

[mbannon92]

I agree with the others. The logo needs some black, either as a fill, outline, or both. Also, I would give the TB logo the same outline as the numbers.

I really love the striping though. I like how it's a little different on the home and road, a la the Blackhawks.

[wildwing64]

I won't repeat what others have said about the logos - but this is actually very nice. A classic look that doesn't overdo the idea and still feels very much Tampa Bay Lightning. Definitely something I could realistically see them taking the ice in.

[Morgan33]

Looking good though I'm lamenting the loss of silver. As the others said, the logo needs some black.

[knnhrvy16]

I actually really like the logo as-is, and like the direction you've sent Tampa Bay in here. Very clean sweater and a nice design as a whole, definitely achieves your stated intentions. I think the only two suggestions I have are to 1) try inverting the colors of the pants bolt (a white bolt outlined in blue), and 2) I wonder how a brighter blue would look. Not quite electric blue, but a more vibrant royal, if that makes any sense. It may aid in making the set "pop" a bit and further separate from Toronto.

Anyways, great work and nice ideas here. This is definitely a great direction!