Whittier's Concepts

[Whittier S]

So, after having a lot of issues with my computer* getting started here at SportsLogos, I am finally settling in and rarin' to go.

My first submission for C&C are the primary and secondary logos for the Chicago Hawks, my NHL rebranding for PuckDrawn's latest contest.

First the primary:

And the secondary:

Thank you very much. You have to understand that until I started checking out PuckDrawn a few months ago, I was the only person I knew who did sports concepts, and when I described to folks what I did, they thought it was weird. So I'm very happy to be here.

Peace

Whittier

[Midway]

Ha yea I'm still dealing with people like that these days as well but worry not, welcome aboard to the dysfunctional family that is CCSLC.

Onto the critique I'd need some explanation behind what you're trying to convey in that primary crest. And as much as I hate the round logos craze in hockey, your secondary is really clever and has a much stronger "Chicago" feel to it.

[BlueSky]

Welcome to CCSLC. Nice concepts.

As a tip, it's good to use the second line when creating a thread to describe what's in it if the headline is generic. People appreciate that when deciding what they want to look at. For example, I'll usually check out American football concepts but don't bother with soccer etc.

[Whittier S]

Bluesky: I hadn't noticed about the secondary line of the thread title until after I posted this, and now I don't know how I can go back in and edit it. If someone could tell me how to do that, I'd appreciate it. Thank you for the compliments on the secondary. It hadn't occurred to me that roundels were so popular at the moment, but I realise it now that I think about it. You'll see why I used a roundel once I have posted the jersey when I'm done with it. The C-star was a leap of inspiration from my doodling I'm proud of. Did you also pick up that the blue segment, since it's on the "east" side, doubles as an abstract representation of Lake Michigan?

Midway: This is my pitch so far:

"In the 21st century, the current branding of the Chicago Blackhawks comes off dated and offencive. However, to effectively rebrand an Original Six team is a true challenge. I begin by shortening 'Blackhawks' to 'Hawks' (already a current nickname for the team), and using the red-tailed hawk as the focus of the rebranding. I retain red and black from the Blackhawks' current branding, and add sky blue from the Chicago city flag.

"In the primary logo, a traditional crest shape suggestgs the longevity and legacy of the franchise. The art within the crest creates two images at once: the wing mimics skyscrapers, and the Chicago star doubles as a sun. The secondary logo is both a stylised "C", and an abstract representation of the city on the shores of Lake Michicgan. I use classic lines in the jersey design to reinforce the longevity of the franchise."

I kind of think the primary logo has a very 1950s look to it. I really wanted to do something with a retro/throwback look to it, since I think an older franchise deserves a look that seems to have withstood the test of time.

Thanks

[sparkychewbarky]

Bluesky: I hadn't noticed about the secondary line of the thread title until after I posted this, and now I don't know how I can go back in and edit it.

Welcome to the logohood Whit.

If you edit your first post and then click on the "Use Full Editor" button, you can edit your Topic Title and Topic Description.

In that way you can keep the same thread while notifying others of any changes or new material, etc.

That sec logo is great BTW.

Do you have the unis yet?

[Whittier S]

No unis yet, wanted to wait on a bit of feedback on the logos first. I'm planning a black home and white away. The plan is for the lower half of the jersey to strongly resemble the Blackhawks jerseys in its striping pattern. The upper half, I plan to use a yoke that's rounded on the ends, which to me looks very traditional, and will work well with the secondary.

[Cody21]

Welcome aboard, Whit. I like the fact that light blue is being used for this. But remove the shield from the primary logo.

[Whittier S]

Welcome aboard, Whit. I like the fact that light blue is being used for this. But remove the shield from the primary logo.

Do you think I'd be able to sell the idea of the hawk doubling as a city skyline without having the blue backdrop? (It can also be read in the lower part is being the Chicago River.) If I drop the shield, do I keep the star in the primary?

[Cody21]

Welcome aboard, Whit. I like the fact that light blue is being used for this. But remove the shield from the primary logo.

Do you think I'd be able to sell the idea of the hawk doubling as a city skyline without having the blue backdrop? (It can also be read in the lower part is being the Chicago River.) If I drop the shield, do I keep the star in the primary?

maybe try taking that secondary mark and fusing it with the hawk. make the hawk fly in a way way you can see the second logo in its talon. then have a wordamrk underneath?? the light blue has to be somehwere on the jerseys, so maybe make a blue alt for me plz?? and again, welcome. oh and to your first q, try it. i'd like to see if that looks nice.

[Whittier S]

Thanks a lot for the C&C. With no further feedback, I'm going to proceed with the jerseys. I'm going to retain the crest, because I don't see any other way to convey that the hawk's profile doubles as a city skyline without some way of binding the design. Anyway, you will soon find that I'm partial to crests in general. Also, I usually really dislike the idea of incorporating wordmarks into a primary logo, because I find it sends the message that the logo isn't strong enough to stand on its own. Although I am not partial to the idea of third jerseys on principle, I will make a blue third jersey for this after I finish my contest entry because I think I have a good idea for the design.

[Whittier S]

Running into some problems with my computer. I'm going to have to replace it. In the meantime, I'm going to be able to work on the logos at home, but my computer is no longer accessing the internet, so I will have to put everything on a flash drive and upload things elsewhere. It also means that, if I need a reference picture for a logo, I have to upload it elsewhere onto my flash drive and then put it on my home computer. I hope to replace my computer in the next few weeks.

Though I can't post the changes right now (I'm getting a flash drive on Thurs), I did want to say that I have changed the palette some. I had originally tried to get the blue to match the blue on the Chicago flag. This works well for the logo. However, when I tried to put stripes of that shade of blue onto a white jersey, they practically disappeared. So I've darkened it somewhat. Darkening the blue meant I had to lighten the grey to get a strong enough contrast. The grey is now lighter than the blue, which I think gives more the effect I intended in the first place.

By Thursday I should be finished with the jerseys, and I will post my whole PuckDrawn submission on here for a quick C&C before posting to PuckDrawn.

[Whittier S]

I'm almost done with the jerseys and will be posting them for a quick C&C on Friday before I submit to the PuckDrawn competition. Also really wanting to show off the primary with the reworked colours. It works much better having the blue darker than the grey.

[Whittier S]

I finished my PuckDrawn submission. You'll notice the slight change in the palette I mentioned earlier, I think this gives it more the effect I'm looking for. I'm happy with most of the design, but I am looking for C&C specifically on the striping. I'm trying to mimic the current Blackhawks striping, whilst also using the striping on the Chicago flag. Something about the balance, esp on the home uniform, doesn't look right to me, but I can't put my finger on it.

Thanks!

Peace

Whittier

[Whittier S]

Also, am I portraying a rounded-off yoke right? Suddenly I think I'm showing it pulled too far down the sleeves. Thanks!

[Whittier S]

I just noticed that I lost the placement of the stars in the wordmark when I resized the text, so I will fix that.

[Northender]

Nice stuff. Just a suggestion, but maybe its worth trying the roundel on the front of the jersey and the sheild as the shoulder patch? I think the scale might be more suitable that way. For what its worth...

[Whittier S]

Awrighty, no more comments, I guess, so I'm going to fix the stars in the wordmark, edit the pitch some, and send this to PuckDrawn as soon as I can. Thanks for the help!

[dgnmrwrw]

I think the roundel alternate logo is much stronger than the shield. I love the merging of elements. If you could find a way to work those stylize/art deco wings into that logo, it could be a great crest on the jersey.

While we're on jerseys, I'd say that both the shoulder yoke and the sleeve numbers both go a little too far down the sleeves. Also, I think the uniforms could use a bit more depth and balance in terms of color placement. Right now, it seems like there's sections of single colors, which kinda keeps things from coming together.

But I'd start by trying to work that "hawk" theme into the circular C logo and see how it works as a primary.

[Whittier S]

I guess I don't get where folks are coming from wanting me to switch the crest and roundel. To me, the team is the Hawks, so the hawk should be main logo. The roundel is basically an initial, it's secondary to the team name being the Hawks.

I'm really hampered at the moment by having to use library computers for internet access, and my at-home, dying computer for my Inkscape work. Add to that the fact that I have three papers due this week, and I'm really pressed for time.

I'll fix the yoke and numbers on the sleeve, that's easy.

I suddenly have a vision of making the main by taking the C roundel and putting the wings/skyscrapers behind it, then taking my current main and setting that as the shoulder patch, as folks have suggested.

As far as the colour blocking goes, I tried to mimic the Blackhawks' current colour placement, of course, the yoke is a big change from what they do now. I'll get rid of the yoke.

Thanks a lot!

[IceCap]

I like the setup you have. I'm a huge art deco fan, so your concept has me there. Great use of colours too.