2013 NFL uniform/logo changes

[St Louis Cardinals]

The helmet is the color of navy that the rams currently use.

[seahawk9]

After all, these are the "Dark Ages" of pro football. Back in the day, when I starting following the NFL, you could instantly tell what teams were playing by the varity of brighter, different assorted colors all the teams had. Now days everyone wants to wear Navy Blue or Black and color monochrome uniform combos. Can't really tell the teams apart anymore. Miss the old bright colors of the Broncos, Buccaneers, Seahawks, Rams, Chargers, Oilers, etc.

The Broncos wear orange as their primary now. The Titans wear the old Oilers columbia blue as their primary. The Chargers haven't worn a 'bright' color as their primary in like 30 years, at least. The Rams haven't used a non-alternate/throwback bright jersey in over 50 years.

Or, you know, about 14.

Is it just me, or is the helmet shade of blue different from the blue on the jersey? If so, I'd love to see the Rams use those helmet colors.

Never understood why back then the Rams and Giants had navy color helmets but their jerseys were the lighter, brighter royal blue. What,..... they didn't have Royal Blue paint back then or why couldn't they have had the helmet shell molded in the royal color ?????

[Buster]

After all, these are the "Dark Ages" of pro football. Back in the day, when I starting following the NFL, you could instantly tell what teams were playing by the varity of brighter, different assorted colors all the teams had. Now days everyone wants to wear Navy Blue or Black and color monochrome uniform combos. Can't really tell the teams apart anymore. Miss the old bright colors of the Broncos, Buccaneers, Seahawks, Rams, Chargers, Oilers, etc.

The Broncos wear orange as their primary now. The Titans wear the old Oilers columbia blue as their primary. The Chargers haven't worn a 'bright' color as their primary in like 30 years, at least. The Rams haven't used a non-alternate/throwback bright jersey in over 50 years.

Or, you know, about 14.

Is it just me, or is the helmet shade of blue different from the blue on the jersey? If so, I'd love to see the Rams use those helmet colors.

Never understood why back then the Rams and Giants had navy color helmets but their jerseys were the lighter, brighter royal blue. What,..... they didn't have Royal Blue paint back then or why couldn't they have had the helmet shell molded in the royal color ?????

There was a limited number of blue shells available. There was the Giants/Rams/Chargers navy blue and the Broncos bright blue. The Vikings were mismatched for the same reason.

In the 1970s/80s, there wasn't a huge emphasis (financially or technologically) put on helmet manufacturing and design. Even though they were professional teams, they had to take what was available.

[daschuck77]

Looks like the full collar retail jersey is slowly becoming avaiable for the Bills. Also looks like they still are selling the Half-collar look too. You can have your CJ Spillar with our without toliet seat.

[TruColor]

After all, these are the "Dark Ages" of pro football. Back in the day, when I starting following the NFL, you could instantly tell what teams were playing by the varity of brighter, different assorted colors all the teams had. Now days everyone wants to wear Navy Blue or Black and color monochrome uniform combos. Can't really tell the teams apart anymore. Miss the old bright colors of the Broncos, Buccaneers, Seahawks, Rams, Chargers, Oilers, etc.

The Broncos wear orange as their primary now. The Titans wear the old Oilers columbia blue as their primary. The Chargers haven't worn a 'bright' color as their primary in like 30 years, at least. The Rams haven't used a non-alternate/throwback bright jersey in over 50 years.

Or, you know, about 14.

Is it just me, or is the helmet shade of blue different from the blue on the jersey? If so, I'd love to see the Rams use those helmet colors.

Never understood why back then the Rams and Giants had navy color helmets but their jerseys were the lighter, brighter royal blue. What,..... they didn't have Royal Blue paint back then or why couldn't they have had the helmet shell molded in the royal color ?????

There was a limited number of blue shells available. There was the Giants/Rams/Chargers navy blue and the Broncos bright blue. The Vikings were mismatched for the same reason.

In the 1970s/80s, there wasn't a huge emphasis (financially or technologically) put on helmet manufacturing and design. Even though they were professional teams, they had to take what was available.

In the '70s, the Eagles designated a slightly different shade of Green for their helmets. This was during the era where Pantones weren't supplied; teams were just given color chips to match to.

In the '80s, the Rams designated a separate Pantone value for their helmets vs. the uniforms.

[Jungle Jim]

Miss the old bright colors of the Broncos, Buccaneers, Seahawks, Rams, Chargers, Oilers, etc.

Same here...same here...

[nuordr]

After all, these are the "Dark Ages" of pro football. Back in the day, when I starting following the NFL, you could instantly tell what teams were playing by the varity of brighter, different assorted colors all the teams had. Now days everyone wants to wear Navy Blue or Black and color monochrome uniform combos. Can't really tell the teams apart anymore. Miss the old bright colors of the Broncos, Buccaneers, Seahawks, Rams, Chargers, Oilers, etc.

The Broncos wear orange as their primary now. The Titans wear the old Oilers columbia blue as their primary. The Chargers haven't worn a 'bright' color as their primary in like 30 years, at least. The Rams haven't used a non-alternate/throwback bright jersey in over 50 years.

Or, you know, about 14.

Is it just me, or is the helmet shade of blue different from the blue on the jersey? If so, I'd love to see the Rams use those helmet colors.

Never understood why back then the Rams and Giants had navy color helmets but their jerseys were the lighter, brighter royal blue. What,..... they didn't have Royal Blue paint back then or why couldn't they have had the helmet shell molded in the royal color ?????

There was a limited number of blue shells available. There was the Giants/Rams/Chargers navy blue and the Broncos bright blue. The Vikings were mismatched for the same reason.

In the 1970s/80s, there wasn't a huge emphasis (financially or technologically) put on helmet manufacturing and design. Even though they were professional teams, they had to take what was available.

Yet that does not explain why the 49ers and Saints cannot match their helmet color to their pants in 2013. Jeez, one would think that with today's technology they could at least make the colors match.

[BrianLion]

Miss the old bright colors of the Broncos, Buccaneers, Seahawks, Rams, Chargers, Oilers, etc.

Same here...same here...

Regrettably, It's a navy blue, black, and gray world that we live in.

I'm hoping the recent change in a lot of NHL jerseys back to more classic looks is a pre-cursor of what's to come elsewhere in sports.

[Gothamite]

In the 1970s/80s, there wasn't a huge emphasis (financially or technologically) put on helmet manufacturing and design. Even though they were professional teams, they had to take what was available.

Yet that does not explain why the 49ers and Saints cannot match their helmet color to their pants in 2013. Jeez, one would think that with today's technology they could at least make the colors match.

Pretty sure that is a deliberate choice on the part of the 49ers, to look like the original uniforms. Don't know why the Saints insist on having twelve different shades of gold.

You forgot the Cowboys, with the various kinds of both silver and blue:

At least with Dallas, it was an attempt to make all the various materials look the same on television, but it has since ossified into "tradition".

[John in KY]

In the 1970s/80s, there wasn't a huge emphasis (financially or technologically) put on helmet manufacturing and design. Even though they were professional teams, they had to take what was available.

Yet that does not explain why the 49ers and Saints cannot match their helmet color to their pants in 2013. Jeez, one would think that with today's technology they could at least make the colors match.

Pretty sure that is a deliberate choice on the part of the 49ers, to look like the original uniforms. Don't know why the Saints insist on having twelve different shades of gold.

You forgot the Cowboys, with the various kinds of both silver and blue:

At least with Dallas, it was an attempt to make all the various materials look the same on television, but it has since ossified into "tradition".

That is true for the pants. However, the helmet was purposely changed to that silvery-blue color so it would look okay with both the then silver-blue pants worn with the white jersey and the more true silver worn with the navy jersey that came in in 1981. Also that color is how their clear shell helmets turned out; if you look at the painted helmets in the 60s and 70s they were "bluer than this color that doesn't really match either set.

[guest23]

In the 1970s/80s, there wasn't a huge emphasis (financially or technologically) put on helmet manufacturing and design. Even though they were professional teams, they had to take what was available.

Yet that does not explain why the 49ers and Saints cannot match their helmet color to their pants in 2013. Jeez, one would think that with today's technology they could at least make the colors match.

Pretty sure that is a deliberate choice on the part of the 49ers, to look like the original uniforms. Don't know why the Saints insist on having twelve different shades of gold.

You forgot the Cowboys, with the various kinds of both silver and blue:

At least with Dallas, it was an attempt to make all the various materials look the same on television, but it has since ossified into "tradition".

when the 49ers changed back to their older look they did have metallic gold pants but they went back to tan when they switched to nike as all of their top of the line pants are matte finish....same with the pats having gray pants now as opposed silver.

[oldschoolvikings]

I still maintain that royal blue is not a 'bright' color. Compared to navy or not, it's not considered 'bright'.

Bright colors would be the Bears, Bengals, Browns, Broncos & Dolphins orange; Falcons, Chiefs & Patriots red; Panthers carolina blue; Jaguars teal; Saints gold; Chargers powder blue; Rams yellow; Seahawks green; Buccaneers orange; Titans columbia blue and Oilers light blue.

Those would be considered bright colors, at least imo. Even so, the red is kind of pushing it, but I'll count it.

If we go by, "well, it's bright compared to _____" then we can just say every colored jersey that's not black is bright, because hey, it's bright compared to black.

Well, I'm thinking of brightness as in "Saturation", which is the Color Theory definition of intensity or purity.

From Art Lex...

"SATURATION - A color's purity of hue; its intensity. A pure hue has the highest saturation. A brilliant color is strongly saturated, and also generally lighter in value. A deep color can also be highly saturated, but has little lightness."

So-called "royal" blue is brighter than navy blue because royal is purer. To physically mix navy, you need to add other values and/or hues to pure blue, obviously bringing down the saturation.

I'm saying royal blue is brighter because it's purer, not because it's lighter in Value, which is a another discussion altogether.

[seahawk9]

In the 1970s/80s, there wasn't a huge emphasis (financially or technologically) put on helmet manufacturing and design. Even though they were professional teams, they had to take what was available.

Yet that does not explain why the 49ers and Saints cannot match their helmet color to their pants in 2013. Jeez, one would think that with today's technology they could at least make the colors match.

Pretty sure that is a deliberate choice on the part of the 49ers, to look like the original uniforms. Don't know why the Saints insist on having twelve different shades of gold.

You forgot the Cowboys, with the various kinds of both silver and blue:

At least with Dallas, it was an attempt to make all the various materials look the same on television, but it has since ossified into "tradition".

That is true for the pants. However, the helmet was purposely changed to that silvery-blue color so it would look okay with both the then silver-blue pants worn with the white jersey and the more true silver worn with the navy jersey that came in in 1981. Also that color is how their clear shell helmets turned out; if you look at the painted helmets in the 60s and 70s they were "bluer than this color that doesn't really match either set.

As shown above, the Cowboys helmet is SILVER, not silver blue, with navy star and stripes. The helmet matches perfectly with the their dark navy jerseys with silver stripes and silver pants with navy stripes. The white home uniform is completely mismatched. This helmet is worn with a white jersey with Royal blue stripes and numbers and the silver-blue-green pants with royal blue stripes

[slats7]

As shown above, the Cowboys helmet is SILVER, not silver blue, with navy star and stripes. The helmet matches perfectly with the their dark navy jerseys with silver stripes and silver pants with navy stripes. The white home uniform is completely mismatched. This helmet is worn with a white jersey with Royal blue stripes and numbers and the silver-blue-green pants with royal blue stripes

another evolution that drives me nuts about them

[TruColor]

As shown above, the Cowboys helmet is SILVER, not silver blue, with navy star and stripes. The helmet matches perfectly with the their dark navy jerseys with silver stripes and silver pants with navy stripes. The white home uniform is completely mismatched. This helmet is worn with a white jersey with Royal blue stripes and numbers and the silver-blue-green pants with royal blue stripes

The helmet and road pant color didn't match until the 2012 season. It was mismatched from approx. 1981 through 2011.

Nike changed the helmet color and road pant color - they are now the same (in print and in textile terms) as the Patriots, Lions, and Raiders (yes, Raiders). BUT - different than other teams that utilize Silver (Panthers, Titans, Falcons, Eagles, and Buccaneers).

With the Titans and Bucs, I'm referring to the tiny bits of Silver they use in their logos.

Oh - and the Cowboys' helmets were certainly Silver-BLUE (or Metallic Blue) from 1964 through 2011.

[slats7]

As shown above, the Cowboys helmet is SILVER, not silver blue, with navy star and stripes. The helmet matches perfectly with the their dark navy jerseys with silver stripes and silver pants with navy stripes. The white home uniform is completely mismatched. This helmet is worn with a white jersey with Royal blue stripes and numbers and the silver-blue-green pants with royal blue stripes

The helmet and road pant color didn't match until the 2012 season. It was mismatched from approx. 1981 through 2011.

Nike changed the helmet color and road pant color - they are now the same (in print and in textile terms) as the Patriots, Lions, and Raiders (yes, Raiders). BUT - different than other teams that utilize Silver (Panthers, Titans, Falcons, Eagles, and Buccaneers).

With the Titans and Bucs, I'm referring to the tiny bits of Silver they use in their logos.

Oh - and the Cowboys' helmets were certainly Silver-BLUE (or Metallic Blue) from 1964 through 2011.

Maybe officially, but if you had two helmets in front of you, one from 1969 and the other from 2010, one would be noticeably bluer than the other.

[TruColor]

Maybe officially, but if you had two helmets in front of you, one from 1969 and the other from 2010, one would be noticeably bluer than the other.

I didn't say they were the same shade of Silver-Blue; just that they weren't a pure/standard Silver.

The colors definitely changed once Pantone values were utilized around 1980 or so. However, the Silver-Blue remained a custom metallic ink mix until 1994.

I've got a 1977 Cowboys sheet, and various official sheets from 1987-2000. The original Cowboys' Silver-Blue most closely matches PANTONE 8200 C:

You need to get a sample of the latest PANTONE Metallics swatch book and compare to the original sheet to the metallic swatches...I've spent a lot of time on it - it's very close, but the RGB version (shown above) doesn't do it justice to be honest.

As I mentioned, once Pantone values were supplied, the Silver-Blue remained a custom color, but closely matches the color that it eventually became - PANTONE 8240 C:

And now as of 2012, it has been "standardized" a bit, but still remains a bluish shade of Silver:

[theSLVRBCK]

I was thinking about this thread earlier today, and how so many teams have gone to darker colors in general, and this came across my dash on tumblr ...

Love the way the Eagles and Vikings jerseys pop amongst the crowd.

[AgentColon]

I thought this was a colorized b/w pic?

[BrandMooreArt]

I think the new mark is an upgrade. The old script had more personality but it wasnt a good logo. The primary mark was warped to shoe horn it in and the clashing of the P and A is amature. As far as reproduction and consistency goes its probably better there too. As far as memorability and distinction goes its not as good.