NFL 2013 by DeFrank: AFC SOUTH 4/12/13

[DeFrank]

Thanks again guys. I'm a big fan of the new Steelers logo so that won't change, I think it's a much better LOGO first of all, an eliminating grey, blue, and silver is necessary to me.

With the Ravens, the colors definitely can blend, but I think that's part of what I'm going for. It's subtle, kind of how I imagine "purple" is in the blackness of a Raven. It's like the light, or lackthereof, is playing with you a little.

I'm very much against teams with white and light colored pants (Redskins white and gold, Bucs Peter and white, etc.). I like to pick one or the other, and I chose orange.

[New_Member]

I agree that black collar and cuffs are needed for the Bengals home.

[DeFrank]

I agree that black collar and cuffs are needed for the Bengals home.

It's a good idea. I may work that into an update in a few days.

[HailGoldPants]

The Browns and Ravens are terrific!

[DeFrank]

Always nice to hear that from a Skins fan. Bump!

[DeFrank]

NFC WEST

I am very happy with how the Seahawks turned out. I remember seeing a concept years ago that was a "Starbucks" version of Seattle, and I loved the color scheme. The northwest was perfect for a forest and bark color scheme. Initially, I planned on finding a different, more complete totem pole design to sublimate in various places on the uniform. What I found was that Nike did their research before choosing the pattern they did. Totem pole designs are super complex, and often kind of random. I couldn't find what I was looking for, and went back to what Nike had already created. In my world, Flywire collars don't restrict design.

The St. Louis Rams are plagued by a single problem in their uniform world, that will always put a damper on their look. It is the ugly, awful, and downright sad stadium that makes any form of blue and gold look dreary, mismatched, or unappealing. So can we just for a minute pretend that they play in natural lighting? That's what I did. The old school blue and yellow? Fine, but it doesn't compare to what blue and gold can do out of doors. I went with the blue used back in the LA days, but used the gold first used in StL, around 2001. The Greatest Show on Turf had a great look, with the side panels making enough color contrast. Today, they are a muddled identity. This redesign adds a little white to their horns, matching the logo, puts back the side panels that give the uniform warmth, and add sock and pant stripes.

First thing I did here was decide to include black into the 49ers identity. The mid 2000's look was not good, but had such potential in employing black. Things I liked were the sleeve stripe "shadows" that added a dimension to a classic look. What I didn't like was the mismatched helmet and pant logos and the drop shadow numbers. I standardized the striping pattern, avoiding any area where gold, red, and black are not infused with white, and double outlined the numbers. A disclaimer: I know that the wordmark should probably have white in there, but I couldn't make Illustrator work for some reason to give me what I wanted. So imagine!

The Cardinals are very similar to the first concepts I did for them about a year ago. I wanted to keep black in their identity because it adds, not detracts, to their classic look. I created a striping pattern that uses black as well. The most noticeable feature is the sublimated sun rays on the sleeves, which evoke the state flag. White facemasks round out a clear look that I am very happy with.

C&C as always please!

[waldowest]

love the color combination for the seahawks, i think it looks fantastic. the rays on the cardinals' uniforms are a nice touch too. adds a little something to the sets without going nuts like the jerseys are now. simple, but effective.

[cohenj21]

My thoughts-

Seahawks- I really like the team's current color scheme, one of my favorites in the NFL. This, however, is much more Pacific Northwest-y for lack of a better word. The alternate jersey in particular is great. Nice job here.

Rams- I had never realized that it was the Rams' stadium that made any color combination they tried absolutely horrific. But now that I think about it, it's always weird in there lighting-wise and the field color is too dark (at least on TV). If we're pretending they don't play there, this is a great set, still keeping the gold but lightening the blue. Nice job.

49ers- Not sure how I feel about this one. Maybe my dislike of black in the Niners set is rooted in the monstrosities from the early 2000s, but I don't love it on the sleeves and prefer the current look with basically just red and white. However, the numbers you have are a big improvement over their current set, the gold looks very good there.

Cardinals- Love the use of black here, definitely adds to the set. The flag design on the sleeves is also a great idea. No complaints here.

Hope you can appreciate this C&C even from a Cowboys fan!

[Brave-Bird 08]

That Seattle concept.

So good.

[dsaline97]

Seattle: wow that looks good, but the wing pattern on the socks doesn't look right. The color scheme and number font is perfect!

Saint Louis: also looks good. I'd be curious to see this on an action template to see how the pants/side panels match up. (oh, you forgot to change the away back collar to blue )

San Francisco: have to say I'm not a fan of this one. Mostly because all of the things you liked about the 2000's set, I hated. I guess if you are going this route, then put the black drop shadow back on the numbers.

Arizona: fantastic. Could've gone with a red facemask, but the white one looks good too.

[Chromatic]

I absolutely love the Seahawks jerseys. They're one of those teams's that I think belong in blue and green (being in the Pacific Northwest, and being the SEAhawks after all.) but those colours absolutely have the pacific northwest theme down.

49ers look good, except I'm one of those people who thinks they look better without the black in their scheme. I think it muddles up their fantastic colours. I'm also not a huge fan of the drop shadow on the stripes.

Rams look good.

Arizona also looks good, I like the sublimated state-flag sunburst. (not sure what its technically called).

[BengalSteve]

Here are my thoughts on the NFC West unis:

Seahawks: First of all, I love how you brought back the silver helmets and gray pants, and the forest and bark colors are also an interesting new take!

Rams: The lighter blue reminds me of the LA Rams unis, and usually I am not a fan of side panels on football jerseys, but you managed to make them look good here.

49ers: I like the red facemask and the white striping on the home unis the most. No real complants here.

Cardinals: I like how you implemented the sunburst design on the sleeves, and it especially looks good on the road unis.

So you did a great job on the NFC West, especially on Seattle! I'm looking forward to more from you!

[FUNKAFIED]

I've been waiting for the NFC West!

NINERS: Love the gold trim added to the numbers and correct sleeve stripes. The black works as long as you keep the current red, which you did. One of the biggest problems with the late 90's/early 00's set is the garnet was too dark and along with the black it was just awful. Also, I prefer the "western style" names on the back of the jerseys like they have now.

Trollhawks: The set gives me a University of Hawaii feel but I actually like it a lot. It's incredibly unique and you got rid of the stupid gray number / watermark combination that looks horrid on TV. The shade of green is a refreshing addition and I like black numbers when they're done well. This is my favorite set of the group.

Rams: I still think they need to go back to Old Gold. They haven't won anything with the current gold and it just looks dull in the incredibly dark stadium they play in.

Cardinals: The Arizona flag pattern on the sleeves is awesome. I also like the fact you got rid of the black alternate. A solid update to the existing set.

[TorinK29]

My favourite would definitely be the Rams, I am a sucker for dark blue and gold, and I love the side paneling.

I really like the rays on the Cardinals uni's nice touch.

I can't really comment on the Seahawks' because I sort of like that design, but it looks a bit off for a major league uniform to me.

And the 49er's are solid.

[GriffinM6]

I'm astonished how good that Seattle concept is. I literally was speechless when I saw it. You also used black the right way for the Niners.

[DeFrank]

Wow thank you all so much for the comments on Seattle. I totally understand those who would rather there not be any black in the 49ers identity, but I really like the way it looks, especially on those sleeves! Keep up the comments!

[fouhy12]

I like all of these but the Seahawks. It definitely has potential, but I think there should be a couple of changes. First of all, I think it would look much better with white instead of grey. Grey just muddles the look for me. The collars on the road should be green, not brown, and the colors of the numbers should be switched(green numbers, brown outline.) Finally, the green is a little too pastel-y for me, and I think it would look better with a slightly more vibrant green to contrast better with the brown.

[DeFrank]

I like all of these but the Seahawks. It definitely has potential, but I think there should be a couple of changes. First of all, I think it would look much better with white instead of grey. Grey just muddles the look for me. The collars on the road should be green, not brown, and the colors of the numbers should be switched(green numbers, brown outline.) Finally, the green is a little too pastel-y for me, and I think it would look better with a slightly more vibrant green to contrast better with the brown.

All four of those proposals are very interesting. I'll adress them...

1. Silver (And it is very metallic) stays because 1. White helmets would not be a good look for the Hawks, and 2. I think that it helps distinguish them from other teams that simply use white pants too often.

2. If you look closely, you can see that the tribal pattern only appears on a brown background through the entire uniform, so the cuffs will stay.

3. I admittedly went back and forth a few times on how to orient the road jersey number colors. I may revisit that when...

4. Brightening the green is a very good idea, something that I had not thought of. I will certainly look at a couple of shades I have in mind. No promises, but I appreciate the idea a lot.

[fouhy12]

I like all of these but the Seahawks. It definitely has potential, but I think there should be a couple of changes. First of all, I think it would look much better with white instead of grey. Grey just muddles the look for me. The collars on the road should be green, not brown, and the colors of the numbers should be switched(green numbers, brown outline.) Finally, the green is a little too pastel-y for me, and I think it would look better with a slightly more vibrant green to contrast better with the brown.

All four of those proposals are very interesting. I'll adress them...

1. Silver (And it is very metallic) stays because 1. White helmets would not be a good look for the Hawks, and 2. I think that it helps distinguish them from other teams that simply use white pants too often.

2. If you look closely, you can see that the tribal pattern only appears on a brown background through the entire uniform, so the cuffs will stay.

3. I admittedly went back and forth a few times on how to orient the road jersey number colors. I may revisit that when...

4. Brightening the green is a very good idea, something that I had not thought of. I will certainly look at a couple of shades I have in mind. No promises, but I appreciate the idea a lot.

1. Seems fair, It just breaks my rule that if a team has two colors plus white, grey should not be added(ex. Raiders are ok, Patriots break the rule.)

2. Hadn't noticed.

3. Ok.

4. You're welcome.

EDIT: Maybe there should be alternate green pants for the road uniform.

[DeFrank]

Update 2

On the heels of some good suggestions, I've brightened the green quite a bit, to something called "Augusta Green." I have also inverted the white jersey's number colors. VERY happy with this little update, the brighter green is a drastic improvement. I appreciate comments because of things like this! Also, look on the first post for a new way to navigate these updates.

I've added black cuffs to the orange jersey, and eliminated black socks, which I felt were unnecessary at this point.

Also, whoever replies first, perhaps you might quote this post so it gets to the next page? Thanks!