Help the (NBA) Mavericks design their new uniforms

[KJTALBOT]

NO.

[AlexWilson]

Cuban should go have a sandwich, think about this for a bit, and can the idea. He's not going to get his money's worth, considering he's asking for this to just be handed to him.

[Tynamo]

IMHO, I don't think that he did anything wrong. To be fair to him, he did mention the conditions of the contest. It's really our choice whether we go along with it or not. I definitely don't think professionals should use their skills for this (at least not all of them). And let's be fair, most of us complain when a jersey is released and many designers could have done "better". At least this time, fans can have some sort of input. I know you guys are complaining about the lack of compensation but I wouldn't mind getting credit for designing a jersey of an NBA team in my spare time. However, I do realize that many of you don't have any so that's acceptable. Aside from that, I think it would also help some struggling artists catch a break. I might be mistaken but I do believe that designing a jersey would probably get you more business. Money isn't the only compensation you can get for this. I honestly don't believe any jersey will win. If anything, they'll probably be more like suggestions for the actual one. Then again, he could really like a design and stick with it.

If a guy tells you he''l kill you once you step in a room, it's your choice whether you enter or not.

P.S.

I'm assuming that "bragging rights" means you get credit for the work so if even that isn't true, I can't stand for the idea anymore.

[pianoknight]

Nothing wrong with this. I like Mark Cuban and I think this is a perfect way for fans to interact with a team.

There are too many design snobs sitting in their ivory towers. Don't worry, there will still be plenty of design work available outside of a single NBA team with a semi-crazy owner.

Also, the trick that sets apart true designers from amateurs is not necessarily their skill in Photoshop or Inkscape - it's their critical eye and attention to details. That's something you can't really teach.

[goforbroke]

regardless of who designs the uniforms or what their title is, that person should be compensated for the work they've done. but, if you like getting paid in "thank yous" and gift cards then so be it.

i believe there is a decent market for crowdsourcing and it's not all evil. i really dont have a problem with Bob's Bait Store going to 99designs and paying $200 for a logo. but a professional basketball team trying to get their uniform designed for free and owning everyones submissions? yea, thats bull . thats what devalues the profession and makes it a hobby or a novelty. everyone should have more respect for themselves at least if not the design profession than that. all you young guys that want to be a designer and have a career here should not be doing things like this.

i dont think that the available technology leads to better design results. putting it in the hands of more people will give you more crap than more "good". that's exactly what you see in EVERY crowdsourced project. the software will not design for you. wait til they choose a winning design (maybe) and watch the designers tear it apart for its bad kerning, color palette, alignment, flow, or whatever it is that someone who downloaded PS or AI came up with. unless they're lucky enough to get Tin Bacic to submit, for some reason he likes doing the spec work stuff, but thats his choice.

but whatevs, im not going to be designer-super-defender here. i don't think anyone should have to be, because it's very clear what this is

But outside of the people on these boards no one cares about kearning! thats the truth. People will buy jerseys because their favorite team or player wears it. As long as it has an interesting design, popular colors, or is worn by a successful team that's really all that matters to the teams/fans/buyers/distributors. I'm sorry but that is a fact. So yes you are 100% right that from a lot of technical aspect the designs will be sub-par, but only in the areas where no one of consequence really cares. Not worth spending 1000s of dollars to make sure the kearning is good!

I think Chris Creamer said it perfectly in the mothership article about this. Its the American Idol generation. Its a chance to skip all the hard work and get an immediate big break. I really don't see that as a bad thing, if its unfair for the people that put in the hours then boo hoo. That's not Cuban's fault. Someone with much less expeirence designed something as well as a professional designer, or at least "good enough". I don't see how thats Cuban's problem that he wants to take advantage of volunteers that have enough skill to do a decent enough job. To me it seems like sour grapes by the people that think their profession is getting shafted, but that's life.

[MEANS]

kerning

[TedHymanImages]

That is all.

God, no.

I have NO problems if they wear this:

I would.

Lol at this post

[jdennis82]

I see no problem with this and expect that the team will end up wearing a "fan inspired" design that ends up being perfected by a professional.

When the Mavs are experiencing their first playoff absence in a LONG time and still posted the 2nd highest attendance in the league this season, Cuban's ability to engage the Dallas community is unique and successful. This is nothing but a strategically timed advertising ploy for the organization.

Also, by identifying the change as being in '15-'16 season, with another off-season likely striking out on big-name free agents, announcing this plants the idea in the back of fans' minds that the "new era" the organization is building towards is in 2 years. Maybe it buys a little patience

[Edubdesign]

Careful which of those links you click unless you want lots of awkward gay porn. Especially the MJ one. YIKES!

Sad part is, the gay porn is the best designed stuff on that whole page.

[chakfu]

Bring back the green and dump the two tone blue!!

[rams80]

Nothing wrong with this. I like Mark Cuban and I think this is a perfect way for fans to interact with a team.

There are too many design snobs sitting in their ivory towers. Don't worry, there will still be plenty of design work available outside of a single NBA team with a semi-crazy owner.

Also, the trick that sets apart true designers from amateurs is not necessarily their skill in Photoshop or Inkscape - it's their critical eye and attention to details. That's something you can't really teach.

Not necessarily. Successful businessmen do copy each other. If this actually does save the Cuban a decent amount of money, others will start doing it as well.

[raysfan24]

I like this one the most.

[

[WideRight]

Could be worse. Instead of asking the fans, Cuban could have hired Phoenix Design, or whoever created the Jaguars' new look, or whoever did the Dolphins' reboot, or whoever does anything with the U. of Oregon, or ...

[El Scorcho]

I have no issues with this, but i'm not a professional designer.

Nobody is being forced to submit an entry, and imagine if a Mavs fan on these boards created a concept that ended up being worn by the team long term. That's a money can't buy connection to your favourite team.

Also as others have mentioned, there is absolutely no doubt that whatever gets chosen will be touched up by a professional designer and there will be plenty of design work required to complete the branding package that goes with the new uniforms, so a designer is still getting paid.

I'd compare this to something that used to happen with my club in the AFL, Port Adelaide.

From joining the national league to 2010, we had this design for our home guernsey (from www.footyjumpers.com)

Then for a few years from 2007, the club opened up the design of the home guernsey for one game each season to the club's Planet Teal members, basically the children's memberships. After a couple of decent designs, a 7 year old Port Adelaide supporting girl came up with this design, which was used as the 2009 Planet Teal guernsey for a one off home game:

The guernsey was so popular it was used again in a later home game, and then by massive popular demand, it was adopted as the full time home guernsey for the 2010 season. My club went from having probably the worst guernsey design in the league, to the best.

Professional designers still were given a lot of work to do in terms of tidying up the hand drawn design, then once we'd adopted it full time, creating a matching away guernsey, and working the double V symbol into every part of the branding of the club, work they almost certainly wouldn't have had if the club hadn't asked little kids to design their guernsey.

A professional graphic designer came up with the first guernsey, a 7 year old girl came up with the second. Her family were rewarded with season tickets for life, and she gets the pleasure of knowing that her design will be worn by the club for the foreseeable future. Given the tradition in guernsey design in Australian rules football, that could be decades or more.

[_RH_]

He's not going to get his money's worth

So he's going to get less back than the nothing he's putting into it? =)

I think the interesting thing about design is that customers' primary goal is probably the design making money, and to make that money customers need the general public to find the design appealing. And, like the music industry, it's obvious (by their taste) that the general public is totally idiotic. So you don't need to make a quality, professional design. You don't need to write an interesting, unique song. You need to do what's cool. You need to dumb it down and adhere to the latest trends.

[pcgd]

No designer here has ever suggested that crowd sourcing be illegal. In fact I've never heard ANY designer suggest that including 6 beers in with only other designers.

But we'd be fools if it didn't bother us a bit. Go onto a message board for professional plumbers or electricians, and you see the same responses. "Go to a professional.". People use student dentists or barbers all the time to save money, heck many people cut their own hair instead of even going to great clips. But a pro is always going to do it better.

The art and trade of graphic design has been devalued so much over the last 20 or so years. The advent of the personal computer along with free or cheap design software had opened the door to so many amateur designers who go on to have careers in this great field, and that's a good thing. But it's also opened the doors for hacks that don't know what they are doing and it gets us to where we are today; with the general public accepting "good enough" and not putting any value on "great" any longer. And I think you see that all over our culture from food to electronics to television and even marriage. We accept inferior product because its cheaper and hey, if this doesn't work, ill just get a new one in 6 months.

And I'm certainly guilty of it myself in other trades. I've done my own plumbing. I've had my uncle do electrical for me. I've hired a friend of a friend to cut down a tree. I've cut my own hair. So I'm not in much of a position to complain.

The long and short of this is you have to understand, we professional designers don't think this should be against the law. None of us made what we do today on our first designs. But it is not in the best interest of the client and if we don't believe in the value of design enough to voice our opinions, why are we doing this in the first place?

[pcgd]

Most the "high quality amateur" work you see here is hardly done by amateurs...

[CS85]

Here's my submission:

Silver sparkles are chrome, yellow dots are turbo mesh breathe-fabric pores.

[jstraper]

I don't get why some folks are obsessed about the "classic" Mavs uniforms from the 80s/90s. It was remarkably bland, uninspiring, and the team was horrible for most of that time. Just because it's "classic" (which it isn't) doesn't make it good.

I'm also one who thinks the current uniforms are sloppy and silly (especially the logo). So basically, anything's [probably] an upgrade, but keep in mind in just a few years you'll have plenty of folks/overgrown kids yearning to go back to the "glory days" of the championship uniforms.

Same thing with a number of franchises across all sports (including a Texas neighbor, the Rockets -- much of the fan base hoping for a return to the bland red/yellow uniforms).

[CS85]

Mark Cuban sure looks like a bloviating douchelord.

http://texagon.tumblr.com/post/50429059493/i-love-mark-cuban-i-do-he-single-handedly-ripped