NBA Project 32 - Timberwolves Update

[mbannon92]

Pelicans: Awesome. Color scheme and jersey design are a huge improvement on what they have now.

Knicks: I like the new logo, but I'm not a fan of the mismatched striping on the uniforms. I would choose between the two and three stripe patterns.

Hornets: Can't really complain. Personally, I like what they came out with, but this is good too. My main suggestion would be to change up the design of the alternate some. If you're just going to add the honeycomb pattern, I would include it on all the jerseys. Also, for the honeycomb on the alt, I would make it light and dark teal. It's a little jarring as-is.

Mavs: I love the M-hat secondary. One of the better updates of that logo that I've seen. The horse logo on the left side of the shorts needs to be flipped, though, so it faces inward.

[mamiller99]

Like everything, these past sets are SOLID. Love the update on the Mavs horse logo.

[Clintau24]

The honeycomb on the Hornets alt looks very similar to the Bobcat's awful checkered flag/racing uniform...

[MellowTheMyth]

The Pelicans and Hornets are absolutely marvelous. Probably the best rendition of the Pelicans I've seen.

Knicks are the Knicks and they look great, and the Mavs update is nice, although I'm not a fan of the double blue. Not many color schemes to imagine the Mavericks in. Great work as always sir!

[SFGiants58]

Now that the updates are out of the way, let's head on down to Thunder road!

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

Their current set is absolutely awful for a variety of reasons. Not only is their color scheme unfitting of a team named thunder, but the fonts are terrible and the uniform template is just so GD bland. Also, the primary logo and the "OKC" logos are a complete joke in how they're put together. I understand the identity was thrown together quickly, but so was the Winnipeg Jets MK II's identity, and that is a good look (could use more red, but still pretty good). If anything, OKC is the Team Canada Hurricanes of basketball: a modern team that tries to use an overly retro look that just comes across as cheap imitation/lazy. They are a modern team, and should look the part. So, I had to start from scratch.

This concept has its origins in 2011, when a member of this board named Mister Vicious made a series of Thunder wordmarks. When I first saw them, I absolutely loved the modern and somewhat outrageous feeling they gave off. However, he never made uniforms or a court to go with the concept, and kept the Thunder's terrible color scheme. So, I made the decision to rectify this with my own adjustments. The most obvious change is that the color scheme is an update of the 1997-2010 Golden State Warriors (which I like, just not for the Warriors), with brighter shades of orange and yellow, as well as grey for the logos and an alternate. When modifying the wordmarks, I combined several of Mister Vicious' "Thunder" scripts to form the primary wordmark, and made it a part of a partial thundercloud logo. A full thundercloud roundel encloses the "OKC" insignia for the secondary. The court is a modified version of their current court, but with college lines to display the accent colors and the new logos (baseline font is Conrad's Straight Block, as the Mister Vicious font looked crushed in the baselines).

Uniforms

Again, the influence of the 1997-2010 Warriors show up in the template. I knew I had to go outrageous in the template, so I went with an update of the 97-02 Warriors uniforms. The primary difference is that the lightning bolt is on both sides, and designed to be contiguous bolt on the entire side of the uniform. Because the numbers are now off-center on the front, the full "Oklahoma City" wordmark fits perfectly. I decided to taper the v-neck striping, in order to give the impression of a bolt of lightning dashing down from the sky. The number font is an italicized version of the Jacksonville Jaguars' current number font. It does not have the drop shadow of the wordmarks because my attempts to add drop shadow resulted in the numbers becoming blurred and near-illegible. The "Straight Block" font shows up again on the NOB's, and the secondary logo appears on the shorts.

Alternate

This guy is the "stormy night" alt, as I like to call it. It uses a dark gray base and a gradient treatment of the "OKC" logo. I normally don't like gradients, but I think it works to allude to the lighting changing color as it increases in intensity. I even figured out a way to apply it to a uniform properly (print it on fabric, stitch the fabric onto the twill, then apply normally). Since the Rev30 isn't the base for this series, all this crazy stuff can be done without a problem. It may not be pretty, but it's my kind of not pretty.

So, there's the Thunder. I really hope I've done Mister Vicious' wonderful work justice, and I'm glad I broke the Thunder away from their bland garbage. This may be a little too out-there and bit nasty for some, but I like that it's modern and is trying something different with a team that should try something different.

Next up, a team that required far less madness, the Orlando Magic!

[SuperLeafsFan]

I wanna like the Thunder....... really I do, but its so cheesy looking. It feels like a rejected design from the 90's. I like the idea, but I feel this needs to be more subtle in order for it to work. I do like the logos and colour scheme though.

[(probably)notabandwagonfan]

I wanna like the Thunder....... really I do, but its so cheesy looking. It feels like a rejected design from the 90's. I like the idea, but I feel this needs to be more subtle in order for it to work. I do like the logos and colour scheme though.

With him on this one.

[DPV713]

I didn't know this was the color scheme I wanted the Thunder to have until you used it. Fantastic job with that. I agree with the two above, however, while the uniforms do fit the logos it feels too "90s" and that could be good, but it would stick out in your primarily-modern-designed league, and not in a good way.

[29texan]

OKC:

PROS: The wordmark / the Secondary and Tertiary logos / the numbers / the colors work, too.

CONS: ... everything else.

It's a good idea, and personally, I'd put this above the current identity. But it is a little too '90s looking.

I'd suggest toning down the bolts on the sides and as for the primary logo, how about using a bison or Thor, even?

[Shadojoker]

The honeycomb on the Hornets alt looks very similar to the Bobcat's awful checkered flag/racing uniform...

I actually LOVED the Bobcats racing unis! To each their own.

I wanna like the Thunder....... really I do, but its so cheesy looking. It feels like a rejected design from the 90's. I like the idea, but I feel this needs to be more subtle in order for it to work. I do like the logos and colour scheme though.

I feel the same..this is too cheesy. Eliminate the lightning on the jersey sides and you have yourself a Great and well deserved look for the Thunder! Other than that the logos and wordmarks are great!

[davidmiller5]

I think there are some good things with this and some good opportunities for improvement. I like the updated color scheme (rich blue never made me think of Thunder. Of course, if you name your team after a sound, you might tend to have issues with identifying a look that makes sense. The Sonics pulled it off...mainly because they avoided trying to depict a SuperSonic when designing logos, uniforms, etc.) I also don't have a problem with the scripts or even the gradient on the alt. jersey. I also like the number placement on the fronts of the jerseys.

My biggest problem is the main and secondary logos. They don't look like thunder clouds to me; they look like concrete circles/semi-circles with odd cracks in them. You are going with the odd NBA tradition of including a basketball in the logo; almost every team has it. I don't know why. And I think this is the problem with the main logo. You try to make a thunder cloud but you make it in the shape of a basketball. Instead, make it the shape of a thunderhead (see examples here and here, and I'm sure there are many other good options available).

I also think the lightning bolts on the sides of the uniforms are too much. It is sort of hard to tell since you don't have a side view, but I think these are too thick. If you slim them down, I think it will help. Maybe think about the old scratched-pinstripe Raptors uniforms and double the width (but obviously make them lightning bolts instead of claw scratches).

[mbannon92]

My biggest problem is the main and secondary logos. They don't look like thunder clouds to me; they look like concrete circles/semi-circles with odd cracks in them. You are going with the odd NBA tradition of including a basketball in the logo; almost every team has it. I don't know why. And I think this is the problem with the main logo. You try to make a thunder cloud but you make it in the shape of a basketball. Instead, make it the shape of a thunderhead (see examples here and here, and I'm sure there are many other good options available).

I also think the lightning bolts on the sides of the uniforms are too much. It is sort of hard to tell since you don't have a side view, but I think these are too thick. If you slim them down, I think it will help. Maybe think about the old scratched-pinstripe Raptors uniforms and double the width (but obviously make them lightning bolts instead of claw scratches).

This. With the great wordmarks, a subtle jersey design would be best.

Also, I would get rid of the blue and use a dark grey as the primary color. That way you don't have grey only appearing in the logos and on the alt uniform, and I think it would look really good paired with the orange and yellow.

[davidmiller5]

Also, I would get rid of the blue and use a dark grey as the primary color. That way you don't have grey only appearing in the logos and on the alt uniform, and I think it would look really good paired with the orange and yellow.

I agree. Dark gray, orange, and yellow would look good.

[SFGiants58]

I think there are some good things with this and some good opportunities for improvement. I like the updated color scheme (rich blue never made me think of Thunder. Of course, if you name your team after a sound, you might tend to have issues with identifying a look that makes sense. The Sonics pulled it off...mainly because they avoided trying to depict a SuperSonic when designing logos, uniforms, etc.) I also don't have a problem with the scripts or even the gradient on the alt. jersey. I also like the number placement on the fronts of the jerseys.

My biggest problem is the main and secondary logos. They don't look like thunder clouds to me; they look like concrete circles/semi-circles with odd cracks in them. You are going with the odd NBA tradition of including a basketball in the logo; almost every team has it. I don't know why. And I think this is the problem with the main logo. You try to make a thunder cloud but you make it in the shape of a basketball. Instead, make it the shape of a thunderhead (see examples here and here, and I'm sure there are many other good options available).

I also think the lightning bolts on the sides of the uniforms are too much. It is sort of hard to tell since you don't have a side view, but I think these are too thick. If you slim them down, I think it will help. Maybe think about the old scratched-pinstripe Raptors uniforms and double the width (but obviously make them lightning bolts instead of claw scratches).

Thanks for the C+C. I've been trying to imitate the shape of a thunderhead, but I'm not sure how to translate it into a simple logo and relay it into the dark grey/orange/yellow color scheme. I'm thinking I can draw a thundercloud from the side, and lay it behind the "Thunder" wordmark, allowing the accent on the n to form a lightning bolt. I would probably do the same thing for the "OKC" secondary as well.

My biggest problem is the main and secondary logos. They don't look like thunder clouds to me; they look like concrete circles/semi-circles with odd cracks in them. You are going with the odd NBA tradition of including a basketball in the logo; almost every team has it. I don't know why. And I think this is the problem with the main logo. You try to make a thunder cloud but you make it in the shape of a basketball. Instead, make it the shape of a thunderhead (see examples here and here, and I'm sure there are many other good options available).

I also think the lightning bolts on the sides of the uniforms are too much. It is sort of hard to tell since you don't have a side view, but I think these are too thick. If you slim them down, I think it will help. Maybe think about the old scratched-pinstripe Raptors uniforms and double the width (but obviously make them lightning bolts instead of claw scratches).

This. With the great wordmarks, a subtle jersey design would be best.

Also, I would get rid of the blue and use a dark grey as the primary color. That way you don't have grey only appearing in the logos and on the alt uniform, and I think it would look really good paired with the orange and yellow.

A HUGE thank you for the new color scheme idea. As far as the uniforms are concerned, I also mocked up a version of them with more traditional paneling, like this. Just replace the navy blue with dark grey, and you'd have the plan for the new alt:

I'm thinking of adding a hint of the lightning bolts in the shorts flares, replacing the curves with the jagged edges of the lightning bolts.

[jgiff17]

For the rockets you could rotate the ball to where it's facing up and down then the rocket shrink it to fit inside the area of the ball the have Houston inside the red portion on top and rockets on the bottom. Either way bringing back the ketchup and mustard is enough for me to be on board

[ClutchCityColtsFan]

The current blue and orange for the thunder have became fairly iconic. if you see those two shades, you instantly think okc

[LoyolaProp1]

It says OKC, but all I see is the old Warriors uniforms. The word mark is pretty well executed. Not a fan of the side panel lightning bolts though. I think the ideas are there, just refine them to something a little more classic.

[Christian_Warrior]

I'd love to get the templates you use for these so I can make some fictional teams jerseys and courts.

Woukd it be possible if I could obtain those? rvdfan4ever @ yahoo . com

[AceHawk447]

"Oklahoma" is misspelled on the secondary roundel.

[R3G]

I'd love to get the templates you use for these so I can make some fictional teams jerseys and courts.

Woukd it be possible if I could obtain those? rvdfan4ever @ yahoo . com

Its in the PSD movement thread.