Is This the Isles' New Third Jersey?
Picked up on a story from Puck Daddy this afternoon. Seems they may have found a potential leak of the New York Islanders' new third jersey set to debut this fall.
The image below, uploaded to Flickr yesterday, comes from the account of a user named roblgraphicd. And as Greg Wyshynski points out in his blog post, the Isles currently employ a graphic designer by the name of Robert Lawlor Jr. The account includes any number of samples of Islanders design work. You can draw your own conclusions.
So the question is this: Are we looking at the Islanders' new black third jersey?
Is this the New York Islanders' new black third jersey or just a concept? / Flickr
From the designer:
2011-12 Season will be the first in which the Islanders take part in the NHL Alternate Jersey program. Featuring modern panels and a somewhat retro type treatment, the jersey also includes the 40th Anniversary logo as a shoulder patch.
First off, he's forgetting that the current home jersey started out as an alternate jersey in 2008. And that they actually had an orange third from 2001 to 2007. So it won't be the first time by any stretch. Second, there's nothing retro about this jersey. It's all super-modern. And not in a good way.
The most prevalent rumors this summer have put the Isles in a black alternate sweater this fall. But more recently, as I wrote in the July edition of the NHL JerseyWatch, I was told that the primary color would be blue and the jersey would feature grey and orange trim. Can't say if that's true or not.
Even if this is not the final design, the fact that it seems to come from a graphic designer who works for the Islanders tells us at the very least it could be a prototype considered by the team. That in itself is newsworthy on this blog. We always enjoying seeing concepts from the pros.
Now if you want my thoughts, I'm of two minds on this. On one hand, it's just nuts enough to be an actual NHL jersey. On the other, I would've hoped the Islanders' had learned their lesson about insane jersey design. This is way too trendy for its own good. Wordmark on the front. Mismatching nameplate on the back. Black. And for what's worth, the design seems to be based in part on the Phoenix Coyotes' third jersey template.
When the Isles launched their Reebok Edge jerseys in 2007, they were quite ugly. They've since rectified the problem by going back to their roots with beautiful throwbacks. But I guess somebody at the top still wants the Isles' to have at least one oddball uniform in the arsenal. And this would surely do the trick.
I can't give you a definitive answer on its legitimacy. I can just show it to you and let you make up your own minds until I have something more concrete to report. And once again, excellent find by Puck Daddy!
Chris
Quick follow-up. As pointed out in the comments, it seems the Robert Lawlor Jr. in question has suddenly had his name removed from the business directory of the Islanders' website. As proof that it was there before, I managed to grab this screenshot of that portion of the page.
I really hope no one lost a job over this. And I'm not sure what this action says about the supposed "leak." Either 1) the guy posted something online that he shouldn't have and got the sack, or 2) he's a former employee who posted a concept online and when it got the team's attention, they finally remembered to take his name off the online employee roster. However, that assumes the name Robert Lawlor Jr. is tied to the "roblgraphicd" Flickr account, which hasn't been fully established yet. Though there is more evidence...
If you click on the "New York Islanders" set on his Flickr account, the user's employment is described. Looks like he just began working for the team last October and was still working there until now. Here's a copy of the text in case it disappears later as well.
New York Islanders
October 2010-PresentDesign creative materials to support teams needs. Developed print and web marketing, as well as all team specific graphics for Nassau Coliseum, Islanders Team Stores and ice rinks affiliated with the organization.
SELECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDE
Successful completion of 2011-12 season Islanders Yearbook undertaking role of sole designer. Utilized 2D barcodes to procure quicker fan engagement for promotions and ticket offers. Developed a streamlined photo editing and archiving process. Adaption of design elements across various projects strengthening brand. Mentored design internship participants, assessing skills and developed roles for each within department.Reference: Erik White
Creative Services Manager
For the record, the Isles' online business director does indicate an Erik White as the creative services manager. Again, I don't know what any of this means exactly, but there are at least some more details for you to digest.
Chris
And now the jersey design is gone from the Flickr account. Again, still not proof of anything.
Chris
The Islanders have now officially commented on the apparent third jersey leak via Twitter.
@NYIslanders: That is one of the 3rd jersey designs we are considering. At the appropriate time we'll announce the #Isles official 3rd jersey.
So now we know it's at least a prototype the club is looking at. Whether or not it's where they land remains to be seen. They didn't specify when the official announcement will take place.
Reader Comments (60)
That looks like the anaheim ducks third jersey combined with the oklahoma city thunder font
It seems to me that the Rangers are the only team in the league that can pull of a word mark jersey. This jersey concept is pretty bad and I don't think the islanders even need a 3rd jersey.
If this is legitimately the guy doing the work on the jerseys, you'd think they'd have some kind of Non-Disclosure Agreement in place.
On another note: Numbers on the breezers... Have we seen that before?
This is awful, and I hope it isn't the real design. Knowing the Islanders history of poor design work, however, it would not surprise me if this is real.
This is probably one of many failed designs they were looking at. Probably, the process goes: 1) this image; 2) keep this, ditch that; 3) new image; 4) keep this, ditch that... and so on. I doubt that the team's graphic designer would let this leak out on Flickr, either by mistake or intentionally.
Or maybe I'm being hopeful. This is rotten. I'll send in my counter-proposal soon.
Take out the white on top and the white on the name plate and it won't look terrible...
No good can come of this whole black jersey thing.
oh god! please tell me this is fake.
This is absolutely fake.
1. this is not a Reebok illustration template.
2. the number font is NOT the custom college style font that the Islanders currently use. If the Islanders were going to do a different font they would not use a generic college font that any minor league team uses.
3. I can't see a pro team using a letterform with rounded edges on the outline like that - let alone that font. It looks like something that was made with a cheap paint program.
Dear God I hope not. This looks like another THRASHERS debacle. Not to mention DALLAS. The reason NHL jerseys are the best in sports is because of the logo on the chest, and the pride it radiates to fans. We are not basketball, nor baseball. A jersey without a main logo, just seems almost treacherous.
NO! NO! NO! WHY????
I think it looks good actually... something different.
Has the guy been removed from the Isles site? He was there this morning when Puck Daddy posted it, not there anymore though it appears.
switch the black with orange and it would be nice
It could be. But maybe he put it on there because it was one he did, but it got shot down. I hope so. I don't mind it. I'm not and Isles fan so I don't really care what they wear but, it's certainly not all that bad.
I like numbers on breezers. I like that a lot actually.
You know what this is missing?
Bettman Stripes.
Bettman Stripes will make everything better.
I like the colors, but... ewwww. That ain't retro and a nice looking shirt anyway.
I don't think this can be right, just because there is one significant inconsistency. If you look at the front and back shots, there would be a point in the arm stripe that peaks between the 2 and 1. However, the full player shot shows the stripe continuing to rise to the back. Maybe you were just trying to test us given your recent post re fake leaks??
I hope for Islanders fans these "leaks" turn out to be fakes. Although, with the Islander's history of bad jersey making decisions it wouldn't surprise me too much if they turned out to be accurate. I definitely am not a fan of this look.
I actiually think the word mark looks ok for a 3rd jersey. It's the rest of the jersey that completely sucks!
Why are teams starting to use different color namesplates I hope its not a started trend, the flyers home is not bad and buffalos third isnt bad either but thats where it should stop
RW: You might be reading too much into it. Keep in mind this is just a graphic rendering. If anything, I'd say the stripes are not properly centered on the sleeves. This isn't a 3D model, it would just be a proof.
Yuck, black has no place near an Islanders jersey (the same goes for The Mets). The era of black has passed NHL uniform designers. The era of bright, bold colours is back, thank goodness. Take note.
Are non-"traditional" and non-vintage/classic jerseys ever going to get love from anyone besides me? This is a fun and cool looking jersey. While there might be things I would change (mainly the white nameplate on the back), this jersey is awesome, and if it's legit I intend on buying one. And contrary to what Chris said, the Isles original RBK Edge jerseys weren't ugly. I loved them and actually bought a couple. Very unique design and I was unhappy to see them go.
I certainly hope that this concept is the real deal, because it's a great looking jersey.
Ugly as sin! A minor league look for a minor league franchise...Enough said!
Please, please no. This is a train wreck of a jersey, I don't understand why the Islanders can't just be satisfied with what they have now. Their current jerseys are perfect. But if they add this garbage in there it's going to be right up there with the fishsticks jerseys.
Anyone else feel like the black might be kind of a funeral jersey for the Islanders after losing the vote for a new stadium?
I hope this is not the jersey because this royally sucks the big one!
A Disaster of Hindenburg Proportions. Please just stick to the ones you have now. The Islanders FINALLY got their jerseys right after over 15 years of BRUTAL designs. Please leave it alone. FInd a new place to play! That's more important. Stay on Long Island.
terrible.
Closer to the 90s-00s Sabres look IMO
Looks godawful. Then again, I don't know how they can make black blue and orange look good in any way.
I REALLY like it!!!!!
What the Isles need is an orange jersey. Just switch orange and blue on the Islanders' home jersey and you've got your 3rd jersey. It's simple and would sell a lot more than a dull black jersey.
This jersey is awesome... if the New York Knicks decide to play hockey this season. I can't stand "word mark" hockey jerseys. They are ultimately very awkward and very boring. You'd think they would learn from the dreadful Atl. Thrashers' and Dallas Stars' jerseys.
So ugly it's cool
Why do the Isles always fail at making new jerseys? First Fishsticks, then Edge and now this? They really need to can whoever designs the jerseys. How could they even consider using that jersey?
These do feel very Coyotes 3rd, but with a couple of curves reversed. Since I like the Coyotes 3rd, I kinda like these, but don't like the black with the Isles colors. I dunno, it might look a lot better in actuality than in 2d. Minor thing though; is anyone else bothered by how the arched text is uneven/tilted towards the left? Maybe there is something wrong with me, but that is the first thing I saw. When Chris mentioned the possibility of grey, that really piqued my interest. My bet is that this is a design that got turned down.
Hideous. That is all.
Oh my, please don't let that jersey ever exist! Please don't let any Islanders 3rd jersey ever exist with Black in it. That color scheme has made the Mets look like trash for a decade now, why apply it to the Isles? After they spent so much time with a darker navy color scheme, and finally go back to the brighter royal blue why spoil the show with Black??? Plus it looks even more like a T-Shirt-Over-Long-Sleeve-Shirt than Predators previous home jerseys. SO BAD!
What I hate about the name plate is it doesn't even fit the uniforn. Buffalo and & Philly have classic looking uniforms that a nameplate looks correct on. This jersey is 21st century 101 in style yet they put that crap on there.
As always with the Islanders UNBELIEVEABLE
Hideous.
The Islanders should just forget about third jerseys and focus on getting a new arena in the NYC area or sell the franchise to NYC ownership who will not only build an arena but build the franchise back to the respectability not seen since the John O'Pickett-Bill Torrey days. The Islanders are in such bad shape that they can ill-afford to risk coming up with another horrible jersey.
Don't do it, Isles, please don't do this!
Diagonal stripes should never be used on a hockey jersey EVER!
As others have said, the nameplate just doesn't work on this design. That said, I personally don't mind a wordmark in place of a logo on an alternate/3rd jersey, and this one is head-and-shoulders over some wordmark jerseys I've seen. (But a logo with a wordmark should be unnecessary on any jersey with a decent logo.) "Islanders" is a long word, so curving the wordmark was the way to go, unlike what the Avalanche did, putting "Colorado" diagonally across their jerseys. Way too long a word. As for the color of this Isles concept, a darker blue would be better than black, to keep with the maritime tradition tied to the team, but still distinguish the jersey from the regular home jerseys. If there's any black used, it should only be used as a minimal tertiary color. Anyhoo, just my thoughts...
I actually really liked the original Edge design for the Islanders with the orange sleeves. This design is terrible though. It combines 3 of my least favorite uniform qualities: 1)word mark for a crest 2)white shoulders on a dark jersey 3)the dreaded BFBS!!
I'm still surprised by the Islanders' comment on Twitter. The fact that they are considering a concept that is not rendered on an official Reebok template and uses elements such as number fonts and pant striping that are similar but not what the Islanders actually use seems telling. NHL uniforms are generally designed by professionals in a committee that includes Reebok. It is a long process. This concept looks like a fan concept. Like everything else on the island , they seem to be cheaping out on the process.
EL: Almost there, but you're not quite right on a couple things. While the final design goes through a rather arduous process before it gets there, they have to start somewhere. Most teams start with their in-house graphic designers. The Predators' new home and road jerseys, for instance, were designed in-house before moving on to Reebok for some final tweaks.
But every team is different, and the design above is, in fact, based on a Reebok Edge template. The final version from the manufacturer would get extra additions like the Reebok logo on the back and, if needed, some customizations to the numbers and letters. The Isles said it is a design they are considering, not that it's the final product. That's a key distinction.
These details may seem small but they make a difference. And you're jumping to a lot of conclusions to say they're "cheaping out" when you don't actually know the first thing about their process.