2013 IceHL Logo Submissions
Saturday · May 25 · 2013 | 3:13 PM PDTWe're halfway through this summer's 13 Weeks of R&R to reinvigorate the IceHL Project. Now the time has come to put our talented artists to work! If you have an idea, send it along.
The Teams
Voters have made 11 teams eligible for rebranding this summer. See all the names and recommended color palettes here and scroll down for the design contest rules.
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The colors are not mandatory. If you have your own color scheme in mind, we won't stand in your way. However, I'd encourage all designers to avoid any shade of blue. It is easily the most overused color in the league. We could use a little variety at this point.
The colors listed include current, suggested and alternate so that each team has at least two color palette options. If no "suggested" palette is listed, then voters picked the current palette. Again, you're not limited to these colors, but this lets you know what the voters might prefer.
The Rules
There aren't many rules in IceHL design contests, but they must be followed:
- DO NOT STEAL ARTWORK. No copying or tracing. No clipart. No adapting existing designs. No "borrowing." Create something original and distinctive!
- Exception to adaptation rule: Since we're rebranding teams, you may choose to update the team's current logo in some way. In that case, you will share credit with the original designer. (I'll decide whether you've made enough of a change to be included in voting.)
- Entries must be submitted via email to icethetics@gmail.com.
- Valid entries will include at least a primary logo and a wordmark. Secondary logos are at the designer's discretion.
- Please submit vector artwork (PDF/AI/SVG) if at all possible as this will be helpful to me when creating graphics for the web as well as the IceHL yearbook. (I will also accept high-resolution JPG and PNG formats.)
- Include your first and last name as well as email address on the actual artwork.
- Finally, by submitting artwork you agree to allow Icethetics to use it in conjunction with IceHL-related projects and publications.
DEADLINE: Saturday, June 8
You have three weeks to design and submit your work. Have fun and good luck! We'll begin voting on Mon., June 10 so if you end up needing an extra day, please let me know in advance.
Non-Designers Can Help Too
One more thing. You may not be skilled in graphic design, but maybe you're the big-picture type. If you have a great idea for a logo design, but can't put on paper, try putting it into words. Describe your idea in the comments and maybe it'll help one of our designers who's struggling to come up with an idea. You may not get a design credit, but you can still be part of the process!
Good luck to all!
Thanks to the IceHL Branding Committee
I also wanted to make a point of thanking the hastily-formed IceHL Branding Committee. It was a group of 12 guys who had some great discussions on how best to brand our relocated franchises in Halifax and Philadelphia. Their work resulted in the names Halifax Dragons and Philadelphia Aces.
The committee was comprised of (in no particular order) Ross Taylor, Matthew McElroy, Andy Petzold, Tony Pomposelli, Mike Burmeister, Matt Riegler, Ed Power, Matt Marczel, Thomas Ogilvie, Mike Kelly, Brandon Hebert and Dan Roesch. They are GMs, former AGMs, designers and all-around fans of the league and each made a lot of great contributions to the process. We'll surely go back to them to solve any future branding problems.
Reader Comments (31)
Lumberjacks- Stay away from Blue and Green and do not use a mascot. Words and trees would be much better to not have any ties with Canucks or Giants
For the Philadelphia Aces, I'd love to see a logo with a military plane with the shark mouth bursting through an ace of spades card. I'm not talented enough to put this logo together myself, but I'm hoping somebody reads this and makes this logo a reality!
Agree with Jared. The Lumberjacks logos HAVE to be as far removed from anything resembling the Vancouver Canucks. Maybe incorporate an axe. I'd like to see the Lumberjacks colours be forest green, brown, yellow, and silver.
I'd like to recommend a colour scheme for the Halifax Dragons - a light shade of green, purple, and silver. Purple and light green would look great together as well as unique.
Just pointing out... The Philadelphia Aces were a basketball team in the United States Basketball League 1985, 1986 and 1990.
I'm ok with the name here as I consider the USBL to be too far down on the scale to really count in this argument.
I'm just pointing this out.
Anxious to see what comes up for the Aces. Just be careful not to infringe on Aviators and Hellcats with pilots and planes logos.
Dragons is cool, but that is way too many colors either way.
Bob S.: That USBL team came up in the discussion with the IceHL Branding Committee, but I decided it wasn't an issue.
I like both Dragons and Aces as names. Good job. Now to see what kind of cool logos will be made.
I asked this on the other post but is it ok to use and manipulate a letter(s) from Photoshop's text database? or would that fall under the same category as clip art?
For example, both my Detroit and Texas logos are currently centered around stylized letters with elements added to them.
Re: Philly Aces: Great name, well done committee! Interesting that people have mentioned here in the comments that they are thinking of aircraft when talking about the Aces. I had pictured playing cards! So there are two very different ways that logo could go. In terms of colour pallete, I know the suggested ones don't agree, but I'd love to see a pallette like that of Blainville-Broisbriand - black and white. Maybe with a 4 card spread of Aces from each of the suits?
Re: Halifax Dragons: Another great name and cudos again! As a Welshman, it'd be awesome to see the colours of the Welsh flag (red, green, white) involved. Also, we all know that REAL dragons are red, so there's you start point! Those colours could also tie into the British-feel of Halifax...
I digress with Aces name. Truth be told I don't like it and I don't see any reference to the city except to a very-minor pro Basketball team. Dragons is cool though, can't wait to see what designers have done.
For the Aces a pilot (Ace) with an aviator hat on and goggles.
The Dragons should have a dragon breathing fire. The flame should have a hockey puck at the end of the flame.
Snipers: For the wordmark logo the first S should be supporting a sniper rifle. The sniper should be shooting the i in snipers.
If You Use Any Ideas I Will Vote For Them And Please Please Please Let Me Know Via Replying To This Comment If Any Are Used. Thanks, Rosy Jerseys
I believe that I have stated this in some form before, but for the Snipers I think that the existing designs work well enough to continue their usage.
That said, to reflect the changing for Saskatoon to Saskatchewan, let's replace the blue in current usage to green, and find a way to add a bit of yellow to the uniforms to reflect the provincial colors.
Great job on the renaming! Aces is different and much improved over Patriots. To me I think of Philly's naval shipyard and WWII fighter planes when I hear the name.
Halifax Dragons as previously mentioned is my new favorite team name. Can't wait to see what the designers come up with for the Dragons and whether people go for the flying or sea monster kind. I agree with Ben that red and green would be great primary colors. For a swimming dragon though blue or purple would need to be added to the palette.
Snipers should definitely keep their existing logo which is timeless. Maybe try different color options, but no need to change the crest.
my hope is, the aces brand will stay away from anything related to aviation and war planes as the league already has the hellcats and the aviators.
i also accidentally found out, that the world professional billiards league launched its inaugural season this may with a team called philadelphia aces. i hope it does create any copy right problems.
Just realised that I have registered here and actually had an account....anyway, in addition to my comments above regarding HFX and PHI:
Boston Colonials: I'd like to see a Minuteman represented somehow. I note that the present WAS Sentinels logo has a soldier in it but the Minuteman would have a different silhouette. Maybe some crossed muskets?
Calgary Stallions: How about a prancing horse? Or a bucking one? Bucking one would certainly appear "tougher" or more "aggressive" and might match a hockey team better than a prancing one!
Texas Outlaws: Similar suggestion to the Colonials but perhaps some crossed pistols as the secondary/shoulder patch? Old pistols of course, like the Colt Revolver for example.
To Ben and others,
For Calgary, it is important to consider two things for the Stallions. One is the Calgary Stampede, and the other are the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. In either case we wouldn't want to create a logo or identity that is too close to either.
For the sake of non-Canadians, yes should take the CFL seriously, and when Canadian cities are involved, they should be treated as would a NFL team.
Please avoid (if possible) usage of red and white, and not that I disagree with Ben about using something more "aggressive" but it would be best to avoid anything with a side profile of a horse, and/or anything with 'fire'.
I'm just anxiously awaiting what people come up with for my Chargers.
For the Aces I do not think an aviation theme would be good. Feels like we have too many. I feel like the playing card is the way to go with black and white as the main colors.
As for my own franchise I am beyond excited. I've been racking my brain to come up with an idea and a color scheme and just can't. I just hope the artists go with the flying dragons and not sea.
I could see a Snipers logo which used the trapezoidal shape of the province of Saskatchewan as the body of a rifle bullet.
I also think that any previous logos would make great secondary logos, especially in the case of those teams keeping to a name or relevant theme (snipers, lumberjacks, etc.)