 Craig C. Wheeler |
 Eddie Ray Design |
 Southpaw Design |
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Click on a logo above to see the complete set to the right. Then vote for the best one below! All sets include a primary, secondary and corporate mark. Some include an additional tertiary mark if provided by the designer. The identifier at the top of the image is the signature provided by the artist. |
 Dan Stover |
 Tone Loc Productions |
 Sigma Kappa |
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Click on a logo above to see the complete set to the right. Then vote for the best one below! All sets include a primary, secondary and corporate mark. Some include an additional tertiary mark if provided by the designer. The identifier at the top of the image is the signature provided by the artist. |
Chris
See the winning logo on the Alaska Huskies team page.
 Craig C. Wheeler |
 Six Zero |
 Chris Smith |
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Click on a logo above to see the complete set to the right. Then vote for the best one below! All sets include a primary, secondary and corporate mark. Some include an additional tertiary mark if provided by the designer. The identifier at the top of the image is the signature provided by the artist. Note: The artist here named Chris Smith is NOT me. |
Chris
See the winning logo on the Tampa Bay Barracudas team page.
Tonight's IceHL Artist Spotlight centers on the designer who was the first to have a winning logo in this project. Eric Poole's creation for the Boston Colonials won the hearts and votes of Icethetics readers in the very first poll just a couple weeks ago.
Eric submitted logos for a total of four teams, but the only other finalist he had in the competition was the Boulder Beasts — which is now open for voting. His Winterhawks and Armada logos didn't make the Top 3 cut, but he's still flying high as the first artist with a winning design.
I asked Eric to talk a little about his background and inspiration for his finalist logos. This is what he said.
I am originally from Pittsburgh, and have been a die-hard Penguins fan for as long as I can remember. I have always loved drawing sports logos ever since I was a little kid, whether it be hockey, football, or baseball.
I did not go to school for graphic design, but got a job out of college at a T-shirt company that designed shirts for schools, so I kind of learned all the technical sides of graphics there. I moved from Pittsburgh to Kansas (a real hockey wasteland) and I currently work for a marketing company designing logos and such for companies and schools mainly around the Midwest. My favorite all time logos: New Jersey Devils, Seattle Seahawks, and Hartford Whalers.
For the Boston Colonials logo, the two big inspirations were the New England Patriots and the Robert Morris Colonials (a school in Pittsburgh). I like the the stylized look of the "Flying Elvii" logo, but I wanted to add more to it (like RMU's) — and not make it so generic — so I turned it 3/4 and added a scowling face. For the colors I picked blue and gold, because I figured red, white, and blue were too obvious.
The "Beast" was inspired by an enemy in Diablo II called a Brute. They are big upper-bodied creatures who only have their eyes showing through a bunch of hair. The hockey stick was added because I figured he need to be breaking something and a hockey stick made sense! The colors... no real reason for them. Just kind of wanted something that was a "Night of the Beast" motif.
As always, questions or comments for Eric can be left below. Approved comments will appear within 48 hours of submission.
The Artist Spotlight will be back next weekend after another week of IceHL logo polls. The Tampa Bay Barracudas will get us started first thing Monday morning.
The IceHL Artist Spotlight series continues this weekend with one of the project's most prolific artists — and as determined by a vote in today's Live Chat. Six Zero, known in the real world as Scott Robbins, had 13 logo sets become finalists. He submitted for many other teams beyond that.
Among his long list of finalists, seen above: the Cavalry, Hitmen, Outlaws, Hellcats, Gators, Nighthawks, Renegades, Scorpions, Sharpshooters, Barracudas, Winterhawks and two for the Sentinels. His instantly recognizable style has brought a level of professionalism to this project that is nearly unmatched.
I asked Scott to share his experience creating amazing logos for the IceHL project. Here's an excerpt of what he had to say.
I remember discovering the IceHL project long after it had already started. One of the other reasons I wanted to take part in the project was to gauge response. I know my own work and hold myself to very high standards, but this was a good venue to see how complete strangers might feel and react to my solutions.
Sports branding is about communicating a personality and identity for a team and not at all like an artist who's expressing himself in a painting. Therefore, these designs can never be about what I want solely; it has to be capable of attracting many people who are willing to wear and be emotionally invested in that identity.
I was most pleased of the Baltimore Blue Crabs crest and, of course, it didn’t make the cut. I also enjoyed doing my liederhosen-wearing Lagers character, which was later converted to a Leprechaun in a freelance poster design. Neither of these were chosen as an Icethetics finalist, but I am very proud of both.
As for background, I am a professional designer and have actually traded in my office chair for the classroom, where I teach Adobe products and design theory at the university level in the northeast. I once entertained the idea of writing up bids as my own sports branding firm, but at this stage of the game it probably doesn't make sense for me to scrap the security of my career to basically start over as a freelancer. Although, stranger things have happened — if a side door to the main stage ever opens, I will certainly be tempted to jump through it!
Your next opportunity to vote for one of Scott's logos will be on Monday when the Tampa Bay Barracudas kick off another week of IceHL logo voting.
If you have a question or comment for him, feel free to add it below. Approved comments will appear within 48 hours of submission. The Artist Spotlight series continues tomorrow. In the meantime, make sure you've gotten your votes in for our available polls before they close!
