2013 IceHL Logo Submissions

We'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.

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.

Weeks 6-8: Logo Design Submissions

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Name Voting Results

Voting ended Tuesday night in the latest series of polls in the IceHL's 13 Weeks of R&R. Voters selected names for nine of the 11 teams being rebranded or relocated. Two teams will require run-off polls over the next two days. Click here to vote!

Dallas, Halifax still to be determined

The run-off polls will close Thursday night. Voters have decided to stick with Outlaws as the name of the Dallas franchise. The question now is whether the team will continue to be named for Dallas or switch to Texas instead.

Then for the Halifax team, voters will choose between Acadians and Atlantics. The two names have little to do with each other but were placed together due to conceptual similarity.

Five teams will keep their names

Based on the results, at least five of the 11 teams will keep their names.

• Boston Colonials (51%)
• Hamilton Steelcats (37%)
• Montreal Olympiques (57%)
• Vancouver Lumberjacks (42%)
• Washington Sentinels (54%)

On a personal note, I have to express my disbelief at the continuation of the Hamilton Steelcats name. After all the complaints I've received over the years about the lack of a team in Toronto, I created many opportunities to change that. And it never happened. The voters have been heard loud and clear now.

Also, I'm somewhat disappointed to see we're sticking with the Lumberjacks for Vancouver. The rest of the names I'm happy to see stick around for the foreseeable future.

Four teams get new names

The Cavalry become the Calgary Stallions (47%) this summer. Happily, this allows for the possibility that the team could keep its horse-centric logo.

The Motorheads will now be the Detroit Chargers (49%). I'm not sure what the voters had in mind when they chose this name, but I'm very eager to see what our logo designers come up with.

Our team in Saskatoon will now represent its entire province as the Saskatchewan Sharpshooters (47%). Like the Stallions, the Sharpshooters could potentially keep their existing logo.

And finally, the Sharpshooters' former provincial rival, the Regina Renegades, have become the Philadelphia Patriots (37%) after a close vote. It topped "Renegades" by a very small margin.

This post will be updated Friday following the end of the Dallas and Halifax run-off polls.