Creative Inspiration

Has it really been seven weeks since the last concept post? Unacceptable. Yes, there have been a lot of blog and tournament updates. And yes, I've been busy lately. But seven weeks is a long time. So I'm going to try some new things to keep the concepts flowing.

Since getting this page updated is lower on my list of website priorities due to the time/effort required, I'm going to start adding new concept art to our brand new Facebook page on a regular basis to keep everyone satisfied. However, I will continue to save some items to be showcased here on the site.

So I'm taking some time out this holiday weekend to post a handful of new work. Most of the concepts sent in tend to be a slight re-imagining of a team's uniform. Usually some stripes are rearranged or colors changed. But every so often, an especially creative concept appears. That's today's topic.

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Peter Debay	Peter has an interesting take on the look of the Vancouver Canucks. Interesting choice of colors and type. Gives the sweater a very classic feel.
Ryan Haslett	Ryan is one of our most prolific designers, and here I've got three of my favorites. (I know there's only one rating, by the way, so just make it an average.) First, awesome Canucks jersey. Forgot the Johnny Canuck V logo, go Johnny Canuck all the way! I also like this Avalanche concept. Great callback to the old Colorado Rockies logo in the burgundy and blue. And green is just what the doctor ordered for the Ducks. Heck, I'd settle for orange if they'd just use the webbed D on the front!
Matthew Duke	This post is about creativity and sometimes that can yield a somewhat disappointing result. I like where Matthew is going with the uniform designs, but that ATL logo was not well-liked as a 10th anniversary mark, and it's sure not any better here. But at least it gets us thinking about things for the Thrashers.
Vin Maccioli	Here's a cool one. Vin offers up a unique alternate sweater with a very retro feel. It may not work for the Red Wings on a regular basis, but maybe as a one-off specialty thing instead. And yes, I'm also posting this one as a tribute to my Bolts' new GM — Stevie Y! I'm expecting great things from him.
Jake Slavik	The last concept is a little Winter Classic 2011 bonus. And with all respect to Jake, this is pretty far out. He's combined so many different eras of the Penguins and Capitals that it's become kind of a jumble. On the other hand, it does help us see what was good and what was bad about these clubs' past uniforms. For example, Weagle good, funky striping not. And sadly, he's left the gold out of the Penguins' jersey entirely. Despite the blue sweaters in the Pens' early years, the penguin logo was never without gold.

I'm shooting for concept updates on a weekly basis, but that may be too much to ask for. Just know that I'm doing the best I can. I'm assuming things will quiet down on the news front as the summer goes on, which will allow more time for concept posts.

Strauss NHL Rebrand X

Time for the big finale. Here is the final installment in Elliott Strauss' NHL rebrand series. His descriptions appear in bold text.

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Elliott Strauss	I think this is one of the more interesting concepts of the series because it gives a fairly drastic change to an untouchable team. I updated the familiar shield and brought back the Lady Liberty logo. The diagonal stripe on the uniforms has the same angle as the wordmark and is meant to match the diagonal sash on the primary logo. The wordmark/numbers contrast the sleeve stripe order on the home and away jersey. The alternate is almost an exact replica of the pre edge alts, but the silver is dropped in favor of royal blue. Definitely a shock at first glance — in a good way. All the key elements are still there. They just don't look the way we're accustomed to seeing them. This is one of my favorites of the entire series.
Elliott Strauss	Originally I had left some gray in here, but considering the nickname represents the Union army, I found the color gray pointless, as this is what the Confederates wore. I think these uniforms are inspired by the original jerseys for the franchise. The red pants stay and a blue insert with star on the pants match up with the panel that you can see on the road jersey. I created no alternate because a red jersey would go against the nickname and another blue jersey would be redundant. Straight after one my favorites is my least favorite of Elliott's series. I'm not here to put down anyone's work but this set feels lazy. Gray was never one of Columbus' colors. It's always been silver. It's an important distinction. Without the silver, the star in the logo looks out of place. And the Blue Jackets made a second blue jersey work in 2003. Just a little creativity is required. Now with that out of the way, I love the jersey design! The sleeves are cool and so are the stars under the arms. It's a little like the stripes on the armpits of the Lightning's jerseys. Adds an interesting visual element when the players raise their arms to celebrate a goal.
Elliott Strauss	I feel that the Johnny Canuck V logo is the best they have, so it becomes the main crest in my design. The orca stays, just modified, and has a much less prominent role. Green and blue also stay, as I like this unique scheme. I've always wondered what a green alternate would look like, I think this simple striping pattern would make the blue stand out on the green. Here I applaud Elliott's use of an existing logo because the Canucks have never had a more uniquely identifiable logo in their arsenal. It's just a shame they haven't put it to good use yet. And for what it's worth, the whale doesn't look half bad on green.

There it is. All 30 teams as envisioned by Icethetics concept artist Elliott Strauss. Do you think you have what it takes to rebrand the NHL? Send in your concepts and show us you can think outside the box when it comes to branding pro hockey!

Winter Winding Down

As the winter winds down, there's been a lot of talk about next year's Winter Classic. Rumor has it the Washington Capitals will get to host. And by far, the most popular opponent among Icethetics readers seems to be the Ottawa Senators. That's our theme for today's post.

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Tyler Allen	There's no question in my mind that the Senators need to wear something like this when they eventually get selected for the outdoor game. Tyler's done a great job with this concept. But his Capitals jersey is more of a Frankenstein creation than anything else. It seems he's literally taken element from every past Caps uniform and injected the Weagle. It's not terrible, but I think the stars are a bit distracting. Might be different on the ice.
Drew Krause	If it's simplicity the Sens would like in a Winter Classic sweater, Tyler's may be the right look. But if it's true vintage they want, look no further than Drew's concept. I didn't like the crazy stripes when Montreal did it, but that might've been because the blue threw it off. Maybe the Sens could do it better in black. Drew also threw in a couple of logos, including a simplified version of the old primary mark along with a new heritage mark to go with that jersey.
Mike Bell	The Caps' owner may have recently nixed plans for an actual third jersey, but that doesn't mean concept versions can't live on here at Icethetics. Rather than incorporating the Weagle, which many have done (because of its awesomeness), Mike opted for a simple color reversal. Blue jersey, red logo. Not sure about the number being on the front though. We have enough to read there as it is.
Brad McPelican	Brad went the more traditional route with his third, but the key in this concept are the home and road jerseys. Check out the stars on the shoulders! That jersey belongs on a bit marquee sign, rather than a hockey player. And if that logo looks familiar to you, it comes from the Capitals' old primary logo from the late '90s.
Ryan Haslett	And lest we leave Canada out of the Winter Classic one more time, Ryan Haslett has put together this 2011 concept for a match-up between the Flames and Canucks in Calgary. You don't get any more classic with a Flames jersey. However, I'm not sure it's the best idea to go with a Canucks jersey from the era in which they wore the same colors as Calgary. For the Canucks, there'd be no choice but to go back to the 1970s and the classic stick-in-rink log.

By the way, I do have a few more Olympic concepts to share. I'll try to get those posted before the weekend.