Concepts, Updates and a Contest!

Hello everyone, I hope you are having a fantastic Friday! Sorry for the lack of updates recently, I've been really busy.  Today I have the normal concepts, a TOHD update, and I'm announcing a contest!
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NHL EXPANSION DESIGN CONTEST

I'm always trying to find ways to keep readers interested and a part of the blog. I thought maybe I could start doing contests that we could all participate in. So I present... the NHL Expansion Design Contest! I narrowed the competition down to four expansion cities.... (US) Seattle, Hartford, (Canada) Quebec, and Hamilton. Concept artists can create up to four entries (one for each city) and can revive an old team or create a new identity! Once all concepts are in we will vote for the best concept from each team, then each country (US, Canada) then the best concept overall! All entries must include at least a home and away jersey and have name/ID on it. All entries are due August 5. More info can be found on the contest page. Spread the word so we can get as many participants as possible!

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As I said I've been really busy and haven't been able to keep up with the design votes but here's the first winners.

To no ones surprise the Blackhawks were voted best uniforms. However, to my surprise, the Blues and Hawks tied for best primary logo. Since I didn't vote in the first place I broke the tie and chose my favorite logo, the St. Louis Blues. Two new votes have been posted on the side of the page.

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Dallas Stars

This is an update to my original Stars design. I switched the logos and created a gold third jersey. I wanted everything to be really unique and I think the colors and design do so.

 Colorado Avalanche (by Steven G.)

I like this a lot! It brings the mountain design back but doesn't overuse it like the old jerseys! I really like the design on blue and wouldn't mind if the Avs used a design like this. The blue is pretty bright but I like that it ties the Nordiques into the design. Excellent work, Steven! Sorry it took so long to post this. I was going to post it with some Avs concepts of mine but I never finished them. 

Planet Express (Futurama) 

Has anyone seen the animated show on comedy central, Futurama? Well I'm starting to become a big fan of it and I always thought that their delivery company's logo would look great on a hockey jersey! I made some color modifications and created an alternate logo and voila! RinkGear makes jerseys like this (movies, shows, etc.) and I posted this on their Facebook wall to see if anyone liked it. 

Batman Jerseys! Available at RinkGear

Hello again readers! Last night I went and saw the new Batman movie. I am a huge Batman fan (especially the current ones) but I was a bit skeptical to go after a recent event... particularly when they happen less than an hour away from your own home at a theater you have been to before. Regardless, the movie was great! Not as good as the Dark Knight but it was still a spectacular film. After I got home I remembered RinkGear posting some pictures of Batman inspired jerseys on their Facebook page. I really liked them at the time but never really looked into them. Immediately after the movie I looked up the jersey and was desperately wanting all three! Unfortunately, money is a little tight and I can't really afford a new jersey to add to my collection right now.... but here's the awesome jerseys! 

Gotham Knights (Batman)

I love this! The yellow and grey remind me of the classic Batman. I also really like the logos, especially the alternate! I also love the name. The only minor thing I'm not sold on in the font. Other than that this is a near perfect Batman jersey! 

 Riddlers

Initially I wasn't a huge fan of this but it has really grown on me. It my be my favorite one! The green and pink look really cool together and I love everything else on it. I love that shoulder patch logo with the riddle in it and the ?'s on the cuffs top everything off!


 Jokers

The whole design screams "The Joker" to me. The colors, the logos, everything! I really like the main logo with the cards.

This next one isn't Batman but I wanted to share it anyways.

Mercs (Boba Fett/Star Wars inspired)

It's been a while since I've watched a Star Wars film but for some reason, Boba Fett was always my favorite character. The logo on this awesome! The colors are odd but they look pretty darn good together. I can't decide if I like this or the Wookies jersey better.

So if you're a fan of these movies, like the designs, or just have a few extra bucks lying around, I would pick up one, or more, of these jerseys! If you're interested you can purchase them here: RinkGear.com/Store.

Thanks for reading! I'll have more concepts soon!

Going Green: Stars and Ducks Re-brands

I think we can all agree that the NHL needs more green! I've come up with two Pacific Division re-brands which both include green as their base color!

Dallas Stars

The Stars are on the top of the list of teams that need a redesign. I've created a new bullhead logo based on the stars old third jersey logo. I was originally going to use it as the alternate logo but it came out much better than expected so I promoted it to primary! I modified the inside of the star logo as well as the colors to use the classic logo as a shoulder patch. The striping is based off of their old, black third jersey the incorporate the "stars" theme a little more. Finally I had to add their big offseason pickup, Jaromir Jagr, to the back!

Anaheim Ducks

I finished this concept a while ago. You may have also seen my first version on HJC a while back. The logo is based on the Quad City Mallards flying mallard logo. However, I changed the orientation of the whole duck and redrew everything in illustrator so I wouldn't just be slapping one teams logo on anothers jersey. The alternate logo is meant to represent Southern California. You can read a durther description on the concept!

As always I would love to hear any comments and critique you have. Thanks for stopping by, The Art of Hockey!

HJC Open Champion! Tournament Recap

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If you haven't seen yet, I just recently won the HJC Open! First off, I would like to thank everyone who supported and voted me through any of the four rounds. I would also like to congratulate all of the other participants and thank them for putting up a good fight! One more than others... Stephane Sinotte! I didn't think I had a chance to win against Stephane but I got through the last round! Congrats Stephane and thanks for making me sweat this one out! I know the 3rd time will be a charm for you!

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With the closing of the Open I also wanted to take a look back at my concepts throughout the tournament. Since I've already shared most of these concepts I'll keep the descriptions short.

Quebec Nordiques

This was my first round entry... A Quebec Nordiques (third jersey) concept. Already in the first round I had a tough test against Kevin D. but ended up prevailing.

Colorado Avalanche 

 In the second round I had to go up against Dylan Alexander who always has top notch concepts. Luckily these Avs concepts pushed me into the third round.

Philadelphia Flyers

 I was really nervous when I saw that I would have to face off against Tex next. He always has beautiful concepts and submitted an awesome Jets concept for the third round. However my Flyers fauxback earned me a spot in the finals!

2013 Winter Classic

The final round I was facing... Stephane... Stephane the great! At the time I was just finishing up these Winter Classic jerseys and logos so I decided to use it. Stephane was the toughest competitor but I somehow prevailed and earned the titele... HJC Open Champion! I'll be posting a Winter Classic package soon with some changes and additions!

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Thanks for stopping by! Expect another post tomorrow or Wednesday for a few Pacific Division rebrands!

HJC Open Champion Logo

Hey. I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I just wanted to share my logo for the HJC Champion. Hopefully my name will go in it! Haha. But here it is and I would love to hear your thoughts!

More Rivermen Entries

I've completed 3 Peoria Rivermen entries that I wanted to share with you and hopefully get some input.

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This was my first design for the contest. I made some changes based on some feedback and created the next jersey design.

I switched the blues around and lightened up the striping by white in between. It's a much more classic design and I'm really starting to like it. 

I had an idea to do a yellow jersey with blue arms and it actually came out better than I thought, I don;t typically like nicknames on jerseys but I thought doing "RIVS" in a diagonal direction would look good. The shoulder patch is a simplified version of the primary logo I created.

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As always I would love to hear any feedback you have. Thanks for stopping by!

Bruins Go Brown!

Boston Bruins

I have always loved the Bruins using brown and would really enjoy seeing them introduce a brown third jersey. The logo is a simplified version of their bear/shield logo. I removed the outlines so it would just be the bear and team name. I went along with the home jersey by using yellow socks and made a bold move and went with yellow gloves. It's a bit out of the box but I think it works with the jersey and socks. As always any feedback is appreciated!

AHL Concepts

Today I have got a few AHL concepts. But first, I've made it into the HJC Open Finals! I've faced some really great concepts thus far but the finals will for sure be my toughest test. I'm going up against Stephane. Stephane always puts together great concepts as well as flawless presentations. I'm looking forward to competing against Stephane and I would like to wish him the best of luck! If you haven't checked out his blog you can visit it at http://letroisiemechandail.blogspot.com/. It is focuses on Montreal Canadians concepts. Whether you're a Habs fan or not I highly recommend you go check it out!

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Milwaukee Admirals (by Alan) 

These are awesome! A huge improvement of their current uniforms in my opinion.  The home and road are near perfect but I would switch the white and blue on the arm stripes and socks for the road jersey. When I saw the third jersey I immediately thought "Nordiques." Alan says they are a nod-back to the IHL days when Milwaukee was the Nordiques' farm club. the anchor logo is a really cool replacement for the fleur de lis. Great work on all of these!

 Peoria Rivermen

I made some changes to my original design based on some comments I received. I also added a player model to give an idea of what the jersey would look like on the ice.  

I also had quite a few people on CCSL say I should switch the blues and get rid of the navy stripes in the striping. This really lightens up the design. Which version do you guys like better?

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As always I would love to hear your feedback and if you would like to send any concepts in, email me at jncox9@gmail.com. 

Peoria Rivermen

If you haven't heard already, the St. Louis Blues' AHL club, the Peoria Rivermen, are having  a contest to design a new third jersey. I may be making some changes but here is my entry as of now.

I really love the Blues and Rivermen's color scheme but I didn't want to get too crazy with the jersey design. I know immediately that I wanted to do a navy blue jersey however, I did not plan on using lighter blue yokes. However, with a yellow outline, they look pretty good. The last thing I did to polish off the jersey was add a sublimated rope pattern to the yellow striping. When I exported my file out of illustrator it made the pattern less visible so I added the close up view. Now lets take a look at the logos.

 I have never been a huge fan of Peoria's primary logo and I wanted to create my own logo for this contest. Last year Peoria released this logo as a shoulder patch for their third jersey. I really loved the idea of the logo but something about it just wasn't working for me. Maybe it's the waves or the space between the words? I don't know. But I wanted to combine these logos into a new Peoria Rivermen logo. I stayed with the skyline idea but I changed the waves up a little bit and added a boat. Also I didn't want to create just a "typical circle logo." So I created a ship wheel similar to the one in the primary logo. The secondary logo is a modified version of the "R" from the wordmark.

I may make some small changes before submitting this but I would love to hear any feedback you guys have!

UPDATE

Steven G. suggested that I don't use a blue font on a dark blue jersey. I agree with Steven and changed to yellow numbering. I think it works with the design as well as the primarily yellow logo. It would also look better on the ice. 

 I also created a player model just as an idea. I don't know whether to include it as part of my entry or not?

Canucks Collab & Concepts from Others

Hello and happy Monday to all of my readers! Today I've got a Canucks concept collaboration, concepts from others, and we're talking about the Tournament of Design. Now let's get to the Art and Hockey!
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Canucks Collaboration (By Colin May and Myself)

Colin May is a huge Canucks fan and runs a blog, shirtofacanuck.blogspot.ca, devoted to redesigning Vancouver's identity. I myself am a big Canucks fan and ever since their 40th Anniversary Jersey was released, I have thought a similar version would be a cool look for the Vancouver. Colin had the same idea and beat me to the punch when he created some near perfect concepts! Of course there is always room for improvement. Colin had also taken a liking to my Canucks third jersey concept so I contacted him about doing a collab together between the three jerseys. We both loved the idea because not only could we combine our designs, but we were able to improve eachothers! So here is a breakdown of the concepts:

Home and Away: 

The away jersey design is almost identical to the 40th Anniversary jersey and a model of the original 1970 home jersey. The biggest change is obviously using the updated Stick in Rink logo and Johnny Canuck logo on the shoulders. Since Colin's mock up was practically perfect, I didn't want to change too much. The biggest change I made was the collar as well as a few small fixes. The home jersey was a little different. The striping on the original 1970 jersey was different than the home jersey and much worse. However on Colins concept he got it perfect! The striping is almost identical to the away version (besides colors and cuffs) and it came out great. My biggest contributions to these were collars, small additions and fixes, and the transfer to my template. On a side not, this project really showed me how something as simple as a "V" on the armstripes could take so much work. 5 revisions to be exact. However after looking at all of the versions, it really makes a difference. That just goes to show how the little details really make a difference.

Third:

My original design had a very modern and unique look to it. But after some discussion, Colin and I threw around a lot of revision ideas for this but we ultimately decided to take it in a more retro direction. We removed all silver and changed the striping to a similar look of the Canucks current third jersey. Lastly we changed the font to the Canucks 40th Anniversary font and it really topped off the jersey. The retro jersey looks so much better in this set in my opinion. 

In the end I think the whole set came out great and I had a great time working with Colin. I hope to do it again! You can check out more of his designs at shirtofacanuck.blogspot.ca.

We would both love to hear any feedback you have!

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Concepts from Others

Dallas Stars (by Alan)

I've liked this concept since it was first posted on HJC! I really like all of the striping, colors and font. Good choice putting the Texas logo on the arm stripes. The primary logo is kind of strange but it still is a cool and unique look. I would love to see a version with the regular logo or maybe even an away jersey to go with this one? Regardless, really great work Alan! You can check out his blog at ajhhjaftw.blogspot.com/.

Colorado Avalanche (Ricky)

When I first saw these they struck me as a better/updated version of the Avs edge uniforms. It must be the side panels? I really like the home jersey and I think if a couple of changes were made these could be really great jersey!  My biggest problem with the away jersey is the large amount of burgundy on the arms and sides but then blue yokes are used. It just doesn't seem balanced. I think if some black and silver trim was added as an outline to the numbers and between the colors it would take this concept to the next level. I also think the foot logo would look good on those yokes. Like I told Ricky, it seems like a lot of changes but it's just these small details that will improve his concepts! Regardless of change or no change these are good concepts and would love to see him work at them a little more! To see some more of Ricky's work check out his blog at rmconcepts.blogspot.com. He definitely has the biggest variety of concepts I've seen. It's great! 

 2013 Winter Classic (NB14)

This is what NB14's idea for this years Winter Classic. I like the Detroit jersey a lot and wouldn't mind seeing it worn! My only suggestion would be to add a thicker, more noticeable outline the the back number. The Toronto jersey is okay but it seems to me like it's just an updated version of their old third jersey.

 Florida Panthers Third Jersey (NB14)

This would be a great third jersey for the Panthers! It goes great with their current jerseys and I think their template looks great in blue! My only concern is that the logo, tv numbers and name need to be a little bigger. To see more of NB14's concepts you can go to nb14jerseyconcepts.blogspot.com. 

If you want to send your concepts in, feel free to email me at jncox9@gmail.com and I'll be more than happy to post them!

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Tournament of Hockey Design

Sounds similar to icethetics' tournament of logos doesn't it? Well that's where I got the idea for it. It will be a tournament for the best and worsts of the Art of Hockey. From primary logos to all of the jerseys! There is currently a vote up in the top right corner of the page for Best NHL logo and uniforms. For more information, check out the original post or the TOHD page. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts!

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Tournament of Hockey Design Competition

This blog is all about the Art of Hockey (hence the name) and the designs that make the game look great. With that being said there are some that are just far superior to others. So I present... The 2012 Tournament of Hockey Design! If you're an icethetics reader then I'm sure you have heard of the Tournament of Logos. The Tournament of Logos faces various NHL logos against eachother and readers vote until the best logo is revealed. I wanted to do something similar here. However, instead of celebrating just the teams' primary logos, we could celebrate all of the other designs and art we see in hockey. We could do primary logos, alternate logos (shoulder patches), third jersey logos. Of course we'd do jerseys/uniforms. We could even choose the best color scheme or the best goalie mask in the league? I don't know but all of this represents the art of hockey and it should be celebrated.

Here's a few ideas I had:

• We start with the NHL. If it's a success we could move on to minor leagues, college, retro, etc.
• We keep it current. For this NHL version we only use current logos, uniforms, etc.
• I will create a set of nominees for each category. (Too many to vote for every teams design.) 
• You, the readers, vote for every champion!

Here's some of the categories I had in mind. If you don't like any of these

• Best Primary Logo
• Best Secondary Logo
• Best 3rd Jersey Logo
• Best Specialty Logo (Anniversary logos, event logos etc. It might be hard to find a lot of current ones this early, though.)
• Best Uniform
• Best Alternate Jersey
• Best Color Scheme (A little out there but it might be fun>)
• Worst Logo
• Worst Uniform
• Worst Alternate Jersey

So if you would please comment and let me know any ideas you have, I would really appreciate it!
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RinkGear Hockey Jerseys

A few times I have mentioned a jersey company, RinkGear. Rink Gear and I have been in contact and they wondering if I could create a post featuring some of their designs. So here it is! 

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PuckDrawn.com had a Winnipeg Jets design contest and the winning entry, by Fraser Davidson, was turned into an actual jersey! How awesome is that logo?

This was the  winning entry for RinkGear's Pew-Pew Lasers design contest. Sounds strange but to me, everything about this design is great!

 This jersey is so ammusing, but I love it so much! It's a Charlie Sheen, Tiger-Blood jersey. The logo is awesome and so is the jersey. I'm pretty sure the back hem reads "WINNING."

PuckDrawn had a 2012 Winter Classic design contest and although there was no official winner, RinkGear set out to make these. I never imagined either of these teams with a mascot but these look pretty darn good! I was going to get a Rangers jersey but they didn't get enough interest. The Flyers jerseys, however, were made, and they came out great!

The vintage white came out a little darker but other than that, these jerseys are practically identical! That's what I love about RinkGear. No matter the design, they always come out near perfect

Ever seen the show Walking Dead? A fan of Zombies? These Columbia Zombies (Walking Dead inspired) jerseys are perfect for you! My favorite part is the dripping blood down the arms.

Video game lovers rejoice! The Legend of Zelda meets hockey. I never imagined Zelda hockey jerseys coming to life but these are great! 

Time for some movie inspired jerseys! Next time you're watching one of those Harry Potter marathons, how about you do so in this Gryffindor jersey? I like the design. It reminds me of the Flames Heritage Classic jerseys.

This one just might be my favorite. A Star Wars inspired Wookies jersey. The colors are great. You can never go wrong with green, brown, and white in my opinion. Not to mention the logos are flawless. I kind of regret not getting this jersey.

I'll admit, I have not gone to see the Hunger Games yet. It's supposed to be a great movie and this jersey is up there with it. Once again, the colors and logos are great. If I'm not mistaken, the logo designer is Andy Hall. He does absolutely beautiful logos. Check out his portfolio. 

I'm pretty sure you all can recognize this one. It's an Ironman inspired jersey equipped with reflective material  on the front to portray the light up insert in Tony Starks chest. These are currently available in the RinkGear Store!

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If want to check out RinkGear or are interested in buying some jerseys here's some links.

Website

Store

Facebook

Twitter
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I'm starting to accept others' concepts to post on the site, If you want to send anything in, feel free to email me at jncox9@gmail.com. I've received a few already so I hope to have a post up soon. I've also got some new concepts coming up! Until then, have a good weekend!
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Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day to all of my American readers! I'm not doing too much to celebrate but I thought I could post a concept to commemorate the day. A lot of Canadians made some cool  concepts for Canada Day and I thought I'd share this Team USA concept.

Team USA

I created these a while back for the HJC Super Series competition and have wanted to share them ever since. Well, here they are... a new twist at some classic USA jerseys! I added gold to the color scheme and, although it would never happen, it's a pretty cool look. What do you think of this for the US team?

Merging Old and New: Blues and Canucks

Today's post is all about merging old and new designs. The two teams I focused on today were the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks.

St. Louis Blues

The Blues don't need new jerseys but they certainly have a unique look. I wanted to simplify it back to a look similar to the early seventies. I used the lighter blue color in a new way and used that great trumpet logo for the shoulder patches. The striping is based on the jerseys from 1973-74 with some modifications. I may create a matching white jersey depending on the reactions this one gets.

Vancouver Canucks

The original Flying V jerseys weren't liked too well. To me, the V design is great and it screams Vancouver. My problem with the originals is the dreadful colors. Yellow, black, and orange all together. The black version didn't look too bad in my opinion, but the Canucks current color scheme is far superior. So I have created that Flying V jersey in blue, green and white. I don't want the Canucks to where something like this again but it's always a fun design.

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If you're looking for any jerseys to be made, or just some cool collectible jerseys, Rink Gear has a great variety of cool, quality jerseys. Not to mention, all of there jerseys are great deals! Check out some of their work at RinkGear.com. Links to all of their accounts and sites can be found in the previous post or on the LINKS page.
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I'm going to start posting concepts from others soon so if you want send inn some work please email it to jncox9@gmail.com. I would love for you to send some concepts in!
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