Contributor Concepts and Expansion Entries

Hello again everyone. Sorry this is another late post but I've had a busy weekend. I just got back from Denver a little while ago and then got caught up in the closing ceremonies. Anyways.. today I've got both concepts and expansion entries from Casey R., David C. and Tyler G.

I also wanted to let everyone know that starting tomorrow my schedule will get extremely busy. I still plan on making concepts and running the site but my time to do so will decrease rapidly. I'll try to keep the blog updated as soon as possible and in my little free time I'll work on some concepts!

I have a strange request for you guys. I was at Best Buy a few days ago looking at laptops and saw this awesome wallpaper on an HP computer. It sounds odd but when I see a design I like I have to get it for wallpaper, inspiration, etc. Luckily I carry a small USB with my car keys but upon trying to put it in the computer to save the background a Best Buy employee stopped me informing me that's frowned upon. Who knew? Anyways it was just a background that I believe comes on all (newer) HP's. If I remember correctly it was a light blue background that had tree's and red, yellow and blue hills and was in a cool, kind of distressed graphic design style. (Sorry for the crappy description.) You all must think I'm crazy but I'd love to get this wallpaper! If you know what I'm talking about or have the wallpaper that'd be great if you could email it to me at jncox9@gmail.com.

Lastly, the fourth round of the TOHD wrapped up but the shoulder patch vote ended in a tie. I've posted the tie breaker on the top right of the page and you can vote until Tuesday evening.

REMINDER: All Expansion Entries are due at the end of the day Wednesday.
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Quebec (Dave C.)

Hartford (Casey R.)

Quebec (Tyler G.)

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Ottawa Senators (Dave C.)

This is really cool. The stripes are really think and show off the design which works out really well here. I also love that alternate logo with the gold trim. The font is kind of strange but it definitely says "Senators" to me. Or something Greek? Nevertheless, solid work here, Dave. 

Ottawa Senators (Dave C.)

I LOVE this! Dave got the striping perfect and he obviously knows which logo needs to be used. I personally prefer a red jersey but it seems that all Sens fans want black to be the base color again. If you transferred this onto the Reebok template and added shoulder patches this would be the perfect look for the Senators. Not much more to say here. Great work, Dave.

I'm really starting to love these yellow/gold Panthers jerseys! This is a great start by Casey. The striping looks great and would be a good match to the home and away jerseys. I think that the red cuffs and blue trim on the hem need to be removed though.  I would also go with (always) a solid colored helmet and in this case, all red pants. My last nitpick is that the socks have no stripes. Other than that I think this would make a great jersey! I would be interested to see some white in between the stripes to match that great logo. That's just my opinion though. Good work Casey and thanks for sending this in!

Buffalo Sabres (Tyler G.) 

I absolutely loved the Sabres anniversary jerseys and if I came across one in a store I would probably buy it.   Tyler did an excellent job combining the anniversary jerseys and the current jerseys. I would take these over the current or past Sabres jerseys any day!      

Dallas Stars (Tyler G.)

Another great set by Tyler. The yokes and stripes are cool. I love the way he used the colors. These are (obviously) a huge improvement over the current uniforms and wouldn't mind too see these in action. No complaints here. Two solid concepts Tyler.

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First Expansion Entries (Deadline Extended)

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Columbus Blue Jackets

First off I have a CBJ concept. The first thing I wanted to do was add more blue. After all they are the BLUE Jackets. I also wanted to add gold to the color scheme as a few others have. I think it compliments the blues and white very well. I also wanted to use the cannon logo as the primary. It's not a great logo but it represents the brand very nicely. You may have seen a proposed logo the Blue Jackets created (rendered by Avi S.) in the past. I created a more simplistic version of that logo for a shoulder patch. Lastly I added stars to the cuffs and few few minute datails to top off the jersey. This, in my opinion, is the direction the Blue Jackets need to take. I would really appreciate any feedback you have. I may creat a road white jersey sometime soon.

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Next up is the NHL Expansion Contest! First off I wanted to let everyone know that the entry deadline has been extended until August 15th. I also have the first three entries!

Quebec (Scott D.)

Seattle (Scott D.)

 Hamilton (Myself/Justin)

I would love for everyone to participate so get your entries in and spread the word!

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Tournament of Hockey Design

The second round of the TOHD rounded up with the Senators earning Best Third Jersey and the Avalanche (*sigh* but no suprise) getting crowned Worst Uniforms. Two new votes have been listed on the right side of the page.

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. 

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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