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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Bringing Black and Silver Back to Tampa Bay

Hello Everyone, it's late here in Colorado so I'm going to make it quick tonight. First off I have a Tampa Bay Lightning concept set.

Tampa Bay Lightning

I'll be honest. I love the Lightning's current look! Its simple, clean and effective. But a lot of people have been calling on the return of black. In my opinion, if the Lightning's current (maybe past?) third jersey lost the nickname it would be a great jersey! That's what I tried to do here while also changing it up a bit. The biggest change is that from hem stripes to side stripes similar to those on the Ducks and Isles third jerseys. I created my own logo based off of the current primary and added more details and colors. It took a lot of variations but I'm glad with how it turned out. The alternate is just a modified version of the current alt. and to top everything off I included a sublimated wordmark on the bottom back of each jersey. I'm sorry for the sloppy, jibber-jabber description but I'm really tired. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this design!

Also stay tuned tomorrow for some concepts and expansion entries from Casey R. and David C. Goodnight everybody! Or goodmorning?

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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