Possible Third Jersey Logo Tournament

You've still got 10 more days to vote, but it's starting to seem like we've got a front runner in terms of our next logo tournament. Over 3,600 votes have been cast this week and most of you seem to be interested in third jersey logos.

So just to clue you all in on what to expect if that's the next Tournament of Logos we end up doing, here are the 16 logos that will be used.






I'll determine the bracket randomly but that won't be posted until the voting is over — because as we know, anything can happen.

Tomorrow I'll show you what the a vintage logo tournament would look like. And then perhaps some time next week I'll do a look at a secondary logo tournament.

Toying With TML

I don't know why I've been skimping on the concept art posts. I have plenty of stuff to share. Tonight, we're going to take a look at the Toronto Maple Leafs logo. I'll be the last person to say it needs to go, but I'll be among the first in line to call it dull. (Consider its early exit in the tournament.) In other words, dull logos are all right for teams with a history as rich as these guys.

Now having said that, let's mess around a little. Seems like the Leafs have always have a logo that featured a leaf. Makes sense. But a few years ago they introduced a secondary mark that wasn't shaped like foliage. If I'm to understand correctly, it was met with disinterest by fans. Many were happy to see it go when the Leafs unveiled their Rbk EDGE jerseys recently.

So to those people, prepare to have your eyes assaulted by this.




It's just the skeleton of an idea someone had. Not a bad idea but it needs some work. No matter what, a leaf needs to don the crest of both main jerseys. However, I don't see why these couldn't work as an alternate sweater.

Something cool I ran across a long while back is this logo.



The TML actually forms a leaf. The leaf. Very creative if not slightly awkward to look at. So what about this?



I think there are enough logos enclosed in circles and this probably wouldn't work on a jersey, but there it is anyway. It sounds like I don't have anything good to say about any of these designs, but that's not true. I like them to some degree but I'm not oblivious to why they wouldn't work. While I understand the double-lines in the logo above, it just seems empty.

Anyway, what do you guys think? Does the leaf need some work? Or is it untouchable?

Canucks, Here's How You Fix It

I'm starting another new series tonight — because you know I just love series. In "Here's How You Fix It," I'm going to post Rbk EDGE concept art designed by fans who feel their team's new uniforms are less than stellar. The reason I'm starting with the Vancouver Canucks is because of the sheer volume of work I've gotten for them.

So we'll start with the most conservative and work our way out.



The biggest complaint these jerseys have garnered since August 29 is about the text over the logo on the chest. Along with that is the fact that the logo and jersey colors don't match. The jersey has prominent green stripes yet there's not a hint of green in the logo. This design takes care of both of those problems, it's already so much improved.

Now I say that despite being among the less-vocal group that isn't bothered by the giant VANCOUVER across the chest. So, consider leaving that — we'll just add some green to it.



Either that or move the stick-in-the-rink logo to the crest. Also a good option because now it matches the design scheme of the jersey much better.

But back to the text. What say we dump the logo all together on one sweater and go the route of the mid-90s Pittsburgh Penguins.



But if that's a bit to liberal for your tastes, there's no reason we can't just leave the logo how it is and simply shrink the name of the city. Hell, even a couple of Vs around the elbow might be all right.

Now if you really want to go wild and crazy, among the new logos unveiled by the Canucks as part of their rebranding was the one you see featured on these sweaters.



To me, that is what a logo should be. I'd venture to say it's damn near perfect for this team. I recognize not everyone will agree but that's why you can never make everyone happy with these things. Half of everybody wants to relive the "good 'ol days" while the other half wants to unload a stale image. Personally, I think this makes for a pretty good mix but what do I know?

One thing to note is that the designs above have changed nearly everything but for the striping pattern on the jersey itself. So I'll share one more concept that toys with that.



It approaches the Montreal Canadiens a very small bit, but doesn't work because of the contrast between the top and bottom. You'd never be able to read the number on the back of the sweater. The nice thing this design makes use of is smaller text above the logo on the crest.

By the way, all of these designs and many more can be found in the Concepts Gallery.

What do you guys think? Would any of these be a good fix for the Canucks' Rbk EDGE jersey? Is it irreparably broken or is great just the way it is? Comment below.

Up next: Colorado Avalanche.

Design Help For Michigan Roller Hockey

Today I'm calling on all graphic designers. The roller hockey team at the University of Michigan is in need of some assistance. They're looking to redesign their uniforms and if you've got an eye for design, maybe you could help them out.

The VP of the club wrote this in his email to me.

I'm a student at the University of Michigan, and have become a fast fan of the Jersey Blog, and absolutely love the concept gallery.

I'm also the Vice President of the school's roller hockey club, and am in charge of the purchase of new jerseys. Unfortunately, the companies we are dealing with to get the jerseys haven't been great (One company presented us designs with an outrageous look that isn't traditional enough, another too boring, another wasn't even consistent with the school colors). Anyways, they don't want to re-pitch designs for free and are trying to charge us for any more development, which we can't justify.

This in mind, I was wondering if theres any way for me to get in contact with your concept community to try and work out some designs with me. I don't know how/if at all would be the best way to do that, and figured an e-mail to you couldn't hurt.

So basically, this is the perfect opportunity for those of you who like doing concept art to potentially see it realized. Here are the specifications of the design.

The most important images are the M, and the Seal. Also are Michigan's Ice Hockey jerseys. And the team colors are "Maize and Blue", with white being used as well.

The roller hockey uniforms, are slightly different than ice hockey, in that rather than a pant and socks, we have a pant that is a full pant (down to the skate).

We really like the tradition of having the seal on the shoulders, and either an M, or some sort of michigan text as the logo on the chest (Theres a few variations such as the script michigan, and the block text michigan). As for everything else, we are open.

We are looking for a traditional hockey look (Not a flashy roller hockey look or anything hideous like the RHI Jerseys), but really want something to differentiate our look from Michigan Ice Hockey. Its tough to define what we mean, which is why I guess its hard to get the design.

He sent along some images including logos for you all to work with.

These are the ice hockey team's jerseys.



Here are the school logos.




And finally, here's a sample template of the pants he was talking about.



You can email your design ideas to Ricky at michiganrollerhockey@gmail.com. If you send them along to me as well, they might even end up here on the blog. Good luck!

Poll: Blackhawks Logo History

1935	1937

1955	1964

Place your vote and then feel free to leave a comment as to how you came to your decision. Tell all your friends to drop in and vote! The more voices heard, the more accurate the results!

Poll opening date Sep 22 @ 10:26 AM

Poll closing date Sep 29 @ 11:59 PM

07BONLH | LHCHI

Result: Maple Leafs Logo History

BEST ALL-TIME
1938
51% 3,786 votes


7,425 total votes

1982
29% 2,168 votes

1966
15% 1,115 votes

1927
5% 356 votes

Click here to see the original poll

Poll opening date Sep 14 @ 4:29 AM

Poll closing date Sep 21 @ 11:59 PM

07BONLH | LHTOR