Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Post #9- Buffalo Bills


This was the first conceptual piece I ever did, sometime around May of last year. I decided the Buffalo Bills logo was way too outdated for their current look. Most people argue Buffalo needs to revert back to the throwbacks they wear, and keep their Bill logo.

I actually would like to see them find a logo that coincides with their uniforms

Fittingly enough, if you are an NFL fan, I've nicknamed this logo "BeastMode", after the phrase Marshawn Lynch would use when turning his game up.

Post #8- Los Angeles Defenders


This is my second original concept, however because of my ignorance I overlooked the fact there actually is an existing sports team called the Los Angeles Defenders. Oh well, they can adopt this if they please.

I kind of deviated this from the USC Trojans. The colors are different, but still red and gold. The logo, again, is very helmet friendly. The script, again, is very simple, though has a lot of character if you ask me.


Post #7- Albuquerque Invaders


This is my first completely, 100%, original design. By this, I mean this is strictly a concept. The Albuquerque Invaders do not exist. The concept behind this logo is presumably an NFL team.

The logo style and script style follows the NFL's identity. The NFL features a lot of helmet friendly, short and sweet logos, unlike the NBA where logos are more complex. Also, the NFL for some reason has pushed for simple wordmarks. I don't know why this is, but the recent teams to undergo rebrandings (Falcons, Bengals, Cardinals, Jaguars) have all come out with extremely simple wordmarks.

I decided to follow that lead. The colors I used are bright green and a blue-green. Obviously, Albuquerque isn't quite the home of invader conspiracys (or truths, if you are a believer). It's actually plenty far NW of Roswell, NM, however I figured if any New Mexico based team existed it would have to exist in Albuquerque. There, that is my justification.

Post #6- Chicago Bulls


Here is another NBA tweak, rather than a full concept. This design, which is not much of my original work as it is the existing logo, is simply a modernization of the Bull's logo. Their logo is one of the most iconic in sports, but to me that doesn't mean it can't be updated to be a) more embroider friendly, and b) more intimidating.

This is their current logo.

As you can see, I simply made the logo more streamlined, added thicker outlines, and added some blue and black to the red to give it more of that modern finish (that's where the Chicago fan reading this is likely grabbing torches and pitch forks). Oh well. It's my taste.

Post #5- Georgia State University Panthers


Here is my second college/university logo. Georgia State University, in sync with their inagural football season (wooo! got to love more D1 football here in Georgia), released new marks this past year. The results: not too good...

The verdict on the new stuff is that it's too washed out and the cat has more of a meow than a growl. I went on my way of fixing that, by doing my own Panther. Georgia State's official school colors are blue and white, with a hint or red which apparently symbolizes the flames from Sherman's march...kind of forced if you ask me.

Also, Georgia State has a recent history of sneaking black into their uniforms. I figured I would use black to my advantage to help create a fierce look.

Post #4- Los Angeles Lakers


Here is a quick fix, and one of my personal favorites. If I could control one logo change in the sports world, I would make the Lakers switch to this. Unless you are a Lakers fan, you likely have no idea what the difference between this and their current mark is. Well, their current mark is still a pen and stencil rendering from the ice age. I wanted to bring their logo to the present day age of vectors, without hampering the identity.

Post #3- Golden State Warriors


This is an original logo I did for the Golden State Warriors in my NBA series. It's kind of out in left field, but it has justification. The Warriors current look gets a lot of heat from branding gurus and basketball fans. I actually like their look, however many (especially fans in Oakland and San Francisco) feel like the team's past identity was completely ruined with the blue, sky blue, gold, orange, and gradient mess. This logo is a modernized mark that alludes back to this timeless look. The color scheme kind of rubs elbows with the Indiana Pacers, but having a few gold and blue teams isn't nearly as bad as all of the red and blue teams out there, right? I feel like, overall, this logo reestablished the classicness of the Golden State Warriors franchise, even if the name "Warriors" was never well represented until recent years.

Post #2- Kennesaw State University Owls


This is a logo I did for my school, Kennesaw State University. Everything in this is completely original. The mountain part of the logo is a rendering of Kennesaw Mountain, which is the double mounded mountain(s) that are the centerpiece of the Kennesaw/Marietta area (here in NW Atlanta, if anyone is unaware). KSU has used Kennesaw Mountain in their marks, however not in any athletic logos. The school colors are gold and black (and burgundy, but that color is seldom used). I added grey and a darker shade of gold to the mix to help with the detailing.

I actually gave this logo a shot with the University. I put together a presentation and sent it to everyone, from the Athletic Director, to the Licensing Director, to the Bookstore, etc. The people who viewed my logo enjoyed it, but when it came to the finish line I couldn't get any immediate leverage--the school recently updated it's trademark commitments. It has got attention from students however. My friend Justin uses it in his custom blog header, I received an interview from the local school newspaper regarding it, and the club paintball team requested if they could use it on their uniforms.

The school wouldn't even allow that. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

Post #1- Houston Rockets Concept


This is a pretty comprehensive concept I've done for the Houston Rockets, as part of an NBA series I started a few months ago. The idea is to get away from their "blood stain" logo. While clever, their current logo is too abstract and doesn't look like a sports logo. Everything in this is new, from the script to the color pallette.