Canada Concept and Guest Concepts

Hello!  We have a few concepts today, but before we get to that I just want to let you all know that I did a bit of maintenance on the Templates page recently.  Some of the templates have been updated to match changes I've made to my concepts in the last few months (like no collar tag on Reebok or CCM templates), and I also added a credits section to give credit to the people that created the templates.

Team Canada, by Me:

Another change I made on the templates page was changing the mesh style on the Nike Swift template (I got the new mesh pattern from the "Reebok Authentic Jersey Template" on HJC's Template page).  I then used that new mesh on this team Canada concept, which uses the throwback logo from their 2012 third jersey and a striping pattern that is supposed to kind of match that logo.

Team Canada and Team Russia, by Jared:

Next up we have a couple of IIHF concepts by Jared.  He gives Russia a jersey inspired by their flag, and Canada a concept based of their jerseys from the 1972 summit series.  Both those ideas are good ideas, but the execution is poor.  The striping goes over the template lines when it isn't supposed to, it's worst with Russia's pants which lost all their detail and now just look like a blue blob.  Using the paint bucket tool (if you're using paint or paint.net) will fix that problem.  Also the colours are too bright, I'd recommend getting colours from Colorwerx.

Phoenix Coyotes, by Justin S:

We end today's post with a fun concept by Justin.  He creates a jersey for the Coyotes based off of their original logo, and the result looks surprisingly good.  Even though it's based of off such a 90's logo, the jersey doesn't look dated at all.  Justin kept the jersey very accurate for the most part, although he did use the script version of the moon logo and added shoulder patches.  Both those decisions are smart decisions in my opinion, they help make the jersey look more complete.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Junior Giants

Vancouver Giants:

Earlier this month I posted a Vancouver Giants concept by Justin S, which got me thinking about their uniforms and lead to me making this concept.  The Giants' original uniforms had a shoulder yoke design similar to the Philadelphia Flyers, which I used as inspiration for this concept but I also didn't want the design to feel like a rip-off of the Flyers.

Thanks for visiting!

West Coast Guest Concepts

Hello folks, and welcome to another SG-94 post. Just a quick note before we get to today's post to let you all know that I've decided to ditch the grading system when reviewing concepts.  There are benefits to grading concepts, but I just find it easier to review concepts when I don't need to include a grade.

Los Angeles Kings, by Jared:

Jared believes the Kings need a makeover from their current colourless jerseys, so for this concept he adds gold, green, and blue (logo) to their colour scheme.  I like the use of gold, but I don't think the other colours work for the Kings.  This concept makes use of the Reebok template from the Templates page, but unfortunately the execution needs a lot of work.  The stripes are all wonky, and they often cross over the edge of the templates, same thing with the helmet and pants logos.  Also the grey areas on the helmet, pants, and socks need to be erased, they are only there to guide where to put the logos (helmet and pants) or stripes (sock).  My advice to Jared would be to look for tutorials online (there are some on HJC) that could help you improve your execution.

San Jose Sharks, by Jake88:

Jake88 loves to send in Sharks concept with wavy sleeve stripes, this is the third concept like that he's sent in (previous concepts here and here).  This time it's a black third jersey concept, and along with the wavy sleeve stripes it also features the wave pattern from their fin logo sublimated behind the logo.  That sublimated wave pattern looks great, it ties in perfectly with the logo.  I also like the overall look of the uniform, it reminds me 2001-07 third jersey (which I also liked).

Have a good day!

Orange Islanders

New York Islanders:

Ever since I saw the Islanders' Stadium Series logo I thought it would look great recoloured on an orange third jersey, so that's what I did for this concept.

Thanks for visiting, and expect another post in the coming days as I have a few guest concepts to post.

NHA Guest Concepts

NHA Concepts, by Ricky:

Today we have six NHA concepts by Ricky from HJC's NHA contest a few weeks ago.  I hate to say this, but I'm not a fan of these concepts.  There just isn't enough individuality for each team, four teams use the same barberpole striping pattern, and every team uses the vintage white and the same font.  There are some jerseys that look good by themselves, but together as a series they just don't work in my opinion.  One thing I do like is the plain background, I think that a plain background helps the focus be on the concept.  I also think the logo for the Toronto Tecumsehs is really good.
Grade:  C

Enjoy the weekend!

WHL and Ducks Guest Concepts, and More Tigers

Seattle Thunderbirds, by Justin S:

Justin starts us off today with a green third jersey for the Thunderbirds.  This jersey is actually modernization of the Thunderbirds' 1985-87 home jersey.  I think the new striping pattern looks great, it's a great use of this Reebok template.  Execution is also good, all the league logos are in the right spot which sometimes is an issue with CHL concepts.  The only thing I would change, and this is very minor, would be to make the armpit area green instead of white.
Grade:  B

Vancouver Giants, by Justin S:

Justin also sent in this concept for the Giants, who are kind of my default favourite WHL team since they are the closest team to me.  I like the striping pattern which appears to be somewhat inspired by the Giants original jerseys, but with traditional stripes (yoke, sleeve and hem stripes) instead of the Flyers style yoke.  I'm not a fan of using the Canucks number font, I'd rather the Giants keep their identity completely separate.  Also the logo uses different shades of red and black than the jersey.
Grade:  B

Anaheim Ducks, by Ricky:

This next concept is Ricky's take on the Ducks new jerseys.  The striping is simplified, which I think is a great move.  I like the colour balance on the home jersey, but the road jersey still has too much orange compared to gold in my opinion and I don't like how those two colours touch.  The orange third jersey looks good, I have no complaints there.  On a side note, for me as a Canucks fan it's still weird seeing Kesler's name on the back of a Ducks jersey.
Grade:  B

Hamilton Tigers:

Once again I've made a Hamilton Tigers concept.  This concept here is a different take on the Tigers concept I posted on June 17th, basically I removed all the white and made a few other tweaks to give the concept a more retro look.

Have a good day!

AHL and ECHL Guest Concepts

Charlotte Checkers, by Jake88:

Today's post begins with this cool "Patriotic Pride" special event jersey for the Charlotte Checkers by Jake88.  I love the logo, and I also like the fact that Jake88 credited where he got it from.  The striping also looks good and fits well with the patriotic theme of the jersey.
Grade:  A

Oklahoma City Barons, by Justin S:

Our second concept is also an AHL special event jersey.  Justin creates a new jersey for the Oklahoma City Barons inspired by the Oklahoma City Thunder's current third jersey, and the result looks great.  The vertical script is really cool, it's something I've never seen on a hockey jersey before (although I do think the script should be moved a tad to the left).
Grade:  A

Binghamton Senators, by Justin S:

Justin also sent in this concept for the Binghamton Senators.  The star of this concept is the laurel-leaf pattern which is not only used on the hem stripes, but also in a circle surrounding the sleeve numbers.  I think that's an awesome way to do the sleeve numbers, it looks great and most importantly the numbers are still readable.  The rest of the concept also looks good, my only suggestion would be to remove the laurel-leaf pattern from the socks.
Grade:  B

Stockton Thunder, by Jake88:

For our final concept of the day Jake88 gives the Stockton Thunder a yellow alternate jersey with a Flyers style yoke.  I love the look of this concept, and it gets even better when you look closer and see all the little details like the hanger effect and the sublimated lightning bolt.  The back numbers are the only thing I would change, I'd get rid of the grey and go with either black numbers with a white outline or white numbers with a thicker black outline (and I do get that the grey outline matches the logo, but I think it would stand out better with white).  I'd also maybe try the lightning bolt on the back instead of the front, but it might be better where it is right now.
Grade:  A

Come back tomorrow and you'll see a special Fourth of July design applied to the blog (there was also a Canada Day design back on July 1).  Thanks for visiting!