Johnny Canuck Part Two

Back on the 15th I wrote a post about Johnny Canuck which included a home and road concept for the Canucks.  Today's concept is a third jersey to go along with that set.

Vancouver Canucks:

This is also an updated version of a concept from March 2013.  The striping is partly inspired by the Canucks' infamous "Flying V" jerseys, but with Johnny Canuck on the front instead of a giant V.

Also, I've added this variation of the template (with the collar-to-cuff yoke) to the Templates page.

Have a good day!

Guest Concept Post #76

Sherbrooke Phoenix, by Jake88:

The Sherbrooke Phoenix are one of the youngest teams in the QMJHL but that didn't stop Jake88 from designing a very retro third jersey for them.  The vintage look goes very well with vintage white that Sherbrooke uses (it actually makes a lot more sense than the Blues 2007-14 template that they use for their home and road jersey), however I don't think the logo fits with such an old fashioned jersey.  Maybe their wordmark logo would be a better fit.  Execution is great as it always is from Jake, and I'm also a big fan the presentation/layout he's been using lately.

Thanks for visiting!

My Thoughts: Johnny Canuck

Hello once again!  Today I'm going to talk about my favourite team the Vancouver Canucks, specifically their full-body Johnny Canuck logo.

Image from instagram.com/canucksstore

Back in November the Canucks released a green fashion with Johnny Canuck as the main logo.  Even though I love the colour green, I wasn't a big fan of the jersey.  The striping gets a bit muddled where green touches blue, the collar looks weird with no blue, and the logo is too small and too high.  But the jersey did get me thinking about Johnny Canuck's potential as Vancouver's primary logo.

As a Canucks fan I love the idea of Johnny Canuck as the primary logo.  There is a nice history behind the logo, it's an updated version of the logo used by the WHL's Vancouver Canucks (who were a predecessor to the NHL team).  The current Canucks have also made Johnny Canuck a bigger part of their brand recently, by partnering with a Johnny Canuck impersonator who makes cool videos (that impersonator now makes videos that appear on the jumbotron at Canucks games).

That being said, I still have some doubts about the Johnny Canuck logo (you might notice that in both my NHL De-Edge Series and NHL Redesign Series the primary logo was the stick-in-the-rink).  It is a bit cartoony, and it's irregular shape can look odd on some applications.  However, my doubts are fading more and more everyday, and I'm becoming increasingly convinced that Johnny Canuck should be the main logo.  But there is one change I think the Canucks should make before they promote it to the primary...

And that change has to do with the outline around the logo.  With the thin silver outline the Canucks currently use, the logo gets lost a bit on dark backgrounds.  I'd much prefer a thicker white outline, which I believe really helps the logo stand out.

That wouldn't be the only change I'd make to the Canucks brand though, I'd also retire some of their other logos.

Actually the only other logo I'd keep would be the stick-in-the-rink.  I think it's perfectly suited to be a secondary logo, and it looks great on the shoulders and pants of the Canucks current uniforms.  On the other hand I'm not a big fan of the Johnny-V logo, I've always thought it was awkward how the head was attached to the V and it's also too similar to the logo used by Vachon Inc.  Another logo I don't like is the orca logo, it just doesn't really represent the team name and it's corporate origins don't sit well with me (the logo debuted when the Canucks were owned by Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment).  The last logo I'd get rid of is the Millionaires-V logo, I don't mind it on the Millionaires throwback jersey but I think it's too primitive to work as a full time logo today.

If the Canucks were to switch logos, I'd also want them to update their uniforms.

For the most part I really like the Canucks current uniforms, so I just made some small changes like adding green to the collars, altering the thickness of some stripes, and using a block font (and of course replacing the orca with Johnny Canuck).  Another reason I only made small changes is that the Canucks have had a major identity problem over the years, and I feel it's time for them to establish a consistent look.

So those are my thoughts on the Johnny Canuck and the Canucks brand overall.  If you have any thoughts on this topic, feel free to share them in the comments.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Guest Concept Post #75

Vancouver Canucks, by Jake88:

Today we have a couple of concepts by Jake88, starting with my favourite team the Vancouver Canucks.  The striping pattern here is inspired by the Canucks 90's jerseys, and I think it looks really good.  One small change I'd suggest is for the white jersey only, moving the silver stripe in between the green and blue stripes, because I think it's best when green and blue don't touch (and I know some people don't like mismatching jerseys, but I think it would work in this situation).  Other than that I wouldn't change anything, I like the number font, and I really like how the pants logo is done with the green and silver outline to match the primary logo.

Ottawa Senators, by Jake88:

Jake also sent in this concept for the Senators, which brings back the laurel leaf pattern from their 2000-07 third jersey.  That pattern is sublimated here though which is a great idea, overall I think the whole striping pattern looks great.  Besides the sublimated laurel leaf pattern, the other unique feature is the shape of the shoulder yoke.  I love the shape of the yoke on the front of the jersey, but I think the back is just too round, which might cause problems for longer names.  My only other complaint is that the logo on the red jersey could use an outline.  I like everything else about this concept (equipment, fonts, etc).

Have a good day!

Guest Concept Post #74

Hello folks!  You might notice that I skipped from Guest Concept Post #72 to Guest Concept Post #74.  Turns out I forgot to label a post with a guest concept a long time ago, so all the posts up to today have been off by one.  Oh well.

Columbus Blue Jackets, by Jake88:

To start off this correctly numbered post we have a Blue Jackets concept by Jake88, and it has a sash!  A SASH!!!  I like the sash, it's a unique element that you don't see used very often and it looks good too.  I'm also a fan of the sleeve stripes with the star in the middle, and the name and number fonts are a perfect fit.  Lastly, while I normally hate vintage white, I have to say it doesn't look bad in this situation (although I think normal white would look just as good).

Bowling Green State University, by Leo:

We also have a Bowling Green State University concept from Leo, and it has mismatching jerseys!  MISMATCHING JERSEYS!!!  I actually don't mind the mismatching jerseys, I'm sure some people wouldn't like them but luckily I'm not one of those people (in fact back when I used to play NHL07, I'd create custom teams with mismatching jerseys).  The only changes I'd make are with the numbers, not the striping.  First of all I think white numbers would work better on the orange jersey, and I also think the sleeve numbers on both jerseys need to be about 48% bigger and have an outline.  Lastly, on the back view of the jerseys the sleeve number should be a one instead of a five.

Thanks for visiting!

New Template and a Ducks Concept

Happy New Year!

To start off 2015 I have a new template to unveil, and a Ducks concept using that template, but before we get to those I also want to state a new rule for guest concepts.  From now on I'm only going to accept concepts that are for actual hockey teams.  That means concepts for movies, TV shows, video games, other sports, Swedish superstores, etc, will no longer be accepted.  This new rule is simply because I enjoy reviewing concepts that are for actual hockey teams more than other concepts.

Now here is that template I was talking about...

This template is a hybrid of the template used on The (unofficial) NHL Uniform Database and the template from the Paint Users Paradise 2.0 thread on the Sportslogos.net forum (which is why I call it the "NHLuniforms.com/Sportslogos.net Hybrid Template").  It is mostly traced from an image on The (unofficial) NHL Uniform Database, but with the arms perpendicular like the Sportslogos.net template.  The collars are also from the Sportslogos.net template (with some alterations done by me).

This template can be found on the Templates page, along with some extra collars and stuff to go along with it.

Anaheim Ducks:

To try out the new template I created this Ducks third jersey concept.  It's another attempt at using no white in the stripes (previous attempt here).  Those stripes are somewhat inspired by the collars on their current home and road jerseys.

Lastly, I made a minor change in the look of the blog by adding a white stripe behind the links to the pages.

Enjoy the rest of your day!