Last Post - New Blog

Hello everyone!  This will be the last post on SG-94.  Don't get too upset though, I'm not retiring from making concepts I'm just switching to a new blog address.  From now on I'll be posting all my concepts on stevengrantdesign.blogspot.com.

The new blog is also home to my new Combo template.

Thank you to everyone who has visited this blog, commented, and/or submitted concepts these past four years.

Goodbye!

Team NASA

What if NASA were a hockey team?  I know that's a very random question, but it's what inspired this concept.

Team NASA:

The red stripes are based off of the red stripes that are on some NASA spacesuits (see below).  I was also a bit inspired by the all blue NASA flight suits.  Overall I was just going for a simple look that was a mix of both modern and traditional.

Image from wikipedia.org - Image from nasa.gov

Just in case you're curious, here's some more info about the above photos.  The first photo is of Alan Shepard on the moon during Apollo 14, taken by astronaut Edgar Mitchell.  The second photo is of astronaut Scott Kelly inside a Soyuz simulator.  Kelly is currently in space as commander of the International Space Station.  If you are at all interested in outer space you should follow Scott Kelly on Twitter or Instagram, he posts lots of spectacular photos.

Bon Voyage!

Logo Updates

Hello folks!  Today I have a couple of logo updates to share with you, the first being a very minor alteration of this blog's logo.

Like I said it was a very minor change, mostly I was just fixing a few inconsistencies with line widths and spacing.  The only change that is at all noticeable is the "SG" and "94" parts are now a bit closer to the middle.

SG-94 Jersey Concept:

After I updated the logo, I thought I should make a jersey concept for the blog (something I haven't done since I was using the shield logo).  I've noticed the blog's logo doesn't look very good alone on the front of a jersey (although Jake88 showed us it works if there is a chest stripe behind the logo), so I turned the entire logo into a chest stripe.

Also I updated the eagle-talon/E logo I made back in March.  I altered the thickness of some lines, and angled the gap where the claws meet up with the E.  One day I'll update the eagle-head logo I created back then, but I'm waiting until I have a bit more skill at making logos (which might be a while).

Eagles Concept:

Lastly, I re-made the Eagles jerseys using the new E-claw logo as the main crest.  The blue jersey is basically the same as it was back in March, but I flipped the hem-stripes to match the colour order on the road jersey's hem.  The white jersey now has blue on the top of the sleeves, but besides that there is not much different.

Thanks for visiting!

Eagle Logo

Normally I only make jersey concepts, but today I have a logo concept to share with you folks.

A long time ago I sketched an eagle logo on paper, scanned it into my computer, and then forgot about it.  A few weeks ago I found the file of the original sketch and decided to try to update it into something I could use on a concept.  I basically just traced over the original image using Paint.NET, and then updated a few things that needed updating.

Primary Logo:

Here's a larger view of the updated logo.  The colours are from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Secondary Logo:

I also tried to make a secondary logo.  It's supposed to be a mix of an eagle claw and the letter E, but I don't know how obvious the eagle claw is.

Wordmark:

After I made the secondary logo I just added a few letters to create a wordmark.

Jerseys:

Finally I put those logos to use on this jersey concept.  I didn't put much creativity into these jerseys (they're basically just recolours of the Stars' new jerseys), I just wanted to see how the logos looked on a jersey concept.

This was my first attempt at a logo concept, so I'd love any feedback that could help me improve.
Thanks for visiting!

My Thoughts: Month of May

Well, it's been almost a month since I last posted an opinion post, so I thought it would be a good time to do another one.

Also there is a new poll up on the side of the page.  I'm trying to judge if there would be any interest in a Google+ page for this blog.


Third Jerseys in Playoffs

Three teams used third jerseys in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs (Minnesota, San Jose, and Toronto), and I'm not a fan of that.  I believe that only home and road jerseys should be worn on the playoffs.  If teams feel their third jersey is better than their home jersey, then they should make it their home jersey at the start of the season.  I don't know why this bugs me, but it does.


Prince Albert Raiders Rebrand

Back on May 16, the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL unveiled a new logo and new jerseys.  Green was made the primary colour, which I'm a huge fan of.  The logo (seen above), is a mix of a sword, the initials "PA", and the team name Raiders, all on top of a shield.  It might not be the best logo ever, but it is certainly a good logo for a CHL team.  I'm also a big fan of the new jerseys, their unique, unlike a lot of CHL teams that copy NHL team's templates.


Saskatoon Blades Memorial Cup Jersey

Photo from whl.ca

Sticking with the WHL, the Saskatoon Blades wore special commemorative jerseys for their first game of the Memorial Cup.  This is continuing a recent tradition, I believe since around 2008, where the host team of the Memorial Cup wears a special memorial jersey for their first game.  I love that the CHL does this, it is a great way to honour the people who serve our country.  The jersey design is pretty good too, nice and simple.


Peoria Rivermen New Look for SPHL

Photo from Peoria Rivermen's Official Facebook Page

And last but not least, the Peoria Rivermen were reincarnated in the SPHL after the Vancouver Canucks announced the AHL's version of the team would no longer exist.  After the league switch, the Rivermen unveiled new logo and jerseys (seen above).  I love the new look, it's way better than what they were wearing in the AHL.  The logo gets rid of that cartoony person, and the jerseys trade a standard template mess for a unique yet classy striping pattern.  The updated colour scheme is also an improvement.  I'm very impressed with the SPHL version of the Rivermen so far.


Hopefully I'm not boring everyone with these opinion articles, because there will probably be another one after the Stars unveil their new look.  And if these aren't you cup of tea, I should have more concepts soon.  Thanks for visiting.

HJC's Wednesday Post

As I'm sure all of you know, Hockey Jersey Concepts is currently down right know.  Ryan has asked me to post my weekly post on my blog, so here it is.  It will probably be a bit shorter than normal, since I'm trying to get it posted tonight.  Also in SG-94 news, expect to see some IIHF concepts in the next few days, I'm doing a full IIHF redesign for the world juniors.

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Since we can't see the nominees for any votes, there are no voting reminders for me to post.  Also the deadlines will probably have to be extended, I'm not sure.

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Denver Nuggets (by Mike S.)

This concept is inspired by the actual Nuggets alternate uniform.  I do like that fact, but I really think that this whole series is hurt by using nothing but wordmarks.  Hockey jerseys don't normally use wordmarks, so these don't work as hockey concepts in my opinion.  6/10

CSKA Moscow (by Stephen T.)

The striping is really good, and the logo, which seems inspired by this logo, isn't that bad (besides being pixilated).  There are a few execution errors, the shoulder yoke is different on one side of the front of the white jersey.  Also the back of the collar on the white jersey is different than the front.  7/10

Minnesota Wild (by WinnipegJets96)

My only real comment here is that the jerseys are very traditional for a team with such a modern name and logo.  They do look really good, but personally I'd rather see something modern.  7/10

Green Bay Packers (by Brian B.)

The Packers are a team that should use traditional jerseys (they've been around since 1919).  These look actually like what I'd expect a Packers hockey jersey would look like, I have no complaints at all.  8/10

Los Angeles Kings (by WinnipegJets96)

These jerseys look like a mix of the King's 1967-80 uniforms and their 1980-88 uniforms.  I like these much better than the Kings current colourless uniforms (which I don't like very much).  My only suggestions are to only use a single outline on the numbers, and move the logos up a tiny bit.  Other than those minor issues, these a very good.  8/10

Chicago Blackhawks (by Kyle C.)

Even though I would never want the Blackhawks too change their jerseys, I love seeing concepts that do exactly that (when done well, like this concept).  The striping looks great for an original six team, and it appears to be a modern version of the Blackhawks' old barber-pole jersey.  Adding yellow to the striping really makes it "pop".  Also the logo mash-up looks great.  COTW nomination from me!!!  9/10

Santa concept (by Joey A.)

I just had to save this concept for last, I love the Christmas spirit shown here.  The jersey itself looks very good too, I could definitely see a minor league team wearing this.  My only suggestion is to have the rear hem-stripe (white) go all the way down to the hem to better match the front of the jersey.  Take a look at the hem stripes on some of these jerseys if you don't get what I mean.  9/10

Throwing Some Ideas Around

I had a few ideas for concepts floating around in my head, but I didn't know what teams to use them for.  I decided to make them and throw on some NHL and NHLPA logos.  Neither of them turned out exactly as I thought they would, but I'm posting them anyways.

NHLPA Concept:

I had this idea for gradually smaller and smaller stripes.  It's crazy, but maybe it could work for a minor league or beer league team.

NHL Concept:

I also wanted to make a hockey concept with pinstripes.  I still think an NHL team could use pinstripes, so maybe I'll try this again in the future.

Chilliwack Chiefs

Chilliwack Chiefs:

Time for another BCHL concept.  These are probably very boring for anyone outside of BC, but it's better than nothing.  I took their current uniforms and changed a bunch of things to make them more interesting.  The font for the name and number is Koftsman, which I got from Alan's website AJH Hockey Jersey Art.

I'll try to have more posts up soon, but I can't make any promises.

Surrey Eagles

You probably read that title there and said to yourself "Who?".  The Surrey Eagles are a team in the BCHL (a Junior A league here in British Columbia).  Here is a link to their photo gallery section of there website, so you can see what their current jersey look like.  I've decide to do some concepts for the BCHL because I'm out of Ideas for NHL teams.

Surrey Eagles:  I used the jersey worn by the eagle in their logo as inspiration for this concept.  I then used a green jersey as the coloured jersey because I like the colour green.

Also sorry for the long time between posts.  I had no ideas for new concepts, and I've been busier than normal lately.  Hopefully I'll have more posts now that I'm doing some BCHL concepts.

Football Concepts

CFL Concepts:  I was at the BC Lions vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers game last week, and was wondering what the jerseys would look like as hockey sweaters, so I made this concept.  I think the Blue Bombers jersey transferred to a hockey jersey better.

I'll post some actual hockey concepts in the next few days.  As always, you can leave your thoughts in the comments.

Happy Canada Day!!!

Happy Canada Day!!!  Do you like the Canadian design at the top of the page?

Canada Jersey:  Here is a special jersey for Canada Day, which is inspired by the Canadian Flag, but I made the stripes horizontal because I thought it looked better.

Also, I've decided to add a new tab with a list of other hockey jersey blogs.

Ok, you can go back to reading about free-agency now.

(P.S.  I'm not doing anything special for July 4th, I'll leave that for an American to do).