Devaluing the Design Process, Pt. I (aka “Design-A-Uni”)

November 28, 2009

By Phil Hecken

OK, the long-awaited “Design-A-Uniform” contest entries have finally been all uploaded and flickr’ed (there were approximately 190 individual entries, from close to 40 entrants) that came in. That’s far too many to display in one post, so I’m going to be breaking them up into several different articles, interspersed with some other subjects, so as to give a little more variety into the weekend columns. I figure the easiest way to do this is to let each artist have his or her say, and to then link all their submissions to their own flickr set (since some had as few as one single submission, some containing multiple graphic, to others who sent me a dozen or more). And to be democratic about it, I’ll be doing it in alphabetical order. So, if your last name begins with “W” (and there were 7 of you who fall into that category), your submissions will be last, but that’s simply because of where you fall in the alphabet.

This entire contest began about a month ago, when I had posted a couple emails I had been trading with Marc Walls, pitching coach for the Clarksville WIldcats, which turned into the Design-A-Uniform Contest (and which was followed up with a column later that week by Paul which questioned whether contests such as this “devalue” the work of graphic designers). Well, I won’t decide the merits of either side of that argument, because what you are about to see are some pretty outstanding efforts by readers who participated in the contest. The guidelines were pretty simple:

* A logo incorporating the letters “CHS” ”¦ any font or format. Looking for something unique, even outside the box. We would love a hat design featuring the CHS logo.

* A ferocious looking “wildcat”. Any logo involving a wildcat or paw logo would be outstanding. Our football program has been using the Kansas State Wildcat, and we want something a little better.

* Uniform designs. We are looking for a white, grey, purple, yellow or black (yeah, I know). Our head coach loves black so any black jerseys or hat designs would be outstanding.

*The parameters: colors are purple and gold.

Not everyone followed the guidelines to a “T” (and a couple of you even submitted, as a bonus, football uniforms for the school). But everyone who participated did an outstanding job, and deserve your compliments and praise.

So without further ado, let’s look at the first 10 entrants (alphabetically). Simply “click” on the “thumbnails” in each link to view them full-size; you can also click on “detail” to view them (if there are more than one) in one full page, in almost full-size — clicking on those thumbnails will then provide you with a large picture:

~~~

Andy Altemus: submission

Here is my entry for Clarksville baseball. Me and my roommates helped with the designs. We like the pinstripe look and of course the classic stirrups are key. The two-toned hat design was also a favorite. Hope you like it.

Andy

~~~

Chad Anderson: submission

Here are my two entries in the Clarksville High design a uniform contest.
I didn’t actually design a uniform but I did design two logos!

~~~

Gretchen Atwood: submission

Phil,

I chose a uni builder that did not include caps so these are not exactly complete. But you get the idea of what the color scheme could be. I imagine gold/purple or purple/gold “CHS” caps with these.

Home: I am not a fan of lots of contrasted color piping everywhere. And purple is simply not a baseball color. So I would go with crisp whites with gold and purple accents, light on the purple.

Away: Again, keeping it simple. In this case have the uni number and outline in gold and only have the mascot name with purple and white. Makes the name pop while keeping the uni number visible but not competing with the name.

Alternate: I am also not a big fan of doing black just because. But since the coach wants it, here it is. Again, keeping the uni numbers simple so they don’t compete with the name.

Gretchen Atwood

~~~

Jeff Bahry: submission

Here are my entries for the Clarksville Wildcats. Home whites, road greys, purple alt and black alt uniforms along with two cap designs. I didn’t get too crazy with the “C” redesign, but gave it a more modern edge. I also used a variety of lettering and numbering fonts in an effort to create a unique look. I added gold piping to the black caps b/c I thought it looked cool! Here are some logos to consider, too.

~~~

Jake C.: submission

Just the white uni for now, that’s all i had time for. I just went with a classic design using the purple and gold as the primary colors. Double-striped pant leg, sleeves and collar, just kept it simple. Although I’m not a big fan of black, I used it as the primary color for the cap as requested. Custom logo with the wildcat paw and the CHS logo inside it. That’s about all I’ve got, hope you enjoy it, oh and the striped stirrups!

-Jake C.

~~~

Kevin Callahan: submission

Kevin Callahan – Creative Director, Alterra Coffee.

~~~

Kevin Connolly: submission

Hey Phil,

I’m an avid reader of uni-watch but rarely participate in the daily conversation. I was, however, intrigued by the design a uniform contest. I have a few options in my design and due to it’s overall size, I’ve compressed it into a pdf file that I’ve attached. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s contributions.

Regards,

Kevin Connolly

~~~

Joe Csikos: submission

Here is my shot at a home, away, and alternate uni for Clarksville.

Thanks,
Joe

~~~

Matthew Donnelly: submission

Thanks for this contest. I love to try my hand at these things.
I am a graphics teacher at a high school in Northeast PA, so I came into this with some idea how to pull this off. I tried to keep my thinking inside the box, as I know how public school budgets work and what can or can’t be produced.

For the hat, I incorporated a “CHS” logo based on the 1950’s-1960’s White Sox. I also included the wildcat logo on the brim. I have always liked contrasting brims, so I went with that in all of the designs as well.
The Home (pinstriped) and Road I kept fairly conventional ”“ script logos, single stripe socks (I’m afraid that stirrups are gone at this level), and a wildcat logo on the left chest below the name. I “borrowed” the wildcat from a British rugby team and modified it for my own use ”“ Inside a school, we can claim Fair Use.

I varied things a little on the yellow ”“ A paw under the script logo and a LSU-like logo on the cap, leaving the brim alone. On this and the purple, I made the sock stripe vertical. Perhaps it is my own aversion to Yellow as a base uniform color, but this is my least favorite.

I gave the yellow alternate white pants, probably thinking of it as a home alt. So, the purple one has gray pants. I made the purple a pullover, with the largest graphic on the front ”“ the full modified ”˜wildcats’ script and logo from our friends across the water at Wakefield Trinity. I opted to reverse the regular hat, with the wildcat logo on the center of the hat, with CHS on the brim.

I also designed a sleeve patch, which I’m not fully satisfied with and may be too busy ”“ I may need to make a choice between the wildcat or the CHS, but not both, even with a ghosting effect.

Thanks,
Matt Donnelly
New Milford, PA

~~~

Jamie Dupler: submission

For my uni design, I like the one color-white-two color look, I also like the number on the front and the script represents a classic look. Not a huge fan on purple and a black alternative, but I just went with a simple look with all three colors included. I spend about 2 hours a week on the beta.easports.com website designing unis under the team builder section of ncaa football 10.

~~~

That’s going to do it for the first batch of “Design-A-Uniform” submissions — there are many more to come, and they’re all as good as this first set. I’ll have the second batch tomorrow. Remember to thank the submitters for their hard work, and let them know what you think!

~~~~~~~~~~

Division Two Football-Where Uni Design ~~Goes To Die~~ Ain’t Quite Dead…

By Phil Hecken & Jim Vilk

I’m back again with our man on the street, Jim Vilk, who loves him some Division 2 football. He insists that there are some really good uniforms to be found in this rarely seen division, and I, like Fox Mulder, I want to believe. So Jim scoured the circuit and came up with some unis he really likes…but will I? Let’s find out. Here’s Jim:

After reading our uni-review when the season began, one may have come away feeling there is nothing good to see in the land of Division II football. Today’s piece will try to dismiss that notion. Looking at close to 150 schools throughout the season, I have compiled a list of my favorite D-2 unis. Phil has taken a look at them, and we’ve both added our comments. The schools are not ranked in order of preference. I just went through the list in the order I found on D2Football.com. Apparently the smaller schools cut back on the photography budget, as there are some where I could only find home unis or last year’s sets. Anyway, you will see some different styles – some classic, some new. The only common factor is that, “Yes, I’d wear that uni.”

NORTHWOOD:
PH: Awful. Even UNC can’t make this combo look this bad.
JV: I put them in because of the great color combo, plus they contained the “bumper sticker” effect to the pits.

WEST GEORGIA:
PH: Nice.
JV: Yes sir!

LAKE ERIE COLLEGE:
Home (Jim saw that game and snapped that pic, by the way) and Away
PH: Awful. Times 2. How can you ruin black & green? I guess it’s possible.
JV: Original. I like the lightning bolts separating the colors.

ANGELO STATE:
PH: Not bad, but I could do without the Rams helmet.
JV: I’m a sucker for Rams helmets, especially when you add shoulder loops.

WASHBURN:
PH: Hmmm. Not too bad, but lose the yokes.
JV: Yokes save the uni – they break up the dark blue.

SAINT ANSELM:
PH: Great helmet, awful shoulders.
JV: Love the helmet. The shoulders jazz it up without going overboard. Might be tied with West Georgia for my favorite.

BEMIDJI STATE:
PH: NICE! If memory serves, I even liked their hockey sweaters. How you say their name again?
JV: Thought you’d like that. I like the original beaver logo in natural colors gracing the classic Jets-like uni.

GANNON: Home and Away
PH: Gorgeous, just need pants stripes.
JV: Yep.

KUTZTOWN:
PH: What BC should look like.
JV: Yep. Perhaps with a BC instead of a KU…

MILLERSVILLE:
PH: Only Iowa should look like the Steelers. And even they shouldn’t.
JV: But they have yellow numbers, so they’re different. Keep ’em.

SHIPPENSBURG:
PH: Zee goggles…zey do nossing.
JV: Step outside the box, my friend. The logo is cool, and deserves a cool uni.

SLIPPERY ROCK:
PH: Whoa! Absolutely gorgeous! I even like the green socks…best Div 2 uni ever…maybe.
JV: Alas, they had white socks when I saw them play. Nevertheless, they do look good.

WEST CHESTER:
PH: Purple & athletic gold? Um…no. And, round these parts, “West Chester” is one word, yo.
JV: At least they also didn’t use the LA Rams’ colors.
PH: You say that like it’s a good thing.

CSU PUEBLO, COLO.:
PH: Um…no. Just no.
JV: Um, original. Well, the sleeve stripe appears to be.

NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS:
PH: AWFUL. Are we done yet?
JV: And yet I liked it, even though it’s a BFBS. Shoulder loops helped.

Finally, KENTUCKY STATE:
PH: Are you kidding me?
JV: I think it’s the green and yellow. I’ve seen far worse.
PH: Yet, you’d wear that. Man, I don’t think I’d ever want to see what’s in your closet.

Well, I have nothing else to say, so I’ll let Jim finish it up. Jim?

JV: As previously mentioned, this is not THE list of best Division II uniforms. If you’d like to show off a school whose unis you like, please post it in the comments section. I’d love to find out what you consider your favorite. At least we’ve seen that not all D-2 unis are coporately designed from the same template. There is variety, and maybe a little life here, after all.

Oh, and no, you you don’t want to know what’s in my closet (From last Christmas – the Hawaiian shirt is actually a Nativity scene. The tie is holly and ivy with French horns and the pants were part of a throwback Virginia Squires warmup [donated the top but kept the pants].)

~~~

Thus (mercifully) endeth the D-2 uniform rundown, unless you all have something else to share. Thanks to Jim for finding these. I think.

You may not know it, but Jim actually attends some D-2 football games, so while his opinion of their unis may not agree with mine, at least he’s heard of some of the schools we’ve reviewed today. And not only that, Jim’s a bit of a Division II shutterbug. Check it out:

JV:Went through my photos and found some halfway decent ones. Now let’s get your opinion:

Cal U. of PA/Slippery Rock: here, here, and here

Ky. Wesleyan/Lake Erie: here, here, here, and here.

Marian/Walsh: here. (NAIA schools, but better facilities than D-II – that’s at the Football Hall of Fame in Canton)

If nothing else, I had a blast going to the games and walking around taking the pics. If the NFL goes through with their work stoppage, screw them. I’ll take D-II anyday.

~~~~~~~~~~

Guess The Game From The Scoreboard: Back to the diamond for today’s GTG. This one comes courtesy of Shaun Tunick, who has supplied us with a bew-tee-ful picture. Might not rate that high on the difficulty scale, but the pic alone is worth it. Don’t forget, please do NOT post the answer in the comments, but instead, post the link. Ready? Guess The Game From The Scoreboard. As always, if you enjoy the game, please send me some new scoreboards! Drop me a line. Thanks!

~~~~~~~~~~

Mick and Mike are back in the apartment again, the way it should be — watching Chuck on the little tube. No — not that Chuck. Distracted tho they be by the commercials, the boys still manage to find humor in any situation. Or so it seems. Enjoy your Saturday Benchies. Take care, old frog, you croak too much against Moses. Or something.

~~~~~~~~~~

Our man in the street, Jim Vilk, brings you a SPECIAL “Top 5” Best and one WORST college football uni matchup from Thursday and Friday’s games:

5. Wyoming/Colorado State — Because CSU’s in-state rivals really dragged down the Nebraska/Colorado matchup.

4. Pitt/WVU — Monochrome or not, it’s a sweet matchup.

3. Temple/Ohio — Ditto.

2. Alabama/Auburn — Tide almost lost #2 ranking, but this uni-matchup was a solid #2 regardless.

1. Texas/Texas A&M — Phil said it best: “Even Nike couldn’t screw up the Horns’ unis…this one was a classic.”

And the worst matchup: Memphis/Tulsa – I don’t dislike the colors, but the blues are too similar and the unis are too busy. Sorry, Leon.

~~~~~~~~~~

Alrighty then, that’s going to do it for this fine last Saturday in November. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Plenty of college football (at least the real, Division I kind) today, what with some ~~riflery~~ rivalry games and some big “intrastate” games as well. Haven’t heard whether USC/UCLA will be color vs. color again this year, but it’s definitely worth checking out (they play at 7:00 PST). And will the Gators vs. Noles be Bobby B’s last game ever? Could that be a riflery game? (If so, that’d be some kinda color on color matchup, if both teams play along.) Good stuff ahead, for sure.

Have a great day everyone.

Rodón: ‘Had No Idea’ Rolled-Up Sleeve Covered Yanks’ Uni Ad

NBA Rewind Series (Part I)

What If All ‘Bird’ Teams Were Like the Eagles? – REDUX

First Look: Eagles Add New Wordmark to White Jersey

Comments (176)

Great job on the high school logos. Some are outstanding. Others are simply good. Let’s say the pros don’t have anything to worry about. (‘Cept they give us stuff like the Falconts, Bills and others.)

I’ll reserve judgment until I see the rest.

Some of those D2 jerseys are really creative. I’d like to see the other Northwood jersey (can’t tell if that’s home or away). Some wretch, but others are pretty cool. Paul ought to do an article on their design process and where they get their tailors. You’d think they’d go the template route. But no-o-o-o-o. My fav, hand’s down, is Saint Anselm – with the yokes.

I’d like to see a close-up of the Tulsa log. It looks like it has a chance. (Those cheesy uniforms are another matter.) Still, I guess I’m old-school. Still scratch my head over changing unis within the season. Chanign logos? That’s heresy.

Sorry ’bout the spellin. Keyboard on the fritz. (Or is it the hunt and peck that’s on the fritz?)

‘scuse me. ~~Northwood~~ Kentucky State, on the D2 home or away jersey.

In looking at the scoreboard photo it brings back memories of being allowed on the field after the game.

I remember walking across the outfield at “old” Yankee Stadium after a game to look at the monuments (only 3 back then) and thinking that Babe Ruth was buried there!!

I think Phil’s assessment that Slippery Rock’s uni is perhaps the ‘best Div 2 uni ever’ is a bit over the top, for such a remarkably dull looking uniform.
I like Kutztown’s, but it looks like they took Kansas’s logo and put their colors on it.

Quick question…

Has anyone heard anything about the uniforms for Army Navy next week?

Are Nike throwing out some new uniforms or are we just going for normal stuff?

Really like Kevin Connolly’s Clarksville concept.

It’s worth noting, perhaps, that the horrific link uniforms (though not the logo) were the result of a “submit a design” contest. IIRC it was mentioned on this very blog.

I happened to see a bit of the Tulsa/Memphis telecast while getting lunch yesterday. Since their link is so nice looking, it’s especially disapointing to see what they did yesterday.

Jeff Bahry must’ve channeled his inner UConn football team (and I believe Quinnipiac too) when he submitted his designs

[quote comment=”363696″]Great job on the high school logos. Some are outstanding. Others are simply good. Let’s say the pros don’t have anything to worry about. (‘Cept they give us stuff like the Falconts, Bills and others.)

I’ll reserve judgment until I see the rest.

quote]

That is Northwood’s home uniform. I went to Saginaw Valley and SVSU and Northwood are about 25 miles apart and play every year in the Axe Bowl every year. The trophy is suppose to symbolize the logging history of the area.

Here is a Saginaw Valley player holding the Axe

A Look at Uniforms From Various Martin Luther King High Schools

Rodón: ‘Had No Idea’ Rolled-Up Sleeve Covered Yanks’ Uni Ad

NBA Rewind Series (Part I)

What If All ‘Bird’ Teams Were Like the Eagles? – REDUX

First Look: Eagles Add New Wordmark to White Jersey