Sports Design Blog

What If? Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals have had one of the most unique helmets in the history of the NFL. The overall tiger stripe design was a revolutionary look when it was introduced and is still one of the most innovative around. However, the striped helmet has now been around for nearly 30 years! What if, the Cincinnati Bengals were to change the look of these helmets? What directions could the team go to give them a fresh new look to replace the 30 year old striped dome? First, it is very unlikely to ever see this happening, because the current helmet is embossed into the seatbacks at Paul Brown Stadium, but it would be fun to take a look at possible options to give the Bengals a new look.

First, it would be interesting to see what the team would look like with a primarily black helmet. One option that would be easy to implement would be to create a new version of the current one, but change the base color to black and only have the hint of black striping over the top. This would give the helmet a meaner look, but would keep the striped design in place, thus eliminating the need to replace seats at Paul Brown Stadium.

Another way to go would be to make the Bengals' helmets look more like those of traditional NFL teams. This could be achieved by placing the team's "B" logo on the side of a solid black helmet. The "B" would make a nice helmet logo and give the team a completely new look, with some tiger stripes thrown in for good measure. Of course, this look would also work with an orange background as well.

Since the team is known for their helmet design being outside the mainstream, what if you were to take the team's jumping tiger mascot and put it on each side of the helmet in a unique position. Placing the tiger on this way and this large would give the team another out of the ordinary look like no other team.

Another option for a black Bengals helmet would be to use the tiger face as a main logo on the side of a solid black helmet. Again, this would be much more similar to the traditional NFL type design.

Any of these new helmet designs could easily be paired up with the team's current uniforms, providing the Bengals with a new, but familiar look. 

As I have written before about the Bengals, I am a huge fan of their old school simple look from the 1960's and 70's. What if you could bring back some of that old school flair with a modern twist? Start with the helmet. By taking the team's more modern logo font and giving it a bit of an arch, you create a modern retro version of the old style Bengals helmet. This design utilizes the team's current font, but brings back all of the greatness of the team's original helmet.

To go along with the helmets, you could give the team's jerseys a bit of a back to the future feel as well. How about you simplify the jersey down to the way they were back in the 1970's, but update the sleeve stripes in a way that pays tribute to the way they were in the past. You could give the stripes some modern flair that also incorporates some of the more recent striped look of today? Put the two together and you have a modern looking return to the past for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Remembering Kenny Irwin Jr.

It was eleven years ago today that the racing world lost one of its rising stars, and I lost a friend. On this day in 2000, Kenny Irwin Jr. raced his last lap in practice at the New Hampshire track. Kenny's loss was just one in a series of tragic accidents that affected the NASCAR family and has had the tendency to get lost in the shuffle as time has passed by.

I had the good fortune of getting to know Kenny through my association with Hasbro and the Winner's Circle brand. Kenny had driven cars sponsored by Winner's Circle in 1997 and many of the people I worked with there had the good fortune to work closely with him that season. It was in October of 1998, after joining the Winner's Circle team, that I got the chance to meet Kenny Irwin at an event at the headquarters of Action-Performance in Charlotte. This was the weekend that Kenny and Dale Jarrett were participating in the Batman and Joker promotion.

I had long been a fan of the famous RYR Texaco Havoline #28 and was a fan of Kenny's as soon as it was announced that he would drive the car in 1998. Prior to my association with Hasbro, I was your typical NASCAR fan who loved his driver, wore his gear each Sunday and had his number on the back window of my car. I was extremely excited to know that I was going to attend this special event in Charlotte, knowing many drivers would be there. As the night went on, I had the chance to meet Kenny and a group of his close associates. When I introduced myself to him, I whipped out my Kenny Irwin Fan Club card and he was quite surprised to see it. I had a few minutes to talk with him and he invited me to look for him the next day at the track.

Over the rest of the 1998 season, I would see Kenny at the track when I was there and he always had a smile and a kind word. He would signal me from the car when he was heading out to practice and would always invite me to come into his pit stall to watch the race. He always had a smile and took some time to chat each time we were around.

 When I rolled into Daytona for the first part of Speedweeks in 1999, I was the proud owner of a NASCAR hard card. Kenny was quite impressed at the site of my new found stature. Over the course of the 1999 season, Kenny would again be the friendly face I would look for each time I was at the track. At Martinsville in late 1999, Kenny broke the news to me that he would be moving over to drive the #42 for the 2000 season. He even asked if I would take a shot at designing some paint schemes for him. Later that season in Charlotte, Kenny had us stop by his motor coach to look over some ideas and watch the Busch race. That was a really great moment.

Over the years, I was privileged to have designed t-shirts and logos for Kenny's Fan Club. In 2000, he had me do his t-shirt design featuring the #42 car he would be driving for that season. When we arrived at Daytona in 2000, I could see a new spirit in his eyes, looking forward to a new start for the 2000 season. He seemed full of optimism and ready to get the season going. I would see him a few times as the season wore on as I traveled to the track. At Richmond that summer, I got a chance to spend some time with him on pit road and talked about how his season was going and about how well he had done at that track in the past. Little did I know that it would be the last time I would ever get the chance to talk with him.

I was in Daytona for the July race but I was never able to catch up with him that weekend. My schedule was full of events and though I was able to give a wave hello as I passed him in a car, I never got the chance to talk with him. I figured that I would just catch up with him at the next event I traveled to. I listened in on Kenny during the race that night, and then made my way back home like I had so many times before.

I was working a summer hours half day on Friday, July 7, 2000. I had just gotten home from Hasbro at lunchtime when I got a call from a family member telling me to turn on the news. I can't even describe the feelings I had when I heard the news that Kenny had been lost in a practice accident. I had never felt such a profound feeling of unexpected loss.

Kenny Irwin Jr. was a driver who had so much talent and opportunity in front of him. We never knew the heights that he may have achieved in his career. On July 7, 2000, the sport of NASCAR not only lost a great future talent, but a warm, kind person as well. Each and every July 7th, I continue to pray for his family and send them my words of encouragement. I will never forget Kenny Irwin Jr. and the simple acts of friendship he showed to me. I want to make sure that the name Kenny Irwin Jr. is never forgotten and will always do everything I can to keep his memory alive in the minds of NASCAR fans.

In honor of Kenny Irwin Jr., you can do something that can make a difference. In his memory today, please visit the Kenny Irwin Jr. Foundation's website and make a donation. The Dare to Dream camp was started by Kenny's parents, Kenny Sr. and Reva Irwin and the camp provides a special place for kids in need to experience things they might not otherwise be able to do. This would be a great way to honor the memory of Kenny Irwin Jr. on this July 7th.

NBA Playoff Matchups: Design Style

Now that we've entered the second round of the NBA playoffs, I thought it might be fun to take a look at the matchups not from a competitive angle, but from a design angle. Which team wins the battle of best look and logo?

Western Conference:

San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns

You know I have bias on this one so I'll get it out of the way right off the bat. I am a big fan of the Spurs and am also a big fan of their logo and uniforms. I think the Spurs current logo is outstanding and is one of the best in the league. The team's silver and black color scheme and simple, classic uniform design makes them one of the best looking teams in the NBA.

The Suns have a good look as well. The Suns have shifted graphically over the years and have pushed the envelope each time they switch. From a color standpoint, I'll take silver and black over purple and orange. I'm also not a big fan of the Suns' uniform design, especially the PHX version.

Winner: Spurs

 

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Utah Jazz

This Western Conference matchup brings us two teams whose names make no geographic sense. I know that Lakers makes sense in Minnesota and Jazz makes complete sense for a team in New Orleans, but both of these nicknames don't stand up in their current locations.

The Lakers logo is one of those logos that has been around so long that you just take it for granted. It has stood the test of time and is one of the most recognizable around. That does not mean that it a good design or that pleasing to the eye. If you really look at it, there's not much to make it outstanding, just familiar.

The Jazz have a much more modern, over-the-top look. If the team name makes no sense, at lease they added a mountain scape to the logo to give it some geographic relevance. The Jazz brought back the old musical note to their logo sheet which is a great throwback to their New Orleans roots, but still makes no sense in Utah.

I'll give this one to the Jazz, just because the Laker's logo has been around so long, it just disappears.

Winner: Jazz

Eastern Conference

 

Orlando Magic vs. Atlanta Hawks

In the Eastern Conference we'll start with the Magic and the Hawks. The Magic's current logo and uniform set does a great job of keeping with the same design style and look that the team has used throughout its still short history. Two colors that work well together are black and royal. Throw in the silver and the Magic have a great color scheme. I've always been a fan of the star for the A.

As for the Hawks, my old school preferences just don't let me accept the team's current look. I know that this navy and red harkens back to the team's early years, but when  I think Atlanta Hawks, I think red and yellow. I grew up on the Dominique Wilkins led Hawks teams and just really don't like the team replacing the yellow with navy.

Winner: Magic

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics

The Cavs/Celtics matchup is a good one from a design perspective. One one hand, with the Cavs, you have a very modern logo and uniform design, and on the other, you have the classic of all classics, the Celtics.

The Cavaliers had one of the greatest logo and uniform turnarounds in history when they introduced their current look several years ago, replacing the disastrous exploding net-era look. The logo and its colors look great and the team's uniforms look great. With Lebron James leading the way, this look will be the standard that today's young fans will look back to as their time marker.

The Celtics are the poster children for tradition and time-tested style. Outside of their occasional dabbling with gold on their jerseys, the Celtics of today look much like the Celtics of yesterday. Simple, understated and unmistakable. The logo has to be one of the most recognizable in sports.

From a visual standpoint, this is a fun matchup to watch.

Winner: Draw

Where am I?

SDB readers, as you can tell, I have been very busy and have been unable to post a lot over the last few weeks. I've been knee deep in a real world project that has consumed most of my time. I am in the process of opening up a retail fan shop here in my hometown. All of the planning and design of the place has been a great challenge.

The store is going to be dedicated to my UK Wildcats, selling anything and everything UK. It's something I did back in the 1990's and I'm excited to get back to doing it again. Sorry it has kept me away! Once everything gets rolling, and we get past whatever happens in the NCAA Tournament, I will be right back in the saddle here at SDB!

MLB: some things that drive me crazy

Now that Major League Baseball is making its return, I got to thinking about some things that really drive me crazy about Major League Baseball. I was a huge MLB fan growing up. I knew every nuance of every logo and uniform and really loved the sport because of all of that. In the 1990's I started to lose my love of the game a bit, moved on to the NBA and some other stuff.

In the modern MLB, there are a few design and uniform related things that just drive me crazy and really get in my way of trying to enjoy the game the way I used to. So, here's a list of my MLB pet-peeves:

The New Spring Training Hats:

What in the world is going on with these spring training BP hats? Is nothing sacred? I was no fan when MLB added the color blocks to the sides a few years ago, but this year's version really crosses the line. What purpose does it serve to add random piping and color blocking to something as pure as the MLB on-field cap? Did they go out and hire someone who did some of the modern NFL gear with all that color blocking and piping. Sorry, but I'm just not getting these at all.

Floppy Pants and Oversized Uniforms:

To me, a baseball uniform should be worn in much the same way as a military uniform, with a certain protocol. It should fit you, it should be tucked in and the pants should be properly stowed at the calf with a nice set of stirrup socks at your feet. The way the modern MLB player wears their uniform makes the game almost unwatchable. I just can't get used to players wearing their jersey three sizes too big and their pants drooping down their legs and dropping down over the back of their shoes. To me, that is just not the way a baseball uniform is supposed to look and really makes the visual enjoyment of a baseball game suffer. Luckily there seems to be some movement taking place back to the nice old school way of wearing the uniform. Let's hope that trend continues.

The Pirates Using Red:

I know this is probably way out there, but the Pirates just don't look right with red in their logo and on their uniforms. I know there is some historical perspective to red being in their color palette, but to me, who grew up seeing the Pirates of the Willie Stargell era, the red just makes no sense. Couple the red with the Pirate madman in the logo and you get a look that, to me, just doesn't cut it. The Bucs need to make a return to their 1970's roots and ditch the red and bring back the old school Pirate.

The Random Use of Black:

I wrote about this last season, but why do teams find it necessary to use black in their uniforms for no real reason? I just don't get why teams like the New York Mets and the Cincinnati Reds feel the need for black as an accent. When you think of the Mets, you think orange and blue, not black. The Reds are named the Reds for a reason, they should be red! I just don't get the addition of black. It seems like the trend for black in licensed products has waned a bit and teams like these need to return to their original color schemes and send the black packing.

Logos That Need to Return:

This is a personal thing, but their are a few old school logos that need to return. You all know my fondness for the old Astros look, and I've even written about the need for them to return to the look that made the team famous. I'd be right back on the MLB bandwagon the minute the Astros brought back the H-star look.

Another team that needs to make a return to the past is the Baltimore Orioles. I really miss the old smiling bird that the Orioles used to feature on their caps. Behind the Astros, the Orioles were my second favorite team growing up, thanks to finding a Jim Palmer Kellogg's 3-D card in my cereal one morning. I just get a great feeling any time I see that old school look and though I like the Orioles caps as they are now, I would go nuts to see the cartoon bird return.

So there you go, some random rantings about my MLB opinions. Major League Baseball and its uniform history hold a special place in my sports design heart, and much of what I wrote is based on the era I grew up in. Maybe some of this stuff will take place and all could become right in my MLB world!

Sports Design Blog's 1st Anniversary!

So, it was on this day, March 11, 2009 that I finally sat down and launched the Sports Design Blog. After spending my entire adult life working in and being a fan of the sports design business, I needed a way to get all of those experiences out of my head and share them with someone. When I launched the blog last year, I didn't know whether anyone would care or not. Thankfully, it has become something fun to do and mildly popular as well.

Early on, with the help of Paul Lukas at UniWatch, like-minded sports design fans found the blog and latched on to it. It has been great getting to know many of you over the course of the last year. I have made many great friends through the blog and have enjoyed everyone's input and participation. I have shared many subjects and topics that range from logo design to sports licensed products to classic old school stuff many may have forgotten. I try to make sure you never really know where I'll go each day.

I look forward to sharing with you during SDB's second season. Thanks again to all of you who make this such an enjoyable experience. It is great to know I have created a place for people who look at sports from a visual perspective and not just a competition angle to gather and get some enjoyment!

Hear's to year #2!

Get them while they're hot! Classic memorabilia here!

Today a little shameless promotion. I've listed a few items I've written about before here on SDB out on E-bay. I thought you guys might like to get a shot at them, so here's the info.

The first item listed is the original 12 USFL gumball helmet set. I wrote about these a while back and came across another set. Here's a great chance to get your hands on this great set of sports design history. They are in great condition and are about as rare as you'll find.

The second item I listed today is a set of the Shell Oil Cincinnati Bengals art prints. I wrote about them back during the football season. These art prints are from 1981 and were one of the first pieces of memorabilia to feature the Bengals innovative striped look way back when. If you're a collector of Bengals memorabilia, these would be a great addition. The set features Ken Anderson, Anthony Munoz and four other Bengals stars from the past.

Finally, though not sports related, I know many of you are on the same level as I am with your fondness for toys from the 1970's. The last item I listed today was a classic TTP Turbo Tower of Power playset from 1974. This classic Kenner toy was a favorite of mine in the good old days. I remember hooking up the motorcycle to the air chamber and letting it go. This one is in its original box and all of the parts are still locked into place on the inside of the box, never played with. If you want something to give you a great childhood flashback, check it out.

I'll be back tomorrow with something new. I've been knee deep in a project that has kept me away a bit over the last month or so. Thursday will mark the 1st anniversary of the launch of SDB, so I'll be celebrating that with you then.

Remember the CBA?

As I was doing some research on old school basketball stuff the other day, I came across something unusual. I found a program from a CBA game from 1986. The CBA, former home to now NBA coach Phil Jackson was celebrating its 40th anniversary in 1986. The CBA was a poor man's alternative to an NBA team, and filled those markets where a city could not sustain an NBA franchise. Here in Cincinnati, we had the pleasure of watching the Slammers and their brand of basketball at the Cincinnati Gardens. I'm sure everyone remembers the formidable Slammers Twin Towers combo of Ozell Jones and Dan Federmann!

In this old game program was an ad that allowed you to order a t-shirt with your favorite CBA team logo on it. The ad is presented in full black and white and features the graphics from all of the teams in the CBA  for the 1986-87 season. Judging by the looks of the logos on the page, there weren't many powerhouse graphics firms used to create many of the looks of the teams. Everyone in the league used a basketball in their logo except the Jacksonville Jets. These shirts were a deal at $8.95 and came with a money back guarantee!

I think the CBA still exists in some form after reorganizing after the bankruptcy that followed Isiah Thomas' reign over the league. This old school ad provides a great look back to a time when basketball at all levels was going crazy and the CBA was riding high!

Shoes You Never Knew

All of you know that I was a big fan of the shoe biz in the 1980's. I've written many times about my favorite basketball styles from back in the day. Many of those shoes set the tone for the modern sports industry and were responsible for the boom in sports products that still exists today. Most of them, you know very well.

Today I wanted to take a look at some styles that may not be as memorable as the Air Jordan or the Pony City Wing. Some of them you may not remember, or may have blotted out of your mind. The first shoe on my list is the Kinney Official NBA shoe from 1977. Obviously this style existed long before the Air Jordan revolution took place. The Kinney NBA shoe featured all of the modern shoe technologies of 1977, and a beautiful gold suede and mesh. Inside the shoe you see a great NBA logo pattern and the NBA logo on the tongue. Just so it doesn't get confused with an Adidas shoe of the time, there are four stripes instead of three. Where else can you get an official NBA endorsed shoe for $18.99? This is a great forgettable shoe from the 1970's.

Next on the list of forgotten shoes is the official NCAA basketball shoe from International Shoe Company circa 1984. Born in the pre-Jordan era, but during the Nike Air Force and Converse Fastbreak eras, the NCAA shoe is one I'm sure you don't remember. With style names like the Phi Slamma Jamma and the Alley-Opp, these shoes were deigned to capture the true spirit of NCAA basketball, all for a surprisingly low price, as the ad states. It is pretty obvious why this shoe design did not go down in history with its brothers from that era.

The last shoe on our list today is another player endorsed shoe that didn't come with the hoopla of the Jordan or the Converse Weapon. I've written before about Ralph Sampson's Pumas and Akeem Olajuwan's LA Gears. This shoe is another obscure player endorsed model. I remember the KangaRoo being endorsed by Walter Payton, but I forgot that "the shoe with a pocket" was also the footwear of choice for Clyde "the Glide" Drexler. The KangaRoos Slam Dunks were supposed to let you out-jump, out-spin, out-pivot and out-class your opponent. Clyde could get up in the air, so his KangaRoos may have helped.  The KangaRoo logo is one of the most original from the time and is prominently featured on the side of the Glide.

So there you go, some basketball shoe treasures you may have forgotten about from the golden era of the basketball shoe business.

Uniform switchup in Mississippi

Last night's Kentucky vs. Mississippi State game in Starkville presented an odd uniform situation. The game was played on Mississippi State's home floor, but the team's were wearing uniforms opposite of what they would normally be wearing.

The Mississippi State crowd was dressed in a varying pattern of white and maroon shirts, while the basketball team was wearing a new set of black jerseys on their home court.

The Kentucky Wildcats took to the floor in their home whites. It was extremely odd seeing the Wildcats playing on the road in their white jerseys. The white uniforms just belong on the floor of Rupp and looked really strange on the road. I was looking forward to get a good look at the new Nike road blue uniform for the Cats, hoping that the graphics on the back would look less like a sweat stain on the players' backs than the art on the white one does.

It turned out to be a great basketball game, with an interesting uniform twist just to keep you on your toes.

Old School vs. New School: Gumball Helmets

Everyone who grew up in the glorious Sears Catalog days of NFL collecting remember the old school NFL gumball helmets. I've written before about some of those glorious gumball helmet designs from the 1970's. The technology back then was not nearly what we have today, so those helmets were extremely limited in what kind of decoration could be done to them. Every helmet utilized a decal on each side to create the team graphic and any team that needed a stripe over the top had a stripe decal as well. For teams like the Rams and the 1980's Bengals, this presented some issues.

Fast forward to today. Manufacturing technology has advanced in so many ways that the gumball helmets you buy today are far different than those from the past. The gumball helmet of today is definitely not your father's gumball helmet. Modern gumball helmets have no problem at all displaying the intricate graphics on some of the NFL's most complicated helmet designs. Tampo printing technology allows the current gumball helmet to accurately display the team graphics, even if they wrap over the top of the helmet. No longer do you have those die-cut decals, but graphics that are permanently printed on the helmet.

The basic shape of the old school gumball helmet was also a bit different than a real NFL helmet. The old school gumball helmet was somewhat flat on the sides and on the top in order to allow the decals to be placed on a flat surface. The facemask of old was a simple white two-bar design that snapped into place on each side of the helmet. As the old school gumball helmet evolved, you even started to see facemasks in colors. I used to keep a drawer full of helmets with the decals removed and various colored facemasks so I could customize them at any time.

Fast forward to today's new school gumball helmet. Today's helmet is shaped in a manner that is much more like that of a real helmet. Since the graphics are now pad printed, there is no need for the flat surfaces for decals, allowing for a much more realistic shape. Today's facemask is also much more detailed, with a realistic full-face design.

Today's helmets provide collector's with a much more realistic piece of memorabilia to collect, but there is something about an old school gumball helmet that just feels right. Despite their decoration and shape limitations, the old school gumball helmet was one of the most cherished of all sports collectibles for young NFL fans from the past.