Fear The Turtle

Although the earthquakes registered relatively insignificant seismic activity, Maryland was still unable to avoid a disaster. Scientists may tell us otherwise, but the University of Maryland was certainly an epicenter as the Terapins, in partnership with Under Armour, unveiled new football uniforms. If you haven't seen them yet, there's a lot of great info, images and videos over on SBNation: http://dc.sbnation.com/maryland-terrapins/2011/8/22/2377783/maryland-football-uniforms-new-under-armour-randy-edsall. 

In an effort to maintain what little following my blog has, I'm not going to say much about what can only be described as not walking the fine line between radical innovation and sheer hideousness, but stomping on it. Like them or not, the one thing you can say about Nike's Pro Combat series is that typically you only have to stare at them for one game, not an entire season. I suppose you could have applauded Maryland's willingness to try something radically different if they had been the first, but now that we've already seen two seasons featuring Pro Combat uniforms, really they're late to the party. There's the obligatory BFBS monochrome look, complete with black helmets and then an additional all-white look as well (sorry, no fancy uni-term like WFWS yet).  There's so much to hate about these uniforms and not a whole lot to love. If I find the time (and patience), I'll hope to have a more detailed breakdown in the near future. 

From Deutschland With Love

As I've been thinking about things here in Europe, if I can find the time, I'd like to get some stuff out there that might not be normally on the radar in terms of American news. As big-time professional soccer is just starting over here, I may try to have some futbol-centric posts in the near future.

From The Other Side Of The Pond...

For those not in the know, I'm over in Europe for the next couple months, and as such, the 'Great Recoloration' is on hold until I can find some solid time to work on it. Sorry!

I will try to keep this blog updated as well as I can, but with spotty internet, and the time-difference, I'm not sure how in-depth I'll be able to go with some of these posts; I'll play it by ear.

Today we'll take a look at Georgia's Nike Pro Combat uniforms, which were unveiled recently, and boy, are they poop-in-your-pants crazy. Nikeblog.com has a nice rundown (with photos) of the uniforms, but I think the real test will be seeing them on the field.

Other than the colored facemask, which we'll get to in a bit, there isn't a whole lot we haven't seen before from the Pro Combat series. UGA's uniforms come with all the standard accouterment: the gloves, the base layer, and I'm sure we'll see some custom-colored cleats as well. While this iteration of the Pro Combat series doesn't offer a whole lot, it does the job without superfluous striping, panels, or piping that plague so many of today's so-called 'modern' uniforms. It is a bit of a shame though that Georgia's pants stripe didn't make it onto the uniforms, as it is one of the more unique uniform elements in college football.

The most distinct part of this uniform is undoubtedly the helmet. UGA is trading in their traditional helmets for a more-or-less inverted design favoring silver/gray (as was also the case in the early 1960s) over the usual red. The black nose and rear helmet bumpers are a nice touch, but the big details are the ultra-wide stripe that runs down the middle, and of course, the facemask. As for the stripe, the first thing I thought of after seeing it was the helmets used by Ohio State from 1960-1965, which featured a super thick middle stripe, although (as you can see for yourself over at the Helmet Project) this was more than just cosmetic.

Ah yes, we've reached the facemask. Wow, is that unusual. I certainly can't say I hate the look, but I don't think it's a look that would work for everyone. While I've seen several players, most notably the late Sean Taylor alter their facemasks in various ways, this is the first time I've seen one that features more than one color. I wonder how distinct the look will really be when worn by kickers or QBs, players with traditionally lighter facemasks. The last little thing I've been pondering while looking over these new uniforms is the fact that Georgia uses pride stickers in the form of dog bones on their helmets, which are normally white and black. I'm anxious to see if they alter this color scheme for the new helmets, or forgo the stickers altogether.

Overall, the look is a less than spectacular. While the uniforms, as unusual as they are, certainly aren't horrendous, they don't really amaze us with anything new besides the helmet. For what it's worth, it may be exactly what Nike wants.

The Great 'Recoloration'

When we think of college football, school colors are as elemental to identity as the opening line of the fight song. Colors are the fundamental battle standard that immediately proclaim your loyalties to a rival; are you Ohio State scarlet, or Michigan blue? 

In what could be described as a coked-out-college-football-Willy-Wonka boat ride, ALTLG will be employing some PhotoShop magic to swap some of the most iconic school colors with that of a rival in an effort to produce something unique, and maybe even thought-provoking. 

Stay tuned for the update...

Catching Up, Part 2

I hope by now it's evident that in no way was I hoping that my 'Catching Up' update would be comprehensive; I picked out a few things to mention that piqued my interest and would like to re-emphasize the point that there are far superior locations to get the latest uniform/sports design news.

One development I didn't mention in the previous update were the new uniforms for Kentucky football. In my mind, UK is one of those schools with potential to have fantastic uniforms because of their colors. The simple, yet bold blue and white create one of those almost elemental combinations that could only thrive in college football. Compared to to other tradition-rich SEC schools like Alabama and Ole Miss, UK has donned relatively modern uniforms in the past few years. These uniforms weren't bad by any stretch, but I have never been a fan of the monochrome, color-on-color uniform–it's too much blue.

For this fast-approaching season, the Wildcats will sport new uniforms made with Nike's Pro Combat jersey and pant template. On the whole the uniforms aren't changing a ton, but I really like the continued use of the checkerboard, 'Derby-inspired' motif that we've seen sported by UK's more famous basketball counterparts. It's a unique design element that can be used to break up the solid color without a lot of superfluous stripes or piping. Also worth noting is the return of a helmet stripe, and the option for an alternate white helmet as well.

Overall this isn't an earth-shattering uniform change; it's one that the casual fan may not even notice. It is proof, however, that changing details–even a few subtle ones–can result in a significantly improved design.

Catching Up

There has been a lot in the last two months in terms of uni-related news and developments, and while certainly I won't strive to cover all of them, I'd like to comment on a few:

The NHL has returned to Winnipeg, and so too have the Jets. No uniforms yet, but the Jets have unveiled colors and logos. While I wholeheartedly welcome the return to Winnipeg and the reuse of the Jets name, I was hoping to see a sharper result in terms of logo and colors. Yes, they get points for basing their primary logo off of the emblem used by the Canadian Air Force, but on whole the design was a bit ho-hum. On one hand, there are way too many teams in the NHL using some combination of red, white, and blue so I understand the heavy use of gray, but there's no avoiding the dull look it creates. I think their secondary logo looks almost too much like it belongs to an airline, and the curvy script J-E-T-S, while traditional, is far too frilly to belong in hockey. Still, it's hard to criticize too much when we haven't seen the uniforms yet.

Among the host of usual changes a new season of college football ushers in are the new threads Oklahoma State will be wearing. I don't know about you, but beyond one of the greatest proclamations of middle-aged masculinity in the history of ever, I don't know much about OSU. I do know that their previous uniforms were one of my least favorite, making these new threads a major upgrade. They offer a clean, modern look and a black alternate that is, in what seems like an unprecedented miracle, NOT BFBS. You can snag a closer look at this new uniform set at http://www.nikeblog.com/2011/07/28/oklahoma-state-uniforms-amazing/. 

Staying with college football, the Michigan State Spartans will be donning Nike's Pro Combat uniform series for the first time this year. No word yet on what they'll look like, although if you do enough digging, you'll find plenty of mediocre-to-terrible mockups of what they 'might' look like. MSU however is just one of the other schools along with Army, Boise State, LSU, Navy, Ohio State, Oregon and Stanford that suit up in Pro Combat gear this coming season. As outlandish as most of the Pro Combat uniforms have been, it seems as though Nike's mentality has been, "as long as it's crazy–no one will notice how bad it looks." Say what you will about some of those uniforms, I'm just glad they only wear them for one game.

Expect more catch-up in the near future as I am able to get some features posted as well; that's all for now.

Cleaning Off The Dust

It's been over two months since my last update, and I've discovered that I do not have the resources or drive to keep the blog fresh with timely, uni-news based content. A lot has happened in terms of uniforms and sports design in the last two months, and later today I'll post with a few of the highlights and brief commentary. In addition, I'll be trying to keep the blog updated with entries centered more around commentary and design in place of simply rehashing news you've already heard. 

That's all for now; expect a real update later today.

And The Award Goes To...

Sorry there hasn't been a post in a while, the blog has been on hold recently, but should pick up again soon. Today we'll look at something incredible by way of the soccer-inspired blog The Beautiful Gear, by way of the blog FilmDrunk, by way of UniWatch. Hope that wasn't too confusing. It's a remarkably humorous–and superbly-executed design from a team in a Dallas-based indoor soccer league. Team captain Mike Miller explained to 'The Beautiful Gear:' 

"I’ve got an indoor soccer team in Division 11 (1 being best, 11 being worst… obviously) here in Dallas, Texas and I would like to submit our team jerseys which I designed and made. The patches are embroidered and the lettering is authentic jersey vinyl on Adidas Predator blanks. While we only finished 3rd in our division, I like to think we looked good doing it. The team name is Portman Kunis United (aka The Scissors). It’s a tribute to Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman in the movie Black Swan, for their….. amazing acting. Notice the handcrafted numbering, custom with a swan on each number."

The uniforms are simply outstanding. Obviously for real embroidery as well as legit Adidas kits and custom vinyl letter one would need to shell a decent chunk of change, but original designs executed like the pros are the kinds of things we live for at ALTLG. If you haven't seen The Black Swan, you've probably at least heard about some of the more 'memorable' scenes; this humorous reference should need little explanation. It is in this spirit in which this design is so impressively–and humorously presented. Frankly there's not a lot to breakdown here; you just need to admire it. From the subtle–yet thoughtful details of the swan logo on each number à la the EPL's Barclay Lion, to the scissor logo on the rear of the collar, this design–if not for it's R-rated humor could easily be mistaken for a professional team, complete with sponsorship across the chest. Even one of the names on the back has humor in itself. And as you might expect, the two kits–home and away/clash–are of course, black and white. 

From ALTLG to you Mr. Miller, a tip of the cap for a job well done. It's not often you see design as humorous and beautiful as this.

Little Things

Note to Reader: This post was originally published this past week, but again due to server issues at Blogger, has not appeared on the site until now.

I've made some small updates to the site to help make ALTLG a more 'complete' blog, and hopefully help you as readers explore more uni and logo-related content. I've added some additional links along the side of the page; these are all great places to peruse and in some cases, see some spectacular user-submitted concept art.

I've added two more blogs, Icethetics, and Football Shirt Culture, which are dedicated to hockey uniforms/logos and soccer kits/logos respectively. Icethetics has lots of great concept designs as well as being a tremendous resource for those wanting to stay abreast with hockey design. Football Shirt Culture is an incredibly useful site because as any soccer fan knows, teams changes kits quite frequently.

Aside from the two blogs, I've also posted links to ColorWerx and The Helmet Project. These are both incredibly comprehensive resources. ColorWerx, formerly know as The Society For Sports Uniforms Research, has a simply huge amount of information including detailed uniform histories from MLB to the NFL. The Helmet Project has catalogued virtually every college and NFL helmet ever worn, making it the place to go if you're at all curious about headgear your favorite team has donned in the past.

I know that we're far from actually needing one, but I've added a Search function through Google Custom Search at the bottom of the page that will hopefully be useful as I publish more entries. Also worth noting is the new block logo above the Search function. I like it so far, but I want to eventually come up with something more visual that doesn't use words.  Let me know if you have any ideas.

Lastly, there will be a new entry tomorrow, and beyond that I've got some other things in the works for the site itself to look forward to. Thanks for your patience, this Blogger server issue has really slowed down the blog.

Down Goes Frazier

ALTLG will be down for a day or two, as several recent posts seem to have disappeared entirely from the blog and archive. In the interest of efficiency, new posts will unfortunately be delayed until I can figure out what happened and find a reliable way to back up my content.

EDIT: http://buzz.blogger.com/2011/05/blogger-is-back.html Well it appears the problem wasn't nearly as mysterious as once thought. In the interest of avoiding futility, I will continue to wait for my posts to possibly be restored instead of trying to rewrite them.