I believe, as Icethetics believes, that it was a rush job because the logo was leaked. This photo started going around the internet and within an hour of its appearance on Twitter, the Jets tweeted they would unveil the logo online.
That seems odd because you would think there would be a big event at the arena or something for fans to literally unite together. However, given the fact that the logo was leaked, I can appreciate the quick reveal to get on top of it as much as possible before the actual unveiling was "old news".
It surely came as a surprise. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I went to shop.nhl.com in hopes of purchasing the new shirt and show my support. Well, at the time, it wasn't there. In fact, noting mentioning the Winnipeg Jets was there.
At least, not down here.
I looked at the US version and took a screen shot and there was no mention of the Jets. Thought I would put that in the blog to show how quickly things happened with this logo unveiling. I decided to try and get a shot of the "Sorry, no gear" message, so I went to the Winnipeg site because if you used the link there to go to the NHL shop, you got a message about it not being available. But the message was gone and there it was at the top of the page: The banner for Jets gear on sales.
But wait. This was the Canada site. Linking to the USA site, no Jets gear. Even the Canada site doesn't have a photo of the product.
This goes to prove my point. I believe the logo coming out caught everyone by complete surprise. I would have thought that it would have switched right when the Jets released the logo. But it is currently 1:50pm on Saturday (almost 24 hours later) and they are still uploading it into the system.
Things are evolving quickly. Last night, you could link in the top part to the Atlanta Thrashers gear. Well, that link to Thrashers stuff was removed early this morning. I know it's hard to see, but just look at how the number of teams are uneven in the two conferences:
But the Thrashers gear was (and at this moment is) available by link in the bottom of the homepage.
Note there is no mention of Jets in either place.
Well, the Canadian website for the NHL Shop suddenly has Jets gear on sale. Just no pictures.
But the US one does not even have it for sale yet.
They are still adding things to the site. Notice the drop down still doesn't list the Jets as one of the teams.
This is kinda fun. It's like a scavenger hunt. Or finding mom setting out the Christmas gifts.
Anyway, I'll come back to the Jets merchandise in a second. I wanted to show a video of how the Jets arrived at the logo.
In case there are any problems viewing the video, here's the highlights:
They worked with the Canadian Air Force to see if they could use the rondelle (the circle) and they got the go ahead. They modeled the plane after the CF-18. They also got the approval of the Toronto Maple Leafs to use a Maple Leaf in their logo. Smart, possibly legally smart move. Finally, and here's something I fear, they mentioned using this logo before for a military appreciation night with the Moose. They wore this jersey:
Please please please please please tell me this isn't what the Jets will look like on the ice. I love the color, the light blue, but the red piping is killing me. I think if they added some silver highlights and borders here and there, this could be a slick jersey. It has the foundation of being awesome, but isn't quite there yet.
Well, one can certainly hope the Winnipeg Jets are successful in their branding adventure. I really think they can be a great looking team. Again, thank you for not bringing back the old logo. It really isn't that great of a logo based purely on the look of it. Yes, it has symbolism, but this is a new team and era. And it's a great thing to have that little notch up there, not just for the compass, but to put more difference between the team and the military. Still honors them, but seperates the two just enough.
What do I want to see in the jerseys (which will be unveiled later)? A light blue home jersey with the primary logo and the secondary as the patches; of course a white road jersey with the secondary logo as the crest and the circles on the shoulders, and a red third jersey with the primary logo on the front. That's my desire as it stands right now. I can be subject to change.
I'm debating back and forth on the third jersey's color and logo. If the team is smart, they will not reveal a third this year. Let things sorta pan out. That way, if there is something the fans really think they should have done (maybe bring back the old looking jerseys or, dare I say, go with a wordmark), you can do it and know it will be a success.
If you add the old Jets jersey into circulation this year and the team sucks, then you're stuck degrading the legacy by putting a team on the ice that makes an obamination of the memories. That's just one example of how they can screw things up by revealing a third too quickly. Just a thought. People are still so excited/disappointed, they are in that "knee-jerk" reaction to the logos and will be for the jerseys as well. Taking time with third is a good thing especially since they had no choice but to rush the logos and primary jerseys.
I still like the idea of honoring the Thrashers heritage in the jersey design by having "Winnipeg" run down the sleeve, like "Atlanta" did. Loosetoon backs me up on this. But neither of us are holding out on that design. Too bad. It looks good and gives that slight nod towards us in the ATL without being all "in your face" about it.
-no product pics yet in Canada and no USA products at all-
Oh well. I'll try back later on. Can you tell I really want a Jets shirt?
TTFN
No comments:
Post a Comment