Sunday, July 27, 2008

IHA Atlantic Finalists Unveiled!

Over the past couple of weeks I've been inundated with logo submissions for the IHA project. Some of them are top-notch, professional grade logos, others... not so much. But after going through all of the logos sent in, I've narrowed down three finalists for each team in the Atlantic Division. You'll begin voting on them this week but for right now, have a look at the competition.

ATLANTA FIRE


NEW YORK AMERICANS


PHILADELPHIA TITANS


PITTSBURGH MINERS


WASHINGTON STARS


I've left off credits here for a couple of reasons which I won't get into. However, if your logo is featured here and you would like a credit, drop me a line via email and let me know and I'll be happy to add it. Otherwise, I plan to wait and credit the logos that win for each team.

Polls will start going up on Monday to decide which logo should be used for each team. I was going to let this be a surprise but I'll go ahead and tell you anyway. Along with each poll, I'll show some of the logos that were submitted but didn't make the final cut for one reason or another. So if you sent in a logo but it's not among those above, it may still be posted on Icethetics this week.

By the way, I've tried to weed out any logos with elements stolen from actual professional sports team logos, but if I've missed anything be sure to let me know. I've got backups to put in for most teams as far as the polls go.

Now I'd like to hear what you guys think of these logos. Post your comments and critiques below!

UPDATE (5:21 PM): It seems as if the IHA project is nothing if not controversial. A number of readers are concerned that the second Atlanta Fire logo above is too similar to the old Atlanta Flames logo. My opinion is that it's different enough to be considered original but yours is the only opinion that really counts as far as I'm concerned so I'm doing a quick reader poll here to gauge the general feeling on this. It'll be open until tomorrow at noon.

69 comments:

Anonymous said...

The first Titans logo is very similar to the Tennessee Titans Secondary logo

http://sportslogos.net/images/logos/7/160/full/1056.gif

Leafers LP said...

The first Titans logo is the same as the Tennessee Tians in the NFL minus the Tennessee shield:

http://www.sportslogos.net/logo.php?id=1056

The rest are great! better than I was expecting. But what about the secondary, tertiary and wordmarks?

jono_hct said...

First and second Atlanta logos seem to borrow from the old Atlanta Flames logo, especially the second one ... also the word verification for Google account doesn't seem to work on Firefox 3.

Unknown said...

Lets see...
Fire- 2nd logo will win
Americans- 3rd logo will win
Titans- 1st logo will win
Miners- 2nd logo will win
Stars- I don't really like any of them, but i think the 2nd logo will win.

And Chris, are you going to post the finalists for the West Division next sunday, just like today?

Chris said...

The first Titans logo is the same as the Tennessee Tians in the NFL minus the Tennessee shield

Good catch to both of you on that one. Somehow I overlooked it. I'll be adding in a replacement later today for the Philadelphia Titans.

And Chris, are you going to post the finalists for the West Division next sunday, just like today?

That's the plan, assuming I have enough logos submitted. I'm still waiting on more concepts for the Houston Comets!

jono_hct said...

Also the third miners logo looks somwhat similar to this concept logo:

http://www.kineticid.com/logos/fantasy/Yellowknife%20Miners%20Logo.gif

Comes from this list of concept logos:

http://www.kineticid.com/logos/fantasy/Yellowknife%20Miners%20Logo.gif

Of course it may well be this guy who submitted the logo!

Unknown said...

First Pittsburgh logo looks like the shape of the Ketchup shield ! :P

Andrew Harkins said...

I don't see the similarity in the first Titans logo and the Tennesee Titans logo...they're both T's sure, but that's it, otherwise they look totally different...am I the only one who thinks this?

Chris said...

I don't see the similarity in the first Titans logo and the Tennesee Titans logo...they're both T's sure, but that's it, otherwise they look totally different...am I the only one who thinks this?

I've removed the one they were talking about. It was almost exactly the same as the Tennessee Titans' logo. Because of that I won't allow it to be part of the competition. I'll have its replacement posted soon.

Silver said...

the first atlanta fire logo definitely resembles the atlanta flames logo. the second looks EXACTLY like the Atlanta Flames logo, just a different angle of it with a few minor changes at the bottom such as the edges.
the 3rd NY Americans logo reminds me of the Patriots logo

Andrew Harkins said...

Oh that makes sense...I thought i was crazy! The other logos are looking great. I love the simplicity of the first Fire logo although the colors of the second one really jump out. The first Miners logo with the mine car is a great idea and it incorporates the keystone well (for the comment on the ketchup, you should know that the keystone is the symbol for Pennsylvania)...can't wait to vote and see more great stuff!

Chris said...

I took down the Miners logo Jonathan referenced above. Whether it's the same artist or not, it's not an original design for this project. I'll have a replacement up later — actually the replacement is a design by Andrew Harkins (one comment above me), if I'm not mistaken.

Thanks for catching these, guys.

TX_Flame said...

So Chris,
Are you just going to allow those Atlanta Flames knockoffs? Especially Number 2?

awildermode said...

Titans "T-bell" logo is AWESOME!!!!

nogoodbye said...

The Atlanta team never should have been named "Fire" that just begs for the Atlanta Flames logos to be ripped off or altered. Poor planning on that part.

Anonymous said...

Are you going to put up the two logos you took down with the polls?

Anonymous said...

didn't get to see the 3rd miners logo but those first 2 look great. and lol @ "shape of the ketchup shield"... it's the keystone, which is the symbol of pennsylvania.

and i have to echo the whole "what's up with those first two fire logos" sentiment - especially the 2nd one... blatant ripoffs off the old atlanta flames logo. I didn't get here in time to see the ones you removed, but I don't see how you can allow those Fire logos to continue.

Anonymous said...

When are you going to put up the replacements for those logos?

Hockey Week said...

looks like someone else was thinking the same thing as me with the Miners logo (the first one), i suppose that's a better execution of it.

Hockey Week said...

i don't mean to double-post, but Chris (and whoever else decided on the finalists), you really don't like the inclusion of hockey equipment in the logo itself, do you? not a single one of these logos are hockey-exclusive

Chris said...

So Chris,
Are you just going to allow those Atlanta Flames knockoffs? Especially Number 2?


I disagree with your assessment that they're "knockoffs." If anything, I'd perhaps consider the second a modernization of the Atlanta Flames' old logo and that makes it acceptable for this project. But if you don't like it, you don't have to vote for it.

Chris said...

i don't mean to double-post, but Chris (and whoever else decided on the finalists), you really don't like the inclusion of hockey equipment in the logo itself, do you? not a single one of these logos are hockey-exclusive

That was unintentional, but some of the best NHL logos have no hockey equipment in them. Why do they have to be "hockey-exclusive" to be worthy logos?

Anonymous said...

Only the americans logos impress me (especially the third for it's originality), the rest are all pretty bad, only done by good artists so they look good. Especially the atlanta fire and washington stars. And how does a T in the liberty bell symbolize the titans, that one should be a secondary logo because they always symbolize the city whereas the primary should always symbolize the team.

Hockey Week said...

"That was unintentional, but some of the best NHL logos have no hockey equipment in them. Why do they have to be "hockey-exclusive" to be worthy logos?"

of course not all NHL logos have hockey exclusivity to them, but some of them do. at a glance, 7 NHL logos do and 14 AHL logos do, so maybe having A FEW of the finalists with hockey exclusivity would be nice.

i grade a logo based on 4 things: does it represent its team nickname, does it represent it's area, does it represent its sport, and does it look cool. sure a lot of these logos have 3 out of 4 (i'm loving the philly concepts especially), i'm just surprised that NONE of them represent the sport.

are these "worthy" as you call it? absolutely. just-about all of these logos look amazing. the lack of hockey equipment is just an observation that struck me, and i just wondered if you actually were biased against those kinds of logos, not that there's anything wrong with that.

Chris said...

I just inserted the replacement logos for the Miners and Titans. Hopefully that's all the changes we'll have to make.

Hockey Week: You are right, though I've got to say the majority of the logos submitted did not have any hockey equipment in them. When I post some of the logos that didn't make the cut here you'll see that some of them do have hockey sticks and pucks but you'll also see why they weren't finalists.

Now personally, I don't think putting hockey equipment into a logo adds anything. In fact, it makes me think minor league hockey in a mid-sized market. However, there are plenty of exceptions — in the NHL especially. I think it works great for the Avalanche, Islanders, Sharks and Capitals. I think it's a miss for the Thrashers and Penguins. Not sure who the 7th team is on your list (Hurricanes, maybe?).

Anyway, good observation but just keep in mind that this is only 5 of the 30 teams. We've got a long way to go yet.

Damme said...

Well I was hoping for something else than the letter A or F for the Fire logo. Maybe a phoenix, cause it's Atlantas symbol, or a torch, cause it hosted the summer olympics in 1996. People should make some research to get some ideas. Those are a bit plain, but my faves number one.

And the Titans logo. The third one is frigging clever. I first thought it was just a man (titan) with a beard, but it's not just that cause it's shaped like the Liberty Bell. The best of the Atlantic division.

The Americans logo, again, a bit plain, but I like the first one. The first Miners logo looks cool, love it. The third one is okay. And the first Stars logo is the best of those plain thingies.

I'd be doing my own versions too, but I have no skills to fulfill my ideas :(

Hockey Week said...

alright then, i just wondered if my observation had any validity.

I am glad to know that you'll be posting more for these teams, it'll make for some great posts.

we'll have to agree to disagree on the Penguins, call me a homer, but i think it's an amazing logo that represents the team name (obviously), the city (the golden triangle), the sport, and looks "cool".

but i think i see what you're getting at, the Avs and Caps are so subtle that many people don't see it unless you point it out (believe it or not!). The hurricanes (which is the 7th on my list) uses a puck as the middle of the storm, so subtle that you're even questioning. I look at teams like the Norfolk Admirals and think it's a perfect logo for that team (with a tough name to represent). While some logos push with hockey (a lot of the minor league logos you're reminded of), some teams pull it off tastefully (hershey bears, norfolk admirals, toronto marlies, worcester sharks, portland pirates, and the NHL teams you mentioned), others not-so-much.

i realize we're only one division in, but i hope that we'll see the occasional puck or stick in a logo in the future.


one quick question for you, how is this going to work with secondary logos and wordmarks? will there be separate finalists and separate tournaments for those?

Unknown said...

Where are the secondary logos and wordmarks?

Chris said...

Where are the secondary logos and wordmarks?

That won't be decided here. Just primary logos for these polls. In fact, contrary to my instructions, a lot of folks submitted artwork with a primary mark only. But this is all we're deciding on right now.

Jason New Era said...

This is going to seem a little bit angry from me, but why do you decide what goes here?

I mean I understand you made up the teams, but what constitutes your logo choosing over ours? I originally thought we were going to decide which ones move forward, not just 3 of them.

I guess if your response is enough I could ask, will you show the others off eventually? I'd be curious what didn't make it...

Anonymous said...

If you don't change the 2nd Flames logo I'm not going to vote. I hope others agree with me.

Hockey Week said...

Jason,
he said that he'll post logos that didn't make it (i'm hoping all of them, but i doubt it) at some point. i hope that if there's enough fuss made over some logo that didn't make his cut from people like us, he'll include it in the poll to choose the final logo, but i'm not going to expect it.

as for why his choosing is the final decision, if you don't mind my speaking for you Chris, would be because 1) it's his blog, 2) time: how many logos were submitted? 20? do we want to do 20 logos for each of 30 teams? the season would be over by then. 3) fairness: some designs are going to have more submissions than others. personally, i only had a good idea for the Miners, and that didn't make the cut. some teams might have 40 logos, some might have 5. so not to slight any city, he choose his favorite 3 and we choose from that.

i just hope that, eventually, he gives the same treatment for the secondary logos and wordmarks.


Chris also mentioned the idea of building a league from the ground up. sometime in the distant future, whenever this project is done, I really hope he goes through with it, and we choose the cities, the nicknames, the colors, the logos, and the jerseys. If there's enough support, and the idea is popular, we might get to do it, so let's hope for that.

Chris said...

This is going to seem a little bit angry from me, but why do you decide what goes here?

I mean I understand you made up the teams, but what constitutes your logo choosing over ours? I originally thought we were going to decide which ones move forward, not just 3 of them.


Even though you say you do, I'm not sure that you understand the process entirely — or that you read all of what I've written. And to begin, I apologize if this response comes off as annoyed, but no offense to you or anyone else, I just feel like I'm constantly answering the same questions repeatedly.

I'm not deciding on the final logo for each team, you guys are. I'm merely choosing 3 finalists for simplicity's sake. I'm not building a poll with a dozen choices for every team, most of which would be disregarded anyway. That would take too much time and not be worth anything in the long run.

I will be posting other entries I received when I post the polls throughout the upcoming week, as stated. On top of which, if there's enough of an outcry over any of the logos not included in the poll, I'd be more than happy to do it over again.

And most importantly, I didn't make up the teams or this league. I'm merely using what someone else came up with to put together a fun project. It seems no matter how often I point this out, it doesn't seem to get through to everyone.

Some of you guys are taking this blog too seriously and I'm not quite sure why. We sit around talking about hockey logos and jerseys all day. If you can't have a sense of humor and lightheartedness about that, you're in the wrong place.

Pardon the semi-rant there. But I felt like that needed saying. And despite my whining, I'm happy to answer any other questions if you've got them.

Chris said...

Hockey Week... thank you. You beat me to it. LOL :)

Chris said...

godsave1thequeen... you don't have to vote. No one's forcing you.

Ed said...

"I disagree with your assessment that they're "knockoffs." If anything, I'd perhaps consider the second a modernization of the Atlanta Flames' old logo and that makes it acceptable for this project. But if you don't like it, you don't have to vote for it."

Sorry to bring this up again, I agree that this logo -the 2nd Atlanta logo- is a knockoff. It is a beautiful logo, and well recreated but if someone where to come on here with a slightly altered Seattle Seahawks logo for Edmonton I bet it would not make it to the final three. Although the logo is not the same it is in no way an original piece of work, my bet is it would infringe upon copyright laws if a team tried to use it in the real world. If you don't remove it the world will not end, but I hope it does not win and my vote will go against it even though it is the best one of the three.

As for the "why you choose the three you did" I kind of feel cheated out of a decision, but I respect your decision none the less considering the amount of logos that you probably have received, but an alternate idea for the voting process might be to do what you did for the 'what team you are a fan of' poll (that I can't find a link for), even if all the logos are in one poll I don't think that people will mind... but its your choice and we will have to live with it. Again sorry for repeating these questions.

Anonymous said...

The second Pittsburgh Miners logo with the pick axe is pretty similar to the logo set of the Charlotte 49ers.

Anonymous said...

Oops forgot the link. Anybody else agree?

http://www.sportslogos.net/logo.php?id=vea55ffqc50et7z9r6f3

Chris said...

AnimalCoop24, you got that one right. Definitely stolen. I wasn't even aware of that logo. Thanks for letting me know. I'll replace it. Hopefully I can find another backup.

Chris said...

Just added a poll to the post. Share your opinion on the controversial Fire logo. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

how long will that post be up?

Unknown said...

I was really enjoying all this, and all the pictures and the concepts of new teams and a new league. But ever since it started people have just complained about it. Chris is doing his best to make this site great for all us logos and jersey fans, and all people do is bash it in some sort of way. Yeah "icethetics" wasnt my favorite name for the site, but I didnt rant, complain and cry like alot of poeple. The site is what Chris makes it, and hes totally open to what everyone says, but cut the man some slack, without him. You wouldnt be here voting for this, you wouldnt get to see this awesome concept art, and none of this would be open to any of you.

Take it for what it is, enjoy the fact we have it, and we are able to do this, and relax, its all for fun.

Anonymous said...

I think you should replace it...grant it, the outer design is different...but, the Flame coming up is WAY too similar to the original Atlanta Flames logo...no offense Chris but naming the Atlanta team the FIRE is kinda almost asking for the artists of this site to copy/update the Flames logo...

Ed said...

I think some people forgot to read the "learn about the project" post, Chris didn't create this league so don't go bashing him for names that don't fit the team location or any other reason that part of this league that doesn't quite make sense. "The IHA is a fantasy hockey league that exists only in cyberspace created by an Icethetics reader named Nicolas." Now dont go bashing this guy either this is his fantasy league, so what he says goes, when and if we do our own run by Chris, we will get more say in how the teams are layed out. Oh and for all of you who dont think Seahawks makes sense for Edmonton (which I didnt either until now), wiki edmonton and youll see that they are nicknamed river city, and already have a small team named the seahawks so no more complaining about that.

Anyways thanks Chris for making the poll for the altanta logo, good idea, and thanks for dealing with us.

Chris said...

Got another update. I've replaced the third Miners logo. And before I start getting weird comments, this is the bird the designer had in mind. Hopefully we're through with all the copycat logos!

Kevin Y said...

I like that Miners' logo, the one you just put up. I'm sure that when everybody first looks at it, they'll think that the designer was trying to incorporate a penguin into it. I think it's done impeccably.

The Daily Jew said...

Hey guys, I'm the artist of the first Fire logo, and although I'm thrilled my work has made it onto the blog, I was mildly upset when he chose the logo I had designated as tertiary.

I also wanted to move away from an A with flames. That's why I used... (brace yourself)a peach. I know it sounds crazy, but I think it holds true to Atlanta's identity and what a logo should represent. I also changed the orange to a slightly peachy color, but that was overlooked as well.

If you want to take a look at it, the link's below.

Let me know what you guys think! ... I personally think my primary was far more original.


http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=25swvw7&s=4


In response to the entry itself...
let the games begin! You guys better bring the FIRE(no pun intended)!

Silver said...

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/1/31/full/221.gif

VS

http://bp0.blogger.com/_r8tWGVHrjGI/SIyHotKsZ6I/AAAAAAAAFKQ/vLToonCUmyQ/s1600-h/atl2.png

PLEEEEEAAASEE Chris, tell me why we need a poll for this. The two logos are identical. Even the two Flames in the middle of the "A" have the same angles in both images. (look at them From top o bottom)

Sukhraj said...

whoaa...i hope this doesnt sound mean but how did the new miners logo not make your top 3 list in the first place?? It looks crazy and its so creative!

Chris said...

whoaa...i hope this doesnt sound mean but how did the new miners logo not make your top 3 list in the first place?? It looks crazy and its so creative!

Actually, it was sent in today after I posted the original three. I'm a big fan of it as well.

Sukhraj said...

ohh lol okayy..by the way are you going to show us the next divison teams tommorow??

Chris said...

ohh lol okayy..by the way are you going to show us the next divison teams tommorow??

You bet! And I'll let it slip... it's probably going to be the Northeast Division.

Check5ive said...

THE TITANS LIBERTY BELL ONE IS SICK!!!

The Daily Jew said...

I also noticed something in most of these logos-

Since when do you use the letter of the nickname? Sports teams normally use the letter of the city. The Atlanta Braves have their A, Yankees have NY, Milwaukee has their M, the Detroit Tigers have a D.

Calgary has their C, The Flyers have a P, New Jersey has NJ... The Islanders have NY...

The only exceptions I can think of off the top of my head are the Canadiens and the Oakland athletics.

Not trying to prod or anything, just an observation.

Sukhraj said...

well this is a different league then NHL, NFL, and MLB. So people, i guess are trying to make it differnt than the professionals.

Brian Walden said...

If the bird in the 3rd miners logo were a canary, it might be my favorite.

Anonymous said...

That doesn't change the fact that the initial of the city represents the team better than the initial of the club's name. Every league out there uses the city , this really shouldn't be any different.

Andrew Harkins said...

In the NHL I count 5 unambiguous examples of using the city as the letters in the logo (Calgary, Columbus, New Jersey, NY Islanders, Philadelphia)...and 3 that use the team name as the letters in their logo (Avalanche, Canadiens, Canucks). That's not that big of a difference and I don't think the IHA is that out of sync with the NHL.

Anonymous said...

Lose the bevelling. Looks bad.

Kevin Y said...

Well the Blue Jackets don't use the letter anymore; they used to use both the 'C' and 'BJ' in their previous logo, but now have moved to the Ohio state flag.

The Ducks and Bruins can be added to that list; the Ducks do use the wordmark, but the 'D' is a stylized letter. If only they could put that as the primary alone.. oh well, I can only dream :(

But the NHL isn't like Major League Baseball, where it seems every single team's logo is some variation of their initial letter (be it the city or the nickname). In fact, the only MLB teams I can think of that are omitted from that discussion are the Indians, Orioles, and Astros. The Diamondbacks are unusual because of their three logos, two incorporate letters in a creative way other than the standard protocol: the 'D' in the shape of a snake, and my favorite, the 'db' in the shape of a snake's head with its tongue sticking out.

As for the reason, in baseball it's a very traditional thing. Baseball is a sport that doesn't have fancy designs. Their jerseys don't even have their logo with the exception of the Angels, Yankees, and Cubs (omissions?) I mean look at teams like the Detroit Tigers and their extremely fancy 'D'. Teams like the Yankees, White Sox, Twins, Cardinals, Mets, Giants, Dodgers, Padres all have interlocking letters as their logo/cap emblem. Granted, all but the Mets and Padres were from the early 1900s, a time which the identification of the teams were based on colors, such as the White Sox, Red Sox, Reds, and Browns (now Cardinals). That's just a tradition baseball has because they didn't have intricate designs when most of the teams were founded in the 1880s-1920s. The letter of their city was common practice and the only way they identified teams.

NFL also uses letters rather frequently; the Giants, 49ers, Packers, Bears, Falcons just to name the few that come to mind. The NBA actually does a really good job at avoiding that, but in the early 1900s-1950s when these sports were becoming big in America, there weren't people or machines to make extravagant designs so they relied on the simplest, most efficient image they could, which was a simple letter or two. Now we have the technology to make some great designs (as we've seen have been submitted in this IHA tournament thus far), but professional American sports teams and the common sports fan have a very hard time letting go of traditions that have lasted for the better part of a century.

When we get a new team in this technological age, we expect to see some great designs like some we've seen from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Houston Texans, and Charlotte Bobcats in other sports, not to mention the Thrashers, Wild, and Predators in hockey. But as we've seen in baseball, for many people it's very hard to shy away from a century worth of tradition.

Whiter Mage said...

I'm not 100% sure the third stars logo doesn't look like a com-badge from Star Trek.

The thing about the 2nd jersey being "too similar" to the Atlanta Flames, long story short, they don't exist anymore. Which, really, means that if a new hockey league were to start, really, there's not much the NHL could do to stop the team from being called the Fire, and the logo could be similar (Someone could look up the rights, I assume Calgary has them), and for all intents and purposes, could design an updated version that was *just different enough*. I think that second jersey fits in fine with that ideal.

And considering the third logo in Atlanta's scheme looks like the F from KFC's spicy chicken line or something, I don't necessarily mind.

*Off-Topic, but reading about equipment in jerseys makes me wanna plug my team*People forget/don't notice, btw, that the Caps current logo really integrates three aspects of equipment, btw. Most people see the stick and puck, but I think a lot of people miss the net that "pita" forms. Just going out and mentioning that one.

Darrell Sharpe said...

I really meant to submit something for one of these but i totally forgot haha. Some of them are pretty decent, so not so much. Can we maybe get a deadline for the next division?

Mike Shaw said...

All-in-all, I have to say I'm disappointed. I think all three of the Pittsburgh finalists are terrific but am really unimpressed with the Titans and Fire finalists and only vaguely interested in either the Stars or Americans finalists. I'm looking forward to seeing some of the designs that were left out to see if maybe there were better or more interesting concepts that just didn't make Chris' finalists cut.

vince said...

MY STARS LOGO IS WAY BETTER CHECK IT OUT ON MY PROFILE .IT BLOWS ALL 3 LOGOS OUT OF THE WATER

Unknown said...

the 'W' in the first washington logo is a blatent steal from the Capitals alternative. They merely changed the eagle into a proper letter but the basis of the design (capitol building being used to create the middle of the 'w') is a rip-off. I wouldn't that, the atlanta flames logo and the pittsburgh logo with the inexplicable penguin.

Darrell Sharpe said...

Vince: just looked at your logo for the stars man and well, i think i'd have to go with chris on that one.

Anonymous said...

My thoughts: I'm not a big fan of any of the NY Americans logos... Love that the Liberty Bell's getting used for Philly... Not sure that a Penguins image should be used as a finalist for Pitts, but like the other options... And while I'm not sure about the second Washington logo as a finalist option, the other two are pretty nice (I'm putting my money on #3 taking it though)

Mike Phoenix said...

I made the 3rd Miners logo If you all search a ( NOISY MINER BIRD ) you will see what i was getting at.

Kirky said...

Vince
i looked at your logo too, and clearly all 3 finalists are better than yours

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