Minnesota Vikings Uniform Leak?? Maybe...(or maybe not)

Jeff Anderson of the Minnesota Vikings tweeted a picture from Nike's official NFL Uniform event today. If you look close, are the NEW Vikings unfiroms peaking out from behind the corner?? Take a look

At first peak, it appears there are light colored helmets and pants!!!........but relax, thats the reflection of the Cardinals uniform next to the Lions uniform. I think.

What potentially sucks, is that there's a strip in a similar spot on the shoulder if this indeed the Vikings new uniforms. Again, this would suck...as that could indicate minor changes.

We already know there appears to be a darker purple and maybe metalic gold lettering...which if done right, could be super rad.

Keep up with Twitter today in case someone leaks something and share them with us on Twitter if you see something - @UniForums

That's all for now.

UPDATE: Anderson tweeted another photo of Adrian Peterson in front of the current Vikings uniforms...so no juice to squeeze it appears.

Minnesota Vikings - New Uniform Nuggets

By now, you are most likely aware that the Minnesota Vikings are one of the teams to officially announce they are changing uniform designs for the upcoming season. Graphic design artists have been hard at work mocking up designs for fans to look at and judge. I, however, don't feel like doing that...

What I will do, is throw out some ideas/thoughts that I'd like to see when they officially unveil the uniforms on April 25th.

- There is no way the Vikings go away from the color scheme of purple/gold/white. I expect they'll go back to the retro purple and I hope they go back to the retro gold. Will they add black or grey as a secondary color? Perhaps. Grey has busted on to the scene in a massive way with college uniforms, so if they do this...they must do it right. Black? No thank you.

- Helmet Finish: I'd like to see them go with a unique finish that Nike has yet to use with other uniforms. There have been a lot of chrome finish helmets being unveiled recently, and we all know about the matte finish helmets that dominated uniform changes in 2012-13...so what else can be done? How about a dull looking finish? Not matte, not chrome...but in between (and not sparkly). Think of it as drip pans for your stove, or tin foil but not quite so shiny. Keep it purple, keep the horns...I think it'd be sharp.

- Face mask color. This can make a WORLD of difference in my opinion. Think of how different the Vikings current throw backs look if they took the grey off and put on purple...it'd look stupid. I say KEEP the grey face masks, even if grey isn’t a secondary color.

- Speaking of secondary colors...grey should get consideration. Chad Greenway has already stated that the new uniforms make the purple "pop", but pay respects to the old school uniforms. If they choose to go with grey pants, I'd be fine with that. If they choose not to...I won't be shocked if the old grey face masks find their way back to the uniform design.

- Stripes: No...we don't want them unless they are simple and clean.

- Numbers: Unless Nike gives the Vikings a badass, trademarked font like they did with the Gopher Football uniforms, I say make them bold/traditional...clean. No fancy ones that look like a minor league baseball team is using the same font.

- Alternates: I hope, I mean REALLY hope, they unveil a third/alternate uniform like Seattle did. It'd be dumb not to...fans love that. My personal vote would be all black...but that would almost require black as a secondary color, and I don't want that. If they go with grey...they'll be copying the Seahawks. Yellow has always been mentioned...but it just doesn’t flow....on anyone.

From here, there isn't much else to share. I'm probably more excited about the uniforms than I am the draft, but the Vikings are my team...and uniform changes make people giddy. Lets hope the Vikings don't disappoint.

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Trim The Beaver

Hats off to Oregon State for updating their school's logo, along with their football uniforms. They made the logo smaller but tougher, which I like. It'll be fun to watch other teams within their athletics department update their uniforms designs.

You can read the story from Yahoo! here - http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/oregon-state-gets-rebeaved-beavers-look-lot-different-045048032--ncaaf.html#more-26994

NEW Oregon State Football Uniforms - 2013 - (Facebook.com/OregonStateBeavers)

I've always had a soft spot for the Beavers (you can get funny with that if you'd like) due to Gary Payton, who was a childhood favorite of mine. The last time they updated their football uniforms, the likes of Steven Jackson, Chad Johnson and Derek Anderson were throwing up points all over the Pac-10 (sort of).

It seemed to give the school some spark.....and these new uniforms should do the same. They are flat out...awesome. Other programs should take notice if they have a uniform design that's getting stale.

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Throwback Post: Chicago White Sox

Now THIS is what I'm talking about. The White Sox unveiled some sweet throwbacks this week. Other teams should do this as well. The Orioles, Blue Jays and Astros have done a throwback style look, but permanently. The White Sox should consider making this more of their every day look. 

White Sox Throwbacks For 2013

The ironic part? Navy blue and red were colors of the White Sox at one time.....that makes about as much sense as having black be the primary color for a team called the White Sox.

Nice work Chi-town...the fans thank you.

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Typing Out Loud Vol. 1

winning design submitted by fans

A big reason for this blog is to have a place to put my mostly stupid thoughts on paper.......or a computer. I'll call it "Typing Out Loud" as that's exactly what I'll be doing. The grammar might suck, the flow of the thoughts may not be smooth, and I may not even make sense. Either way, some ideas may be worth discussion, who knows.

I'll start with today's news that the Milwaukee Brewers held a contest that let fans design a Spring Training uniform concept. GENIUS idea. I brought up a similar concept in a previous post for the NFL and Nike (read it here). It's a great way to express interest for fans that have creative ideas. 

Speaking of crazy uniform concept ideas, a colleague of mine and I were discussing a crazy cross promotion idea between the NFL and NBA. How crazy/rad/sad would it be if the NFL used the logos and color schemes of NBA teams for uniforms, while the NBA used NFL logos and color schemes for their uniforms?

Let me clarify. NFL teams that have a NBA franchise in close proximity would accept designs from fans. These designs/concepts would be influenced by the NBA team's logo. Example: The Minnesota Vikings would wear Minnesota Timberwolves FOOTBALL uniforms, while the Timberwovles would wear Vikings themed BASKETBALL uniforms. Seems crazy right? Check this very poor visual (I threw this together in five minutes)

NFL uniforms influenced by NBA uniforms

NFL uniforms influenced by NBA uniforms

It seems like a stupid idea...and I get that. But it'd be super interesting to see what sort of designs fans would submit. I'll continue to work on digital designs for this as I don't have the tools yet to make good looking rough draft designs. If you have ideas you'd like to contribute, email UniForumsDW@gmail.com and I'll post them. The cross promotion could go between the NFL and MLB too...but baseball has a lot of traditional color schemes and logos. The audience for the NFL and NBA are already in place, it'd be a great idea in my opinion.

New Orleans Pelicans' Logo

In other uniform news, the New Orleans Pelicans (yes, that's a real NBA franchise name) release their official logo. My reaction: I oddly like it...which I think most people have a hard time admitting. It's unique to New Orleans as the Pelican is their state bird, and that's important. The "Hornets" just doesn't make sense. In the past few years, NBA teams have been going back to a more "retro" look for their primary logos (see the Wizards, 76ers, Cavaliers, Jazz, Warriors...). I find this odd because the NBA was the first professional sport to embrace the "cartooney" and "teal" concepts (see Vancouver Grizzlies and Charlotte Hornets). 

Some NBA teams will never change their logo due to their history, nor should they (see Celtics, Lakers, Bulls, Trailblazers), but some have flat out swung and missed with their uniform designs. Specifically, the Bobcats. If you're going to start a new franchise, you should at least let the fans vote on the best concept for uniforms and logos. Look at the Oklahoma City Thunder. No one outside of OKC was happy to see that franchise leave Seattle. Like New Orleans did with the Pelicans, Oklahoma City chose a nickname that's specific to them...the Thunder. "The Thunder? Seriously?" was everyone's thought. Well, it stuck. They didn't go crazy with their logo or their uniforms. They went with unique ideas and kept it simple...and that worked. Congrats to the Pelicans for taking the same approach. DEAR SEATTLE: Take note...

Lastly, I'm working on a post that will cover the rumors of four NFL teams making changes to their logos for 2013. Those four "rumored" teams are the Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. You can ready the story about this rumor HERE.

As the author of this story suggests (and has apparently seen each logo change), one change is great, one is hardly noticeable  one is awful and one is modernized. It's possible that the Dolphins changes were leaked (to see it, click HERE), and if true, that would solve the "modernized" myth.

My prediction for the other three? 

Panthers - LOVE it
Vikings - Awful
Buccaneers - What changed?

The author suggests that Buccaneers fans don't need to worry about the Creamsicle uniforms coming back, so my guess is they don't change much...maybe just clean the logo up a bit. As for the other two teams, I'm from Minnesota...we just can't catch a break with any of our teams. That will result in the Vikings trying to make changes in house, through Nike, and completely botching a "re-branding" campaign. That won't sit well. 

I won't be surprised if the Panther come up with a cool new design. The "Carolina Blue" (not THE "Carolina Blue") was cool in the 90's when the franchise started. They haven't made many changes and their team has been garbage the past 10 years. They have a new regime in charge, and it only  makes sense that they'll go for a new identity. If they were smart, they'd change their colors and their logo. We should know before the NFL Draft in April...I guess time will tell.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading!

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The NBA officially unveiled their 2013 All Star jerseys today. My initial response? "Um, what's different?". They look really similar to the past few All Star uniforms, but if you read the fine print of the press release, they do pay some respects to the history of Houston, which is cool I guess.

What happened to the crazy all star games that had more of an identity to the host city? The red/white/blue colors should be substituted for colors closer to the state/city that hosts the event. I'm not saying they need to be horrendous like the ones from when Phoenix hosted in 1995. Those were awful, but at least they were specific to the Arizona theme at the time. Phoenix did much better in 2009 using the red/white/blue specifics, even adding some gold to a pretty decent design.

The NBA has had some really bad All Star game uniforms since going back to the "traditional" red/white/blue concept (exhibit A, exhibit B), but what's worse? Ugly designs with host city specific color combos? Or ugly designs using the NBA’s red/white/blue color combo?

I'd like to see the NBA allow the host city work with Adidas to come up with All Star game uniforms with more identity. I get it, a more standard look will sell more jerseys...or so you'd think. But if you think about who's buying the jerseys, if your favorite player from your favorite team makes the All Star Game, those fans will buy that jersey regardless of the color combo, as long as it isn't horrendous. It works for Major League Baseball, and they don't even wear the custom jerseys during the game!

Hey, at least it's more creative than having the players wear their normal jerseys...(ie 2000 NBA All Star Game)

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Note to the NFL: The fans want in.

If you pay an ounce of attention to college football, you know that new/innovative uniform designs by Nike, Under Armour, Adidas and others are a hot button topic. This year, more than any year in the past, bowl bound teams were unveiling new uniforms for their bowl game. Not their standard uniforms...their BOWL GAME uniforms.

NIKE NFL Uniforms

To some, that may sound crazy and give the sense of "that seems uncalled for". For others, however, it's just one more thing to talk about as their team heads in to what is most likely a meaningless game (or non BCS bowl). Why do schools invest money and time in to something as unrelated to the actual play on the field? It's easy: THE FANS.

The NFL switched from Reebok to Nike as their official uniform supplier in 2012. With that announcement came the idea that Nike's Pro Combat uniform concepts (which started this whole craze a few years ago in college football), would find their way in to the NFL. The NFL has been very strict with their policies about franchises making drastic changes to their logos/uniforms. Many wondered how this transition from Reebok to Nike would go.

Seahawks 2012 NIKE Uniform Design

Out of thirty two NFL teams, only one took advantage of the uniform switch to Nike to re-boot their image...the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks were already known for being a bit more "out there" with their uniforms due to combining neon green to a specific dark shade of blue. It was a good look for Seattle and people began to associate that color combo with their franchise. That's the beauty of it...identity. There are LOTS of teams that need identity changes for many reasons. The NFL's time to ease up on their traditional ways is now...but they don't have to do it all at once.

I think I've developed a concept that includes EVERYONE from the NFL, Nike to the fans.

Every year, more and more fans are taking interest in how good or bad a "newly unveiled" uniform design is sports. It's not just about logos and re-designs, its about concepts never before seen in a uniform design. Thanks to social media and connectivity to your favorite teams/schools, these new concepts and uniforms spread like wild fire and the fans always want more. A perfect example: the "leaked" logo for the Miami Dolphins for 2013-14 created a crazy social media buzz.

What if we gave the power to fans to use their creativity? As in..."give them a voice"?

My idea is quite simple: Every year, the NFL celebrates Armed Forces week. NFL teams pay tribute to our Armed Forces with multiple events and honorable things being done...and it's a great way to pay respect. What if, for ONE week a year (say, during Armed Forces Week), the NFL allows every team to wear Nike Pro Combat inspired uniforms? Better yet, what if those uniform designs were developed by fans? Even better yet, what if the fans were able to vote on five separate uniform designs for each team (again, designs submitted by the fans)?

This is how I'd imagine it works:

- During the previous years' post season, through the Pro Bowl, the NFL promotes and encourages fans to enter/submit a uniform design of one NFL team of their choice.
- Fans then have to submit their designs/concepts to an authorized NFL/Nike website by a specific date (IE March 31st).
- Nike, along with representatives from each NFL team, will then select FIVE uniform designs for each team.
- Fans will then have a specific window in which they are able to vote for their favorite design of the five (IE the month of May).
- Prior (or during) training camp, each NFL team will unveil the winning designs for their team AND the fans who designed them. Obviously a massive grand prize will go to the winning designers (Super Bowl tickets for life, a small percentage of the jersey sales for that specific design...etc).

Madden Cover Vote '13

From there, the NFL and Nike sit back and collect the additional revenue they may have not received from standard jersey sales. A portion of all revenue collected from these designs (jerseys, hats, t shirts...etc) go to Military Families, Veterans or any sort of Armed Forces charity. Maybe the items don't go on sale until Armed Forces week, but regardless of when they go on sale, they stay for sale until the next year's contest winners are announced. 

Seems like a pretty awesome idea to me. Then again, I have no idea how long a jersey design/concept can go from "concept" to actually being worn on the field and in to retail stores...but its the NFL and Nike, I'm sure they can make it happen...but I'll take credit for the idea :) Besides, we know the "let the fans vote" concept already works with the Madden Cover Contest each year with EA Sports and ESPN.

Feel free to share this with the social media world, and who knows, maybe the NFL and Nike see it and consider the idea. (yeah, I don't think they will either...)

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Gopher Football Uniform Concept

Here’s a quick concept I threw together for my beloved Gophers football program. It seems that the University of Minnesota is always a few years behind in the “uniform upgrade” game, so it was a pleasant surprise to see them unveil new uniforms for the 2012 football season. The Gophers had a much tougher and more unique look to them this year and I like that. For years, Minnesota teams have gone with the stupid sparkle helmets and their uniforms usually mirrored other Nike designs, such as the University of Washington's. It’s time create a new identity and Jerry Kill knows that.

My idea to “be different” is to go outside the comfort zone a bit. Rather than do an all-black design, which I lobbied for last year and LOVED what Colorado did by making it a surprise vs USC, the Gophers should go with more of a unique approach…ALL GREY. 
 

 

Other teams have dabbled with the grey concept (see Washington State and Eastern Michigan for example) but it hasn’t blown up yet. I would prefer it to be the matte finish, but the quick image tools I used for this concept gives more a shine to the uniforms (I used EA Sports’ team builder website for this one). If they took their current uniform design and turned the primary colors grey, I think it’d be a badass look.

The Gophers went all white vs Wisconsin in the past...but really haven’t done much else outside of throwback looks. This would be “different”, yet still a clean style. I wouldn’t want these uniforms to be their regulars…just a little change of pace vs a big ten rival.

Thoughts?


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Should the Vikings go "old school" in Green Bay?

Everyone knows the traditions that go along with playing at Lambeau Field. You can bet NBC won't let us forget that during the telecast Saturday night, so why not have some Minnesota Vikings history in there as well?

The Vikings and Packers have great history. Yet the Packers have never beat the Vikings in postseason play. Heck, Aaron Rodgers has NEVER won a playoff game at Lambeau Field. The Vikings have worn their throwbacks at home vs Green Bay the past few years, so why not surprise everyone and make a statement Saturday.

My suggestion: AWAY throwback uniforms.

Minnesota Vikings Throwback Uniforms - Away

Adrian Peterson and co. would look rockin' in these uniforms. Plus, all of the Vikings fans who watched them in the 60's and 70's would love it.

Just a suggestion worth considering...

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