Re-Imagining the NHL: Anaheim Ducks

Ducks Jersey (est. 2006)

Here we are. The first re-imagined 305c NHL jersey. And to start it all off, we're going back to Anaheim's original color scheme. 

The Color Scheme: Black, Green, Purple, Silver & White.

Although the orange streak in the current jersey format connects Anaheim geographically (Orange County), I'm not a fan. The orange is a bit too distracting in the Black, Gold and white color palate. It seems to really jump out and take all of your eye's attention. So, I decided to mute the colors a bit and return to a near replication of the Jade & Eggplant. The green is a bit darker than the original, less teal and more 'pond scum' green. The eggplant was tweaked to a more full purple which worked well with the black. 

Debut Jersey (est. 1994)

The one thing I do like about the current jersey is the black. A black background with a few highlights of color can be more intimidating (and more fun to wear) than a green jersey or, gasp, a purple jersey. So, I stuck with the black to make the players feel a bit more manly in the sweater.

The Branding: Primary 'D' Logo, Secondary 'Mighty Duck' Circular Logo / 'Ducks' Text Logo.

305c Anaheim Ducks' Logos

The 'D' logo, or the 'Duck Foot' logo is much more appealing to me than the full text logo. Looking at the current jersey, the chest looks empty. You can barely read the logo and if you made it bigger, it would stretch across the entire chest, looking out of place. Solution? Drop it and make it a shoulder patch. The Ducks currently use the D logo on their 3rd jersey. It looks much nicer than the text, BUT that orange piping (orange lines) is too distracting. I used the D logo and attached my color scheme to make it blend with the rest of the jersey.

The secondary 'Mighty Duck' circular logo is a call back to the original branding. No, they are not the Mighty Ducks anymore but they still have rights to the logo. I used a simple white/negative space version of it on the 3rd jersey because the colorful logo just popped too much. It was a distraction. The colored Mighty Duck logo can be seen as a shoulder patch.

Anaheim, 1995. A Sad year.

Home & Away Jerseys: Home Primarily Black, Away Primarily White.

You don't see a lot of asymmetrical jerseys in the NHL, or AHL... or KHL for that matter. Why? Because they usually don't work. I can't say that my idea will work, but I believe that it could work. In the current jersey, Anaheim has a few curved stripes from left to right across the bottom. I liked that idea but I didn't like how it just stops on the left edge of the jersey, leaving a strange black area.

I mimicked the curve of the line but didn't have it stretch across the whole jersey. The curve starts a little left of center and continues up the body. The lines actually wrap around the left arm in a continuous arc. I decided to make the lines different thicknesses to give it an interesting pattern.

Instead of just coloring the collar, I decided to give it a little flair. The current jerseys feel too plain without something on the shoulders or around the collar. I decided to give it a straight line around the collar area in contrast to the curve along the bottom of the jersey.

2010 Alternate Jersey

Alternate 3rd Jersey: Primarily Black.

As I mentioned before, I chose the all white Mighty Duck logo because a full color circular logo was distracting. As an alternate sweater, I wanted to make the alternate color of silver the predominant color. The bottom has a slightly angled set of straight striping. This is in reference to the team's inaugural jersey with the angled striping half way up the body. I believe the original striping went too high up the body so I set a slightly smaller angle. The stripe thickness is similar to the home/away jerseys with an alternating silver/white/purple/white design. I believe that black, white and green are the primary colors of 305c's Anaheim Ducks, so, it is fitting that the secondary colors of purple and silver have a primary role in this alternate jersey.

The sleeves have a simple striping similar to the bottom, except one side has purple while the other has green. It gives the alternate sweater a sense of asymmetry without actual asymmetry. Make sense? Probably not... Anyways, the collar stays the same with a predominant silver color and the shoulder patches are changed to the D and the Text logo.

Summary:

I believe this jersey set gives as much reference to Anaheim's past as it does to it's present. The color scheme goes back to its roots but not exact. The home/away jerseys have a feeling of the current design without copying it and the 3rd jersey has a real sense of 'alternative' while nodding to the original design. I didn't want to start this massive undertaking with an asymmetrical design but it made too much sense for Anaheim. Start out with a risk and the rest should be easy... we'll see.

Oh and don't forget, Ducks fly together!

Also Featured at Icethetics.info

Images of jerseys from Chris Creamer's Sports Logos &  The Hockey Uniform Database.