Proposed Away and Home Options

After a disappointing post season, change is in the air for the Canucks. Maybe the club will elect to make more than just personnel changes in the off season. At any rate now that the Canucks are out, I will have some more time to update this blog, and I will start with proposing new home and away sweaters.

Canucks 40th anniversary sweater

It is clear that the current Canucks home and road jerseys do not fit the bill in terms of building a strong identity for the Canucks. These jerseys feature two of the four key elements of the Canucks identity. On the other hand, the alternate sweater includes all four of the key elements of the Canucks brand, but does not have a striping pattern steeped in Canucks history. My proposition is simple: promote the Canucks alternate sweater (with some minor alterations to make the striping pattern like the original Canucks uniforms using the hidden V on the sleeves) to be their home jersey, and create a matching road jersey.

The road jersey is the simple one, because the Canucks used the perfect striping pattern on their original jerseys, and the Reebok EDGE version of it which they used during their 40th anniversary season.

With this concept I have basically taken the logo, shoulder patches and numbers from the alternate uniform and placed them on jersey which uses this striping pattern. The only new element is the collar design, which is basically an inverse of the collars on their current home sweaters.

Where this proposition gets complicated is the home jersey. The original did not feature the hidden V in the arm stripes, but rather an in your face, blue on white V. The brilliance and simplicity of the negative space V is lost when this effect is employed.

I am faced with a dilemma at this point. Do I stay true to the history of these sweaters, or do I move forward in the spirit of these sweaters? I have really struggled with finding the best option, and will present all the possibilities to you, and let you vote on them.

Option 1: (the original striping design)

Option 2: (original striping, except V in blue negative space)


















Option 3: (V in blue negative space between white and green stripes)



















Option 4: (V in blue negative space between green and white stripes, basically swapping blue with white from the away jersey)

My personal favourite is option 4. Option 1 seems very dark, and does not utilize the V in negative space. Option 2 is even darker. Option 3 is very similar to option 4, but I like option 4 best because there is the continuity of the green stripe on top carried over from the away jersey.

I have also toyed with the idea of different coloured fore arms on these home sweaters but have decided to leave them as they are, because I think that that stays truer to the spirit of the original blue uniform, if you think that coloured forearms could add to these sweaters aesthetically, let me know in the comments.

Vote for your favourite option on the poll, and leave any other suggestion is the comments.

Thanks for reading.

What we've got

In 2007, with the Reebok EDGE, the Canucks introduced new jerseys. This incarnation of the Canucks uniform drew on many elements from the Canucks uniforms of the past. The return to the blue, white, green colour scheme was perhaps the most positive element of these jerseys, and the best thing for the Canucks brand identity. However, by drawing on many different eras from Canucks history, these uniforms do not come across as cohesive.

These uniforms feature:
- the 1970-78 colour scheme (with the addition of silver and a deeper blue as accent colours)
- the 1972-78 striping design
- a recoloured version of the 1997-2007 orca logo

completely new elements including a redesigned stick in the rink logo shoulder patch (akin to the shoulder patch used from 2003-2007), and an arched "VANCOUVER" word mark (arguably a nod back to the WHL Canucks, although I think that this is a stretch) above the orca logo.

THE GOOD:
These jerseys do have some redeeming qualities. The return to the original colour scheme was a very good decision, as well as maintaining the presence of the stick in the rink shoulder patches.

THE BAD:
My main critique of these uniforms is that in trying to unite many incarnations of the Canucks identity into a single identity, a mash up is created, not a single cohesive unit. Beyond that, the elements used to create this mash up are not the key elements of the Canucks identity.

The Orca logo was introduced basically as product placement when the Canucks were purchased by Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment, and has caused much confusion as to what a Canuck really is. It is again employed on this jersey, furthering the identity crisis.

Overall the Canucks did some really good things with this jersey set, but missed their huge opportunity hit a home run and solidify their brand identity.

The introduction of the alternate sweater took some a major step in the right direction. It features the stick in the rink as the primary logo, a blue, white, green colour scheme, the letter V and Johnny Canuck on the shoulder patches. My only critique is that this sweater uses a striping design never before seen in Canucks history. The striping pattern is a really good design though, and due to the staying power of this alternate jersey this pattern has become a part of Canucks history. Although it is not as creative as the original uniforms which utilize the negative space V on the sleeves, this striping design is great.

How did we end up here?

When the Canucks entered the National Hockey League in 1970, although they weren't the best team on the ice they were certainly one of the best dressed teams. Unlike other expansion teams (for example the Los Angeles Kings, or the Philadelphia Flyers) which wore bright colour schemes which were decidedly different from the colour palates which hockey fans had come to expect, the Canucks brought a unique colour set different from anything else in the league, yet still in line with the classic uniform stylings of the original six, and representative of their hometown. Blue to represent the ocean, green for the trees, and white for the snow-capped mountains. These original canucks uniforms from 1970 were ripe with staying power, and were poised to become timeless classics.

Beyond the blue, white, green colour scheme these sweaters had other key elements which built a strong identity for the Canucks. A simple crest, the stick in the rink, was something any child could draw, was instantly identifiable with hockey. The crest also acted as a modified "C" for Canucks. However, the most brilliant aspect of this jersey is the "V" hidden on the arm stripes. On this simple jersey, a complete identity was established. 

Unfortunately everything went downhill from there. A more complicated striping pattern was introduced in 1972, which eliminated the "V" in the arm stripes completely. By 1978 the Canucks were wearing the "Flying V" jerseys (perhaps the ugliest sweaters the NHL has ever seen) and their identity which started strong was scrapped within 8 years in favour of a gaudy look which was never accepted by hockey fans.

Throughout the Canucks' tumultuous uniform history, they have gone through numerous jersey changes. They have worn 6 separate primary logos, and 5 different colour schemes. The Canucks have never truly found an identity, nor have they ever allowed enough time for one to develop.

Attempts have been made at rekindling their original identity with the most recent modifications to the uniforms and the introduction of the latest alternate jersey, however, the Canucks seem unwilling to fully commit to this identity, and still wear the orca whale jersey at home and on the road, and in the playoffs. Canucks are not whales. The alternate jersey employs Johnny Canuck a Paul Bunyan-esque character from Canadian folklore on the shoulder patch and in doing so, has for the first time in the history of the NHL Vancouver Canucks drawn this important link between the club and its namesake.

With all this being said, I make it to the point of this blog.

The Canucks are in desperate need of a solid identity. Throughout their history, elements which could function to create this identity have been employed.

I have identified these elements as:
- the blue, white, green colour scheme
- the stick in the rink logo
- the letter V, or a "V" shape
- the character of Johnny Canuck

This is a design blog, and what I will be doing is employing these elements to create a solid uniform set for the Vancouver Canucks. As well, I will be using these key elements of the Canucks' identity to reclaim some of the most horrendous sweaters from the past.

I am not a logo designer, so I will not be designing new logos. I may edit old ones, but will not be creating new ones. Also, I want to be original in what I create, so I will not simply be creating EDGEified versions of old sweaters. I want to create a solid modern identity for the Canucks, as if the uniforms evolved organically from the original Canucks sweaters.