The Unveiling of the Jets Brand Identity

So, we got the new Jets logo that I've been wondering about since May. It's quite...middling in quality. Take a look.

Now don't get me wrong; I don't hate this at all, I just expected more, especially with the primary and alternate wordmarks. I just find them a tad stoic. That's usually the coolest part for me. I'm not saying it should look all bouncy and puffy, but it should look lively. It's kinda cold.

• What I do like about it: The use of Avenir (that is Avenir, right?) and the RCAF/RCAF Flyers connection.
• The People That Could've Handled This Better
  Locally - Stu Reid: Stu has been holding it down graphic design-wise for years, and he created the Winnipeg Goldeyes logo. He would've been the natural go-to for me.
  Americans - Aaron Draplin or Von Glitschka: I know either of these men could've kicked ass at this.
  Aaron is the master of subtle cool-yet-functional design, as far as I'm concerned, and I have no doubt that he'd sum the Jets up in a way that would make everyone proud.
  Von is a meticulous pusher of pixels (buy his books!) and an avid lettering guy. Not only would've the primary mark looked amazing in his hands, the wordmarks would've also been world class. Do I have to mention that he worked for Upper Deck? He knows what's up.

This, of course, is merely my opinion. Apparently, there was a line-up around the corner for the new merch at the Jets Gear store, and it might still be there as I type this, so the people dig it. That's all that matters.

Man, I really hope Armin Vit has something to say about the new look. I enjoy his identity dissections. I'm pretty sure folks have pointed it out to him.

Dribbblin'

That's right, I'm now a Dribbble member. My friend Neil had a few invites available, and I was like, "well, why not?" So far, no regrets. In fact, I feel reinvigorated creatively. There's something about this combo of social media/Flickr/Twitter/show and tell that is pushing me to actually do stuff. Not gonna look this gift horse in the mouth.

I'm not sure how I found out about Dribbble, but I'm betting it was through Twitter. Upon arriving at the site, I was puzzled as to what it was about, as every picture uploaded was no bigger than 400 x 300, and either a fragment of a finished project, or an element of an unfinished one. And, to be truthful...I thought a lot of people were biting Frank Chimero.

With that said, I wasn't about to totally dismiss Dribbble. I learned my lesson with Twitter and Tumblr, both of which I now use avidly. I think I turned a corner on Dribbble due to an episode of The Freelance Radio Show, where panelist Von Glitschka mentioned that he was user of the site. That was good enough for me!

As I was saying, I've got a renewed vigor goin' here, and if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna work on something I made some notes on.