Gorgeous piece by graphic designer Ken Carbone at FastCompany.com as he tries to one-up helmet logo designs of three NFL teams: the New England Patriots, Washington Redskins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Excerpt:
Among the weakest designs are the Washington Redskins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers , whose visually complicated logos become a graphic mess when televised and, I imagine, even if you’re sitting on the fifty-yard line.
Carbone’s effort? Mixed.
His stunning success was this amazing re-design of the Redskins’ helmet, which he partly attributes to visiting the Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
After the jump, his attempts at improving the Pats’ and Bucs’ hard candy shells.
Love Carbone’s descript of the Patriots’ hard hat:
The Patriots’ helmet is plastered with their logo, which comes dangerously close to looking like a wind-swept John Kerry dressed up like a Minute Man. If there was ever a time to go with the obvious this is it. Why not really play the patriotic card and star and stripe the helmet?
I actually love the look of that helmet, if Big Daddy Don Garlits was hunkered down in a Top Fuel dragster in it.
Carbone on the Bucs: “I amplified the “Jolly Roger” feature of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers helmet to make it more telegenic while retaining the overall team color scheme.“
The last one is a toss-up for me. I like making the skull and crossbones more prominent, but the flag is a nice touch. The football though in the original logo needs to go. It’s forced. Carbone’s ‘Jolly Roger’ look would indeed look better on TV, so I lean to his design.
Let me know your thoughts, if any, in the comments. And vote below. I would love to see the teams wear these helmets at least once. Especially the Redskins. That shell would be the best looker this side of Chris Cooley’s wifey.
4:54 pm on November 11th, 2009
Skins and Buc need new helmets and new players wearing them
4:56 pm on November 11th, 2009
All of the old ones
4:56 pm on November 11th, 2009
I don’t really care for the patriots one at all. the redskins is kinda philly-esque with feathers instead of wings but I really like it. the bucs helmet is alright.
5:02 pm on November 11th, 2009
I have a nice idea for the Cleveland Browns new helmut……
5:05 pm on November 11th, 2009
The redskins one does look cool, but it really does look a lot like division rival philly… unacceptable.
5:05 pm on November 11th, 2009
Doubt if Tom Brady will want to wear a helmet that reminds him of Evil Knievel and his many broken bones
5:20 pm on November 11th, 2009
The Redskins one is horribly gay and would look awful on the field. Straight hot mess. Looks like a seagull smashed head on into it.
5:48 pm on November 11th, 2009
The Buccaneers concept looks too much like the Raiders. The Raiders already tried to sue the Bucs over their current look.
5:58 pm on November 11th, 2009
The only logical explanation for the black in the feathers of the Redskins helmet is that he asked Zorn what the Redskins color scheme was. HORRIBLE!
6:01 pm on November 11th, 2009
Patriot’s one is too Evil Knievel looking, in fact they all are a little too USFLish. Sometimes understated just looks better.
6:11 pm on November 11th, 2009
Of the three I like the revised Tampa Bay helmet the best. 2nd Washington and last (very last) New England.
Cool stuff.
9:44 pm on November 11th, 2009
The Bucs redesign is the best, but then I like that helmet more than the others anyway. That Redskins thing is an abomination.
6:58 am on November 12th, 2009
Anything is better than the Elvis in Red Square Patriots helmet, they never should have changed the original…the new one looks like something Fonzie would wear to jump over some barrels, which makes it awesome…
7:01 am on November 12th, 2009
redskins…lose the stripe, go back to the arrow/feather ala florida state
8:42 am on November 12th, 2009
I love all the new helmets, not for keeps tho.. just like the throw back or alternate jerseys, it would be cool to see them all wear them one or two weeks a year.. its a nice change and looks cool would get girls and young kids more involved
9:06 am on November 12th, 2009
Good lord. The Bucs helmet isn’t bad - but I LOATHE/HATE/DESPISE the other 2. NE looks like the Easy Rider helmet and the Redskins resemble them losing a fight to some ostriches.
9:31 am on November 12th, 2009
I agree with D.A. that the Bucs helmet looks too much like the Raiders. It’s not bad, but it isn’t that much different, and it minimizes the red, which just makes them look like a generic Pirate based team.
Redskins, is that more or less offensive to native americans?
Patriots, I was thinking more Super Dave Osbourne than Evil Kineivel, if only because the Redskins play has been more “humorous” than “daredevil”
10:50 am on November 12th, 2009
The designs for the Pats and Redskins helmet look horrible.
The Bucs helmet looks amazing though.
1:56 pm on November 12th, 2009
They’re ALL improvements over the current ones, any dope can see that. But the Patriots should have NEVER tossed Pat the Patriot aside for the thin, inferior “Elvis” logo. Great teams in Beantown; boring unis when not in throwbacks. And Rams should go back to navy and white, as in Roman Gabriel days. Their karma can’t be any worse….can it?
11:32 pm on November 12th, 2009
Pats is like Evel Knevel or Love American Style.
Bucs skull looks like a margin doodle in 3rd grade
Redskins looks like cartoon ostrich butt, takes away all the strength of the chief and feathers.
Don’t like any of them.