The Icemen Cometh

Back in July, the ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen announced that they were redesigning and rebranding their look which worked simply due to fun. Anytime that one can get a yeti into Florida means they're looking to have a little more fun with their branding, so I was hopeful that the team's new look would carry into their jersey design. With a refined colour palette and some creativity, the Icemen could have a lot of fun with their look this season and beyond. Would we see them indulge?

It seems that the fun begins and ends with the yeti logo on this one.

There isn't a lot to get excited about here when it comes to the three base colours the Icemen chose in white, black, and gray. If we were still watching black-and-white television, this might get a pass, but these three base colours do nothing to help elevate the logo or the colours used on these jerseys. Let's break these down, though.

We'll start with the gray jersey only because the Icemen did in their release, stating, "The new gray jersey features the new primary logo with the iceberg blue and black accents scattered throughout." The only problem is that there aren't iceberg blue accents scattered throughout, and it seems like black is carrying a lot of water for iceberg blue. Why is there so much black on a jersey for Icemen? Why is there no white used on this jersey for accent colours or contrasts? For a team who uses white and iceberg blue as its main colours, having a gray jersey is the equivalent of giving up. This gray jersey needs a do-over.

We move to the black jersey where the release states, "The black jersey features the full-body design of the yeti-like creature with the iceberg blue accent at the base of the jersey." With Captain Obvious working in the Icemen's marketing department, there is zero reason why the Icemen should be wearing black when they have iceberg blue available to them as a base colour. Even if they went with a deeper blue or a navy blue, it would be infinitely more "ice"-like than black. Having the Icemen wear black is the definition of dumb, and my hope is that these jerseys will be retired quickly because they just don't fit the branding. If they do stay, give me a shoulder yoke!

And that brings us to the white jersey where the release states, "The team’s white jersey will also be worn with white pants, helmets and gloves to complete an iced-out look for the Icemen." For someone who has lived in ice and snow all his life, I can honestly say that white is not the colour of ice, but iceberg blue is. If you're digging the Icemen out of the snow, this would be a suitable jersey. However, there's a significant lack of contrast on here that the black accents could provide as shown by the black Atheltic Knit logo in the middle of the chest. Again, this jersey just feels incomplete at this point without the immediate contrasts to the white and blue colours.

Besides my absolute hatred for black jerseys, this new set of threads for the Icemen just feels rushed and incomplete. I understand the concept of keeping the design simple, but, between poor colour choices and missing design elements, the Icemen miss the mark with this rebranding. The fun they baked into the logos isn't there when applied to fabric, and that's a shame because it looked like the Icemen's tenth anniversary was going to based on fun beginnings.

Unless the Icemen can find a way to bring the fun to these jerseys in the coming years, they may see their bottom line for merchandise remain frozen. These three are good concept jerseys, but they shouldn't be worn on the ice by anyone called the Icemen.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!