A personal goal of mine has been to design a logo or uniform worn in a professional sporting event. I have yet to see that dream realized, but in the meantime I had the pleasure of creating the logos and uniforms for my own rec league ice hockey team, the Biscuits.
When I created the team for the newly-formed league at Fifth Third Ice Arena, I knew I wanted us to stand out: A team name not pulled from the usual pile of drinking puns, and a unique color scheme that would allow us to contrast with any other team we'd come up against. I landed on the Biscuits because, for one, I like team names that are silly and don't take themselves too seriously, and also because "biscuit" is a hockey slang term for the puck.
I liked the idea of an anthropomorphic biscuit mascot, and the goal was to make it look both tough and cute. I was inspired by the art of Jack Davis as well as pro team mascots like the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The finished primary roundel logo, ready to take on all comers.
For the secondary logo, I was struck with the idea of creating a 'B' out of biscuit dough, and this mark came together very quickly—I did a few sketches and then got right to creating it in Illustrator. I'm very pleased with how this came out, and it adorns the shoulders of the jersey.
Lastly, I knew I wanted to integrate my favorite Chicago symbol, the municipal device, into the uniform somehow as a sort of Easter egg. The "I Will" motto, which originally characterized the plucky and determined spirit of the city in the aftermath of the Chicago Fire, serves as the Biscuits' unofficial team motto (well, to me at least). This logo sits at the rear hem of the Biscuits jersey, relatively inconspicuous to the uninitiated observer.
The finished product!
We might not ever win anything, but at least we're the best looking team in the league.