Conceptober continues with Day 3, and this time the prompt was AHL/ECHL. I decided to split the prompt into two different concepts, creating one design for the AHL and another for the ECHL. This post focuses on the ECHL side of the prompt and a team that made perfect sense for this concept: the Florida Everblades. The reason I chose the Everblades is pretty simple: they are the reigning ECHL champions. They also have an interesting connection to the NHL through their affiliation with the Pittsburgh Penguins, giving me an opportunity to create a jersey that connects the two organizations while still keeping the Everblades’ own identity front and center. That connection to Pittsburgh was where I started with the design. Connecting the Everblades and Penguins.
For this concept, I took inspiration from the Pittsburgh Penguins’ current third jersey. Rather than simply copying the Penguins’ design and putting the Everblades logo on it, however, I wanted to see what that jersey could look like if it were reimagined specifically for Florida. The biggest change is the color palette. Instead of using the Penguins’ traditional black and yellow, I switched the design over to the Everblades’ green and blue. This immediately gives the jersey a Florida Everblades identity while still allowing some of the Penguins’ third-jersey influence to come through in the overall design. I also wanted to incorporate a visual element that is strongly associated with the Everblades themselves. That led to the inclusion of an alligator teeth pattern, something that has appeared on Everblades jerseys in the past. The pattern adds another layer of personality to the design and helps make sure this isn’t simply a Penguins-inspired jersey with an Everblades logo slapped onto it. On the front of the jersey is the Florida Everblades’ primary logo, while the shoulders feature the team’s alternate logos. These details help reinforce the Everblades branding throughout the jersey rather than allowing the Penguins’ influence to completely take over the design. One of the biggest goals I had with this concept was finding the right balance between the two organizations. I wanted the jersey to clearly connect the Everblades and Penguins, but I didn’t want to completely transform the Everblades into a version of the Penguins. In the past, Penguins affiliates have sometimes leaned heavily into the Penguins’ branding, colors, and overall visual identity. While there is nothing wrong with an affiliate having that connection, I wanted to take a different approach with this concept. That’s why I intentionally avoided using the Penguins’ home or away jersey designs and traditional black-and-yellow color scheme. Instead, the Penguins’ influence comes primarily from the structure and inspiration behind the jersey, while the Everblades control the colors, logos, and team-specific elements. The result is a concept that feels like it could belong to the same hockey family as Pittsburgh without losing what makes the Florida Everblades unique. For me, that’s one of the most interesting parts of designing sports concepts. It’s easy to take one team’s branding and simply apply another team’s logo to it. The more challenging (and more fun) approach is finding ways to establish a visual connection between two teams while allowing both identities to remain recognizable. That was the goal with this Everblades concept: a Pittsburgh Penguins connection, but with the Florida Everblades still unmistakably at the center of the design.
That’s another Conceptober design in the books. Day 3 gave me the opportunity to explore the ECHL and experiment with how an NHL-affiliated team could incorporate elements from its parent organization without completely losing its own identity. But we’re not done yet. Up next in Conceptober is a gradient jersey concept. Gradient designs can be a lot of fun because there are so many different directions you can take them, so I’m excited to see how this one comes together. Follow along on zacelectrifly.com throughout October as I continue working through the Conceptober prompts and sharing more hockey jersey concepts, designs, and ideas.
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