My name is Brandon Wiebe, and I had the honour of designing the new Swift Current Broncos jerseys, logo, and patches; and I want to tell you all about it.

I finally moved back to Saskatchewan in 2013 after attending college and working in the graphic design industry in Calgary for seven years.

I’m currently the graphic designer for Briercrest College and Seminary, just a short hour and fifteen minutes away from my beloved hometown of Swift Current. Briercrest is a great school with a tremendously supportive community.

I am a huge Broncos fan, and a few years ago I learned that the Broncos had sustained a financial loss of nearly $200,000. My heart broke for the team and city. I couldn’t stand the thought of the city potentially having to part ways with such a monumental part of it's history. 

I wanted the team to be successful, and to be a part of keeping them in Swift Current. I presented hockey design research relating to the Broncos, along with some jersey and logo concepts to the organization. I wanted the Broncos to visually stand out above the rest of the WHL, and to stimulate revenue and fan growth at the same time.

Here are a couple pieces of research that I provided at the beginning of the redesign process.

A brief summary of what we learned from Steve Yzerman and the Tampa Bay Lightning:

- The Lightning had a very similar colour scheme to what the Broncos had, and Yzerman thought it had to go, and changed it. This resulted in a very positive outcome.

- Getting rid of black and grey considerably strengthened the design, and made the jerseys look more iconic, vibrant, and professional.

- To make a stronger, better logo; simplify it. The Lightning and Broncos both did this. The strongest, most recognizable logos are simple. Think of Apple, Shell, Target, FedEx, Bruins, Maple Leafs, Oilers, etc. 

Personally, I wanted to take the grey out of the designs. The following is a comparison I used to base that decision on.

Which of the following lists have more prestigious and praised jerseys and logos?

Which list has the stronger, more successful organizations, and larger fan bases?

NHL teams using any form of grey, including silver: Sabres, Hurricanes, Kings, Jets, Avalanche (tiny amount in logo), Blues, Blue Jackets, Stars

NHL teams not using grey: Maple Leafs, Bruins, Blackhawks, Oilers, Red Wings, Devils, Islanders, Rangers, Flyers, Lightning, Capitals, Ducks, Flames, Wild, Panthers, Senators, Coyotes, Sharks, Penguins, Canucks, Canadiens

The answers to the previously mentioned questions are the teams not using grey, and therefore, it is likely a beneficial decision to move away from it. With this research in hand, along with quite a bit more not included in this article, there was a strong case to move in the direction that we ultimately did, and now get to see take the ice.

On June 3, 2014, I was honoured to be a part of the Broncos media release and official unveiling of the new look. Here are the main features:

Jerseys:
-Modern day cut, stripes, and materials that maintain the Broncos classic identity.
- New crest technology that uses new materials, resulting in reduced weight and bulkiness, and increased comfort on the ice and in the stands.
-New striping on the cuffs of the jerseys that represent a bronco’s hooves and horseshoes.
-The white jerseys now sport an additional white stripe, allowing the blue and green to have greater clarity and contrast.

Horseshoe Crest:
-Remade, to correct all minor imperfections
-Enhanced and refined detail to entire bronco silhouette and horseshoe
-Perfected, strengthened, and simplified font
-Reduced outlines for a cleaner, clearer, more iconic logo
-Stronger shape, and properly spaced design elements
-properly weighted colours

Brand new Swift Current shoulder patch:
-Strengthens partnership between City of Swift Current and Broncos organization
-Incorporates “SC” from main Broncos crest
-Integrated City of Swift Current logo
-Two wheat sheaves that have 8 grains per side, with one on the top. The amount of grain (8, 8+1) represent ’89, when the Broncos won the Memorial Cup.
-Wheat used to represent Swift Current’s agricultural heritage

Clover shoulder patch:
-Classic new clover design that is fuller than original, but less bulky and square than previous.
-Previously white or grey, now green

I hope you enjoy the new look as much as I enjoyed making it. Let’s get #BrandedBlue and cheer Mark Lamb and the team on to a successful year!

Brandon Wiebe can be reached at contact@brandonwiebe.com and BrandonWiebe.com