22/32 – Montana Silvertips
Big Sky Bears
The Montana Silvertips are the 22nd team for #TheUFLProject and the second team in the Northern Division of the West Conference.
The market is small market but it's home to a hard-nosed football team. The 'Tips managed to reach the Championship Game in Season 14 and have since been stuck in a perpetual lobbying for the top-dog spot in a tough Northern Division – they claimed the title in Season 23 with an 8-8 record, only to drop to a Wild Card slot the following campaign despite a two-win improvement. Lately, the Silvertips have followed a couple of 9-7 seasons with a 5-win run and look turn the corner and make a push for the playoffs.
Visual Direction
This league isn't without its oddities – in this fictional universe, the Montana Silvertips are the only professional sports team in Montana. There are couple of smaller media markets in Missoula and Billings and the most populous city has just over 100,000 residents. However, Montana has seen a steady increase in tourism as a state, seeing almost 10 million visitors a year.
The name "Silvertips" comes from the official state animal, the grizzly bear, known for its silver-tipped coat and grizzled appearance. Moreover, this aligns with the state's slogan, "Oro y Plata", or "Gold and Silver", as it references Montana's history as a mineral-rich state. The Montana Silvertips include both colors in its color scheme.
Execution
Montana's primary logo is a roaring grizzly bear head with a strong shadow cast from right to left. The bear's coat is a muted brown with a gold muzzle and a silver outline.
The secondary logo is an "M" for Montana that is nested on top of a bear paw print illustration. The upright execution of the claws simulates a craggy mountain range, a dominating feature of the state's Western terrain.
The Silvertips also have a full-bodied version of their primary logo, designated for the tertiary logo spot. The bear is walking on all fours from left to right.
An "M" monogram is also used throughout the identity. It's pulled from the team's secondary logo and outlined in silver.
The team's typography can be described as a wide slab serif that emulates the styling of an athletic block. The slabs are bracketed with 35-degree angled wedges to give the letterforms a unique and ownable characteristic. The team has both "Montana" and "Silvertips" wordmarks built in this style.
The jersey number set builds off of a classic athletic block as a base but incorporates the angled brackets above to create a look that belongs exclusively to the Silvertips.
Bear Witness
The Silvertips look to awaken from a hibernation that has lasted several seasons too long and emerge from their den with a restored visual identity system that reflects Montana.
Football Helmet Mockup by SportsTemplates
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