To celebrate the launch of our first ever home kit, we talked to Lansing Common VP and kit designer Geoff Sykes to discuss his work in the business of design and to get some insights into his thought process for the kit.
For those who don’t know, you do design work for Moneyball Sportswear here in Lansing. Can you tell us how long you have been interested in kit design, and how long you have been doing it professionally?
Geoff: My love for designing sports uniforms goes all the way back to when I was in kindergarten. My mom was a teacher at the time, so on game days I would draw pictures for the athletes in her classes. Not long after I got bored of drawing the same uniforms, so I would get creative with the uniforms they wore. An obsession was born.
Naturally, my specific love of soccer kit design came about around the same time that I really fell in love with the sport itself. Seeing kits with stripes like AC Milan, or Hoops like Celtic, really opened new possibilities for me in terms of how interesting sports uniforms could be. I still believe soccer kits are the best “canvas” in sports uniform design.
Generally speaking, what goes into your kit design process?
Geoff: Typically, my design process begins with an examination of existing brand elements. I’ll make sure I have the right colors and logos on hand. I will take a look at what the team has worn in the past to look for elements that remain consistent over time.
My next step is to do what research I can on the greater community around the organization. I really like and appreciate when I can learn something about a new place simply by looking at kits. So I will identify regional landmarks, important historical events, etc. and place them on my vision board. After that, it is simply a case of trial and error with different concepts until I come up with some ideas to present to the client.
Designing for Common was tricky because I was creating the brand marks at the same time as the kit concepts. This means there were a lot of ideas left on the cutting room floor. As the club grows, the culture around the club will grow with it, and hopefully, inspire even better kits down the road.
All of the design choices members voted on had red as the primary color, and a sash of some sort. Any particular design reason why you wanted a sash on our first home kit, or is there no deeper reasoning there outside of liking the look of it?
Geoff: First and foremost I wanted to start with a traditional element. I believe a home kit, while changing every year, should maintain an iconic element in each edition. With the bird standing on a sash in our crest, I felt that was the most consistent element we could use out of the gate. So that’s the element I felt strongest about using year one. That can certainly change as time goes on.
I did decide on the red-orange home this year. I feel that it is a little more energetic and exciting to look at. Energy and excitement is what we are all feeling right now, and that is what we hope our team on the field becomes as well, so it is fitting. I really do love the brown, and hope to do much more with it down the road.
You said previously that no other American soccer team has our color scheme. Does that make these kits even a little more fun than usual to design? People seemed to love the hint of turquoise on the sash and collar in the winning kit for example.
Geoff: Yes. I’ve really loved working with our colors. Knowing that we already have unique colors takes away the pressure of trying to stand out. We will stand out just by being ourselves so there is no need to overthink it. I just get to relax and play around with ideas. There are also some cool things coming down the road that I can’t wait for people to see.
You may not want to answer this, but out of curiosity, did you have a favorite among the three kits proposed?
Geoff: I was happy with all three that were chosen to be the kits voted on. I originally had around 12 different designs and had to whittle down the list. Of the three up for nomination, the winner was my favorite. It just has a classic feel that starts us off on the right foot.
What happens to the ideas that weren’t chosen?
Geoff: They go back into the design vault. I literally never delete anything that I have worked on, so there is a chance that they may come back in some way, shape, or form.
Will they come back next year? Probably not. Design trends will change between now and season number two. Additionally, we will have a better grasp of what the club’s culture and fanbase looks like and will be able to better incorporate those elements in future designs. But like I said, there is always a chance down the road, some elements might see the light of day again.
Any hints you want to drop about future kits to come?
Geoff:
Bold.
Loud.
Robins.
I think people will really like what they see.
If you like what you see from the 2021 Lansing Common home jersey, they are available for pre-order right now at https://lansingcommonfc.com/shop/.
If you want to have a voice in choosing the next home kit design, become a member today so that you can have a vote.
