MLB Tweaks: Rockies Updated

[SFGiants58]

Now, a little twist on one of my more radical concepts from my previous series!

 

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

 

Version 1 and Version 1.5

 

The most notable change from my previous version of the team is the change from the brown/light green color scheme to a hunter green/orange-ish red one (with metallic gold and sand remaining). I wanted the Padres' brown (as they'll use brown in my update) to be unique in the league, while green/red is an underused color scheme that does kind of fit with the region (at least as well as brown/green did). The snake head (whose return was my favorite part of their latest redesign) returns, while the "Diamondbacks" script now resembles the original script.

 

The uniforms now feature the new "Diamondbacks" script (so they can follow the standard "team name on home, city/state name on the road" formula), and I cleaned up the snake stripe pattern on the cuffs/pants/socks (which now have a less argyle-like appearance). The alternates follow suit in these changes, with the red alt losing the placket striping (which doesn't fit with the snake stripe pattern) and the green now featuring the "Diamondbacks" script.

 

 

 

 

This way, the Diamondbacks have a color scheme that's unique in both leagues, uses green, and makes better use out of modern elements (snake pattern striping instead of dot-gradient garbage). C+C is greatly appreciated!

[dsaline97]

Very interesting take on the DBacks, and it turned out pretty nice! I think the cap logo's colors should be switched, with a red a on a green cap and green a on a red cap. The sock stripes are a nice idea, but they look more argyle-y than diamond-y.

[coco1997]

The D-Backs were one of the teams I was most interested in seeing in this series, especially in light of their latest redesign. I think you did a good job and made some interesting changes from your last version. However, I do miss the clay red/brown color you used in your previous concept. And I will echo dsaline97's comments that you could probably stand to switch the cap logo's colors and that the sock striping gives off a sort of Christmas sweater/wrapping paper vibe.

[SFGiants58]

Thanks guys, here's a minor update with a color redistribution, new sock stripes, and the "A" crest on the green alt (as the recolored "Diamondbacks" script didn't look all that great).

 

 

 

[coco1997]

This is a definite improvement. What color did you use for the road uni? It almost looks like a very pale green rather than gray.

 

Halfway through the league now! Any hint which team is up next?

[SFGiants58]

Well, I figured I'd bump this thread with a little update!

 

TEXAS RANGERS

 

This is an update of the "alternate colorway" experiment I tried earlier in this series. While I liked both the blue-dominant Rangers of my first concept and the red-dominant look of my second one, I figured I could strike a balance between the two. I decided to keep the red scripts, numbers, and NOB's. In order to get the proportions right, I switched the undershirts, belts, socks, and shoes to blue. The cap now has a white logo (with a red outline), with a red bill and squatchee. This not only enables the color balance trick, but it also updates the team's original cap. 

 

The badge logo now appears on the home uniform, as I think it connects more with the team's namesake than the flag logo. I've also changed up the sock stripes to better match the sleeve and pants stripes.

 

 

The red alt remains the same, and the blue alt now features the new cap.

 

 

Instead of being another royal blue-dominant or red-dominant team, the Rangers can skirt the line between the two and still look unique. C+C is greatly appreciated!

[coco1997]

Rangers look good! I'm hoping to see some other teams like the Padres and White Sox in the near future. 

[Paul Lucas]

GREAT WORK!!! Would love to see "TEXAS" on that red alternate...then home and away fans can get both Texas and Rangers. 

[SFGiants58]

On 7/17/2016 at 9:07 PM, Paul Lucas said:

GREAT WORK!!! Would love to see "TEXAS" on that red alternate...then home and away fans can get both Texas and Rangers. 

 

Thanks. While I do understand where you're coming from with the "Texas" script, I'd really like to minimize it's usage (along with the Texas flag logo). I'm not the biggest fan of their identity on the whole, and I really want to something radical for my next update of that team. I'm considering a royal/old gold color scheme, given how the Royals are purple/athletic gold in my series.

 

Now, onward to the Padres

 

SAN DIEGO PADRES - Version 1 and Version 2

 

This is the latest evolution for my Padres concept. On the MLB logo threads, I've made several comments like this:

 

On 6/10/2016 at 6:22 PM, SFGiants58 said:

I said it before on this thread, but I'd love it if the Padres just got the creative team that did the Blue Jays' rebrand to update the 1969-71 uniforms. It's a way to tastefully have their unique color scheme while tying in to the whole Mission San Diego/Franciscan order aesthetic.

 

Avoiding the taco bell caps, having a navy PCL/1998 alternate (to appease the navy fans, i.e. bosrs1), and simply sticking with it for long enough (like the Canucks have done with royal/kelly, and the Bucks should have done with green/red) will firmly establish the identity. 

 

Looking over my Padres concepts, I never thought I truly fulfilled that mission statement. Sure, I always put the updated Swingin' Friar in prominent places, but there were always elements holding my concepts back (i.e. brown and orange in the first one, the lack of a "San Diego" script, odd striping patterns, and my insistence on using the dual-colored "SD" logo). I love the Matt Malinoski script, but I realized that it didn't really work all that well in brown/yellow, and that there were already enough teams with scripts in the league. So, I decided to go back to square one. Namely, I decided to create something based off of the 1969-'71 uniform set (easily the most tasteful adaptation of brown/yellow, alongside the jersey part of the 1974-5 set) and give it a flair inspired by the architecture of Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá.

 

I decided to go all-in on the brown/yellow color scheme. While I initially thought I could incorporate cream/tan into the color scheme, I decided against it, as the Giants and Diamondbacks (at least in my concepts) already do the cream/tan home uniform thing. The only other special colors are a lighter yellow (for the logos) and sand for the road uniform. The brown is a darker brown shade than what was used from '69-'84 (a custom shade, closest to Pantone 4975 C), while the yellow is now athletic gold (Pantone 1235 C). Navy still has its place in the color scheme, but is relegated to alternates (as a means of appeasing the fans of navy, who don't mind their team looking largely indistinct). 

 

While I was initially doubtful that Mission-style architecture could be the basis for the Padres' look, seeing these concepts done by TheGiantsFan and Buc changed my mind. I decided to combine their ideas of a home plate logo with a top designed to mimic Mission San Diego's front fascia and a representation of Mission San Diego's bell tower. This combination produced a primary logo that could carry across the Mission San Diego theme and stand out among the rest of the majors' primary logos. I added the yellow (one athletic gold, one yellow) behind the bell tower, to give it a sunrise/sunset feel (something often pointed to in defense of brown/yellow).

 

The font is a slightly modified version of the 2014 NBA All-Star Game font (made by Conrad), as I felt it tied in well with the sharp edges and swoopy lines of the architecture theme (and was kind of a more refined version of the curvy serif font used by the team from 1969-'77. I changed up the "SD" logo to reflect this change in font and better represent the 1985-present style of "SD" logos. The updated Swingin' Friar again returns, but this time he's backed by the mission home plate logo, to make him easier to center without having to use a roundel.

 

 

On the uniforms, I have taken the 1969 template and made some slight adjustments. While I've kept the pants stripe and sock stripes, I've added a second sleeve stripe set to homage the uniforms of the PCL Padres. I also removed the collar stripes (which some uniforms from the 1969-'71 set didn't have) and changed the base colors to white and sand (as opposed to off-white and darker tan). The sand road uniform was one of the few things I liked from the 2004-10 branding, and I felt it worked far better with brown/yellow than it ever did with navy/white. The "Padres" script features enlarged letters "P" and "S," while the "San Diego" script now features enlarged letters "S" and "D." This is my way of maintaining one of the bits I like from the current Padres brown alt, while also drawing from their past scripts. I kept the block variant font I've used for the Padres since my early concepts, as it keeps the uniform a little more grounded. The Swingin' Friar patch is now on the home uniform, while the road uniform bears the primary logo on the sleeve. Ultimately, what you have is a uniform set that gives the Padres a sense of uniformity and uniqueness that they've screwed the pooch on throughout their history.

 

 

As for alternates, I opted to stay away from the Taco Bell caps. Those things are a favorite target for people who dislike brown/yellow, and justifiably so, as they're pretty darn ugly. I decided to use a gold bill cap as an alternate, with the "SD" rendered in white. It mixes things up, while not going head-first into a puddle of '70's gunk. I paired that hat with a gold alternate, featuring the home script and the Swingin' Friar patch. The brown alternate follows the same basic template as the current navy alt, albeit in the new color scheme, with the new "SD" and sleeve patch.

 

 

Now, the handling of navy. I'm open to the Padres keeping navy (while expanding yellow's role as a secondary color), but I'd much rather have brown as the primary color of the team. Since there are still many Padres fans who prefer navy, I decided to create two navy alternates. The first of these is a PCL fauxback, that combines several PCL Padres looks. This uses the Malinoski script (with a period-correct tail), the double sleeve and placket stripe template, a cap logo meant to mimic the 1948 cap, and Northwestern-striped socks (as modeled by Teddy Ballgame). It draws upon the navy/red past, while still looking unique and semi-timeless (less dated than the 2004 font, anyway). The other navy alt is a straight-up throwback to the 1998 home uniform, with the minor alteration of the "SD" logo on the socks. It's probably the best looking navy-era uniform, and it's connected with some of the best years in the team's history. These navy alts would be worn rarely, as a means to both appease the fans of navy and firmly establish brown/yellow as the team's proper colors.

 

 

The Padres have the kernel of a great, unique look within their past and present. Modernizing the 1969-'71 by adjusting the font and logos to have more of a connection to the buildings of the team's namesakes, while also incorporating small bits of the PCL uniforms and their current set, gives the Padres something both distinctive and tasteful. If you want to Bring Back the Brown^TM, then this is the way to go about it. C+C is greatly appreciated, as always.

 

Next up, we move a little further north, for an experiment in diversifying the color schemes of baseball!

[Paul Lucas]

This is your best Padres set, hands down! It's like you're creating a monopoly on amazing concepts. I know there's very little that can be improved upon...but I hope your MLB series never ends. 

[coco1997]

5 hours ago, SFGiants58 said:

 I'm considering a royal/old gold color scheme, given how the Royals are purple/athletic gold in my series.

 

I've always been a big fan of kevinmets' take on the Rangers:

 

Your Padres are brilliant. That Mission logo is a work of art. Very original idea!

 

Based on that hint at the end of your last post, I'm guessing we're getting the Angels next? 

[Carolingian Steamroller]

21 hours ago, SFGiants58 said:

I think this is easily the best one you've done. I adore that font and wish you would have added a number font that matcheed it but I understand why you went with the standard block. The double soutache on the sleeve is perfect. Just aces all around. 

[Carolingian Steamroller]

I think this is easily the best one you've done. I adore that font and wish you would have added a number font that matcheed it but I understand why you went with the standard block. The double soutache on the sleeve is perfect. Just aces all around. 

[Paul Lucas]

"...my insistence on using the dual-colored "SD" logo"

 

Is it any dual-colored "SD" logo or the 90's one? Could you show what it would look like? And if it doesn't work (let's say) on the road alt jersey...could it work on the home alt cap? 

 

I'm a big fan of the dual-colored "SD." I think it makes them unique compared to SF, LA, NY, NY, TB, etc...except TC, but you get the point. 

 

[midnight.oil]

That primary logo for the Padres is beyond perfection!  A unique design fitting for the franchise.  The higher-ups in that organization need to see this concept ASAP.

[mbannon92]

Love love love the Padres. The color scheme, logos, font, and unis are all gorgeous. And the sand road works really well with the brown and yellow. The only criticism I have is the spacing of "San Diego" in the primary logo. Shorten that space between the words a little (similar to the full wordmark) and this is perfect.

[ahowe6464]

Beyond perfection.

[Paul Lucas]

58 minutes ago, mbannon92 said:

Love love love the Padres. The color scheme, logos, font, and unis are all gorgeous. And the sand road works really well with the brown and yellow. The only criticism I have is the spacing of "San Diego" in the primary logo. Shorten that space between the words a little (similar to the full wordmark) and this is perfect.

I agree, especially since the letter "D" is capitalized. 

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

Wow- that Padres set is fantastic. My only criticism is that the dark brown is too dark, almost black. Getting a real Pirates vibe from it. Maybe just a tad lighter and these would be perfect. 

[TheGiantsFan]

Awesome job on the Padres, my friend!

 

It's pretty awesome seeing my idea be realized, especially as to how I never went around to finishing that Padres concept.