MLB: Project 32 - New Dugout Jackets Added

[coco1997]

Those fauxbacks are absolute perfection. I'm very intrigued by the sound of the alternate take!

[SFGiants58]

17 hours ago, the admiral said:

I like the home a bunch, especially the all-red Mr. Red, which works better than I expected it to. It looks very vintage. The greys, well, I've felt for a while that the Reds should be a red version of the Dodgers with single-layer red on grey. And as well as you did clean it up, I never liked the Cincinnati scripts the Reds used; could I perhaps sell you on a varsity-serif version to better match the lettering inside the wishbone C?

 

 

Big fan of the uber-throwback. I've said that white caps don't belong in the bigs, but on a throwback like this, it's all good. 

 

17 hours ago, MJD7 said:

The Reds look really nice. The only thing I could really say is that you could probably afford to have the UNC-style number font on the regular home & away too, as it looks really good and to me matches the "REDS" wordmark a bit better.

 

Thanks, guys! I'm planning on using a slab-serif wordmark similar to yours for the update, Admiral. I also plan to use the custom block font on the home and road, as I find myself liking the way it looks with the slab-serif marks (block standard doesn't mix all that well with slab-serif fonts, and neither did the Reds' old custom block font). 

 

Anyway, alternate take time!

 

CINCINNATI REDS, PT. II - A fancy, black-outlined wrinkle in time

 

As I mentioned in my Yankees concept, the 1930's were a time of codification for many classic looks. A bunch of teams debuted looks that would be the precedent for their uniforms for the next eighty years (with few exceptions). In our timeline, the Reds codified the Wishbone C while also experimenting with a variety of looks. Both royal and navy were accent colors, pinstripes came and went, and the team briefly brought in a mini-script. This period also saw the final departure of the Fancy Block (is that its name?) C that had appeared on the caps from 1909-31. While we may think of the Wishbone C as an iconic logo, it might not have had the same "brand equity" in the 1930's (especially since the Reds hadn't won a pennant since 1919).

 

What if there was an alternate timeline, where the team eschewed the Wishbone C in favor of the Fancy Block C? What if the Reds kept with the trend towards cursive script wordmarks (the Tigers' road uniforms, this Phillies script, the Cubs' brief flirtation in the early-1930's, and the Dodgers' introduction of the classic wordmark in 1938)? Also, what if the team introduced black into their color scheme (echoing the Giants in the 1930's)? How could they have overhauled their identity in a way that'd inspire praise today (akin to the uniforms of the Cardinals, Dodgers, and Giants)? Well, let's find out!

 

The most notable change is that Mr. Red now bears the Fancy Block C on his chest. The new C is a secondary logo as well, and Mr. Red's head joins with the script wordmark for the tertiary logo. I brightened the shade of red to better contrast with the black accents.

 

 

The uniforms are classically-styled, and also treat black as an accent color (like how the Cardinals and Red Sox handle navy). I modified Fenway Park JF to create cleaner updates of the Reds' 1936-37/2007-present script and the 1960's warmup jacket wordmark. The "R" and "C" bear traits of the Fancy Block C. I also added a simple sock stripe pattern, which would have been a 1940's creation that stuck around with minimal modifications (like the Cardinals' striped socks). 

 

 

The alternates are visions of how the alternate timeline shaped their uniform history. The "Redlegs" look of the late-1950's now bears the new cap logo and black outlines, while the 1940's throwbacks (which used plain block) now retain the Fancy Block wordmark from the 1930's on a faux-flannel pattern. Black also takes the place of navy as the outline/cap color.

 

 

Through the twisting of timelines, the Reds can look classy even without the Wishbone C and with black in their color scheme. The concept also goes to show how versatile black/red is as a color scheme. C+C is greatly appreciated!

 

Up next, the Miami Marlins!

[Roadrunner8ball]

This series has been nothing short of fantastic. I love the alternate takes on all the teams as well as the Pt. 1's. The history in the jerseys and logos are outstanding. Can't wait to see what you come up with for the rest of the league!

[The_Admiral]

I like it a lot, especially the tailed Cincinnati script and the full name wordmark, which, even though it doesn't fit the Reds' real set or my ideal one (basically the 1969-1971 set), I would love to see that on a dugout roof or something.

[KittSmith_95]

I love this set more than Part 1, personally..... albeit, I do wish this set had some pinstripes. But besides that, it's perfect. 

[coco1997]

Congrats! You've made the Reds look good in black!

[SFGiants58]

Thanks, guys!

 

MIAMI MARLINS, PT. I - Deco-ed Out in Midnight Green and Rubine Red

 

This one is an expansion on a concept I did for my tweaks thread almost a year ago. I'll be quoting a lot of my write-up from that one, so bear with me. Here's the intro:

 

I've turned a bit of a corner with the Marlins' current look. I like the Art Deco-styled font and the slow embrace of bright colors (i.e. the All-Star Game materials and the light blue/orange HR Derby set), but I still think there are many problems with it. The number font is mismatched (serifs), the "toothpaste marlin" is still crummy, the black should be a dark cool color, and light blue/orange is still too fundamentally close to the Mets for my liking. There had to be another way...

 

I knew I had the solution once I saw the beautiful color scheme of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, as well as the work dsaline97's did on the Florida Blue Herons, and my own Miami Heat concept. Cool colors and pink (Rubine Red) would give the Marlins a color scheme that not only mimics the art deco architecture and signage in Miami but is also unique in the Big Four. However, navy and black are all too frequent in the majors. I instead used a teal-esque color, to have to allude to the club's history. I opted for the "Midnight Green" color used by the Philadelphia Eagles. I don't like that dark teal color for the Eagles, but it worked perfectly for what I wanted to do with the Marlins! A lighter blue accompanies the dark teal and pink, to hammer home the "neon signage" look.

 

As for the font, I like what the Marlins tried to do with an Art Deco-esque font, but I wanted something that had a bit more of an Art Deco flair/had consistent weights and none of the weird shadowing stuff. The font's name is Belgrad, and I've slightly modified it (namely removing the line through the zero). In the place of shadows are double outlines, which produces a bit of a cleaner look. Belgrad is also the new number font, so the wordmark and number fonts remain consistent.

 

The most notable change from the previous version is the removal of the "toothpaste marlin" from the design. It takes away from the Art Deco symmetry of the "M." I instead drew up a streamlined Marlin, which features simple accent marks and fits with the Art Deco style. I drew inspiration from the SB Nation logo for the Marlins (Fish Stripes), but I tried to remove some of the "SB Nation-ness" of the design. I placed it in an Art Deco-style frame (as seen in this image), which blends both sharp edges and curves. The side panels have the sock stripe pattern, to invoke neon signage on the frame.

 

 

On the home and road uniforms, I've tried to display the team's unique color scheme while sticking within traditions of color distribution in baseball. The home uniform bears the updated "Marlins" wordmark (I can't stand city names on standard home uniforms), and a pink-billed cap. I've kept the large "M" in both the "Marlins" and "Miami" wordmarks, to emphasize the "M" as a team emblem. The sleeve and pants stripes mimic the wordmark's color distribution, while the sock stripes mimic the lights in the primary logo (which is on the sleeve). It's a nice little bit of unique color distribution. The road uniform uses the updated "Miami" wordmark and an all-dark teal cap, with a pink-centric cap logo (so there's still plenty of pink on the cap). NOB's are one-color block, for legibility's sake.

 

 

The alternates follow in much the same convention as the Marlins' current alternates, with pink replacing orange and dark teal replacing black. The pink jersey is simply a color-flipped version of the home uniform, while the dark teal alt is a recolored version of the road set, as it wouldn't hurt to have the "Miami" script at home once in a while, especially when the color scheme/identity is so Miami. The Marlins logo is on the sleeve, as the primary didn't stand out enough on a teal background. I also established a cap on how often the team would break these jerseys out, as the franchise has a history of overusing alternates.

 

 

The next set of alternates are both unique looks. The first is a pink cap/undershirt/belt/socks version of the home uniform. I did try to pair this pink cap up with the pink jersey, but it was a bit too much pink for my tastes. The other alternate is a fauxback to the 1950's minor league Miami Marlins, one that uses the current color scheme to provide a new take on a classic look. It uses an updated version of the script and patch from 1956 home uniform (updates to the patch provided by @ZionEagle, who did an excellent job with her update), and the cap logo/color distribution of the accompanying road uniform. I added sock stripes to the design after my research showed the team wearing such a design. With this alternate, the Marlins can push the dark teal/pink/light blue brand while honoring baseball's history in Miami.

 

 

I was content with my previous Marlins concept, but I felt like it needed this final push to nail it. It's a look that combines a unique color scheme with the architectural history of the city. C+C is greatly appreciated!

 

For the alternate take, what if Wayne Huizenga got his wish in 1991?

[KittSmith_95]

The Marlins look fantastic. The Pink & Teal looks really nice & would a very unique colour combo in Sports, not just the MLB. I also love the '56 inspired fauxback jersey & that updated patch. I honestly feel the pink cap you made would look good with the road jersey & possibly the teal jersey as well if it had a teal brim, much like the Mariners Teal jersey being paired with the navy & teal cap. But that's just me.... and I have no idea what to expect for Part 2. 

[MJD7]

The Marlins look pretty good! The color scheme is still an inspired move. I actually like the "toothpaste" marlin better than the "SB Nation" one, as that's what I thought it looked like when I first saw it. I would personally either go back to the toothpaste version (I just think it fits the art-deco better) or maybe a more modernized version of the old marlin. Still though, I think this set would be a great look for Miami.

[MitcHendriX]

Only 2 negatives about the Marlins I think the pink should be a shade of orange, also the Marlin logo looks too much like the letter C. Other than that another great job.

[coco1997]

I still think this is one of your best concepts ever and the most compelling redesign of the Marlins I've ever seen. However, I do miss the palm tree tertiary logo from your last version. 

 

16 hours ago, SFGiants58 said:

For the alternate take, what if Wayne Huizenga got his wish in 1991?

 

Are we getting--dare I say it--the Florida Flamingos? 

[SFGiants58]

Thanks for the C+C guys, I do appreciate it.

 

6 hours ago, MitcHendriX said:

Only 2 negatives about the Marlins I think the pink should be a shade of orange, also the Marlin logo looks too much like the letter C. Other than that another great job.

 

I thought about orange, but I'm much more into the deep pink. It's a bit more unique, and it looks damn good on a Miami team. I think you'll like the update I have for the logo, which now looks less like a "C."

 

8 hours ago, MJD7 said:

The Marlins look pretty good! The color scheme is still an inspired move. I actually like the "toothpaste" marlin better than the "SB Nation" one, as that's what I thought it looked like when I first saw it. I would personally either go back to the toothpaste version (I just think it fits the art-deco better) or maybe a more modernized version of the old marlin. Still though, I think this set would be a great look for Miami.

 

Thanks. I think you'll be happy with what I'm about to show off.

 

The more that I've thought about it, the more I don't really like that marlin illustration. It isn't Art Deco (read: patterns and geometric detail) enough for my tastes. So, I've decided to give it a little re-jigging! This marlin is a bit of a compromise between the '93-'11 marlin and the SB Nation-esque marlin, and is in keeping with the Art Deco aesthetic.

 

 

 

 

 

I think that it's a bit better.

[MJD7]

I think it looks much better. It looks more realistic, while still feeling much more art-deco. Some of the lines in the fins even seem to mesh well with the lights on the side now. Great job!

[coco1997]

Agreed. The new Marlin is a big improvement. Well done!

[The_Admiral]

I love the logos but I don't like the color scheme. Midnight green is too drab for the concept; it feels like running the '90s dark-n-fade on the Marlins' old teal. I know you can't say black isn't drab, but it best allows a palette of bright colors to leap off. (I'll admit I'm more or less married to the idea of the Marlins as a "black and rainbow" team.) But rubine as a Miami team color is inspired and would be one of the few instances where pink works in sports.

With that in mind, I'm eager to see how the Flamingos turn out.

[neo_prankster]

16 hours ago, coco1997 said:

I still think this is one of your best concepts ever and the most compelling redesign of the Marlins I've ever seen. However, I do miss the palm tree tertiary logo from your last version. 

 

 

Are we getting--dare I say it--the Florida Flamingos? 

 

I'm actually still surprised none of the Big 4 franchises of South Florida have ever used that moniker.

 

Maybe we might get the Miami Crocs from BTTF 2.

[KittSmith_95]

The new Marlin looks a lot better & I disagree about the colour scheme. I still love it & think it works fine which how rich the teal is & the fact the pink is darker helps it work. It's the same reason Green & Orange works depending on the shades. 

[SFGiants58]

13 hours ago, the admiral said:

I love the logos but I don't like the color scheme. Midnight green is too drab for the concept; it feels like running the '90s dark-n-fade on the Marlins' old teal. I know you can't say black isn't drab, but it best allows a palette of bright colors to leap off. (I'll admit I'm more or less married to the idea of the Marlins as a "black and rainbow" team.) But rubine as a Miami team color is inspired and would be one of the few instances where pink works in sports.

With that in mind, I'm eager to see how the Flamingos turn out.

 

Thanks! While I think it looks good with black in the place of Midnight Green, I really want to stick with that dark teal. It may be drab, but the bright colors can still bounce off of it, and it's more vibrant than the black. Also, I tried black with the other colors, and it kind of hurt my eyes to look at it. Midnight Green makes it a bit less jarring to look at, if that makes sense. I'll show off that test in one of my updates, along with the popular light blue/dark orange/black color scheme.

 

17 hours ago, MJD7 said:

I think it looks much better. It looks more realistic, while still feeling much more art-deco. Some of the lines in the fins even seem to mesh well with the lights on the side now. Great job!

 

Thanks! I didn't even notice how much the lights fit with the new marlin. I guess that's a nice little bonus.

 

Now, let's entertain a premise almost as bad as "Let's record solo albums for each member of the band!"

 

FLORIDA FLAMINGOS, PT. II - We're dodging a bullet from Wayne's world.

 

 

Let me introduce you to Mr. Waste Management and former owner of the Marlins and Panthers, Wayne Huizenga. When granted an expansion team from Major League Baseball in the early 1990's, this Broward County blowhard (and his White Flight-y friends - thanks for that delightful quote, @the admiral) wanted to name his team the "South Florida Flamingos." He also wanted a pink/black color scheme. While Major League Baseball shot down the "South Florida" name with little trouble, it took the persuasion skills of Anne Occi (head of MLB Properties) to convince Wayne to drop the "Flamingos" name and pink for the "Marlins" nickname and teal (history of the name + popularity of teal in the early 1990's won out). However, what if Occi was not able to persuade Wayne to drop his idea?

 

This timeline assumes that the same creative that designed the 1993-2002 Marlins identity (before it's full White Sox + minimal teal overhaul) came up with a look for the Flamingos. The logos and fonts (a slightly modified Matrix II Bold) evoke a similar aesthetic style to the old Marlins, albeit depicting a Phoenicopterus ruber stretching his/her neck over the "F" (based on this stock photo). I wanted to add more detail to the logo, but flamingos don't lend themselves to shading in the same way that marlins do. The primary is a roundel (like the contemporary 1993 Mariners design), and the tertiary is a baseball diamond with the flamingo above it and a palm tree in it (taking a cue from the Florida Panthers).

 

The colors also demonstrate this "compromise" thesis. Wayne's pink is co-dominant with black, while metallic gold works as a highlight color (like silver did for the old Marlins). The Marlins' old teal shade is the baseball seam/palm tree color, as both a way to get Occi's teal into the set and to mimic orange's place in the '93-'11 color scheme. It would also enable the squad to sell teal merch, alongside black stuff.

 

 

The primaries are a pastiche of the '93-'02 Marlins and their contemporaries (i.e. White Sox and Rockies). Scripts on an arc are the main draw, with contrasting front numbers and NOB's (on nameplates, for period-correctness). I added a pink-billed cap on the road uniform, akin to the Rockies' purple-billed hat (even Wayne wouldn't pair a contrast-billed hat with a pinstriped set). While Occi may have had a coronary over seeing pink pinstripes, at least she'd be happy with the amount of black offsetting it.

 

 

The first group of alternates is pretty similar to the "prime" universe Marlins. They include a vest with the tertiary logo on the undershirt sleeve and a black jersey that complements the road cap. The top also gives me an opportunity to use more gold in the identity. While I thought about a pink alternate, I decided that one of the concessions that Wayne made to Occi would have been to refrain from pink tops. It was the early-1990's, and pink and pastels were on their way out of the fashion circuit. MLB Properties didn't want to have abundant deadstock that would wind up on eBay in 10-15 years.

 

 

The last set of alternates is the alternate timeline's equivalent of the teal-centric Marlins of 1993-96. Pink caps and undershirts for the home jerseys would be Wayne's little indulgence. They would probably survive as alternates until he sold the team (which is when the new owners probably changed up the color scheme to account for mid-2000's trends, or changed the name to Miami Marlins - this depends on whether or not they went on their 1997 World Series run).

 

 

I had a lot of fun making this one. I'd never want to see this in reality, but I liked the exercise in imitating early-1990's baseball aesthetics and executing Wayne Huizenga's terrible idea (for 1993, anyway - I think the time is right for a team in the Big Four to embrace pink). C+C is greatly appreciated, as always!

 

Up next, Les Expos!

 

P.S. How can I let a flamingos concept go by without linking to a mini-documentary about one of my favorite movies?

[KittSmith_95]

I love it I love it I love it I love it I love it..... 

 

 

It's so crazy that it works. The updated versions of the Marlins old wordmarks look stunning, the hints of gold add a nice touch & I love the vests. 

[The_Admiral]

Fantastic. All the logos are great, especially the tertiary, which could work just as well as the primary as a sleeve logo. I was surprised gold was the #3 color instead of teal, but I can buy that as a concession so as not to be too loud. I love the flamingo-F monogram; did you consider incorporating it into the road script? But again, as with the other Marlins concept, pink really works here. Even though it's framed as a "bad idea," it would have been a so-bad-it's-good idea if we had wound up with this instead of the comparatively staid Florida Marlins, and it would have been more memorable/infamous than the forgettable Times New Roman White Sox out in Denver. But imagine the ignominy of the Cubs blowing the pennant to the Florida Flamingos (even if by 2003, they too would have become a black/silver/more-black team with occasional touches of hot pink). That might have inspired them to win it all in 2004 and put years back on my life.

I'm eager to see how the Phillies turn out, fingers crossed for the always controversial Philadelphia road script.