2018 MLS Kits

[4_tattoos]

8 hours ago, MJWalker45 said:

3 times a year at least. Pride games and 4th of July usually get specific number sets.

Not what I was referring to. Didn't mean how often the league has special numbers using the it's present font (rainbow, cascade, etc). Meant how often does the league change the actual font?

[Gothamite]

59 minutes ago, 4_tattoos said:

Not what I was referring to. Didn't mean how often the league has special numbers using the it's present font (rainbow, cascade, etc). Meant how often does the league change the actual font?

 

The first league-wide font was introduced before the 2010 season. 

 

 

It was replaced by this font in 2013. 

 

 

It was tweaked slightly before the 2015 season, to add the MLS-slash from the new league logo introduced that season.  

 

 

So there have been three fonts in eight years, but two have been essentially the same.  

 

I guess the answer to your question is we don’t really know, there’s not enough data to say.  Let’s see how long they keep this one. 

[4_tattoos]

Whoa. Did not notice they put slashes in the numbers until now.

[Gothamite]

1 minute ago, 4_tattoos said:

Whoa. Did not notice they put slashes in the numbers until now.

 

Yeah, it was pretty subtle.  I’m not sure there was even an announcement; we learned about it when NYCFC unveiled their inaugural kits and made one up for the supporters group. 

 

[upperV03]

22 minutes ago, Gothamite said:

 

The first league-wide font was introduced before the 2010 season. 

 

 

It was replaced by this font in 2013. 

 

 

It was tweaked slightly before the 2015 season, to add the MLS-slash from the new league logo introduced that season.  

 

 

So there have been three fonts in eight years, but two have been essentially the same.  

 

I guess the answer to your question is we don’t really know, there’s not enough data to say.  Let’s see how long they keep this one. 

The first league-wide font was actually this one:

I’m not entirely sure when it was introduced (I think around ‘02-‘03), but the 2007 season was the last season that it was used. In 2008 they switched to the second league-wide font (picture is from the ‘08 MLS All Star Game):

[MJWalker45]

48 minutes ago, Gothamite said:

 

The first league-wide font was introduced before the 2010 season. 

 

 

It was replaced by this font in 2013. 

 

 

It was tweaked slightly before the 2015 season, to add the MLS-slash from the new league logo introduced that season.  

 

 

So there have been three fonts in eight years, but two have been essentially the same.  

 

I guess the answer to your question is we don’t really know, there’s not enough data to say.  Let’s see how long they keep this one. 

There was another league font before this. This first font shown came in with Beckham, his first full year in the league. 

[Gothamite]

1 hour ago, upperV03 said:

The first league-wide font was actually this one:

I’m not entirely sure when it was introduced (I think around ‘02-‘03), but the 2007 season was the last season that it was used. In 2008 they switched to the second league-wide font (picture is from the ‘08 MLS All Star Game):

 

56 minutes ago, MJWalker45 said:

There was another league font before this. This first font shown came in with Beckham, his first full year in the league. 

 

Oh, shoot.  Thank you both for the correction. 

[tigers]

2 hours ago, upperV03 said:

The first league-wide font was actually this one:

I’m not entirely sure when it was introduced (I think around ‘02-‘03), but the 2007 season was the last season that it was used. In 2008 they switched to the second league-wide font (picture is from the ‘08 MLS All Star Game):

 

 

How ugly is that uniform.

[Digby]

I believe that initial league font started in 2003. A nice artifact of the Sierra Mist tramp stamp ad era. Another fun fact is that it only came in white or black, which looked great as you can imagine.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

It's kind of weird now to see the old MLS logo.

[Saathoff]

Another little-hidden gem in the MLS font near the top of every number:

 

[GriffinM6]

Why do soccer leagues have a standard font for every team? Doesn't seem to make any sense. 

[Gothamite]

49 minutes ago, Griffinmarlins said:

Why do soccer leagues have a standard font for every team? Doesn't seem to make any sense. 

 

It makes perfect sense in countries where clubs move up and down a pyramid - the font shows in which league they're playing in any given year.  Even in a country like ours, with fixed league membership, it can still be a badge of honor.  Pride in their membership in the top league.

 

Besides, if it gives us a good font, as MLS has, I'm all for it.   

[MJWalker45]

1 hour ago, Griffinmarlins said:

Why do soccer leagues have a standard font for every team? Doesn't seem to make any sense. 

 

 

12 minutes ago, Gothamite said:

 

It makes perfect sense in countries where clubs move up and down a pyramid - the font shows in which league they're playing in any given year.  Even in a country like ours, with fixed league membership, it can still be a badge of honor.  Pride in their membership in the top league.

 

Besides, if it gives us a good font, as MLS has, I'm all for it.   

It also helps avoid unreadable number fonts, like Spanish teams have tended to use over the years. 

[AnPheitseog]

1 hour ago, Griffinmarlins said:

Why do soccer leagues have a standard font for every team? Doesn't seem to make any sense. 

And honestly, seems like the alternative is manufacturer specific fonts. Which is worse. 

 

League fonts are generally specific to each league, and are quite readable. A win win. 

[crashcarson15]

Standardized league number fonts also make branding and selling shirts easier -- in the UK, if you go to a sports shop, you're not likely to find a Kane or Hazard shirt in the store, perhaps save for a display one. The shirts will be blank, with the player customization pressed on when you buy the shirt if you so choose.

 

This way, retailers can stock the one Premier League font and be prepared for all 20 teams in the division, rather than having to stock all 20 teams' individual shirt fonts.

[TenaciousG]

I’m sorry, but leagues don’t have to standardize fonts. What they should do is approve individual fonts so that unreadable ones don’t get through. But otherwise it takes away from the branding of the team and gives to the branding of the league. And I will support my club over a league any day of the week.

 

League-wide fonts are great when the font is good (Premiership, current MLS)... but it’s a double-edged sword because they can also be a trainwreck for everyone (old MLS 1s and 7s, the trash LaLiga font last year).

[MJWalker45]

17 hours ago, TenaciousG said:

I’m sorry, but leagues don’t have to standardize fonts. What they should do is approve individual fonts so that unreadable ones don’t get through. But otherwise it takes away from the branding of the team and gives to the branding of the league. And I will support my club over a league any day of the week.

 

League-wide fonts are great when the font is good (Premiership, current MLS)... but it’s a double-edged sword because they can also be a trainwreck for everyone (old MLS 1s and 7s, the trash LaLiga font last year).

If they have to approve hundreds of fonts, why deal with that? That's why the FA has set fonts for 7 divisions of English football. 

[aawagner011]

Cincinnati will be reviewing their final branding with the league and adidas during the MLS All Star week with a planned unveiling this fall. Using the same firm as the one who did Juventus.

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2018/07/16/fc-cincinnati-hires-global-firm-spearhead-mls-expansion-branding-project

[upperV03]

The Timbers wore their gorgeous white/green/white combo last night for just the second time this season:

I absolutely love this look, and wish they’d make the green shorts the first choice for their secondaries instead of the white ones.