Brian in Boston

The summer collegiate Prospect League's Jamestown Jammers have unveiled their logo and uniforms.

The Can-Am League franchise setting-up shop at Skylands Stadium in Frankford, New Jersey is going to be named the Sussex County Miners.

The independent minor-pro East Coast Baseball League has released the logos for its first three member-franchises.

The team is still officially named the Pawtucket Red Sox. They've simply opted to emblazon their uniforms - and, given that the new logo package doesn't feature a Red Sox wordmark in the slightly altered Tuscan font, presumably most of their souvenir merchandise - with the abbreviated PawSox nickname. Given that locals have long referred to the team by the PawSox sobriquet, I don't have a problem with that. While I rather like the way Brandiose redesigned Pawtucket's mascot, "Paws", I can't help but wondering why we can't see his tongue in the more aggressive logo treatment. As a result of that omission, it seems unfinished in comparison to the friendlier depiction of "Paws". I keep going back-and-forth on whether I think the socks on his paws are a bit too "cutesy", but I think I can live with that. I like the update of the team's "P-and-Paw" logo, featuring the addition of a pawprint as the hole in the letter. Less successful, at least to my mind, is the alternate logo featuring the single sock with the polar bear paw ripping through the toe. Given that the top of the sock appears to be empty, I can't help but envision a sock containing a severed polar bear paw. I'm also not a fan of the decision to adorn the road cap with six pawprints tracking across the left side of its bill. It strikes me as being a classic example of one of Brandiose's signature "different-for-the-sake-of-being-different"/"because-we-can" embellishments. All of that said, what I really can't stand is the fact that Columbia Blue has been introduced to the team's color palette in such a prominent manner. I'd have absolutely no problem with it as a tertiary color used as an accent. That it is now the primary color of both the home cap and the alternate jersey strikes me as jarring and far too much of a departure from the team's longstanding visual identity. As it stands now, I can't see myself buying any of the team's caps, which are normally my souvenir purchase of choice. I just have issues with design elements of all of them. I'd grab the home cap if the crown were Navy with a Red visor, but - alas - it isn't. All in all, while I don't think this is the worst of Brandiose's minor-league branding missteps, it still strikes me as being a rebrand that falls short of being truly successful. That's particularly disappointing given that the PawSox are my Triple-A team of choice. I grew up supporting them. I lived a 25 to 30-minute drive from McCoy Stadium and attended their games on a regular basis. I was even in attendance at the longest game in professional baseball history. For all of those reasons, it would have been nice to see Brandiose really nail this rebrand on behalf of the PawSox.

You're certainly not alone in your passion for the idea of an NHL franchise returning to Hartford. Further, while we've engaged in some spirited debate on the topic, I can assure you that you don't strike me as being a member of the "lunatic fringe" when it comes to discussing the matter. Trust me, I know some of said "lunatic fringe"... hell, I have family who are card-carrying members. You, sir, are the very definition of erudition and decorum compared to the Bring Back the Whalers "lunatic fringe". Frankly, as someone who grew up rooting for the Whalers, part of me hopes that your passion for the idea of Whalers 2.0 is borne out of the fact that you're a multibillionaire who is systematically - and, heretofore, secretly - putting plans together to bring an NHL franchise back to Hartford.

Which is why I cite them. Until such time as a completely independent agency is established and empowered to accurately measure sports attendance numbers, we're left to accept that the numbers provided by the teams themselves are - ahem - on the level. You're free to do so, but you'd be wrong. I was there, in attendance, at countless Whalers games over the course of the team's existence in both the WHA and NHL. My family members were season ticket-holders. As a result, as much as it pains me as a diehard New England and Hartford Whalers fan to do so, I can assure you that the franchise was just as guilty of fudging its attendance numbers as any professional sports franchise ever has been. That's right... as poor as the attendance figures I cited for the Whalers happen to be, I can say - with absolute certainty - that there were games when the team had to lie about its attendance in order to achieve those dubious marks. In fact, my uncle was an executive with Aetna and his time with the company included the era in which the firm was a part of the Whalers' ownership consortium. The stories he could tell you about papering the house with comp tickets to Aetna employees would make your head spin. Yeah... the Hartford Whalers were the one franchise in the history of the National Hockey League that released scrupulously accurate attendance records. Now Whalers 2.0 is going to represent Southern New England as well as Hartford? The team would be hard-pressed to capture the entirety of the Connecticut marketplace, let alone successfully garner anything approaching appreciable fan support from other areas of Southern New England. Hartford Whalers 2.0 wouldn't be any more successful at drawing significant support from Rhode Island and Eastern Massachusetts than the original Connecticut-based Whalers were. The team might - MIGHT - make some inroads into Southwestern Worcester County, but I wouldn't bet the house on it. The team would draw a relatively decent following from Hampden and Hampshire Counties in Massachusetts, with less from Franklin and Berkshire Counties. Whalers 2.0 could claim a portion of Southern New England, but it would be a limited portion. One of several problems the marketplace faces. Oh, is that all? First, where's the financing for the new arena coming from? Citing a budget deficit, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy recently announced that he was imposing a state hiring freeze of full-time, part-time and temporary positions, as well as across-the-board emergency spending cuts. Second, the "reinvigorated" NHL franchise is going to land a "great TV deal" that not only draws viewership from "Hartford/Southern New England", but from "all of New England"? Whalers 2.0 has about as good a chance of making significant inroads with viewers from Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont as the franchise does of significantly expanding its fanbase into Rhode Island, Eastern Massachusetts, the majority of Worcester County, and the far reaches of Western Masachusetts. Wisely, you exclude Fairfield County from the franchise's target market, as Southwestern Connecticut falls squarely under New York City's considrable sphere-of-influence... pro sports most definitely included. That said, a Hartford-based NHL franchise is also going to have its hands full successfully marketing itself to Western New Haven County (NYC sphere-of-influence), Southwestern Litchfield County (NYC), Windham County (Boston), and Eastern New London County (Boston). You'll get no argument from me that Peter Karmanos is seriously wanting in the ownership department. That said, as you've pointed out on more than one occasion, it isn't as if the NHL is turning away quality ownership candidates. As a result, there's simply no guarantee that the owners of Whalers 2.0 will cover themselves in glory. Look, I'd love to see the Hartford Whalers once again take to the ice in the NHL. However, the sad truth is that Hartford was exceedingly fortunate to land a major pro sports team in the first place and proved, quite emphatically, that it is - at best - a marginal market that would always struggle to maintain solvency.

Similarly, there are those who would apparently like to see Hartford's failure as a major-pro sports market "Whale-tailed" out of existence.Sadly, for those of us who actually supported the Whalers by consistently purchasing tickets to their games and attending said contests, a well-designed logo doesn't - in and of itself - guarantee the viability of a National Hockey League franchise. Unfortunately, the sales of caps and t-shirts and sweatshirts and jerseys and other tchotchkes bearing the iconic Hartford Whalers logo simply didn't translate into nearly enough fannies in the seats on a regular basis. If they had, the Whalers would never have put up a seasonal average attendance of 11,983... or 11,835... or 11,703... or 11,506... or 10,896... or 10,586... or 10,407... or the aforementioned 10,144. Say what you will about the Carolina Hurricanes, they haven't hit those depths for a full-season attendance average yet. While they may still manage to do so, the Hurricanes -to date - have averaged 15,180 fans-per-game over 14-and-1/4 seasons in Raleigh. By comparison, the Whalers averaged 12,269 fans-per-game over 16 full NHL seasons in Hartford. If the Hurricanes' support in Raleigh isn't adequate to warrant the franchise's continued operation in said market, than the Whalers' track-record of support - or, lack thereof - in Hartford is just as damning. I'm not saying that a Raleigh-based franchise can be a viable long-term success story in the NHL, but if it isn't, a return to Hartford isn't the answer. The league would ultimately be replacing one marginal, problematic market with another. And I say all of this having been a die-hard New England and Hartford Whalers supporter.

Well, it just goes to show that whether you hire a well-known graphic design/branding firm, or opt to "do it yourself", there's no guarantee that the results will be well-received. Personally, I think this is a big swing and a miss on the part of Ross Yoshida and the Los Angeles Dodgers' in-house graphic design team. The only component of the brand package I find at all appealing is the "OKC" monogram. In my opinion, everything else ranges from "lame" to "hot mess".

The franchise hasn't seen "crowds" like this since my uncle, cousins, father and I were contributing to the Hartford Whalers' average home attendance of 10,144 fans-per-game during the 1992-93 NHL season.

Plan B / Brandiose has done some great work over the years. When they have, I feel that it's been praised in this community. That said, as much as I've absolutely loved some of their work, I personally feel that their hit-to-miss ratio has been on a decline. I can't speak for anyone else, but I prefer a lot of Jason and Casey's earlier work on behalf of clients such as the Clearwater Threshers, Lakeland Flying Tigers, and Spokane Indians. Their more recent efforts seem to lack the focus and cohesiveness evident in those identity packages. For the past couple of years the guys have shown a propensity for throwing "eveything but the kitchen sink" into their logo packages. Rather than paring a branding package down to its simple, less-is-more essentials, they seem hellbent on marrying disparate themes and elements together... with the result being unwieldy, overdone clunkers. Case in point: the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders identity package that Brandiose was responsible for creating. Apparently, the RailRiders and Porcupines names both received a lot of support in the team's "Name The Team" contest. I can understand the desire to somehow try to reflect that in the identity package. That said, sometimes a losing idea/identity just has to be consigned to the ashcan. By trying to marry a pair of disparate elements in the RailRiders logo package - the region's rich rail heritage (particularly, the electrified rail system on which the nation's first trolley system ran) AND a porcupine - Brandiose failed to give either element the focus it deserved. The rails are so subdued in the logo as to almost be an afterthought. This being the case, they're easy to overlook, which throws the focus for a team named the RailRiders onto a porcupine. If Casey, Jason and/or the client felt that it was absolutely necessary to marry the trolley-rail and porcupine themes, they'd have been better served to use one of the alternate logos from this package - a porcupine garbed as a train/trolley conductor - as the primary mark. Otherwise, they should have simply chosen either the RailRiders name or the Porcupines sobriquet and illustrated said brand accordingly. Similarly, Brandiose's identity package for the Lexington Legends was stuffed to bursting with ideas the guys seemingly just couldn't bear to part with. An old-time ballplayer sporting a moustache that is practically a character unto itself shares space with a horseshoe AND the abbreviated placename "LEX" AND a stylized "L" depicted as a paddock fence. Simply because you CAN fit the multiple elements into the logo doesn't mean you SHOULD put them in the logo. Bottom line? Less is often more when it comes to creating a successful identity package. Brandiose seems to have gotten away from that and, to my mind, it has been having a detrimental effect on their output for the past couple of years. Still, what do I know? Their clients clearly love the work that they're doing. In any event, I didn't "turn on them" because they became successful. Rather, I just believe that a lot of their more recent work would benefit from a paring down of the number of component elements.

Studio Simon's most recent work on behalf of a minor-league client was unveiled last month. They designed the new logo package for the Tennessee Smokies.

Clearly not, as any relative of mine would possess the intellect and taste necessary to share my opinion that rendering a building at a skewed angle in order to denote action and excitement is a poor design choice.

While not as bad as Energy, Wild Ones or Wonder, the Black Bears name strikes me as a thoroughly "meh" choice. As a result this team's identity is going to really have to rely upon the visual elements to sell the package. Personally, I'd prefer to see them go the route of the American Hockey League's Hershey Bears and adopt a simple, classic, more refined primary mark.

The new Kokomo, Indiana-based team in the summer collegiate Prospect League has unveiled its name and logo. The Jackrabbits identity is a tip-of-the-hat to the Apperson "Jack Rabbit" brand of automobiles, which were manufactured in Kokomo during the early 1900s.

1) Coal Kings 2) Canaries

The Holly Springs Salamander logo is yet another outstanding design effort from Skye Dillon - aka, CCSLC member cward - of Skye Design Studios. In addition to the Salamanders' mark, Skye's other work on behalf of collegiate summer baseball clients includes logos for the Edenton Steamers (Coastal Plain League), Valley Blue Sox (New England Collegiate Baseball League), Springfield Sliders (Prospect League), Wilson Tobs (Coastal Plain League), and Wisconsin Woodchucks (Northwoods League).

News stories I have read state that this may not exactly be the final logo. Due to the timeframe at hand and the approvals that have to be done for logos thru MILB, USPTO, etc. they were able to provide this as a defacto placeholder. We'll see. For what it's worth, this is what the team's owner - Tim Berlin - reportedly had to say: Berlin also unveiled a new logo for the team that he described as the model that the team expects to use in the design of new uniforms, apparel and other South Bend Cubs branded items. "We're moving fast," added Berlin. "Officials gave South Bend a special waiver so that we could show you this today, but something as important as a logo needs to be approved by the league and by the Chicago Cubs. So, I can’t call it official yet, but it is what you’re likely to see on all our uniforms, apparel, advertising and merchandise from now on." There could well be some tweaks, but "from now on" gives the impression that the logo unveiled today is going to, at the very least, be incorporated into a more permanent mark.

The Class A Midwest League franchise formerly dubbed the South Bend Silver Hawks are now the South Bend Cubs.

The newly-launched independent, minor-pro East Coast Baseball League has revealed the names of its first two member-franchises. The team set to play in Newburgh, New York has been dubbed the Newburgh Newts. The team located in Welland, Ontario will be called the Niagara Wild. ECBL officials have also announced that the creation of logos for the teams will be handled by graphic designers from Zephyr, the official hat supplier to the league.

Oklahoma City's Triple-A baseball team was actually dubbed the 89ers for 36 years, not the 86ers.

The Ottawa Champions of the independent minor Can-Am League have unveiled their logos. And the cap logo...

The Virginia Beach Neptunes have officially unveiled their logos. 

Well, this has cropped-up on the Virginia Beach Neptunes' website... There are days when, as a branding enthusiast, my soul dies a little bit.

Biloxi, Mississippi's new minor league baseball team (the relocating Huntsville Stars of the Double A Southern League) has announced the finalists in its Name-The-Team contest: Biloxi Beacon - A symbol of resilience, the “Biloxi Beacon” honors the Biloxi beach lighthouse, which has weathered nature’s mightiest storms since 1848. Beacon embodies Biloxi's can-do attitude, shared by Coastians throughout the region. Biloxi Black Jacks - Combining the fun of Minor League Baseball with casino & seafood industries, the “Biloxi Black Jacks” pays homage to the “rare” black-colored gulf coast Jack fish. Biloxi Mullets - A tribute to Biloxi bacon and the popular Biloxi fish, the “Biloxi Mullets” falls in line with the Lugnuts, Biscuits and other wacky names Minor League Baseball is known for. Biloxi Schooners - The “Biloxi Schooners” celebrates the legendary Biloxi-built boats known for their speed and windward ability. This workhorse became a way of life for fishermen along the Mississippi Coast. Biloxi Shrimpers - The Gulf Coast shrimp gave birth to Biloxi’s famous seafood industry in the 1920s and 1930s. The name “Biloxi Shrimpers” embodies Biloxi's reputation as the hub of the Gulf’s shrimping industry. Biloxi Shuckers - The “Biloxi Shuckers” celebrates Biloxi’s legacy as the original “Seafood Capital of the World.” Raw, fried, steamed, or broiled -- shucking oysters has been synonymous with Biloxi for generations. http://www.baseballbiloxi.com/castyourvote.htm

The Norwich, CT-based Connecticut Tigers - Class A New York-Penn League affiliate of the Detroit Tigers - have unveiled a pair of new alternate marks. Both logos depict team mascot C.T. the Tiger. Amongst the symbolic touches gracing the second mark: a rose-shaped patch on the jersey sleeve which pays homage to the City of Norwich being known as the "Rose City", four stripes on C.T.'s left arm signifying the Detroit Tigers' four World Series titles, and eight spikes on the mascot's left cleat representing the eight counties within the State of Connecticut. The marks were designed by Brandiose.