Thaumatrope

I know I'm late to the party but the news about Syracuse makes me really sad. The very first ball game I ever went to was a Syracuse Chiefs game (many many moons ago). It seems like the team has really struggled to come up with a brand that allows them to maintain the Chiefs name while respecting the wishes of the Onondaga nation (my memories are mostly of the 80s Blue Jays inspired look), but for as awkward and cumbersome as those efforts have been I give them a lot of credit for trying. Sadly, the change to Syracuse Mets just seems like a cop out. The Syracuse Chiefs have existed in one form or another for over 80 years (and yes, I'm counting the SkyChiefs in that time as well), to give that all up for an identity as uninspired and irrelevant to the city's history as Mets is just heartbreaking.

The winged A by itself isn't bad. It's actually pretty restrained for a Brandiose design (although I could do without the green pattern on the wings). However I agree with everyone else about the bug logo. The image of the hat was my first look at the logo and my first thought was honestly "Why does this frog/hornet hybrid have a John Deere riding lawnmower on it's head?"

The Mexican Day-of-the-Dead skeleton prospector seems like a hell of a stretch for Reyes De Plata, but I love the Charlotte Caballeros. I might have to track down some of their swag.

OOF...that's rough. Say what you will about the previous branding package (generic, cluttered, poorly executed, etc.) at least it was professional. This new design just looks downright amateur by comparison. There's so much wrong with the wordmark and "logo" (I feel like quotes here are completely justified as the grape is most definitely an illustration...not a logo) that I feel like I could write a paragraph on each and still not cover everything. Instead, I'll just point out two major observations and let others take a whack at this failure piñata. Observation #1 - The wordmark uses at least two different shades of purple for "Lake Erie" and "Crushers". This is not only unnecessary, it also seems to create a weird optical illusion where the purple in the various letters that make up "Crushers" appear to vary in shade and/or saturation. Observation #2 - The three grapes falling from the bunch hanging from the bat. I don't know why but my eyes keep getting drawn back to them, and every time I can't help but notice what an awful, bumpy, misshapen mess they are. They are clear and undeniable proof that the "logo" was hand drawn and (most likely) untouched by any vector program. I think this is one of those instances where if the organization had spent a bit more time on the actual design rather than promoting the change they may have ended up with something less embarrassing.

Agreed. I'd love to see these jerseys up close to get a better view of how they achieved that effect. Not to get too off topic, but the new Memphis Redbirds package makes me wonder what could have been for the Vegas G* Knights. Desert Knights or Neon Knights (or just plain Knights) could have been absolutely gorgeous with this kind of approach.

Agreed. The old Fresno Grizzlies design did a fantastic job of integrating local aesthetics and an unconventional color palette. Definitely unique and classy.

Honestly that's my biggest fear. I can easily see a number of organizations facing such a huge backlash from their fans (or witnessing the negative fallout faced by other organizations) and opting to go with the "safest" branding possible, ie using the exact same identity as the parent club. While I agree that Brandiose has taken their formula way too far, its worth pointing out that using the parent club's identity can be just as disastrous (see OKC Dodgers and Grand Junction Rockies). As @WSU151 said, there's got to be a happy medium that exists somewhere between the Po' Baby Owlz and the Big League Generics. One of the great things about minor league baseball is that its a vibrant part of communities across the country, and I believe having a name that reflects the community helps to make that relationship even stronger. I think most of the board sees Brandiose taking this to cartoonishly ridiculous extremes (with a very transparent motivation to push merchandise), but advocating for a complete denial of individual identity is just taking things to extremes in opposite directions. If I could offer up one potential solution: I really like how the LA Kings have branded their minor league affiliates (Reign, Monarchs, Royals, etc.), and I don't see any reason why other organizations couldn't be just as clever. Pittsburgh for example could have affiliates named the Corsairs, Marauders, Sea Wolves, etc. Miami's affiliates could all be named after sporting fish, Detroit's could all be big cats, Oakland's could be alphabetical. I realize this is a personal opinion, but I find that there's greater creative potential when you create constraints for yourself. Otherwise you end up with thin and flaccid ideas that lack the rigor to survive the test of time...kinda like Rumble Ponies.

Those Po' Baby Owlz just can't catch a break.

So first the good: The use of a carousel horse as a primary logo is unique and embraces the local community. The execution of the horse is also solid, although I prefer the unadorned logo to the wordmark and roundel variations. The "B" logo is also sharp and I can see it working very well on a cap. The wordmark by itself is also solid, although I think they could have been a bit more ambitious with their ornamentation (see the scrollwork on the top of the carousel). The fact that they've come up with a unique font for their text also adds something to the brand. ...and now the bad: The name Rumble Ponies doesn't sit well with me. It feels forced, like the ownership/focus group felt that ponies was too passive and needed to be "toughened up". I feel like Carousel Ponies would have been a more accurate and classy/timeless name, but even something like Piston Ponies or Merry-Go-Riders would be an improvement in my mind. Granted even Rumble Ponies is a major improvement over Stud Muffins >shudder<. As others have pointed out, the boxer pony feels completely disconnected from the other designs. It comes across as a very obvious play for the ironic/kiddy demographic and doesn't really support the rest of the brand (which feels very sleek and aggressive). Last but not least, I'll also echo everyone's disappointment with the colors. Maybe its my monitor, but the image above almost looks like it could be navy blue and reddish-orange. It seems like it would have been very easy to make the palette more reflective of the Mets...but I get the feeling that may have been an ownership call.

If I had to come up with a timeline for the descent of Brandiose, I'd have to go with the Reading Fightin' Phils. I feel like it represents a tipping point from producing brands with an array of well integrated logos (see Blue Wahoos, Flying Tigers, or the tragically short-lived Fresno Grizzlies identity) to a "kitchen sink" mentality where no idea is too ridiculous or off-the-cuff to be integrated into a brand. From the Fightin' Phils we move to identities like the Stockton Ports and the WBS Rail Riders where the number unrelated logos mushrooms to absurd proportions. Over the last couple years we've seen the number of logos per brand shrink while the overall quality has diminished. Where a goofy logo may have once filled out a brand package as a supporting design, Brandiose's latest projects have cut straight to the outlandish (see Shuckers, Jumbo Shrimp, Fire Frogs, etc.).

I think what bothers me the most about the set is that everything is so clearly slapped together. In all three marks you can clearly see how different elements have just been moved around. While I know this is a pretty common practice, its the lack of followthrough that really bothers me. Case in point: The "water wings". A more complete water element is used in the "shrimp boil" logo. However, rather than create a more unified water element on the "J-shrimp" they just copied, pasted, rotated, and called it a day. That shows a real lack of professional polish that speaks to how far Brandiose has fallen. They've gone from producing some really beautiful and thoughtful brands (Lakeland Flying Tigers, Clearwater Threshers, Casper Ghosts, etc.) to just being a minor league baseball logo factory. I know others have already lamented how formulaic they've become, but when you combine creative stagnation with poor craftsmanship...that spells disaster.

The pot logo really confuses me. What is that other stuff in the pot with the shrimp? A luffa? A cob of corn? What about the weird pink disks? Hot dog slices? Really pale tomatoes? Does Jacksonville have some tradition of boiling shrimp with sausage and corn? Also...does anyone else see a similarity between the shrimp and this:

While I'd gladly stand first in line to level serious criticism at Brandiose, in this particular instance I feel like they're damned if they do and damned if they don't. While I agree the Hillcats logo doesn't convey baseball, I respect the designers for stepping outside of their (quite significant) stylistic rut. When I first saw the design I didn't even think it was a Brandiose project...it just looks so different. That being said, the package is far from perfect. As I mentioned earlier the wordmark is by far the weakest element. With the jagged serifs and the ridiculously over the top A I can totally understand where the football vibe is coming from. As others have pointed out the leaping cat mark is also quite poor (the front legs are out of proportion and the raised right paw just looks bolted on), although I can understand the desire to integrate the paw from the L. However the primary mark, and the colors, are quite strong and overall its a major improvement. I think a lot will depend on the overall execution of the brand.

Yeah...if you look closely at the red jersey you can make out an L and a D. The ownership did say something about this being a "bold move"...although honestly Jacksonville calling itself "The Bold New City of the South" strikes me a lot like Baltimore proclaiming itself the "Greatest City in America". All of which falls under my personal belief that if you have to say something about yourself...it probably isn't true.

Any idea if they've unveiled a uniform yet? I'd love to see the dark blue with bright green pinstripes.

All things considered...not bad. The raised paw on the leaping logo is a bit forced, but I like the primary and the colors are nice and unique. That word mark could use some work...