MLB: Project 32 - New Dugout Jackets Added

[coco1997]

That tertiary logo is really nifty. I love the inclusion of the sock stripes! I also like that you gave the navy cap a red bill; I never thought the solid navy cap was a great look for the Cards. 

 

The alternate take sounds very promising. Can't wait to see it!

[Danny the Sheeb]

*claps appreciatively*

[Carolingian Steamroller]

I really like what you've done with the Cards. The tweak to the socks is nice too. 

[SFGiants58]

On 9/29/2017 at 10:37 PM, MJD7 said:

I echo @the admiral's sentiments in regards to the Brewers alternate take.

 

As for the Cardinals (probably my favorite look in baseball) you did a good job of cleaning everything up. I will be honest though that I'm not a big fan of the new "StL." Maybe it's because I'm so used to the real version ,but it looks like a compromise between old and new that doesn't completely gel. At most, I would place the pointed serif that is at the top of the real-life "S" on the bottom as well, to match and to keep the lines more fluid. Also, I'm one that's in the "red cap on the road" camp, but I'd say it's fair to reserve that to a clash.

 

I'm really looking forward to this alternate take, should be one of the more interesting ones!

 

Thanks! I can see where you're coming from with the odd-looking serifs. I've adjusted them in the update to be a bit less awkward.

 

On 9/29/2017 at 11:01 PM, the admiral said:

Terrific. I'm red-cap-on-road too, but the red insignia on navy crown with red bill should definitely be their BP/ST cap (the single bird-on-bat always felt too informal for the estimable St. Louis Cardinals, even on practice hats, and especially unacceptable in Sunday games). I agree that if the Cardinals are to have navy hats, the bills should be red. I like the new StL but can't put a finger on what changed. The retro uniforms look neat, too.

 

I like losing the condensed block for NOBs, which is practically a signature Mets element to me and out of place on an NL rival of sorts (outside of Jason Isringhausen). 

EDIT: thinking about it more, I can definitely see the tertiary as a template of sorts for observing championships and retired numbers around Busch Stadium. 

 

Thank you. The red-cap-on-road, despite the protests of some of the St. Louis contingent (i.e. McCall), is a fantastic look. Still, I like the idea of the Cardinals using a navy-crowned/red-billed cap on the road, as it both tributes team history and resists the 1990's "dark-n-fade" fad, to which the Cardinals' all-navy road cap belonged.  

 

The tertiary does look good as a title/retired number template. Good call.

 

 

On 9/30/2017 at 7:51 AM, Cardsblues02 said:

I love the uniforms here, but I am not sure what to make of that "home plate" logo. Its too busy for my liking. The stripes, the year, the birds, it is way too much. Do the Cards really need an alternate logo? As long as I have been following the Cardinals, I have never heard a bad thing about their uniforms, and you some how made them better, so props for that. But I don't like that logo...

 

Thanks! I wanted a logo that incorporate the stripes pattern, so that's why I made it. I can see where you're coming from with it being too "busy," so I've removed the founding date in the update.

 

On 9/30/2017 at 8:07 AM, coco1997 said:

That tertiary logo is really nifty. I love the inclusion of the sock stripes! I also like that you gave the navy cap a red bill; I never thought the solid navy cap was a great look for the Cards. 

 

The alternate take sounds very promising. Can't wait to see it!

 

Thank you. I'm sure you'll like the alternate take.

 

On 9/30/2017 at 3:00 PM, Danny the Sheeb said:

*claps appreciatively*

 

Thanks.

 

18 hours ago, Carolingian Steamroller said:

I really like what you've done with the Cards. The tweak to the socks is nice too. 

 

Thank you. I like the sock stripes when they're a bit toned down, and not the large size they were in the 1960's/with Stance.

 

Anyway, here's a little update showing off the tweaked "StL" insignia and tertiary. Here's the NOB comparison, to make it a complete update.

 

 

 

 

 

The alternate take should be up later today!

[coco1997]

I think the more simplified tertiary logo was the right move. 

[SFGiants58]

It's alternate take time!

 

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS, PT. II - A restomod of the 1956 model year (winga dinga).

 

The 1956 Cardinals are one of those legendary one-year oddities in the history of baseball aesthetics. The Cardinals dumped their iconic birds-on-bat wordmarks in favor of cursive scripts and the Sluggerbird patch (under the direction of General Manager Frank Lane). While it looked good (as pointed out by @Gothamite and @Silent Wind of Doom when the Redbirds threw back to those uniforms last year), the fans disliked it. So, the Cardinals brought back the birds-on-bat, with some notable remnants of the 1956 uniforms (using cursive instead of serif font) and the all-navy cap. However, what if all elements of the 1956 redesign stuck around?

 

In the "right team, wrong uniform" thread's discussion of Stan Musial wearing the 1956 uniforms, @FinsUp1214 wrote:

On 7/7/2017 at 11:29 AM, FinsUp1214 said:

It would've really been interesting if the Cardinals for whatever reason stuck with these long-term. Or if this lasted into today in some form (going through the pullover phase and back again). 

 

That provided me an excellent starting point for the concept. How would the 1956 set have evolved through the introduction of front numbers and NOB's (1962), the red caps (1964), the pullover/sansabelt phase (1971-91, with 1975-84 being powder blue years), and their neo-classical restoration (1992, and refinements in 1998/2013)? Well, here is my representation of their current state!

 

The most notable change is the new Sluggerbird. Inspired by the work of @Htown1141 is his excellent thread, I merged the Sluggerbird's aesthetic with that of the 1997/8-present bird logos. I mixed it with a bit of the 1956-97 Sluggerbird (as the mothership sees it - the mothership's section on the Cardinals needs some significant updates, @CC97), and gave him a bit of a smirk. It's a bird with a baseball bat in his/her wings, so it's OK for it to be cartoony. Here's a comparison of the Sluggerbird logos. It's in a roundel, which features the classic sock stripes (something that didn't change in 1956, at least at home) and the same Batesina Athletica font from my Expos concept. I chose it because it looked close to the "StL" insignia's font. The secondary is the "StL" in red/navy, and the tertiary is Sluggerbird on his own.

 

 

The uniforms are where I try to make the 1956 set look less generic. The scripts (based on Beaverton Script and Fenway Park JF) are now updated, and I've created a matching "St. Louis" script (introduced either in 1992 or 1998). To "spice up" the uniform, I added a striping pattern inspired by the 1971-91 pullover/sansabelt Cardinals. Its form here would be a remnant of the 1992 button-front/belted pants restoration. The color balance is much the same as the current Cardinals, with red caps, belts, undershirts, and striped socks. Sluggerbird is on the sleeves, and the number font is the Minnesota Twins' block with serifs.

 

 

Since these Cardinals do not have the birds-on-bat, they can have red alternates! I paired both of them with my road cap from the regular concept, to avoid a red-fest. The home variant has the "Cardinals" script, while the away version uses the "StL" insignia. It makes for a solid jersey crest, and the team planned to feature it on their road uniform in 1956 (judging by the photos of the prototype, junking it was a good idea). I put the primary on the sleeves, as Sluggerbird looked busy with white outlines (a problem the real Cardinals have on their BP's). The sleeve stripes mimic the sock stripes, as I've always wanted to see a Cardinals concept with that feature.

 

 

The second set of alternates are straightforward. The first is a throwback to the early-mid 1940's uniforms, with an appropriate cap, script, and zipper-front! I even used the proper sock stripes. The second is an excuse to wear the alternate cap with the home uniforms, like the current bird-on-toothpick hats.

 

 

The 1956 Cardinals had a good look, and it was to see how it would have shifted over the years to fit various trends. However, I would never want to see it in real life. The birds-on-bat is a classic baseball design, and I wouldn't want to see it shuffled away in favor of generic cursive scripts and a cartoon bird. C+C is appreciated!

 

Up next, the San Diego Padres!

 

P.S. The modeling number for this presentation is that of famed Cardinals third baseman Scott Rolen.

[coco1997]

Love it! Nothing compares to the birds on the bat, but you've demonstrated that the Cards could still boast a really solid identity even without them. I really dig the red alternates, especially with the sock stripes used as sleeve trim. I wonder if you might extend the sleeve striping to the collars on the primaries, as well? As an aside, I never noticed how similar the "C" in the "Cardinals" script is to the late '80s White Sox "C" logo.

 

Can't believe there are only two teams left! Your most recent Padres concept was pretty much the most perfect thing I've ever seen, so I can't imagine you changed much. 

[JerseyJimmy]

is it bad that I like these more than the actual cardinals unis

[Paul Lucas]

These alternate-universe-part-2's are what make this series special.

 

Bravo. 

[MJD7]

To me the new StL is an immense improvement, great job. 

 

I agree with all of @coco1997’s points, I especially like the red StL alternate. I like the sleeve striping as it currently is on every set, though. The primary home reminds me a lot of the 70s-early 80s Twins set, which was one of my favorites.

 

Can’t wait for the Padres, your last version and the sneak peak make it seem promising!

[The_Admiral]

The batting bird is the best part. The team needs that logo.

[Carolingian Steamroller]

This Cards concept is a great what-if. It's pretty perfect for a script Cardinals design. The St. Louis script is so good I wonder if maybe they shouldn't use that full time. The double piping is great too. I noticed you used two stripe-spaced piping rather than three-stripe piping as on the original double knit era Cards which is a great detail. The stirrup stripes on the sleeves are magnificent on the alts. I thing the big StL jersey in particular would be a huge hit. 

 

One thing I'm confused about it that the piping on the jersey doesn't seem to match the detail. On the main jersey, all the stripes appear the same width while on the detail image the center red stripe appears slightly thicker. I'm not sure which is the right view since you have the slightly wider red stripe on the stirrups but the all equal design on the primary logo. 

[SFGiants58]

On 10/1/2017 at 6:06 PM, coco1997 said:

Love it! Nothing compares to the birds on the bat, but you've demonstrated that the Cards could still boast a really solid identity even without them. I really dig the red alternates, especially with the sock stripes used as sleeve trim. I wonder if you might extend the sleeve striping to the collars on the primaries, as well? As an aside, I never noticed how similar the "C" in the "Cardinals" script is to the late '80s White Sox "C" logo.

 

Can't believe there are only two teams left! Your most recent Padres concept was pretty much the most perfect thing I've ever seen, so I can't imagine you changed much. 

 

Thanks! I'm glad you like 'em. thought about collar trim, but it seemed to be a bit much. I'm very selective about when I use collar trim. The similarity of the "C" in the "Cardinals" script to that of the 1987-90 White Sox was not lost on me. It took me a while to get the "C" to the point where it didn't look like that/didn't look like a big lowercase "e." Some cursive letters can get weird.

 

On 10/1/2017 at 6:08 PM, Jimmy Lethal said:

is it bad that I like these more than the actual cardinals unis

 

Thanks, and no, it's not bad at all! You can join Brandon Moore in the unpopular opinion zone when it comes to not liking the Birds-on-Bat.

 

On 10/1/2017 at 6:59 PM, Paul Lucas said:

These alternate-universe-part-2's are what make this series special.

 

Bravo. 

 

Thank you! They're my favorite part of this endeavor, showing fun alternate histories and getting to understand the evolution of baseball aesthetics.

 

On 10/1/2017 at 8:19 PM, MJD7 said:

To me the new StL is an immense improvement, great job. 

 

I agree with all of @coco1997’s points, I especially like the red StL alternate. I like the sleeve striping as it currently is on every set, though. The primary home reminds me a lot of the 70s-early 80s Twins set, which was one of my favorites.

 

Can’t wait for the Padres, your last version and the sneak peak make it seem promising!

 

Thanks, and thanks for helping me clean the "StL" up. That red/navy or royal striping pattern was pretty common back in the pullover/sansabelt era:

 

  

 

...among others. I'm surprised that striping pattern didn't stick around once sleeve stripes shrank from c. 1987-1995.

 

On 10/1/2017 at 8:50 PM, the admiral said:

The batting bird is the best part. The team needs that logo.

 

Thanks! The problem with the batting bird, however, is where to put it in the main set. It can't be a jersey patch, because the chest design is so dense. Also, having ornithologically-correct (for the most part) birds paired with a cartoon bird is a bad combo. I think it would be best suited as a dugout jacket/batting practice jersey patch, like back in the day:

 

 

On a side note, weight savings was the reason why Frank Lane wanted to drop the Birds-on-Bat in 1956, when all he needed to do was dump placket trim and zipper-fronts. It was a Sharks-like move for them!

 

On 10/3/2017 at 12:49 PM, Carolingian Steamroller said:

This Cards concept is a great what-if. It's pretty perfect for a script Cardinals design. The St. Louis script is so good I wonder if maybe they shouldn't use that full time. The double piping is great too. I noticed you used two stripe-spaced piping rather than three-stripe piping as on the original double knit era Cards which is a great detail. The stirrup stripes on the sleeves are magnificent on the alts. I thing the big StL jersey in particular would be a huge hit. 

 

One thing I'm confused about it that the piping on the jersey doesn't seem to match the detail. On the main jersey, all the stripes appear the same width while on the detail image the center red stripe appears slightly thicker. I'm not sure which is the right view since you have the slightly wider red stripe on the stirrups but the all equal design on the primary logo. 

 

Thanks. Yeah, there's a bit of a discrepancy in the detail and full editions. I'm fixing the stripe width in an update. The socks are correct, as far as I know. I'll look into it.

 

Well, it's the Padres' turn!

 

SAN DIEGO PADRES, PT. I - Bring Back the Brown^TM, but be tasteful about it.

 

A long time ago, I wrote this: (link, because locked thread)

 

Quote

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. 

 

I made a concept in that vein about a year ago (update over here), and I was pretty pleased with the results. So, my update will be minor tweaks.

 

We've all been through the Padres merry-go-round with brown, yellow, orange, navy, sand, and powder blue (@hawk36 is no longer on the boards, after several posters ganged up on him in his "team histories belong to cities" crusade) . I've made it clear that I want something based off of the 1969-'71 uniforms (the most tasteful adaptation of brown/yellow, alongside the 1974-5 jerseys) with 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. The only other colors are a lighter yellow (for the logos), two tans/flesh tones for the Friar, and sand for the road uniform. The brown is a well-saturated custom shade, and the yellow is Pantone 1235 C.
 
I was doubtful that Mission-style architecture could be the basis for the Padres' look. However, after seeing concepts done by @TheGiantsFan and @Buc, I changed my mind. I combined their ideas of a home plate logo with a top designed to mimic Mission San Diego's front fascia and a rendering of its bell tower. This combination produced a primary logo that could carry across the Mission theme. I added the yellow shades 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 (an old Conrad file), as it tied in well with the sharp edges and swoopy lines of the architecture theme (and was a more refined version of the curvy serif font used by the team from 1969-'77). It also has a bit of "Gaslamp Quarter" vibe to it. I changed up the "SD" logo to reflect this change in font. The updated Swingin' Friar returns, albeit backed by the mission home plate logo, for ease of centering.

 

 

I have made some slight adjustments to the 1969 uniform template. While I've kept the pants stripe and sock stripes, I've added a second sleeve stripe to homage the uniforms of the PCL Padres and removed the collar trim. The sand road uniforms were one of the few parts of the 2004-10 branding I liked, and it worked better with brown/yellow than it did with navy/white. The "Padres" script enlarges "P" and "S," while the "San Diego" script highlights "S" and "D." This arrangement maintains one of the bits I like from the current Padres brown jersey, while also drawing from their past scripts. I kept the block with serifs font (also seen on my Royals and Twins concepts), as it grounds the uniform. The Swingin' Friar is the sleeve patch. 

 

 

There are no Taco Bell caps in this set, as they're tacky crap. I brought in an Athletic Gold alternate, featuring the home script and the primary logo as a patch. Thanks @MJD7, for the consulting with me on the yellow jersey's colorway. The brown jersey follows the same basic template as the current navy alt, albeit in the new color scheme, with the new "SD" and Swingin' Friar sleeve patch.

 

 

Now, the handling of navy. I'm open to the Padres keeping navy (while implementing a bright, well-saturated secondary color), but I'd much rather have the Friars embrace brown. Since many Padres fans prefer navy (25+ years and the PCL will do that), I decided to create navy uniforms. One is a PCL faux back that combines several PCL Padres looks. The PCL-style script is there, along with a period-correct tail. The double sleeve and placket stripes, 1954-68 cap logo, and Northwestern-striped socks (as modeled by Teddy Ballgame) all add up to make a classy vintage look that draws upon their navy/red past. The other uniform is a throwback to the 1998 home uniform, with the minor addition of the "SD" logo on the socks. These navy uniforms would hang out in the Thursday slot, to both appease the fans of navy and establish brown/yellow as the team's proper colors.

 

 

The Padres have the kernel of a gorgeous, unique look within their history. Modernizing the 1969-'71 by adjusting the font and logos to connect more to the architecture of the team's namesakes, while incorporating 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, then this is the way to go about it. C+C is appreciated, as always.

 

For the alternate take, making the best out of navy!

[Carolingian Steamroller]

This Padres concept is a terrific update. It's brown and gold but still feels fresh and new rather than a straight throwback. Are my eyes deceiving me or did you use a slightly different grey for the roads? The arching on the scripts look terrific and really bring out the mission aspect. I'm also glad that you went with empty plackets and did not add additional piping. The extra negative space really gives those scripts room to thrive. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go search in vain for a decent fish taco. 

[coco1997]

 

As always, looking forward to the alternate take.

 

[KittSmith_95]

That grey you used makes me think more teams should use different shades of grey on the road or making road jerseys tan/cream. I personally love this set, even though I'm a fan of the Brown/Orange look more than than Brown/Yellow as my mind immediately thinks of two things with those colours & that's the last thing I want a uniform to remind me of. I also like the fact you decided not to go for the Taco Bell cap here. 

 

 

Looking forward to Part 2..... I'm hoping that the Navy & Red throwback is where most of the new navy set is gong to get inspiration from, and that we do see another colour next to said Navy, weather it be Tan, Orange, Yellow, Light Blue, etc. But we'll see, won't we? 

[neo_prankster]

Very, very, very, very nice job on the Padres.

[MJD7]

The Padres look great! I love the sand road and the double-striping, those are both elements that just fit. I'm also glad you lightened the brown to where it is.

 

The only thing that I could suggest is that I like the wordmark font so much that it'd be cool to see a custom number font based off of it. Other than that, perfection.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing how you handle the alternate take, personally I hope it ends up being navy/yellow.

[The_Admiral]

The cleaned-up PCL script looks really good and may work better on the homes than the matching home script. I know it doesn't make a lot of sense, but I say this because it would really bring home the retro character by using a PCL logo and the inaugural colors. Besides, it would be true-to-life for a Padres concept to have stuff not match. I'm not sure about mixed caps and vertical arching going together on the road script; either the O should be fully capitalized or everything should. 

 

I'm not sure about the notches on the serifs of the S in SD. Something looks off there. And I love the Swinging Friar and love the new primary, but I'm not sure the friar and the outline from the primary mesh together too well, even though your rationale makes perfect sense (it does present serious centering issues as a sleeve patch). They should each stand alone. 

 

Great brown and yellow concept; it's a huge leap from recoloring the 2004 logos and calling it a day. Again, perfect primary.

[JerseyJimmy]

HELL YEAH SAND ROAD UNIFORMS