Miami Marlins 2019 Rebrand

[SFGiants58]

27 minutes ago, the admiral said:

It is perfect for its era, which has passed, and the Giants have moved since then. I wish that style had stayed as a specifically New York property while the other style is more universal.

 

Eh, I’d say that it works in both locations, but it works more in New York. The Giants/Pirates-style font (specifically the bolder version with slightly-different cuts on the “S” that the Giants use) works well in both NY and SF, but moreso in SF in ways I can’t really explain. We can have both in the identity.

 

Both options work better than generic rounded slab-serif with those numbers. Lurie Slab and Compacta/ Haettenschweiler numerals are a bad look for the Giants, but decent for the ‘85-‘95 Padres.

 

Back to the Marlins, I’m liking the new uniforms a lot less than I did earlier, thanks to seeing them in game action. It’s got a bit of a “follow-the-leader” look, trying to emulate the Heat’s Miami Nights uniforms/neon signage/Hotline Miami “A E S T H E T I C” without understanding why those looks work.

[IceCap]

12 hours ago, Lee Noire said:

I really wish the piping on the sleeves was thicker, or was higher up on the sleeve like it is on the last set. That way the colors pop way more. That pretty much solves any issues I have with the set. Other than the blue being for BP which is a bummer.

 

Im hoping that piping issue is something they tweak moving forward. Seems like teams have freedom to make small alterations like that.

This is one set that could have made racing stripes work. 

[SilverBullet1929]

31 minutes ago, Ice_Cap said:

lol ok

Sorry, but too much of this identity reminds me of the Blue Jays’ “Black Jays” look, only with less legible scripts and logos. Nothing about this strikes me as a long-term identity. 

The Blue Jays went from a blue look to a black look so eventually they had to change back to a blue look. The Marlins went from a black look to a black look so I don't see the similarity. Maybe if the Marlins suddenly became a, I dunno, a purple team then yes it would be akin to the Black Jays. If anything the multi colored 2012-18 look is the "doesn't belong" Black Jays identity in between. 

 

Regardless, I get what you were trying to say, but so much of making this the long term identity is just ownership committing to it and I don't see why this ownership wouldn't do that. If they've already decided they're not going back to teal then they have no reason to change the identity again. 

[rmc523]

13 hours ago, nash61 said:

I'm intrigued by the shoulder patch. From the MLB rulebook

 

 

 

 

It's probably so small that it doesn't make a difference.

 

34 minutes ago, Brandon9485 said:

I think this identity has some room to grow without a full rebrand. I second the calls for a cap with a blue bill or a blue crown (my personal choice), and when you look at 2018 the Marlins gave a blue cap a test run with the player weekend uniforms. I think overtime the blue and red can be let out more on the script and give the uniforms more of a neon light appearance. I wonder if the team went conservative at the beginning to gauge reaction with the room to make tweaks later. 

 

On a another note, good-bye Marlins 2012-18 road gray uniforms. You were under appreciated and perhaps underrated. The white Miami script was unique to MLB at the time and a great look. 

 

Agreed - I think this will be a situation where we see tweaks a year or two in - maybe add a blue alternate, or a blue cap, etc.

 

Also, it's so early in the offseason still, it may even be possible for them to make slight modifications to them before the season (thicker outlines, etc.) after seeing them on camera/in game for the first time yesterday.

[IceCap]

8 minutes ago, SilverBullet1929 said:

The Blue Jays went from a blue look to a black look so eventually they had to change back to a blue look. The Marlins went from a black look to a black look so I don't see the similarity. Maybe if the Marlins suddenly became a, I dunno, a purple team then yes it would be akin to the Black Jays. 

 

Regardless, I get what you were trying to say, but so much of making this the long term identity is just ownership committing to it and I don't see why this ownership wouldn't do that. If they've already decided they're not going back to teal then they have no reason to change the identity again. 

You’re reading into what I said the wrong way. This is like the Black Jays look in terms of general style and aesthetics. The style of the logos and wordmarks remind me of the style used by the Jays during the Black Jays era, and it’s just not a style that I think has any longevity behind it. 

It’s just a bit too cute/over-designed. At least the Black Jays’ wordmarks were legible though. 

 

As for ownership committing to it? Well it’s funny how quickly ownership’s opinion can change when they start to see slumping march sales or figures that suggest that they’re falling behind the market’s other teams in terms of relevance. Then another rebrand will seem like a great idea. 

 

If anything the multi colored 2012-18 look is the "doesn't belong" Black Jays identity in between.

I get it, you want to carry water for your team and/or Jeter’s ownership group, but no. The now current look has far more in common with the 2012-2018 look than it does the pre-2012 identity.  

[TBGKon]

23 hours ago, habsfan1 said:

 

I need a close-up of those caps with an X of some sort. First time seeing those...

Those are hats for the Arizona Fall League Grand Canyon Rafters team the Marlins prospects play for.

[The_Admiral]

Speaking of the rest of the market, all the SoFla teams are either trying to connote nightlife or luxury brands in some way. (The Panthers have the army stuff but the primary logo screams luxury car to me).

[SilverBullet1929]

A thought, little devil's advocate maybe... we feel underwhelmed by these uniforms because they're not colorful enough right? Too much black right?

 

...but black IS a color option and it's clearly their primary color choice so the problem is that black is their primary color right? Why is that a problem?

 

The Phillies for example have red caps wordmarks undershirts socks cleats and accessories... the Marlins have the same thing just black replaces red. Isn't that ok if we accept black is their primary color? Or do we just have a problem with black being their primary? 

[JayMac]

33 minutes ago, SilverBullet1929 said:

A thought, little devil's advocate maybe... we feel underwhelmed by these uniforms because they're not colorful enough right? Too much black right?

 

...but black IS a color option and it's clearly their primary color choice so the problem is that black is their primary color right? Why is that a problem?

 

The Phillies for example have red caps wordmarks undershirts socks cleats and accessories... the Marlins have the same thing just black replaces red. Isn't that ok if we accept black is their primary color? Or do we just have a problem with black being their primary? 

Black being the primary color is the problem for me. They talk about "my colores" and show off a vibrant blue and red, only to relegate it to some shadowing and thin sleeve stripes.

[Digby]

I think the relative lack of blue and red is clear that they're trying to recreate the way that neon is the stroke of that sort of neon sign, coupled with the script typeface being a very classic neon-sign sort of typeface. The concept makes perfect sense (leaving out the Marlin swirl and the baseball from the void logo, for now). It's just that what looks good on a neon sign may not look so good as stitched twill.

 

  

[IceCap]

3 hours ago, jmac11281 said:

Black being the primary color is the problem for me. They talk about "my colores" and show off a vibrant blue and red, only to relegate it to some shadowing and thin sleeve stripes.

Exactly. The Marlins want it both ways. They want the vibrant blue and red but they also want black to be the primary.

 

2 hours ago, Digby said:

I think the relative lack of blue and red is clear that they're trying to recreate the way that neon is the stroke of that sort of neon sign, coupled with the script typeface being a very classic neon-sign sort of typeface. The concept makes perfect sense (leaving out the Marlin swirl and the baseball from the void logo, for now). It's just that what looks good on a neon sign may not look so good as stitched twill.

 

  

That’s certainly what they’re going for, but the Arizona Fall League game already proved that the red and blue highlights against the black jersey won’t “pop” nearly as well as some people were expecting them to. 

 

I’m sure the concept sounded great during the pitch meeting, and it does look striking up close under the right lighting conditions. On tv or at a distance though (aka how fans will watch the team)? It fails. 

 

EDIT- I think the 2012-2018 look captured the feel of those pictures better than the new set does. 

[bradsbeard]

I think they need to either keep the neon sign thing restricted to the black jerseys (where it works best as an effect), or really increase the weight of the blue outline so it shows more clearly on the white and grey uniforms. Right now it’s just too faint to have much impact from far away. 

[IceCap]

1 hour ago, SilverBullet1929 said:

A thought, little devil's advocate maybe... we feel underwhelmed by these uniforms because they're not colorful enough right? Too much black right?

 

...but black IS a color option and it's clearly their primary color choice so the problem is that black is their primary color right? Why is that a problem?

 

The Phillies for example have red caps wordmarks undershirts socks cleats and accessories... the Marlins have the same thing just black replaces red. Isn't that ok if we accept black is their primary color? Or do we just have a problem with black being their primary? 

The thing is that black’s played out. 

 

You have the Marlins’ expansion cousins, the Rockies, who have embraced black. The White Sox have black alternates they wear all the time. The Pirates, Orioles, Giants, and Diamondbacks all have black alternates as well. Factor in the Reds? Who use black highlights despite most people seemingly wishing they wouldn’t? And previous BFBS messes like the Mets and Royals? I think it’s fair to say most people are just tired of black baseball uniforms. 

 

It’s worse with the Marlins because I think all three of their identities used colours people would have preferred to see more of. Teal, neon blue, orange, bright red. And they always default to black. It’s a bit underwhelming considering the options. 

 

The “neon” look of bright colours on a black base has been a thing they’ve been chasing since 2012, and I think the previous crack at it was more successful than the recent attempt. At least you could read the wordmarks on the 2012-2018 black jerseys from a distance. 

[jrodsep]

Look at this concept over at Reddit, I love it:

 

 

 

The real kicker is when you invert the colors of the new logo:

 

[daveindc]

1 hour ago, Digby said:

I think the relative lack of blue and red is clear that they're trying to recreate the way that neon is the stroke of that sort of neon sign, coupled with the script typeface being a very classic neon-sign sort of typeface. The concept makes perfect sense (leaving out the Marlin swirl and the baseball from the void logo, for now). It's just that what looks good on a neon sign may not look so good as stitched twill.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

But when you look at images that are actually from Miami, the colors are way more vibrant than that:

 

 

 

They should've just embraced more color. Instead, they ended up with a common neon sign look.

 

 

 

[San Diego]

Teal, Black, Silver. What's so hard about that?

[Marlins93]

10 hours ago, Ice_Cap said:

lol ok

Sorry, but too much of this identity reminds me of the Blue Jays’ “Black Jays” look, only with less legible scripts and logos. Nothing about this strikes me as a long-term identity. 

Me either. I except a soft rebrand within 5 years to correct some of the more egregious flaws. And there are plenty of those.

 

I just cannot expect a predominantly black on black look lasting that long into the future.

[tp49]

11 hours ago, Ice_Cap said:

lol ok

Sorry, but too much of this identity reminds me of the Blue Jays’ “Black Jays” look, only with less legible scripts and logos. Nothing about this strikes me as a long-term identity. 

I see exactly where you're going here as it's the first thing I thought of when I saw these jerseys.  The font used on the front instantly reminded me of the "Black Jays."  I think they have some good pieces in place that they can build with but I too feel as though this is more of a temporary identity.

[Cosmic]

I think I agree with the general sentiment of the board... colors are fun, too much black, could be pretty solid with some tweaks. The team needs to #useourcolores.

[daveindc]

On 11/16/2018 at 12:15 AM, Bmac said:

 

 

The Heat know how to do it right. If you're going to use these "colores", don't be scared about it. Marlins could've had something special, but they played it way too conservative.