Cleveland Indians become the Cleveland Guardians

[MJWalker45]

4 minutes ago, Marlins93 said:

 

Of the entire set? The final versions?

Just slapped over last year's jerseys. 

[JF_NEOhio]

 

 

 

4 hours ago, MJWalker45 said:

4 hours ago, CitizenTino said:

I wonder if this is a supply issue or if there were some last-minute tweaks to the uniforms. My bet is on the former.

I'd say the latter, since it looked like most of what was shown previously was just a photoshop of the current uniforms with the new logos and numbers. 

I I was told in the gift shop this morning, that it was kind of both.  Supply issues, and that the new hats would be slightly different than the old ones (besides the obvious change to the 'C').

Also, it was mentioned that there would be a new alternate hat, implying that it would be red.  (Which can not be worse than the old red alt hat with the navy C with no outline.  I was not a fan of that hat.)

[MJWalker45]

5 minutes ago, JF_NEOhio said:

 

 

 

I I was told in the gift shop this morning, that it was kind of both.  Supply issues, and that the new hats would be slightly different than the old ones (besides the obvious change to the 'C').

Also, it was mentioned that there would be a new alternate hat, implying that it would be red.  (Which can not be worse than the old red alt hat with the navy C with no outline.  I was not a fan of that hat.)

Yeah, just the fact that the most boring logo ever is gone was an improvement for Cleveland this year. 

[chakfu]

Needs forest green trim

[damnyoutuesday]

5 hours ago, chakfu said:

Needs forest green trim

Interesting take

[MJWalker45]

15 hours ago, chakfu said:

Needs forest green trim

Maybe for a City Connect uniform, but red, blue and green is too much. I think using the blue that their AA team, Akron Rubber ducks use can be a good contrast though. 

[The_Admiral]

Dark red, midnight blue, and cream would have been nice for the Indians. I get the idea behind the Forest City green, but I don't think it would have worked. It'd be the Twins and their beige all over again.

 

The flying G is a cool logo that feels very mid-century mid-America, but it needs to be a C rather than a G. 

[-Akronite-]

I'm fine with the new identity overall, but it kinda feels like a starter brand.  It's the same but different. It's modern but has no lasting power IMO. I get the dislike for the flying G but at least they tried something, whereas the rest feels very inside the box, just like the colors and, most likely, the uniforms. That said, it doesn't actively offend me (aesthetically speaking) and even the C logo (which I hated when they debuted it) has grown  on me a bit, which is... well, fine.

 

Maybe they'll improve the branding in the future, but it's really a swing and a miss when you consider the source material. That statues themself are gorgeous. Why not lean into the art deco? Ya know, that distinctive style that harkens back to the heyday of both the franchise and the city it resides in? And while the Guardians script does the job- and maybe I'm crazy here- but I think I'd prefer something prettier? Something that feels more fitting of an AL charter team? Right now the fonts feel like a love child of the Cleveland sign and the Cavs current wordmarks (better than either, though).

 

[chakfu]

On 11/20/2021 at 10:43 AM, MJWalker45 said:

Maybe for a City Connect uniform, but red, blue and green is too much. I think using the blue that their AA team, Akron Rubber ducks use can be a good contrast though. 

 

I just picture an extra thin stripe or piping, maybe on one side only, somehow representing an extra thread or vein of life in the statue, as well as a nod to "Forest City".   And, simply an extra touch to add to the palette, a small step forward from the old look. If it stays dark it would balance the navy.  If it was more than trim or was Kelly or lime green....no.

[chakfu]

On 11/20/2021 at 11:14 PM, -Akronite- said:

I'm fine with the new identity overall, but it kinda feels like a starter brand.  It's the same but different. 

 

 

 

Definitely a transitional look, but I think there's sound rationale.  It still feels grounded in tradition with continuity.   A more radical departure would feel jarring, like a fake fictional identity.  This way they can entrench the identity, then add on in new directions later. Like adding  my dumb green trim idea.

 

[-Akronite-]

Updated feelings: Still think they could’ve done a lot better but I have gone from hating the new C to kinda liking it. Still feels a step below the great monograms of the league however. Also the cartoon ball logo suffers from having a cartoon ball in it. Using a G wouldn’t be my choice in this context but the wings are great and could be utilized better in the future.

[chakfu]

On 12/26/2021 at 9:21 AM, -Akronite- said:

Updated feelings: Still think they could’ve done a lot better but I have gone from hating the new C to kinda liking it. Still feels a step below the great monograms of the league however. Also the cartoon ball logo suffers from having a cartoon ball in it. Using a G wouldn’t be my choice in this context but the wings are great and could be utilized better in the future.

 

Really agree that the G wings is the teaser for future directions .

 

As much as I wanted the pseudo continuity of Spiders - there are only 2 things you can do with Spiders.  19th century old timey throwbacks - which would work nicely with the Block C sets, and would be my choice but would be very limited in scope and options.  Other choice is lame spider web stuff.  Guardians is way more open ended, and I do like the statue tie in.   Bought a generic Cleveland statues tee shirt since no real merch is available.

[MJD7]

2 hours ago, chakfu said:

 

Really agree that the G wings is the teaser for future directions .

 

As much as I wanted the pseudo continuity of Spiders - there are only 2 things you can do with Spiders.  19th century old timey throwbacks - which would work nicely with the Block C sets, and would be my choice but would be very limited in scope and options.  Other choice is lame spider web stuff.  Guardians is way more open ended, and I do like the statue tie in.   Bought a generic Cleveland statues tee shirt since no real merch is available.

This is a great point. I also wanted them to go with “Spiders,” but I’ll admit, for as much flak as the G wing logo gets for being a bit tacky, it’d probably be difficult to create a Spiders identity that didn’t come across as even more tacky, if they didn’t decide to simply go the throwback route. As the days go on, I like the “Guardians” name more & more.

[-Akronite-]

7 hours ago, chakfu said:

 

Really agree that the G wings is the teaser for future directions .

 

As much as I wanted the pseudo continuity of Spiders - there are only 2 things you can do with Spiders.  19th century old timey throwbacks

 

Stop right there! Woulda been awesome.

[chakfu]

14 hours ago, -Akronite- said:

 

Stop right there! Woulda been awesome.

 

I really agree, but at that point you're boxed into a corner.  Even the current Indians/Guardians wordmark style would seem weird and anachronistic as Spiders.

[crashcarson15]

59fifty hats have finally dropped. Functionally the same as before, just with the new “C”.

 

 

[CS85]

21 minutes ago, crashcarson15 said:

59fifty hats have finally dropped. Functionally the same as before, just with the new “C”.

 

 

 I’m pleasantly surprised.  Looks nice. 

[Survival79]

[gosioux76]

9 hours ago, crashcarson15 said:

59fifty hats have finally dropped. Functionally the same as before, just with the new “C”.

 

 

 

 

I'm surprised how much I like the look of this C on the cap. It's like they found a sweet spot between the muted "C" of the prior set and the whimsical, yet problematic, '70s-era, Native American-inspired "C" cap. 

 

One thing I find a little odd, though. When the branding was originally released, I never really paid much attention to the serif at the top of the "C." However, the way it's stitched on the cap really makes that serif stand out.  To me, it almost looks like the head of a hammer. 

[leopard88]

On 1/24/2022 at 11:00 AM, crashcarson15 said:

59fifty hats have finally dropped. Functionally the same as before, just with the new “C”.

 

 

 

See what a difference a white outline can make when you have a red initial on a navy background?