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Minor/Independent/Collegiate League Baseball Logo/Uniform Changes


BigMac12

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2 hours ago, B-Rich said:

More on the Brandiose front; the New Orleans Zephyrs organization has put out a teaser ad stating that the new name/logo is to be announced November 15th.

 

Previously it was announced (not widely) that of the 7 listed this summer, it was down to 3 finalists: Baby Cakes, Po' Boys and Night Owls.

 

The following graphic teaser, I think, may be not just hinting  at the new name but giving it away:

Zs (2).jpg

 

The use of 'BOYS (with the obvious apostrophe) pushes the idea that it will be Po' Boys.

 

But what about the slight color differences in the background?

 

Not sure what the darker shape is on the left-- it appears to be a close-up of a logo element-- but the lighter shape in the upper right appears to be the bottom of the Zephyrs' traditional 'Z".

 

 

Looks like an homage to the ornate steelwork in the city (a la New Orleans NBA All Star logos).

Smart is believing half of what you hear. Genius is knowing which half.

 

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11 hours ago, KittSmith_95 said:

The shtick has rubbed off not because the logos aren't creative, but the fact everything is now formulaic. At 1st, the identities were unique enough to work, but that niche is gone.

 

Yeah, they're doing EVERY SINGLE TEAM, and doing it the same way every time. Every team at every level can't be the Montgomery Biscuits. Someone has to take someone aside somewhere and explain how and why Yard Goats and Rumble Ponies are word vomit, or that you don't italicize a building, or that nobody within your city, let alone outside it, gives a damn what your "_____ City" nickname is and never will.

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7 minutes ago, the admiral said:

 

Yeah, they're doing EVERY SINGLE TEAM, and doing it the same way every time. Every team at every level can't be the Montgomery Biscuits. Someone has to take someone aside somewhere and explain how and why Yard Goats and Rumble Ponies are word vomit, or that you don't italicize a building, or that nobody within your city, let alone outside it, gives a damn what your "_____ City" nickname is and never will.

 

But marketing degrees!

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You manage to balance agitation with just enough salient points to keep things interesting. Kind of a low-rent DG_Now.
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1 hour ago, the admiral said:

 

Yeah, they're doing EVERY SINGLE TEAM, and doing it the same way every time. Every team at every level can't be the Montgomery Biscuits. Someone has to take someone aside somewhere and explain how and why Yard Goats and Rumble Ponies are word vomit, or that you don't italicize a building, or that nobody within your city, let alone outside it, gives a damn what your "_____ City" nickname is and never will.

 

My hope is that these silly excesses will eventually bring about a correction whereby minor league teams start being called "Tigers" or "Pirates" or "Giants" -- you know, like baseball teams -- and start looking like their parent clubs.

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logo-diamonds-for-CC-no-photo-sig.png

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6 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

 

My hope is that these silly excesses will eventually bring about a correction whereby minor league teams start being called "Tigers" or "Pirates" or "Giants" -- you know, like baseball teams -- and start looking like their parent clubs.

 

There is a happy medium where the minor league team has the same nickname as the parent, but the logos and wordmarks are different than the parent.  Though I love Studio Simon's work with the Daytona Tortugas, the last iteration of the Daytona Cubs was pretty good.  Parent affiliated, but not logo-copied.

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Smart is believing half of what you hear. Genius is knowing which half.

 

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10 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

 

My hope is that these silly excesses will eventually bring about a correction whereby minor league teams start being called "Tigers" or "Pirates" or "Giants" -- you know, like baseball teams -- and start looking like their parent clubs.

 

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.

 

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On 11/4/2016 at 0:00 PM, B-Rich said:

New one  just released.  Okay, now they're just screwing with us...

hoot.png

 

Of course, referencing the "Night Owls" finalist.  Cheesy.

 

Bet the next one says "Our new name really takes the cake!" (Baby Cakes)

 

On this teaser, I think we are seeing a stylized fleur-de-lis in the back ground.

 

 

You were close. Today's teaser reads:

 

"Oh baby, you're going to love our new look."

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6 hours ago, Thaumatrope said:

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).

 

Those two teams should be held up as ideals.

Image result for oklahoma city dodgers   Image result for grand junction rockies

 

 

The uniforms identify the teams with their organisations, and the cap logos are unique to them, but within the aesthetic of the uniform style.

Image result for oklahoma city dodgers    Image result for grand junction rockies

 

It wouldn't be so bad if a few minor league teams here and there had their own separate identities, such as the longstanding Durham Bulls and others of that sort.  But the aesthetic universe would be a much better place if 95% of the minor league teams took the approach that Oklahoma City and Grand Junction have taken.

logo-diamonds-for-CC-no-photo-sig.png

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I always thought it was kind of neat when a team would share a name with their affiliate, but make their own identity out of it. The old Provo Angels were a great example of that:

 

IMG_5298.JPG

 

Not saying it was a perfect uniform - I wouldn't have had both "Provo" and "Angels" on the jersey, for starters - but I do like that they did their own thing with the name rather than wearing a letter-modified copy of (then) Anaheim's uniform.

 

Infact, they've looked more like the Angels since becoming the Orem Owlz* than they ever did as the Provo Angels. 

 

 

 

 

*Yes, ridiculous name, I know. Not every Utahan is keen on the state's "Z" obsession. :P

CCSLC%20Signature_1.png

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On 11/5/2016 at 3:43 PM, Bmac said:

You were close. Today's teaser reads:

 

"Oh baby, you're going to love our new look."

 

The two most recent teases:

baby.png

referencing "Baby Cakes"; looks like the top left edge of a fleur-de-lis on right side....

 

eyes.png

Pretty sure that is referencing the stupid early name "Red Eyes", re: crawfish, which is not only physically incorrect but also used by NO ONE...  With this hint, they are now going back to ones which supposedly didn't even make the "final cut".... Which would probably mean a "tailgators" reference hint is next.  Please, please, please announce you are keeping Zephyrs as the name...

It is what it is.

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Personally, I'm of the mind that - when done right - unique identities for minor-league franchises are vastly preferable to simply aping the parent-club's name, logos, and uniforms.

Off the top of my head, a "Top Ten" of MiLB identity-packages would include:

 

Bradenton Marauders
Burlington Bees

Clearwater Threshers
Daytona Tortugas (I also thought the Daytona Cubs identity - which immediately preceded the change to Tortugas - was outstanding.)  
Durham Bulls
Hillsboro Hops (Easily my favorite current identity package in MiLB.)
Idaho Falls Chukars
Modesto Nuts

Toledo Mud Hens
Visalia Rawhide (I loved the Mudville Nine identity even more.)

I'm also a fan of the identities sported by the Asheville Tourists, Cedar Rapids Kernels, Lakeland Flying Tigers, Reno Aces, and West Virginia Black Bears.

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