DP's MLB Concepts (Rangers added 5/14)

[MilSox]

I'm glad you stuck with navy for the Brewers road alts. That's pretty much the exact colors of the Milwaukee flag.

Only thing I can think of for how to improve the Pirates is another hat. 

[DP487]

23 hours ago, NicDB said:

I'm glad you stuck with navy for the Brewers road alts. That's pretty much the exact colors of the Milwaukee flag.

Only thing I can think of for how to improve the Pirates is another hat. 

Thanks! I actually didn't intend to do that, but definitely works as a nice homage.

 

Agreed on the Pirates too. I'm not huge on the yellow caps they used to wear, but thought one with a yellow brim would go nicely with the yellow alts.

 

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

 

Call me biased, but the St. Louis Cardinals have one of the best uniforms in baseball. As much as I love my beloved Redbirds' current uniforms, there are no less some changes I would make.

 

First, I brightened the hue on the primary logo and wordmarks, and created a brand new secondary logo reminiscent of the logo they used from the '60s to the mid-'90s. Second, piping is back. I added some sleek red piping to both uniform sets as a callback to the uniforms of the '40s and '50s.

 

Some people prefer red caps on the road. I'm not one of those people. The navy caps have so much history with the Cardinals, but I managed to throw a little more red in there in the brim. Another thing that's always bothered me about the road uniforms is that they don't use the city name, so I took the wordmark from the cream alts they wear now and applied that to the road grays.

 

Finally, a brand-new alternate. For a long time, the Cardinals were one of a few teams (along with the Yankees and Dodgers) that didn't have an alternate jersey. That changed in 2013 when they added their cream Saturday alts, then again in 2019 with the "Victory Blues." As nice as those are, they're way too similar to the home/road sets. So, I paired their Sunday alt cap with a new red jersey that uses the cap logo, similar to the BP jerseys the team wore in the '80s and early '90s.

 

 

This was the set I looked forward to doing the most (for obvious reasons), and I'm really happy with how it turned out.

 

[MilSox]

Pirates hat looks great. 

Can't say I'm a fan of placket piping for the cards. It'd work on your alt... especially if you made it mirror the sock stripes. But no need to detract from the iconic script that should be the "main event" of their uniforms. I have the same problem with the Braves, but at least it's part of their tradition.

[DP487]

19 hours ago, NicDB said:

Pirates hat looks great. 

Can't say I'm a fan of placket piping for the cards. It'd work on your alt... especially if you made it mirror the sock stripes. But no need to detract from the iconic script that should be the "main event" of their uniforms. I have the same problem with the Braves, but at least it's part of their tradition.

Thanks, and I get that. I was going for what the Cards did with their unis in the '40s and '50s, but maybe there's a reason they cleaned it up. So, I changed the piping on the home/road sets to neck only. Definitely helps the jersey logos pop.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

 

If I'm being totally honest, this is the one that really prompted this whole project of mine. The Arizona Diamondbacks have a rough uniform history, especially in recent years. The red-and-black color scheme looked fine at first, but has gone through so many rough patches over the years that I began to wonder what a return to their original color scheme would look like.

 

Admittedly, the home/away sets are more of a recolor than anything else. One thing I do like about the current uniforms is the wordmarks. So, I kept those and swapped out the red-and-black for purple-and-turquoise. I also applied that color scheme to the more modern jersey font they've adopted in recent years.

 

While I like the pinstripes of the original uniform, they didn't quite look as clean with the current wordmarks. Turning the pinstripes into a home alternate was a good compromise. I also brought back their purple top from 1998, though I swapped out the "Arizona" script for their cap logo.

 

[DP487]

COLORADO ROCKIES

 

I like the Colorado Rockies. I like their color scheme. I like elements of their logo. But I've never really been a big fan of their font choices, and I while their old primary logo was all right, I felt it could have been better. My redesign incorporates elements of the Colorado state flag along with some old staples from the Rockies' identity.

 

On the home pinstripes, I added a brand-new wordmark to match the team's new cap logo. Speaking of the cap, I gave the Rox purple caps on the home, road, and purple alt sets. The Rockies were always one of those teams I thought wore road pinstripes well, so I brought those back for the road grays. The black alts now use a black cap with a purple brim.

[DP487]

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

 

I’ve always been a big believer in, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Case in point, the Dodgers. This uniform has gone largely unchanged since the team moved to Los Angeles more than 60 years ago, and it’s a look that’s served them well.

 

The only real change of note on the road set is the elimination of their alternate uniform that uses the “Dodgers” wordmark. In addition, I added a blue alternate that's as pure blue as their home set is white. Other than that, a classic look remains largely untouched.

[DP487]

SAN DIEGO PADRES

 

Like the Brewers' rebrand, the San Diego Padres' return to brown is as close to a perfect rebrand as I've ever seen. For years, the Padres languished in one of the most boring uniform sets in all of Major League Baseball. For 2020, the Padres went with a return to a classic look they haven't worn since the '80s, and it looks phenomenal.

 

My only gripe with the Padres' rebrand is they went the boring route with the primary logo—just a recycled cap logo. My first order of business here was to create a brand new primary logo using the jersey script and stuck that on top of a roundel logo reminiscent of the logos they used from 1990-2003. The return of the Swinging Friar was also welcome, but for some reason they brought him back on a yellow shield. Here, I simply removed the shield and simplified.

 

The home and away sets changed very little except for the jersey patch, but one thing that bothered me with the 2020 rebrand is the lack of a bell-style cap. So, I brought back a yellow-paneled bell cap to use with the brown alternate, which now uses the SD logo instead of using the same jersey script as the home uniform.

[DP487]

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

 

The Giants' switch to cream uniforms was very unique in its time and it's a look that's endured for decades now. The updated home sets here use a wordmark the team used from 1958-1972, along with a brand new secondary logo I made by combining elements of their 50th anniversary logo and their 2010 World Series champion logo. I also reverted the home set back to no names on the back of the jerseys, a switch the team made a couple years ago.

 

On the road grays, the wordmark has been updated to match the style of the "Giants" script, using a modified wordmark the team wore in 1977. Names have also been removed from the backs of the road set for more consistency with the home uniforms.

 

As for the orange alts, I used the classic "Giants" script with some white piping as a callback to the orange tops the team wore in the '70s.

[DP487]

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

 

I don't really have much to say about my Baltimore Orioles, er, "redesign" as there's not much that was redesigned. I was ecstatic when they brought back the white panel caps and the cartoon oriole in 2012, and that look I think really stands the test of time.

 

The only real update I made here was on the primary logo. I think the Oriole Bird works fine as a cap logo by itself, but as a primary... I don't know. It just never really seemed right. So, I took the updated roundel logo that's being used on the secondary logo here and combined that with the swinging bird that was in their logo from '66-'91, albeit with some minor edits to the cap.

 

Sometimes, some minor tweaks are all you need.

[BiggityBerfa]

NL west looks so very good. the one thing is two purple teams in the same division feels a little overboard. i think the red and teal alt that the dbacks use now would make much better primary colors

[DP487]

On 3/2/2022 at 12:02 PM, BiggityBerfa said:

NL west looks so very good. the one thing is two purple teams in the same division feels a little overboard. i think the red and teal alt that the dbacks use now would make much better primary colors

Yeah I get that. A big part of the Dbacks going back to purple has to do with nostalgia, but decided to try out the red-and-teal combo to see how that worked.

 

BOSTON RED SOX

The Red Sox have a timeless uniform, so I didn't want to stray too far from a good thing. But one thing that's always bothered me is how their away jerseys have names on the back when the home jerseys don't. So, I remedied that problem and added a small outline to the numbers and script to make them pop a little more.

 

For their red alt, I added some double stripes on the sleeves and gave it a new cap with the secondary logo.

 

I'm pretty happy with how this turned out — especially the road uniform.

[DP487]

NEW YORK YANKEES

 

The New York Yankees have the most iconic look in baseball, let’s be honest. Babe Ruth. Lou Gehrig. Joe DiMaggio. Yogi Berra. Mickey Mantle. All titans of the game who made this look synonymous with Major League Baseball.

 

Be that as it may, there’s one thing about the Yankees pinstripes that’s always bothered me: two different NY logos on the cap and jersey. To remedy that, I took the NY logo the team used from 1915-1921 and applied it to both the cap and jersey, making the set more cohesive.

 

I also applied a slightly new color scheme to the primary logo, changing the bright blues in the logo to a more familiar Yankee navy. Other than that, not much else changed. As I said with the Dodgers, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

[MilSox]

Catching up here.....

 

Cardinals Update: Looks much better with less piping. I like red rad hat better with the roads, but I'm glad you included it as an option so their games against the Reds don't have to look like intersquad games.

 

Diamondbacks (Purple): Knocked this one out of the park. I hate that they moved away from those colors because they were supposedly too 90s, but (a.) they're a team from the 90s and (b.) the Southwest is full of purple, turquoise, and copper art/decor.

 

Rockies: Massive upgrade from what they have now. That said, I almost wish you would have dropped black completely because the purple looks so much better on its own. I would also experiment with a different font... maybe something that looks a little more western? I understand the impulse to use the C from the Colorado flag, but I still have yet to see a concept with it that doesn't look like the Cubs in purple.

 

Dodgers: Perfect!

 

Padres: Your roundel needs to be primarily gold to pull that off. As it is, the A and the E (especially the E) are disappearing into the brown. Also, the placket piping is too much going on along with the pinstripes. You should probably switch to neck piping or remove the pinstripes.

 

Giants & Orioles: Not sure if emphasizing black on the giants and orange on the O's was intentional, but I like it. Even if the Giants orange alt seems to fly in the face of it. I like your version better than the real life one.

 

Diamondbacks (Sedona): Looks good for what it is, but I really do prefer them in purple.

 

Red Sox: I don't entirely hate your switch to blue on the road uniform since you kept red prominently featured (especially the socks), but I still prefer them in red. If you were just looking to switch something up for the sake of this project, I'd experiment with the red hat from 1975.

 

Yankees: I actually like the mismatched NYs, but I suppose you had to switch something up for this project and they still look like the Yankees. Your recolored logo looks pretty good.

[DP487]

Thanks for all the feedback! Let's see if I can hit all your points here.

 

On 3/11/2022 at 5:31 PM, NicDB said:

Rockies: Massive upgrade from what they have now. That said, I almost wish you would have dropped black completely because the purple looks so much better on its own. I would also experiment with a different font... maybe something that looks a little more western? I understand the impulse to use the C from the Colorado flag, but I still have yet to see a concept with it that doesn't look like the Cubs in purple.

 

Totally fair point and it's one that kinda gave me pause as I was working through it. Ultimately decided the ball in the middle gave it just enough separation from the Cubs, but maybe not. Took your advice and went with a more western-style font; here's how it turned out:

 

On 3/11/2022 at 5:31 PM, NicDB said:

Padres: Your roundel needs to be primarily gold to pull that off. As it is, the A and the E (especially the E) are disappearing into the brown. Also, the placket piping is too much going on along with the pinstripes. You should probably switch to neck piping or remove the pinstripes.

 

Honestly hadn't noticed the letters on the roundel getting lost in the background until you mentioned it, but now I can't unsee it, haha. Also agreed on the placket piping, so I went ahead and changed up both of those.

 

On 3/11/2022 at 5:31 PM, NicDB said:

Red Sox: I don't entirely hate your switch to blue on the road uniform since you kept red prominently featured (especially the socks), but I still prefer them in red. If you were just looking to switch something up for the sake of this project, I'd experiment with the red hat from 1975.

 

So, the reason I went with blue numbers on the back was to pay homage to players like Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski.

That said, I understand the red numbers add a little more color to the uniforms, and though I've never been a fan of the red caps/helmets the team wore in the '70s, I figured a good compromise would be to make the numbers red and leave the script blue.

 

TAMPA BAY RAYS

 

OK, so. Let me start off by saying I know this will be a polarizing set, haha.

 

The gradients were certainly a product of their time. But the Rays have made a conscious effort in recent years to embrace the gradient, and I did the same here. The old "Devil Rays" script the team used on their debut jerseys served as the basis for the home whites, albeit with some slightly modified colors. On both the home and road sets, the caps utilize the throwback logo the team has brought back in recent years matching the 1997 aesthetic — though black has been replaced with that beautiful indigo the Rays rolled out.

 

Speaking of indigo, the alternate tops are an all-new creation, using the primary logo on the chest and keeping the baby blue the team has used as a secondary color since their rebrand in the late 2000s.

 

It's certainly a bold, garish look, I know. Maybe I'm clouded by nostalgia a bit, but there's just something endearing about this look.

 

[jaytavo305]

Love the rays, but the home script looks a little off, just off centered and small. other than that its great 

[DP487]

On 3/18/2022 at 9:03 AM, jaytavo305 said:

Love the rays, but the home script looks a little off, just off centered and small. other than that its great 

 

Thanks! And yeah, that was a challenge I ran into with this concept; it's tough to get that exactly centered without it being small and unreadable or having the ray in the armpit. I could move the ray over a bit, but that leaves me with a divot in the R. I could fix it if I was a little better at design or had access to Illustrator, but here we are, haha.

 

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

 

The Toronto Blue Jays' return to their classic logo was one of the most welcome changes of 2012. The black and silver look they'd tried from 2004-2011 was never accepted by fans. I personally love this look. Is the font dated? Maybe, but it's such a unique look.

 

That said, there are still some changes I'd like to see with this set. First, I changed the blue jay logo back to the original version the team used through the '90s with the brighter shade of blue the team adopted in 2012. The home caps now sport a white panel similar to the caps of the '70s and '80s, with the all-blue caps reserved for road and alt sets.

 

The home jersey now has double piping on the sleeve and color to match the pants. These jerseys also use the font from the team's early days as opposed to the updated font (a very minor difference). The road set sports the same changes with a classic baby blue color in place of gray.

 

The alt jersey really allows the new shade of blue to shine, and replaces the double piping with some thick, single white piping.

 

[DP487]

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

 

South Siders! I didn't get too crazy with the Chicago White Sox, but one thing that's bugged me about their away uniforms is how they got rid of the great diamond logo they'd worn since 1991. So, I went ahead and added that back to the sleeve, and also added it to their home uniform.

 

Another thing that's always bugged me about the White Sox is how they don't actually wear white socks. Admittedly, it's hard to make white socks work with pinstripes, as I found out, but I was able to compromise with a radical departure from the traditional sock stripes. Really happy with how it turned out.

 

One of my favorite parts of this concept is the use of the logos the team wore from 1987-1990. The road grays now use the same script the team wore in the late '80s. Similarly, I created a black alternate that uses the "White Sox" script from that era along with a curly C cap logo.

[DP487]

CLEVELAND INDIANS GUARDIANS SPIDERS

 

To be perfectly honest, I'm not a huge fan of the Cleveland Guardians' new identity. I get it — it had to be done. I just wish they'd gone with something more... original. And I mean no disrespect to anyone who's done a Guardians concept pre-2021; the iconography with the Guardians of Traffic is great. But without that context, the team name just falls flat, IMHO.

 

Cleveland Spiders, on the other hand, has a certain flair unlike any team in the Big Four leagues along with some history. While I understand why they didn't go with this name (*cough* 20-134 *cough*) I still think it's a cool nickname that lends itself to some cool imagery. That was the first item of business with this redesign — the main logo, cap logo, and jersey scripts use a custom font that pays homage to the old block C while creating an identity of its own. The primary and cap logos also incorporate a spider leg design combined with the C, creating an unmistakable brand identity.

 

Team colors remain the same as the Indians with the navy and red, and the uniforms themselves retain the same color schemes as tribute to their former identity. While the home whites and road grays remain largely the same as their predecessors, the blue alts now incorporate a red-brimmed cap and red placket piping. The stroke has also been removed from numbers and lettering on the blue alts, letting the red pop off the jersey a little more and decluttering the uniforms.

 

[DP487]

DETROIT TIGERS

 

The Detroit Tigers have one of the more timeless looks in MLB history. That classic, old English D has stood the test of time for generations. But for a team called the Tigers, the lack of orange in their logo is confusing—even more so on their home uniforms. I didn’t get carried away with the orange, but I think the subtle touch works better anyway. This goes for the cap logo, jersey logo, names and numbers, and even some new stripes on the socks.

 

On both uniforms, I brought back the secondary tiger logo the team used from 1994-2006. This gave me an opportunity to add a new jersey patch to both uniforms, which I think adds a lot more color to the set.

 

Speaking of color, I also created an orange alternate that uses the team's "Tigers" script and is reminiscent of the team's BP jerseys from the '80s and '90s.

 

[BJ Sands]

I love what you did with the White Sox, but I was wondering if you could move the front numbers on the home and first alternate back to lined up with the SOX logo like it is now. You might have to move the SOX logo down a tad, too. 
 

I also feel like the script CHICAGO wordmark should be a little bigger and bolder. But again, these are small quibbles.