What if the Brewers Redesigned When They Moved to the NL?

[coco1997]

Recently I got to thinking about how, when the Milwaukee Brewers moved from the AL to the NL in 1998, the move wasn't accompanied by a redesign the way the Astros' was with their move to the AL in 2012.  This gave me the idea to redesign the Brewers following the Astros 2012 redesign template: neo retro, but with more muted colors. I also thought about what was else big in MLB in the '90s:
 

- Drop shadows 
- Road pinstripes
- Gradients
- Sleeveless/vest jerseys

For the scripts, I used a font called Alaca Black, which resembles a blockier, more modern version of Milwaukee's original script from the early '70s. The use of gradients on the scripts, numbers, cap logo and sleeve patch--inspired by the Devil Rays--is meant to evoke a foamy mug of beer. I added drop shadows, because, well, this is the '90s.

 

 

 

Next up, the uniforms:

BREWERS HOME:

 

BREWERS ROAD:

 

BREWERS ALT:

 

Now, I’m fully aware the Brewers were only a year or two away from an actual redesign that would go on to (somehow) last two decades, but I wanted to try something different. Again, muted colors, because at this point MLB uniforms were still about a decade away from bright colors making a comeback (something I credit the Blue Jays with) but not the exact same colors as their 2000 redesign. While sleeveless jerseys don't feel very Brewers, raglan sleeves somehow do, and here they're meant to evoke the Milwaukee Bears. Lastly, since road pinstripes were big in the late '90s, I used them here (and the fact that they were also used by the Bears is an added bonus). Instead of gray, the road set is wheat-colored; think of it as a precursor to the Padres' current sand road unis, 20+ years ahead of its time. 

 

C&C appreciated!

[Blindsay]

So damn 90s. Perfectly Executed. 

[NCCoachArete]

And get rid of the best logo in sports?

[NH4]

This is so 90’s it’s perfect, the gradients really put it over the top but in a good 90’s way.

My only suggestion would maybe change the light blue to a navy (similar how the Brewers did in reality) to go along with the muted colors you talked about. But overall this was a really great concept. 

[coco1997]

16 hours ago, Blindsay said:

So damn 90s. Perfectly Executed. 

 

Thanks! That was the intent.
 

6 hours ago, NCCoachArete said:

And get rid of the best logo in sports?

Well, by 1998 the Brewers were no longer using the BiG logo--and hadn't been for five seasons. Believe me, I'm in the camp that the BiG should forever be the Brewers' primary logo, but I don't think they would have reversed course so quickly following their "Motre Bame" redesign of 1994. Also, keep in mind the Brewers didn't introduce the BiG logo until 1978, and my goal was to contemporize their original 1970-71 look for the late '90s.
 

3 hours ago, NH4 said:

This is so 90’s it’s perfect, the gradients really put it over the top but in a good 90’s way.

My only suggestion would maybe change the light blue to a navy (similar how the Brewers did in reality) to go along with the muted colors you talked about. But overall this was a really great concept. 

Thanks! Good suggestion about the blue. Since I didn't want to just reuse the dark navy from their 2000-19 set, I split the difference between the team's original royal blue and the 2000-19 navy. It's not quite navy, but it's significantly darker than the shade from my initial version. I think it works pretty well:
 

 

Let me know what you think! 

 

[NH4]

3 hours ago, coco1997 said:

 

Thanks! That was the intent.
 

Well, by 1998 the Brewers were no longer using the BiG logo--and hadn't been for five seasons. Believe me, I'm in the camp that the BiG should forever be the Brewers' primary logo, but I don't think they would have reversed course so quickly following their "Motre Bame" redesign of 1994. Also, keep in mind the Brewers didn't introduce the BiG logo until 1978, and my goal was to contemporize their original 1970-71 look for the late '90s.
 

Thanks! Good suggestion about the blue. Since I didn't want to just reuse the dark navy from their 2000-19 set, I split the difference between the team's original royal blue and the 2000-19 navy. It's not quite navy, but it's significantly darker than the shade from my initial version. I think it works pretty well:
 

 

Let me know what you think! 

 

That blue is perfect and definitely fits in with the 90’s theme. Great work!

[MilSox]

Once you get over your idea of what the Brewers "should" look like (pretty damn close to what they do now), these are actually quite ingenious. They definitely fit in with a lot of the other late 90s rebrands (Anaheim and Tampa Bay come to mind). 

[coco1997]

23 hours ago, NH4 said:

That blue is perfect and definitely fits in with the 90’s theme. Great work!

 

Thanks!
 

14 hours ago, NicDB said:

Once you get over your idea of what the Brewers "should" look like (pretty damn close to what they do now), these are actually quite ingenious. They definitely fit in with a lot of the other late 90s rebrands (Anaheim and Tampa Bay come to mind). 

Thanks! Yeah, I agree that Milwaukee's current set is near-perfect. These concepts are probably not something I would have ever wanted the Brewers to actually wear but rather a fun exercise in imagining what could have been.

 

That being said, had the Brewers worn something like this in the late '90s-early 2000s, I can't help but wonder if the uniforms would have enjoyed a reappraisal decades later, the way some from that era recently have...