Brewers Logo Contest

[CubsFanBudMan]

Miller Park is yet another in a series of new ballparks that are every bit as cookie-cutter as the multiuse parks of the 1970s. The only difference now is that they are quirky, but they all seem to have the same quirks.

I've been starting to feel that way, too, after visiting many of the new ballparks (and I loved County Stadium). I described Miller Park not as a warehouse, but as a mall. That's what it felt like to me the first and only time I went. I need to go back.

As far as the logo, I must admit I like their new look, liked the previous one with just an M cap better (especially if the green had been removed), but the ball-and-glove logo says Brewers to me, beer-related or not.

BTW, what does a big red C in a big blue circle and smaller UBS letters have to do with being a baby bear? Uh, nothing. And I'd hate it if the Cubs ever got rid of their primary for their alt with the walking cub on it.

I think sometimes we overthink these things and want everything to be so polished (the Nats come to mind). That makes uniforms every bit as generic as those aforementioned cookie-cutter stadiums. I like quirks. History is filled with mixed fonts and scripts and cap logos and some are considered classic. I don't think everyone needs to be the same.

[Shumway]

Quick question to those of you who are putting down the glove logo:

Are you saying you dislike the logo period, or just that you like the logo, but not for the Brewers? Personally, I love the logo, in fact, it might be my personal favorite. However, as far as which one is the best fit for the team, I would reluctantly agree that the current may fit better.

[IceCap]

BTW, what does a big red C in a big blue circle and smaller UBS letters have to do with being a baby bear? Uh, nothing. And I'd hate it if the Cubs ever got rid of their primary for their alt with the walking cub on it.

the brewers ball and glove/mb logo dosnt have any of the history of the C-UBS logo, the yankees NY, or the tigers D. the difference is that the logos mentioned have been around for some time, almost at the beggining of their respective teams in the early 1900's. the ball and glove/mb logo came around in the 70's. they are completly different issues. the cubs logo has a history the glove logo dosnt have.

[VitaminD]

the ball and glove/mb logo came around in the 70's. they are completly different issues. the cubs logo has a history the glove logo dosnt have.

Being around since the 1970s makes the ball/glove logo older than most of the people arguing this topic. I don't know that a logo needs to go back to the turn of the last century to be so classic as to be untouchable. I saw my first baseball game at Vet Stadium back when it was considered state of the art, which means I'm older than the logo, the Mariners, the Blue Jays, the Seahawks, the Buccaneers, the San Jose Sharks, MLS... but to someone growing up today, those are institutions that have been around "forever". Other than age, what history does the Cubs' logo have that the ball/glove doesn't? Both teams have been to the same number of World Series in the past 60 years.

Trust me, I don't want to see the Cubs lose their look - I couldn't imagine the Cubs without them - but I don't agree with icecap's argument. There aren't criteria here that makes a distinction between the 2 logos in question.

[IceCap]

all im saying is that the cubs logo came around in a time when teams were not as specific in their desighns, and representing the team name wasnt as important as it is today. we can all agree that if the cubs were an expansion team, their C-UBS logo would not make it. though the 70's are out of the lifetimes of many posters here, the truth it that the ball and glove is young by today's standards and didnt stand the teat of time like the cubs logo has.

also, the brewers are a young team that came into being around the time that logos started representing their team's name much more then they had in the past. the barrel man, for all its flaws at least had SOME connection to the name. being such a young team (and they are a young team by mlb standards) they cant get away with a logo that has no connection to the team name, like say the cubs and yankees can. that is simply because the brewers glove logo emarged at a time when logos representing the team name became the norm, while the cubs logo emerged at a time when representing the team name wasnt as important as it became in the 70's.

[VitaminD]

I know what you're trying to say, icecap, but my point is that history is relative. By today's standards, the Brewers' ball/glove is decidedly "old school", and has been incorporated into the Cooperstown Collection in the same way that the Mariners' trident logo is old school, the same way that the Expos' pinwheel hats are old school. Hell... children born today will grow up never realizing Montreal had a team; most children today will never know how good the Expos were in '94, or that in the late '70s and early '80s, Montreal was a great baseball town (I have family up there, and love going back). For a logo to be around for 30 years is fairly old by today's standards. It doesn't approach the longevity of the birds on the bat or the Yankees' pinstripes, but it's slowly falling into the realm of retro. And retro is in now.

As much as I like the ball/glove, my biggest beef with it is what you said - it makes no allusion to beermaking, which is why I'd like to see them come up with something that is as clever as the ball/glove but actually makes you think of brewing.

OK, I can't resist - I know it's a typo, but still...

the ball and glove is young by today's standards and didn't stand the teat of time like the cubs logo has

I've gotta find this teat you speak of...

[IceCap]

the ball and glove is young by today's standards and didn't stand the teat of time like the cubs logo has

I've gotta find this teat you speak of...

oh, its quite an intresting idea. its like a test, but.....its not

[TwoRsAndTwoLs]

I don't recall seeing this here, so I wanna ask it.

Does the Brewers logo remind anyone else of Cheers? Granted, I'm slightly too young to fully appreciate Cheers, but the logo strikes me of it....

Further... I don't mean to shift the discussion entirely (in fact, a new thread just opened up for this), but would I be out of my gourd to suggest that this is much like the Washington "W" issue, where a lot of us just don't see the sense in the pretzel because it's not continuous with the rest of the logo, but it works because it's "theirs," just as the glove is "theirs" in Milwaukee?

But I digress.

[Roger Clemente]

I think an updates mb glove logo would work best.

The great thing about that logo, and the reason why it works, that I think people keep overlooking, is that it is eccentially a beer league logo...which is (probably) the definition of Brewers baseball.

--Roger "Time?" Clemente.

P.S. How can an opinion be wrong? There is no wrong answer to a "What do you think?" question, unless the answer has nothing at all to do with the topic at hand.

[DEAD!]

I don't recall seeing this here, so I wanna ask it.

Does the Brewers logo remind anyone else of Cheers? Granted, I'm slightly too young to fully appreciate Cheers, but the logo strikes me of it....

Further... I don't mean to shift the discussion entirely (in fact, a new thread just opened up for this), but would I be out of my gourd to suggest that this is much like the Washington "W" issue, where a lot of us just don't see the sense in the pretzel because it's not continuous with the rest of the logo, but it works because it's "theirs," just as the glove is "theirs" in Milwaukee?

But I digress.

Honestly, I hate the pretzel 'W' as well. I would rather use the 'W' from 'Washington' in the secondary logo, a few details and put in on a hat. Better yet, USE THE 'DC' SECONDARY

[DrBear]

the brewers ball and glove/mb logo dosnt have any of the history of the C-UBS logo, the yankees NY, or the tigers D. the difference is that the logos mentioned have been around for some time, almost at the beggining of their respective teams in the early 1900's. the ball and glove/mb logo came around in the 70's. they are completly different issues. the cubs logo has a history the glove logo dosnt have.

Well, if we're looking at "the beginning of the club's history," the ball-glove was first used in 1978, eight years after the Brewers moved to Milwaukee. And with almost a generation of fans watching teams with the logo, that's meaningful.

The big thing is that it reminds people of a time when the Brewers were winners. Don't sell such things short. In Green Bay, there are almost constant reminders of "the old days" and I belive that does influence players who pay attention. A reminder that teams can and have won in Milwaukee shouldn't be lost on a new generation of players or fans.

[Gothamite]

That's a pretty interesting argument. Fairly persuasive, as well.

Even though I personally don't advocate a return to the glove, I can see the logic in your argument.

[CubsFanBudMan]

Actually, the current version of the Cubs logo debuted in 1979, for what it's worth.

Staying on topic, I agree with Vitamin D. The mb glove is the defining look of the Brewers organization in the exact same way the C-UBS is for the Cubs. Add the winning factor, and the fact it is a fan favorite (it seems) and I don't see an reason they shouldn't INCORPORATE it in a new set. I'm not advocating the full 1982 look, but that logo would still look fine as a sleeve patch or on an alt cap even with the current unis, I think.

I should mention that I wouldn't mind seeing a team use royal blue and yellow again, either.

[IceCap]

this is the only form the brewers should bring the ball and glove back in. that is, the wheat would have to be there on the hats, jerseys, and all other merch. the wheat being added adds a sence of credibility to the logo. if the glove was constinatly paired with the wheat, then it would be ok. personally i think its a great comprimise. the glove fans get their logo, and the side im on (anti-glove, i guess) gets the tie in with the name.

[DEAD!]

It looks like the fans at the game prefer the ball-in-glove logo

Fits like a glove: Brewers fans prefer old-school logo

Some want return of retro look — and the wins that came with it

By GRAEME ZIELINSKI

gzielinski@journalsentinel.com

Posted: July 1, 2005

Friday's contest at Miller Park pitted the alphaglyph vs. the monograph; Ned Yost the catcher vs. Ned Yost the manager; the mind-twisting glove vs. the barley-framed "M"; the old school vs. the new.

With their torsos, fans of the Milwaukee Brewers voted with the force of a Carlos Lee clout for the logo designed in 1977 by then-UW-Eau Claire grad student Thomas Meindel: the "M" and "B" that form what is known in shorthand as "the glove."

It was a promotion characterized by the Brewers as a form of market-testing, in which arriving fans were given the choice of free T-shirts with the glove or with the "M" logo of recent and lamentable years. But don't expect any drastic changes anytime soon.

"We're not going to make decisions on less-than-complete information," said Rick Schlesinger, the Brewers' executive vice president of business operations. And he said the decision need not be either/or, saying the old logo could make intermittent comebacks.

And new owner Mark Attanasio has given no public signals about whether he'd favor a retrenchment - which could lead to more merchandise sales.

That said, the bright yellow from the glove shirts seemed to be ascendant as an accent at Miller Park, or at least in the seats that were filled among the middling crowd of 21,804.

The official tally was 13,240 glove T-shirts to 7,970 for the current logo.

Echoing a sentiment common to Miller Park, where the Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-4, Karen Waldkirch, 44, of Wauwatosa said, "Everything old-school is new again."

Or, in the parlance of the day, "It's stylin'," said 12-year-old Nick Perez of Brown Deer as he took his seat. "I kind of like the combination of colors."

For his part, Meindel, now 58 and running a graphics company in Eugene, Ore., said in a phone interview that he was gratified by the continuing popularity of his logo.

"I'm very proud that they chose my logo over the existing logo," he said.

His version began as doodles during a stultifying psychology class. It came to life the next day in a studio in the home, for which he used his $2,000 prize money from the Brewers as a down payment.

"I think the design has withstood the test of time," he said, allowing a "wow" when told by a reporter that it shows up with some frequency in rap videos.

As for the successor designs, the current "M" and a briefly-used interlocking "M" and "B," Meindel said, "I looked at them and thought, 'What were they thinking?' "

Meindel said he hasn't had any contact with the team since 1982, the year his logo entered baseball history when the Brewers won the American League pennant. But he said, "I'd like to let them know that I could work with them to update it and kind of streamline it."

Fans said Friday that a large part of their preference had to do with the rates of success the team enjoyed - or, rather, suffered - playing under the various logos.

The Brewers' record under the glove from 1978 to 1993 was 1,310-1,225, a respectable winning percentage of .517. Under a combination of logos from 1994 to the 2004 seasons, the Brewers were 756-958 for a woeful winning percentage of .441.

Maybe conjuring even worse memories for the club would be the so-called "Barrelman" logo, the disturbing visage of a man with a barrel for a torso and a spigot for a nose. Under that iteration, the club won 550 games and lost 738, for a winning percentage of .427.

Ken and Donna Soerens, 55 and 51, respectively, of Sheboygan County wore a combination between them of all three generations of logos.

Ken Soerens, a middle-school principal, said he preferred the current logo. "It just looks more modern," he said. "I hope they don't change back."

On his radio show on WSSP-AM (1250), one of the sponsors of the promotion, host Peter Brown said he had found some unsurprising loyalty to the new logo: "They think it (represents) a new feeling and a new direction for the Brewers."

Meanwhile, in its own unofficial poll, the hardcore at Brewerfan.net were going Friday at a rate of about 70% to 30% in favor of the old logo.

And academics had their opinions, too

"People like the subtlety and subliminal message that's in the old logo," said Phil Belair, a professor of communication design at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. "I think that's probably what the new logo is lacking. It's nicely designed and has well balanced form. . . . But in terms of its uniqueness and distinctiveness, I think a lot of things are going retro right now."

Belair was a Milwaukee Hamilton High School senior when he entered his own designs involving beer mugs into the Brewers' contest and said he chose to attend UW-Eau Claire mainly because that was Meindel's alma mater.

Members of the club showed some of the same ambivalence as many of the fans.

"I'm kind of indifferent," said Wisconsin native and catcher Damian Miller. "I kind of like them both. I like the glove. But I like the color of the new logo."

Prince Fielder, an exponent of the Brewers' new and, they hope, rising fortunes, said he liked the glove, having seen it in music videos for artists such as P. Diddy.

"The old logo is cool," the 21-year-old rookie said. "I have a couple of hats with it."

Yost, who has worn the old logo as a player and the new one as the young team's manager, said he "didn't care" which was worn as long as fans had victories in which to exult.

"We're at the verge of turning a corner as an organization," he said. "Let's see what we can do with this logo."

[Moser316]

It looks like the fans at the game prefer the ball-in-glove logo

Fits like a glove: Brewers fans prefer old-school logo

Some want return of retro look ? and the wins that came with it

By GRAEME ZIELINSKI

gzielinski@journalsentinel.com

Posted: July 1, 2005

Friday's contest at Miller Park pitted the alphaglyph vs. the monograph; Ned Yost the catcher vs. Ned Yost the manager; the mind-twisting glove vs. the barley-framed "M"; the old school vs. the new.

With their torsos, fans of the Milwaukee Brewers voted with the force of a Carlos Lee clout for the logo designed in 1977 by then-UW-Eau Claire grad student Thomas Meindel: the "M" and "B" that form what is known in shorthand as "the glove."

It was a promotion characterized by the Brewers as a form of market-testing, in which arriving fans were given the choice of free T-shirts with the glove or with the "M" logo of recent and lamentable years. But don't expect any drastic changes anytime soon.

"We're not going to make decisions on less-than-complete information," said Rick Schlesinger, the Brewers' executive vice president of business operations. And he said the decision need not be either/or, saying the old logo could make intermittent comebacks.

And new owner Mark Attanasio has given no public signals about whether he'd favor a retrenchment - which could lead to more merchandise sales.

That said, the bright yellow from the glove shirts seemed to be ascendant as an accent at Miller Park, or at least in the seats that were filled among the middling crowd of 21,804.

The official tally was 13,240 glove T-shirts to 7,970 for the current logo.

Echoing a sentiment common to Miller Park, where the Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-4, Karen Waldkirch, 44, of Wauwatosa said, "Everything old-school is new again."

Or, in the parlance of the day, "It's stylin'," said 12-year-old Nick Perez of Brown Deer as he took his seat. "I kind of like the combination of colors."

For his part, Meindel, now 58 and running a graphics company in Eugene, Ore., said in a phone interview that he was gratified by the continuing popularity of his logo.

"I'm very proud that they chose my logo over the existing logo," he said.

His version began as doodles during a stultifying psychology class. It came to life the next day in a studio in the home, for which he used his $2,000 prize money from the Brewers as a down payment.

"I think the design has withstood the test of time," he said, allowing a "wow" when told by a reporter that it shows up with some frequency in rap videos.

As for the successor designs, the current "M" and a briefly-used interlocking "M" and "B," Meindel said, "I looked at them and thought, 'What were they thinking?' "

Meindel said he hasn't had any contact with the team since 1982, the year his logo entered baseball history when the Brewers won the American League pennant. But he said, "I'd like to let them know that I could work with them to update it and kind of streamline it."

Fans said Friday that a large part of their preference had to do with the rates of success the team enjoyed - or, rather, suffered - playing under the various logos.

The Brewers' record under the glove from 1978 to 1993 was 1,310-1,225, a respectable winning percentage of .517. Under a combination of logos from 1994 to the 2004 seasons, the Brewers were 756-958 for a woeful winning percentage of .441.

Maybe conjuring even worse memories for the club would be the so-called "Barrelman" logo, the disturbing visage of a man with a barrel for a torso and a spigot for a nose. Under that iteration, the club won 550 games and lost 738, for a winning percentage of .427.

Ken and Donna Soerens, 55 and 51, respectively, of Sheboygan County wore a combination between them of all three generations of logos.

Ken Soerens, a middle-school principal, said he preferred the current logo. "It just looks more modern," he said. "I hope they don't change back."

On his radio show on WSSP-AM (1250), one of the sponsors of the promotion, host Peter Brown said he had found some unsurprising loyalty to the new logo: "They think it (represents) a new feeling and a new direction for the Brewers."

Meanwhile, in its own unofficial poll, the hardcore at Brewerfan.net were going Friday at a rate of about 70% to 30% in favor of the old logo.

And academics had their opinions, too

"People like the subtlety and subliminal message that's in the old logo," said Phil Belair, a professor of communication design at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. "I think that's probably what the new logo is lacking. It's nicely designed and has well balanced form. . . . But in terms of its uniqueness and distinctiveness, I think a lot of things are going retro right now."

Belair was a Milwaukee Hamilton High School senior when he entered his own designs involving beer mugs into the Brewers' contest and said he chose to attend UW-Eau Claire mainly because that was Meindel's alma mater.

Members of the club showed some of the same ambivalence as many of the fans.

"I'm kind of indifferent," said Wisconsin native and catcher Damian Miller. "I kind of like them both. I like the glove. But I like the color of the new logo."

Prince Fielder, an exponent of the Brewers' new and, they hope, rising fortunes, said he liked the glove, having seen it in music videos for artists such as P. Diddy.

"The old logo is cool," the 21-year-old rookie said. "I have a couple of hats with it."

Yost, who has worn the old logo as a player and the new one as the young team's manager, said he "didn't care" which was worn as long as fans had victories in which to exult.

"We're at the verge of turning a corner as an organization," he said. "Let's see what we can do with this logo."

Good taste surrenders.

[Gothamite]

Correction: good taste carried the day.

Tells you something about how awful the current scheme is, that the dog's paw logo is seen as such a clear improvement....

[rmackman]

Wouldn't this do the trick? The seal then has the ball and glove everyone misses, plus it says the city in case you're an idiot, AND you get the two barley leaves to show Brewers. I think everyone would be happy with this.

[Gothamite]

Better than the other one, but still not great. I don't think the various elements work very well together.

[VitaminD]

They don't work all that well together, but Mack's marriage works as well as any. It gives the people their preferred ball & glove logo, and it refers to beer brewing (mmm... beer. *drools*). Something in this vein is going to be the best compromise so that everyone gets at least part of what they want.