NCAA Baseball Concepts

[Moser316]

I like where you're going with that, and I'll keep it in mind for the revision round.

And now it's time for the second half of the Volunteer State double-feature. This is the only athletic program in the Southern Conference not to sponsor baseball: the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs. For those of you unaware, UTC used the nickname "Moccassins" for its athletic teams until 1996, when the nickname was shortened to "Mocs" out of political correctness. The change actually produced a nice identity for the program, adopting both Tennessee's state bird (Scrappy, the mascot, is a mockingbird) and the city's railroad history. For these uniforms, Scrappy takes his perch on the sleeves of all three jerseys, and the cowcatcher logo is used on the caps. Yes, it's a bit more detailed than what I usually use for a cap logo, but it's simple enough to work (and it beats the heck out of a simple "C" or the "UTC" logo). Design-wise, I took my inspiration from the Chattanooga Lookouts (the pinstripes and sleeveless vests).

C&C appreciated.

Coming next: Eastern Washington, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Portland State, Weber State

[tj4eck]

Coming next: Eastern Washington, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Portland State, Weber State

cant wait for the next round woot woot keep up the good work

[oz615]

I like where you're going with that, and I'll keep it in mind for the revision round.

And now it's time for the second half of the Volunteer State double-feature. This is the only athletic program in the Southern Conference not to sponsor baseball: the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs. For those of you unaware, UTC used the nickname "Moccassins" for its athletic teams until 1996, when the nickname was shortened to "Mocs" out of political correctness. The change actually produced a nice identity for the program, adopting both Tennessee's state bird (Scrappy, the mascot, is a mockingbird) and the city's railroad history. For these uniforms, Scrappy takes his perch on the sleeves of all three jerseys, and the cowcatcher logo is used on the caps. Yes, it's a bit more detailed than what I usually use for a cap logo, but it's simple enough to work (and it beats the heck out of a simple "C" or the "UTC" logo). Design-wise, I took my inspiration from the Chattanooga Lookouts (the pinstripes and sleeveless vests).

C&C appreciated.

Coming next: Eastern Washington, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Portland State, Weber State

Sorry im just not felling you there on the caps,i think you were better off using a the Reds style "C" w/ the caps but other than that,the uniforms look great So on a scale from 1 to 10,i give it a 7 only because of the caps could've been a bit better IMO.

[leopard88]

I agree with oz on the cap logo. Even before I read your description, I thought it looked too busy. Instead of going with a T or UTC that you don't like, maybe, in the vein of the old Orioles cartoon bird, you can just switch the sleeve and cap logos.

Beyond that, these are great as usual. I'm almost disappointed that Lafayette has a baseball program, because I'd love to see what you would do for them.

[sacker12]

The only change I would have made was switch around the sleeve and hat logos.

[Moser316]

Thanks for the input, I think I have an idea of what I want to do to fix UTC now.

And now, the project hits the home stretch by doing -gasp- an entire conference. The Big Sky conference is the only NCAA Division I conference not to sponsor baseball. In fact, only two of its member schools sponsor programs: Sacramento State (associate member of the WAC) and Northern Colorado (rumored entry into the Mid-Continent Conference for baseball only). The first of the seven Big Sky schools I'm doing is the Eagles of Eastern Washington University. Despite a skimpy identity, EWU actually has a simple, interesting logo at their disposal (which I used as a sleeve patch). For the rest of the uniform, I used two different script logos (school name on the primaries, nickname on the alternate) and a color hierarchy similar to what the Cincinnati Reds home and alternate uniforms use (but not the away, I tried a predominantly black scheme and hated it).

C&C appreciated.

Coming next: Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Portland State, Weber State

[DomTheAthlete29]

Loving the work moser!

Tenn St.- Never have like the royal blue color but here you make it work. That cap logo is a litte wierd. Maybe just STATE?

Mocs- Pins!! Yay always love pinstriped jerseys! loved them when i wore them, and in the concepts great job

E. Washington- Finally giving the great state of Washington Some love!! Really dig the hat logo! totally sweet

[Drew22]

I really like the Mocs jersey, on the hat you should use that shoulder patch instead of what you have. You should flip them.

The EWU jersey might look cool with pinstripes, Its a classic looking jerset though.

Another great set, keep em coming.

DRew

[Moser316]

Thanks for the feedback, only six more Big Sky teams to go...

...wait a minute, make that five more Big Sky teams, with the unveiling of this next concept: the Bengals of Idaho State University. I like their visual identity as a whole, but it made doing a script wordmark rather difficult. Instead, I did something I've only done once for this project: team logo on the left side, number on the right. And it seemed to fit Idaho State rather well, the ISU Bengals logo was proportioned just right and the tiger logo fit nicely on the sleeve. The cap logo is basically a modified version of the logo found on the football helmets, only with the interlocking made more prominent and trim instead of a drop shadow.

C&C appreciated.

The final five: Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Portland State, Weber State

[BigMac12]

Thanks for the feedback, only six more Big Sky teams to go...

...wait a minute, make that five more Big Sky teams, with the unveiling of this next concept: the Bengals of Idaho State University. I like their visual identity as a whole, but it made doing a script wordmark rather difficult. Instead, I did something I've only done once for this project: team logo on the left side, number on the right. And it seemed to fit Idaho State rather well, the ISU Bengals logo was proportioned just right and the tiger logo fit nicely on the sleeve. The cap logo is basically a modified version of the logo found on the football helmets, only with the interlocking made more prominent and trim instead of a drop shadow.

C&C appreciated.

The final five: Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Portland State, Weber State

Good picture for Idaho State.

When you're done with the Big Sky Conference, does this mean you're done with this thread?

[Moser316]

For all intents and purposes, this project will be done when I finish the Big Sky Conference. However, I might have a few revisions and bonus schools at the lower levels that are better known and don't have baseball.

[DomTheAthlete29]

Perfec-o Moser! dont think anyone could have done it better! I have always liked the left logo right number concept! you nailed it keep em' coming

[TBGKon]

I really like that script you have made for EWU, is it a font or a custom wordmark?

[Moser316]

Thanks for the C&C, and in response to the question about the EWU script wordmarks, I used a font called Minor Fall and hand-drew the tail.

Moving on in Big Sky country, I would like to present the third of seven concepts for this conference. the University of Montana Grizzlies (or Griz, as the locals like to say). One thing you'll notice about this concept is the absence of probably their most well-known logo: the script "Griz" wordmark found on the football helmets. There are two reasons for this: 1) it's used for football and nothing else, and 2) it didn't really translate well for use on a baseball uniform. Being that I didn't use that logo, I made good use of the more universal parts of Montana's identity: the interlocking UM monogram (cap logo), the font used for Montana's primary athletic logo in the wordmarks, the maroon bear claw as the primary sleeve patch, and the Zephyr-designed grizzly bear head logo for the alternate sleeve patch.

C&C appreciated.

The final four: Montana State, Northern Arizona, Portland State, Weber State

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish everybody a Happy Memorial Day. Hope you're enjoying your day off, I know I am

[MHraven626]

I've really liked the Montana concept except for the zephyr logo, i've never liked that. The slanted wordmark is great though.

[Moser316]

Thanks for the comments, everyone.

Moving on in Big Sky country, this next concept is for one of the Griz's chief rivals: the Bobcats of Montana State University. Being that I put the school name on Montana's uniforms, I didn't want to do a Montana State script wordmark. Instead, I used the nickname for all three uniforms. The cap logo comes from the football helmets, and the sleeve patch is the bobcat silhouette logo. Because of the color scheme and piping/striping pattern, this concept has taken on somewhat of a Milwaukee Brewers-ish quality.

C&C appreciated.

The last three: Northern Arizona, Portland State, Weber State

[VitaminD]

Since I was out of the mix for a while, I'm going to have to go back a-ways...

RMU: Meh. Maybe my least favorite, only because it's a little vanilla. I've never been a big Times New Roman fan, even in word processing, so my bias is coming out a little. Instead of a written-out monogram on the cap, maybe a star or some other colonial totem, then an interlocking diagonal "RMU" monogram on the jerseys? Just my 2 cents, it's still sharp and well done.

ST. FRANCIS: Really nice. With very little to work with, you gave them a solid look and didn't have to borrow from any San Francisco teams' existing monograms. There's enough black for contrast and definition but without overpowering the concept. One of the better ones here.

UTC: Solid. The cap logo is a little involved (as was said earlier), and maybe a simple or stylized "C" would do the trick (a lot of state schools that aren't the flagship school get touchy about being "University of Somewhere, HYPHEN, City Name" - so a "C" would emphasize the Chattanooga part more than being viewed as a stepchild to Knoxville.

TSU: Good stuff. The monogram is unwieldy on a cap, but it's theirs, it's unique and it works well here. The script "T" is a little fancy for a sports uniform, but now I'm nitpicking. Oz's "TS" monogram could work on an alternate - you could even extend the T through the S so the letters share a more common center point.

EWU: Good work for a directional school, playing up the location over the state, which has 2 large universities already using its name more principally in-state. Again, the script capital "E" may be a little dainty - especially on the cap - but it matches with everything else and looks OK.

IDAHO STATE: Another one of my favorites. One suggestion: instead of re-using the "IS/dollar sign" monogram from the Iowa State concept, why not modify the "ISU" logo they have for the cap? A sans-serif "I" (unlike Iowa and Idaho), with the tiger claw marks all over it? Or better yet, go with an "S" for "State" (I know Michigan State and NC State refer to themselves this way as well with their monograms, but theirs don't have the tiger claw marks on them, which is a cool effect they use.

MONTANA: Dead on for what they'd wear. No further comments, you nailed it.

MONTANA STATE: Nicely done. I always thought their blue was closer to purple, like an indigo - at least that's what I saw when I was in Bozeman last summer. One other suggestion - Montana State has a stylized "M" monogram that's at the top of their athletic site that's pretty sharp and looks very little like Michigan's block "M", which yours does (and their colors aren't helping eliminate confusion). Basically, it's a narrower, thinner serifed "M" with a two-tone gold/beige diamond sitting atop the middle diagonal bars of the "M", like a jewel. The "M" sits on a convex golden arc, like it's on top of a globe. If I didn't describe this well, go to msubobcats.com - it's at the top of the home page, and I remember seeing it around the campus last summer.

[DomTheAthlete29]

Montana: Maybe my favortive colors in the college sports. Gray and Marron look so good together. Moser, the gray cap is awesome, and I really digging the whole concept! Like the bear paw logo

Montana St.: The lesser of the two Montana's. I don't like the colors as well, but overall I really like the concept, not the alt jersey though. Blue and gold look different. But other than that its all good!

Dom

[Moser316]

UTC: Solid. The cap logo is a little involved (as was said earlier), and maybe a simple or stylized "C" would do the trick (a lot of state schools that aren't the flagship school get touchy about being "University of Somewhere, HYPHEN, City Name" - so a "C" would emphasize the Chattanooga part more than being viewed as a stepchild to Knoxville.

IDAHO STATE: Another one of my favorites. One suggestion: instead of re-using the "IS/dollar sign" monogram from the Iowa State concept, why not modify the "ISU" logo they have for the cap? A sans-serif "I" (unlike Iowa and Idaho), with the tiger claw marks all over it? Or better yet, go with an "S" for "State" (I know Michigan State and NC State refer to themselves this way as well with their monograms, but theirs don't have the tiger claw marks on them, which is a cool effect they use.

MONTANA STATE: Nicely done. I always thought their blue was closer to purple, like an indigo - at least that's what I saw when I was in Bozeman last summer. One other suggestion - Montana State has a stylized "M" monogram that's at the top of their athletic site that's pretty sharp and looks very little like Michigan's block "M", which yours does (and their colors aren't helping eliminate confusion). Basically, it's a narrower, thinner serifed "M" with a two-tone gold/beige diamond sitting atop the middle diagonal bars of the "M", like a jewel. The "M" sits on a convex golden arc, like it's on top of a globe. If I didn't describe this well, go to msubobcats.com - it's at the top of the home page, and I remember seeing it around the campus last summer.

Sorry for the lack of updates, everyone, but going back to work after a holiday weekend coupled with hurling season (two practices and a match over the past few days) has really cut into my spare time.

VitaminD, I have to say, you give some of the best C&C on this board, and I wanted to address a couple of your comments directly.

UTC: Since the general consensus was that the cap logo has to be changed, I'm going against type by putting the Scrappy logo on the hats (sort of like the old Orioles caps) and the MOCS logo on the sleeve. I'll be doing that for the revision round of this project.

IDAHO STATE: You know, I kinda figured you'd bring up the "dollar sign" look of the interlocking I-S again. The logo I used is actually a modified version of what Idaho State uses on their football helmets, except there's trim instead of a drop shadow and the interlocking is emphasized more. I actually tried putting the "S" from the ISU logo on the hat, but I really didn't like the way it looked. I guess that's just a question of personal taste, but it doesn't mean I won't consider revising it.

MONTANA STATE: Yes, I am familiar with the M logo you're talking about, but isn't it an academic logo? Still, I may try it out to see how it looks on the cap.

I don't have any new work to show yet, because I've been having trouble figuring out how I want to do Northern Arizona and Portland State. I have a good enough idea to at least proceed on the NAU concept, though. I'll try to have it up later this week. The list of teams left (the two schools mentioned earlier Weber State) remains the same.

[Moser316]

Hate to double-post here, but the next concept is finally ready. The fifth of seven Big Sky Conference concepts is for the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona University. There were two reasons that this concept took so long to realize: my being swamped due to work and hurling and having no idea how to handle this team. NAU recently got a new identity that incorporates the green used in the academic marks, but their athletic teams still use blue and gold exclusively. I also found the new identity to be very incompatible with baseball, but I did manage to use the same font found in the logos (which happens to be the Coyotes nameplate font) in the wordmarks. I suppose the jerseys have a bit of influence from both the Diamondbacks and my North Texas concept, with a bit of Philadelphia Phillies (the numbers on the sleeves) thrown in for good measure.

C&C is appreciated.

The final two: Portland State and Weber State