2009 Minor-League Baseball Logo Unveilings

[BallWonk]

Love the jerseys and the wordmarks, kinda torn on the cap. I like the design idea to make it look like the Rays, but initials for the team name over location kinda confuses me. A letter "C" alone would have looked nice too.

I was liking the SC cap myself, until I remembered that Charlotte is in North Carolina Florida, not South Carolina. (Charlotte, Charleston, you can see why I get confused.) So yeah, making a cap in the traditional North Carolina color scheme for a team in North Carolina Florida and then putting the initials "SC" on it, not such a great idea.

Personally, I would just take the BP cap, make it the standard cap, keep the alt cap as-is, and change the color scheme of the BP cap. Possibly add some yellow there. The sleeve patch crab logo makes a fantastic mascot cap logo.

Note: Corrected errors due to posting too early in the day to think straight. Also, what Gotham said about looking better than the parent club.

[Survival79]

I was liking the SC cap myself, until I remembered that Charlotte is in North Carolina, not South Carolina. (Charlotte, Charleston, you can see why I get confused.) So yeah, making a cap in the traditional North Carolina color scheme for a team in North Carolina and then putting the initials "SC" on it, not such a great idea.

The team is based in Charlotte County, Florida, not Charlotte, North Carolina.

[BrySmalls]

Stone Crabs reveal logo, designs

The Stone Crabs' home and road jerseys and home team hats also resemble their Major League counterparts' in design and color scheme.

Reminds me too much of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the ALPB:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Maryland_Blue_Crabs

Maybe they can play each other...you know...Crab Fest!

First thought wasn't about the crustaceans mentioned but the other type of crabs

[TBGKon]

Put the alternate cap logo on both caps and you got a winner. That light blue alt cap is nice.

[McCall]

Wow. I really love this new identity. Everything about it. I'm one of those who despises using the letters of the nickname on the hat over the letter(s) of the city/location, but something about this one doesn't bother me as much. Though that "C!-C!law" logo would look nice on the regular caps as well. Uniforms, crab logo and wordmarks are pure beauty. Yes, the "glint" is unnecessary, but it's really not all that much of a distraction and helps tie it more to the parent club. I look at this set and see something that would work in the big leagues. Beautiful.

[Gothamite]

I really like the wordmark - clear, clean but distinctive.

Funny - the single-A farm team's uniform looks like the parent club, only better.

[SabreGuy]

Why does it look like the Bison is smiling? Or is it just me?

I noticed it too. It's probably because he's running out of Buffalo. But he's running towards Canada, so I don't know why he'd be happy.

As a Buffalonian who now lives in Canada, I take exception to that remark! But really, to me it looks like he's just passed the skyway and is about to jump in the lake.

Whomever made the point about the smiling does bring up one of my peeves about minor league sports logos. The seeming need to make them both aggressive and mean, but also cuddly and cute, all at the same time. It rarely works well. The undead admiral being a notable exception in my mind.

[KanGa BanGa]

Ebod 39!...............You have nailed it son!!!!!

I agree with you 100%.

My top 3 peeves of Buffalo's new logo.

1. "The mane"......too detailed!!!!!

2. City skylines!!!....too cliched!!....I can understand NYC, but Buffalo??????

3. Outline uniformity...my eyes are hurting!!!!!!

[Arts11]

I don't really like it. It's too busy IMO. Maybe if they cleaned it up a bit and cut out some of the details. There's just so much in the logo, not to mention all the outlining and drop shadows. Plus, I would've preferred a much simpler buffalo design (but NO buffaslug-ing it). Speaking of, to me anyway, the buffalo doesn't fit in with the rest of the cityscape background. It looks like they created both designs independently and then just PS'd them together. Just doesn't gel all too well for me.

[Brian in Boston]

Nice logo, but it's also covered here.

Yes, but it was "covered here" first. Just saying.

In any event, we'll merge the threads and rename the resulting thread to reflect the fact that it now covers all minor-league baseball identity unveilings for 2009.

[Arts11]

I like it, but yeah, the eye direction's kinda funny haha.

[Brian in Boston]

I'm not a huge fan of either the game cap logo or alternate cap logo for the Stone Crabs. Compared to the primary mark, they're rather pedestrian.

[pagan696]

I was liking the SC cap myself, until I remembered that Charlotte is in North Carolina, not South Carolina. (Charlotte, Charleston, you can see why I get confused.) So yeah, making a cap in the traditional North Carolina color scheme for a team in North Carolina and then putting the initials "SC" on it, not such a great idea.

The team is based in Charlotte County, Florida, not Charlotte, North Carolina.

yes, Port Charlotte, FL.

don't leave another minor league baseball property laying around to die here... we already have one, thanks.

[ebod39]

Ebod 39!...............You have nailed it son!!!!!

I agree with you 100%.

My top 3 peeves of Buffalo's new logo.

1. "The mane"......too detailed!!!!!

2. City skylines!!!....too cliched!!....I can understand NYC, but Buffalo??????

3. Outline uniformity...my eyes are hurting!!!!!!

credit goes to blackjack, he nailed it first . (that's what she said)

[Joseph]

I know everyone here is entitled to his or her own opinion, but in my opinon, those of you who think this is an upgrade are certifiably nuts.

First things first...beveling. In very few cases, it works...here it doesn't. I figured that since this is a collective group that likes pictures more than words, here's just a start of what is fundamentally wrong with this identity:

Now granted that the previous logo was in the bottom quarter of MiLB logos, but this ranks below that. Keeping the same general premise, here's what could have made this a great logo:

1. A unique wordmark or go retro and use the Bisons' script in the baseball card image above

2. Simplify the buffalo...you can keep tuffs of hair in select places, but keep the mane out of it completely...seriously, no one considers embroidery anymore

3. Remove the unnecessary shadow behind the skyline

4. Do not shear the skyline

5. Remove the black "little city" skyline

6. Go with four team colors max: Mets' blue and orange, black and Buffalo Brown

7. Eliminate one of the outlines encapsulating the logo

Totally agree on all points, thanks for dissecting this in a more "design critique" manner. The more I look at it, the whole log is out of proportion, the ball overpowers everything, there is no emphasis on any one element.

It will be interesting to see how this breaks out onto the cap and jersey. Will the used beveled font on the jersey? Just the bison on the cap?

One thought to go along with yours to salvage this:

? Buffalo really only has two-three buldings that are recognizable, city hall, the erie basin marina lighthouse and the HSBC building. Play one or more of those up instead of the whole thing, it just gets lost and pointless.

Once again the city of Buffalo is dissapionted by a sports team.

Buffalo has some of the most famous architecture in the united states, although, rarley recognized for it. check out this article: Buffalo Architecture

and dude, thats a little extreme, its just a logo. no one is disapointed with the bisons.

[McCall]

Ebod 39!...............You have nailed it son!!!!!

I agree with you 100%.

My top 3 peeves of Buffalo's new logo.

1. "The mane"......too detailed!!!!!

2. City skylines!!!....too cliched!!....I can understand NYC, but Buffalo??????

3. Outline uniformity...my eyes are hurting!!!!!!

credit goes to blackjack, he nailed it first . (that's what she said)

I believe beastiality is illegal in most states.

[KanGa BanGa]

Ebod 39!...............You have nailed it son!!!!!

I agree with you 100%.

My top 3 peeves of Buffalo's new logo.

1. "The mane"......too detailed!!!!!

2. City skylines!!!....too cliched!!....I can understand NYC, but Buffalo??????

3. Outline uniformity...my eyes are hurting!!!!!!

credit goes to blackjack, he nailed it first . (that's what she said)

I believe beastiality is illegal in most states.

Ahhh Yes McCall, beastiality would be considered illegal in most redneck states. However I am not stateside (US). I believe the Australian-American translation would be "GanGa BanGa" (rlmao !!!!!!!)

[ebod39]

I know everyone here is entitled to his or her own opinion, but in my opinon, those of you who think this is an upgrade are certifiably nuts.

First things first...beveling. In very few cases, it works...here it doesn't. I figured that since this is a collective group that likes pictures more than words, here's just a start of what is fundamentally wrong with this identity:

Now granted that the previous logo was in the bottom quarter of MiLB logos, but this ranks below that. Keeping the same general premise, here's what could have made this a great logo:

1. A unique wordmark or go retro and use the Bisons' script in the baseball card image above

2. Simplify the buffalo...you can keep tuffs of hair in select places, but keep the mane out of it completely...seriously, no one considers embroidery anymore

3. Remove the unnecessary shadow behind the skyline

4. Do not shear the skyline

5. Remove the black "little city" skyline

6. Go with four team colors max: Mets' blue and orange, black and Buffalo Brown

7. Eliminate one of the outlines encapsulating the logo

Totally agree on all points, thanks for dissecting this in a more "design critique" manner. The more I look at it, the whole log is out of proportion, the ball overpowers everything, there is no emphasis on any one element.

It will be interesting to see how this breaks out onto the cap and jersey. Will the used beveled font on the jersey? Just the bison on the cap?

One thought to go along with yours to salvage this:

? Buffalo really only has two-three buldings that are recognizable, city hall, the erie basin marina lighthouse and the HSBC building. Play one or more of those up instead of the whole thing, it just gets lost and pointless.

Once again the city of Buffalo is dissapionted by a sports team.

Buffalo has some of the most famous architecture in the united states, although, rarley recognized for it. check out this article: Buffalo Architecture

and dude, thats a little extreme, its just a logo. no one is disapointed with the bisons.

I'm a former WNY'er so yes I know all about the great architecture, agreed it's too bad the rest of the country doesn't.

You know what, it's not "just a logo"...it's the identity of the team and city I love. I am disappointed with the Bisons organization for heaping another subpar logo upon the fans and people of WNY.

We have to look at the Bills and all their stripes and monochrome unitards and then the Sabres give us the Slug. Even when they could have had redemption with the 3rd jersey, they go and muck it up

by adding silver and way too many outlines onto an already perfect front crest. I just feel like everytime we have a shot to make a nice uniform or leave well enough alone, they don't.

It's like the graphic design equivalents of wide right and no goal.

I am also disgusted with the fact that Phoenix design works gets work and churns out the same crap time and time again.

[Blackjack76]

Now I think Phoenix has sunk to new lows.

I kept asking myself, "Why would you skew the skyline like that? And I swear I have seen that done before."

And I was right:

The 1998 NBA All-Star Game Weekend logo on the left was created by Michael Doret (http://www.michaeldoret.com/doret/artwork/allstar.html). As anyone can plainly see, the skewed buildings are WAY too similar for my liking (just look at the very left of both skylines!!!).

It's unbelieveable that PDW keeps getting work considering their output is so bad on so many levels. But to swipe someone else's work on top of it...that's criminal.

Spread the word.

[TrueYankee26]

Yikes, that looks WAY too similar.