MiLB Re-Brands

[bohob]

OK, so when it comes to the Timber Rattlers branding, I feel it is very dated and needs to be entirely scrapped. The color (black and burgundy) are too dark and muddy, forcing them to add grey/silver, tan, and red into the logo. The word TIMBER on the script is done in Arial or Helvetica (I can't tell because there are no capital Rs or Gs), which doesn't complement the script and looks like an afterthought. The snake mascot, is a fad of the 90s. There are a few things I am working around:

? The name Foxes, which I feel is more appropriate for a team in northeastern Wisconsin (especially on the Fox River).

? The color burgundy, which is spread throughout their fairly new stadium.

The main uncertainty I have right now is whether to call the team the Wisconsin Foxes or the Fox Valley Foxes. I like Appleton Foxes, but they play in Grand Chute now. Hopefully I get some good feedback, and will eventually turn this into a full-blown concept, with uniforms and everything. C&C please.

[MiK]

they used to be the Appleton Foxes, pre 1995...i think? I used to go to their games to watch A-Rod....when he was a fox for like 2 weeks. Yeah we were kind of a big deal.

Its a nice logo, love that fox tail F, but I'm not feeling the warm color palette. Makes me think they play in the desert or on the sun.

I like the orange, fits well with the fox but the red should go. Try and work in a cooler color, perhaps a green or stick with the purple but darker.

And I know for a fact people LOVE the W logo with the rattler, its a pretty bomb logo even if the W is boring as hell.

[bohob]

they used to be the Appleton Foxes, pre 1995...i think? I used to go to their games to watch A-Rod....when he was a fox for like 2 weeks. Yeah we were kind of a big deal.

Its a nice logo, love that fox tail F, but I'm not feeling the warm color palette. Makes me think they play in the desert or on the sun.

I like the orange, fits well with the fox but the red should go. Try and work in a cooler color, perhaps a green or stick with the purple but darker.

And I know for a fact people LOVE the W logo with the rattler, its a pretty bomb logo even if the W is boring as hell.

I know they used to be the Appleton Foxes, but they had to change when the new stadium was built in Grand Chute. That's why I'm asking about the name change.

[quantum]

I rather like the Timber Rattlers name. It is far more unique than going back to Foxes. Plus, Wisconsin has two Fox River valleys, the second located in the SE corner of the state. I also am not a fan of the color pallet you've chosen. It seems more suited for a southern team, maybe Florida or the SW.

You should consider reworking the current identity. I do agree that the set looks a bit dated, but I believe the colors should just be applied better.

[BIGBAD]

Fox valley Foxes is too much for me, either be called the foxes and use a different name, or be called fox valley rascals, or something "foxish" and have fox as a mascot

[PackerBadger]

If you're looking for name suggestions, a complete (as is possible) list of Wisconsin minor league baseball team nicknames, from B (Superior Blues) to W (Wisconsin Rapids White Sox), can be found here.

The other Appleton baseball identity besides the Foxes was the Papermakers, FWIW. The franchise also has been known as "Fox Cities."

Timber rattlers are not native to Northeast Wisconsin, but they are native to Wisconsin.

[bohob]

I rather like the Timber Rattlers name. It is far more unique than going back to Foxes. Plus, Wisconsin has two Fox River valleys, the second located in the SE corner of the state. I also am not a fan of the color pallet you've chosen. It seems more suited for a southern team, maybe Florida or the SW.

You should consider reworking the current identity. I do agree that the set looks a bit dated, but I believe the colors should just be applied better.

I am going to have to disagree regarding the color palette. Virginia Tech (the team most notable for burgundy and orange) is mid-Atlantic. And while I have considered a two-pronged approach and probably will move in that direction, there is no good way to mix black and burgundy as the primary colors. They are simply too close in tone. Even when you use a third color (white, silver, etc) to separate them, it's still damn near impossible to tell the difference between the two from the stands (and I've had some decent seats on occasion). When I get around to the Timber Rattler half of this, I most certainly will not use any black whatsoever.

[dgnmrwrw]

I really like the name and colors, and you did a good job articulating why you chose each. Those colors really do look nice together. The cap logos and script logos are all spot-on. I am enjoying the somewhat cartoony feel to the fox logo (it gives off a distinct minor league aesthetic), but I think his snout might be tapering off a little too quickly--it seems a bit too triangular. Other than that, very good stuff (as always).

[illwauk]

I've had the idea of bringing back the Foxes name with an F-tail logo for a long minute, but the skill needed to turn it into a concept is beyond my current abilities. That said, you've come up with something that this Wisconsin native would rock with pride.

I'd go with Fox Cities rather than Wisconsin or Fox Valley. I don't like using the states name when there's another Wisconsin team in the league. Plus it makes us sound bush league in a "you really need to pander to the whole state to support a MINOR LEAGUE team?" sort of way. The "(insert river here) Valley" formula is played out in minor league sports and Fox Cities has the historical precedent as well as a much more local feel (not a whole lot of people outside the area say "Fox Cities").

The colors are great for a team called the Foxes, but maybe take the (often overlooked) burgundy from the Brewers main logo and combine it with the Brew Crew's gold. That should be enough of a parent club tie in while allowing the Foxes to maintain their own identity.

Regardless of what changes you make though, I'd love to see a concept for this.

I also am not a fan of the color pallet you've chosen. It seems more suited for a southern team, maybe Florida or the SW.

I don't know about that. The burgundy and golden-orange remind me of good Wisconsin microbrew and a Midwestern grain field respectively.

[bohob]

I don't know about that. The burgundy and golden-orange remind me of good Wisconsin microbrew and a Midwestern grain field respectively.

Or just of Wisconsin in fall.

[illwauk]

Autumn colors are awfully ambitious for a baseball team. But since the Foxes have the most MWL titles, it still fits.

[bohob]

UPDATE & UNIFORMS

Well, a couple things first. I forgot to mention the script is custom. Just wanted to get that out. Also, illwauk, you make good points regarding the city name, therefore they are the Fox Cities Foxes. But regarding the colors, I'll probably use the burgundy/gold combo for the Timber Rattlers portion of this. Without further adieu:

C&C Please.

[chickenfish13]

Great work, I think it looks better, although it looked good in the first place. Are you going to be doing a series of MilB rebrands, or just this one?

[bohob]

Great work, I think it looks better, although it looked good in the first place. Are you going to be doing a series of MilB rebrands, or just this one?

Not sure yet. Just going to see how it goes.

[illwauk]

I really can't think of a way to improve these... nice job.

If you're taking requests, I'd love to see what you could do with the Madison Muskies. Even before I read the blog that was linked in this thread, I thought the Muskies should be brought back as a Triple-A affiliate for the Brewers.

[bohob]

I really can't think of a way to improve these... nice job.

If you're taking requests, I'd love to see what you could do with the Madison Muskies. Even before I read the blog that was linked in this thread, I thought the Muskies should be brought back as a Triple-A affiliate for the Brewers.

The next project in the works is part two of the two-pronged approach for the T-Rats. I'm working on a new snake logo currently. I'm trying to work with teams that currently exist, but we'll see how it goes.

[Burmy]

Word has it that the Timber Rattlers are looking at the pros and cons of a new ballpark in the city of Appleton. Should that happen (and it's still a long way from happening), I could definitely see a return to the Appleton Foxes nickname.

For where I found it, check out http://www.ballparkdigest.com/news/index.html?article_id=1796

Seriously, those are AWESOME concepts. "Foxes" sounds much better for a minor league team name, whereas "Timber Rattlers"

1. 5 syllables is WAY too much for a nickname

2. Sounds like an affiliate of the Diamondbacks

[illwauk]

Seems like every facility that was built in the mid-90s is already outdated (the Edward Jones Dome or whatever it's called now in St. Louis immediately comes to mind). But no way are the people of Appleton/Outagamie Co. gonna foot the bill for a new stadium this soon after the new one opened.

I love the idea of a Bullfrogs park in downtown Green Bay though... they really dropped the ball when they decided to stick their new arena across from Lambeau Field. Most places that are a fraction of Green Bay's size have livelier downtowns than Green Bay.

[bohob]

Part 2 of the T-Rats re-brand will be up later this afternoon. So, if anyone has any final thoughts on the Foxes portion of this concept, have at it.

[bohob]

Part II: The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers as the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

Where to start? OK, the colors. Obviously I kept the burgundy. With the entire stadium being decked out in burgundy, and the fact that I highly doubt they would keep the Timber Rattlers moniker if they ever did move back to Appleton-proper, I decided burgundy and gold was a good combo to use. I have also added a sand/tan color, as well as cardinal red. The coiled snake and W-snake are all-new, based on what I could find for imagery of a Timber Rattler. I utilized the two-tone wordmark in order to freshen up the overall package. The uniforms are fairly basic, using a compound piping and sleeve trim motif in different shades of burgundy, gold, tan, and white depending on the jersey. The main question: sand or grey for the roads. Personally, I like the sand, but the grey may be a more realistic solution for an MiLB team. C&C please.