Complete Michigan State Spartans rebrand

[KJTALBOT]

More bronze. More cowbell.

[TrueYankee26]

Is it me or has the MSU green got darker?

[powersurge]

All in all its pretty much a downgrade IMHO...but as has been the case lately, it could have been much worse.

The wordmark is just terrible and the bevels on the numbers are equally uninspiring. I guess I'm part of the minority here when I say that the football and bball teams each had really great looks that didn't need changing. All they had to do was unify the type of green they were using across all of the sports teams and they could have stopped there.

[illini1]

Is it me or has the MSU green got darker?

Yes they did darken it. It seems that all teams are darkening the colors they have. It seems like a lot of teams that have royal blue change to navy or at least make navy the primary color and royal blue secondary.

[powersurge]

Is it me or has the MSU green got darker?

Yes they did darken it. It seems that all teams are darkening the colors they have. It seems like a lot of teams that have royal blue change to navy or at least make navy the primary color and royal blue secondary.

Thats been going on forever. You hire some hot shot design firm to come in and redesign a team's look and the first thing they do is alter the hues or shades of the team's colors. WALLAH!!!! genius!!!!

Then the team waits about 5 or 6 more years then goes back to the design firm and they decide to bring back the old colors for a fresh start. EUREKA!!!!! genius!!!!

This concept keeps many of these design firms in business.

At least thats how I see it, but I don't think its that far from the truth.

[oldschoolvikings]

Thank God they finally got rid of "State" on the front of those basketball jerseys.

Don't get too happy. My prediction is that this one of the things the fans will go nuts over, and the school will backtrack on. I know lots of State (see?) fans, and they all take a weird buy extreame pride in being known as "State".

[Squeezee12]

I read an article about the unveiling and it stated something like the bronze is a tribute to the color of the armor spartans wore...

[BrandMooreArt]

im liking it a lot. "michigan state" is a lot to fit on a football jersey, and i agree with others they should go with "state". drop that 3rd solid green football jersey too. job well done. very nice modern uniform.

I read an article about the unveiling and it stated something like the bronze is a tribute to the color of the armor spartans wore...

i love it. not only does the color look good but it means something; its relevant. thats great design

[CubsFanBudMan]

Bronze may be relevant to Sparta's Spartans, but not Michigan State's. Not a fan of adding colors in general, but in college I dislike it even more as it is so much a part of their identity that they sometimes sue over them.

It is strange to see "Spartans" on the basketball jerseys, but I prefer it over just "State," which always seemed wrong to me, for many of the reasons others have mentioned. But I suppose if anyone can pull it off its Michigan State, so I'd agree that it might be the most likely thing to change.

And that wordmark... I think I see the Big Ten's hidden 11 in there -- no, that's just pointless internal serifs.

If every pro team and every college will one day need their own custom font, I shudder to think what sports jerseys will look like down the line, because I think there is a finite number of workable fonts for numbers, and we've already exceeded it. Give me a standard block on any jersey any day of the week. These numbers reminded me of the Los Angeles Avengers. I was wrong (see below), but I think Michigan State should be better than using AFL-style gimmicks like adding pointless, random serifs (outside or inside the numbers).

[Brave-Bird 08]

Bronze may be relevant to Sparta's Spartans, but not Michigan State's. Not a fan of adding colors in general, but in college I dislike it even more as it is so much a part of their identity that they sometimes sue over them.

It is strange to see "Spartans" on the basketball jerseys, but I prefer it over just "State," which always seemed wrong to me, for many of the reasons others have mentioned. But I suppose if anyone can pull it off its Michigan State, so I'd agree that it might be the most likely thing to change.

And that wordmark... I think I see the Big Ten's hidden 11 in there -- no, that's just pointless internal serifs.

If every pro team and every college will one day need their own custom font, I shudder to think what sports jerseys will look like down the line, because I think there is a finite number of workable fonts for numbers, and we've already exceeded it. Give me a standard block on any jersey any day of the week. These numbers reminded me of the Los Angeles Avengers. I was wrong (see below), but I think Michigan State should be better than using AFL-style gimmicks like adding pointless, random serifs (outside or inside the numbers).

IDK, those internal serifs look pretty pointy to me

[J Sick]

I understand that some people don't like the addition of the bronze, but I am ok with it. Really, I am just happy they didn't add black. I was expecting a black addition to be inevitable.

[vmd9]

just a matter of time before they have a bronze helmet and pants....just a matter of time nike

[powersurge]

Bronze may be relevant to Sparta's Spartans, but not Michigan State's. Not a fan of adding colors in general, but in college I dislike it even more as it is so much a part of their identity that they sometimes sue over them.

It is strange to see "Spartans" on the basketball jerseys, but I prefer it over just "State," which always seemed wrong to me, for many of the reasons others have mentioned. But I suppose if anyone can pull it off its Michigan State, so I'd agree that it might be the most likely thing to change.

And that wordmark... I think I see the Big Ten's hidden 11 in there -- no, that's just pointless internal serifs.

If every pro team and every college will one day need their own custom font, I shudder to think what sports jerseys will look like down the line, because I think there is a finite number of workable fonts for numbers, and we've already exceeded it. Give me a standard block on any jersey any day of the week. These numbers reminded me of the Los Angeles Avengers. I was wrong (see below), but I think Michigan State should be better than using AFL-style gimmicks like adding pointless, random serifs (outside or inside the numbers).

THIS.

[illwauk]

I think Michigan State's problem is that despite being a school with more than its share of tradition, they have the misfortune of being in the shadow of an in-state rival that (right or wrong) is seen as one of the most tradition-rich in the entire country. MSU has repeatedly tried to carve a niche in the Automotive State by being more "modern" than the Wolverines, but demands from fans, students and alumni have caused them to scrap every attempt to update their identity so far. I see this re-brand lasting for 3-4 years at most before they revert back to their traditionally inconsistent selves.

[andrewharrington]

This is awful. The lettering is awful. The numerals are awful. The helmet is awful (I thought the tapered helmet stripe was on its way out). The football jerseys are awful. Everything looks even more terrible especially now that the fans have systematically forced a retro logo into a modern identity.

And by the way, a yolk is what you find in the center of an egg. A yoke is the panel of fabric that covers the shoulders of a garment, and this one is... you guessed it! Awful.

[54Chevy]

i kinda liked just "state" on the b-ball unis. but, i'm glad they dropped it, because the state portion of the new logo type is awful.

[BeerMe]

[Jigga]

ZOMG, nooooes!1123 Dey r wherin black!!!23 Mah eyez!1123

[Francis10]

Is it me or has the MSU green got darker?

The new green is PMS 567.

For those interested, the University has put forth a comprehensive 52-page branding document, which specifies everything from font usage to color palettes to use when talking about different groups (undergrads, grads, alumni) to writing style for headlines. You can find it here (pdf).

[BawlmerOreos]

Is it me or has the MSU green got darker?

The new green is PMS 567.

For those interested, the University has put forth a comprehensive 52-page branding document, which specifies everything from font usage to color palettes to use when talking about different groups (undergrads, grads, alumni) to writing style for headlines. You can find it here (pdf).

GREAT document...thanks for posting.