Portland Timbers to have a new logo for MLS Debut

[BeerMe]

The feeling I get from this is that the group of supporters so agitated with this would rather keep their badge and stay in the USL rather than move up with a new logo. Handling this in a more formal, tasteful way might get some small changes that really make this badge a win/win(see above). That wont happen when you hold your breath and stamp your feet. We'll be waiting to pick up your season tickets.

http://www.soccercityusa.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1276704998

[JQK]

All of this nonsense makes me hate the Timbers and their fans...

[DEAD!]

I can understand the anger over a drastic change to the logo. If the Yankees decided to drastically change the logo, how much uproar would there be? Plenty, I guess. For all the uproar over the updated Timbers logo, perhaps one day, they will change to a variation of the current logo. Soccer teams have made changes to their logos over the years to sell more merchandise, I suppose that's what Portland did. They need to have a logo to distinguish the MLS team from the past teams.

Consider the "class" logos BeerMe posts...

How many of those "class" logos do you think have been around since the 1970s? Some of those are either slight changes and others more drastic. I think it will take time for the new logo to get used to, and if Portland really loves their soccer, then they will show up no matter what the logo is and, gasp, even buy the merchandise.

[OMMF]

All of this nonsense makes me hate the Timbers and their fans...

Welcome to the club.

[IceCap]

I guess you were there. all i'll say is i saw the back and forth. Yeah, the guy may have been a bit pissed, but it wasnt nearly as bad as whats being reported(by blogs, not the news agencies that were standing two feet away). Not to mention, look at those guys. C'mon. That girl totally has the "my boyfriend is such a d-bag" face...

Your logic is air-tight sir.

I'm not trying to win a legal case. Im joking around. Something that is getting lost here. Some folks are treating this like their kid was snatched out of their arms.

Look, Mr. Paulson is clearly agitated about something. So I'm inclined to believe that the story that he yelled "You can shove your minor league logo up your a$$" rather then calmly saying "give it time guys." Frankly the former is also more likely when you consider the scenario.

I have no stake in defending the guy. I think his choice of logos and designers are less than stellar. I'm just telling you what i saw and heard. The last thing i want to do is defend a trust fund kid, but i don't see what he did wrong. He promised the Army that there would be changes, but the elements of the crest would be brought along. His only mistake was to say "trust me. i wont screw this up", to which the answer is a matter of opinion. He didnt hit it out of the park, but he didnt screw it up either.

Him losing his cool is understandable when you consider he payed for a new logo to be designed and put this whole grand unveiling together. And the fans hated it. It's not unreasonable to suspect he lost his cool. Still, he blew up at his team's own fans. That's not a good sign. His comment, to me, suggests that he has no real understanding of the traditions of the Portland Timbers club.

Now lets talk about the logo. If the Portland Timbers were an expansion team with no prior history this logo would work. It still wouldn't be great, but it would be a solid enough mark. The problem is that the Timbers do have a history. The old logo wasn't some antiquated design from the 70s. It was simple, iconic, and it conveyed its imagery very well. It didn't need a face lift or an update. It could have worked as the crest of the MLS version of the team, and it would have been one of the better logos in the league.

That's why I dislike the new logo, and it's why I suspect so many dislike it. Not only is it an unnecessary change, but it's simply an inferior mark. It doesn't convey the imagery as well as the old one, and it's certainly not as iconic as the old one.

In a vacuum it's an alright logo, but as the Timbers' new crest it's a downgrade all around.

The feeling I get from this is that the group of supporters so agitated with this would rather keep their badge and stay in the USL rather than move up with a new logo. Handling this in a more formal, tasteful way might get some small changes that really make this badge a win/win(see above). That wont happen when you hold your breath and stamp your feet. We'll be waiting to pick up your season tickets.

See, I could argue you do have a stake in defending the guy. His money is one of, if not the, reason your team was moved up to MLS. I could totally see some Timbers supports as being willing to defend every move the guy makes for the simple fact that he brought the Timbers to the big leagues.

As for your evaluation of the logo, I would say he did screw up. Did he keep his word regarding the changes? Yes. He did say that key elements would remain. And they did remain. The new axe is way to detailed, however, and the chevrons get lost. The elements are indeed there, but they're rendered poorly compared to the old logo.

All of this nonsense makes me hate the Timbers and their fans...

Funny, because I view the old Timbers crest in much the same way I view the current Devils logo. They're both genius in their simplicity, and they're perfect examples of modern classic, iconic marks.

So ask yourself. How would you feel if the Devils went with a completely unnecessary "update" of their logo that ruined the beautiful simplicity of the old logo?

[Sport Billy]

It's also important to remember that those fans are the only reason Portland has an MLS team.

Do you actually believe this?

The ONLY reason Portland is in MLS is because Paulson has a :censored:load of cash.

The fact that MLS went to Salt Lake City or remain in New England, Dallas, San Jose and KC demonstrate that fans don't mean crap.

MLS cares about money and nothing else.

They will go to any city with a Metro population of 1.5m+ and a superrich owner.

But I agree that the new Portland crest is poor.

IDK if Salt Lake City is very valid in this argument. I could be misunderstanding you, but SLC is great for soccer and has many fans, I being one of them. We also have a large Hispanic community (of which I'm also a part of) which adds to the hype for soccer here. So say what you want about unloading cash, but there is great love for soccer here that goes beyond simply money.

Anyways, about the crest - I really don't think it's that bad. Infact it's pretty solid. However, this isn't just another expansion team. Because of the history of the Timbers, that overrides it completely. Though I think the new crest is pretty good, the old one is even better. And not just for history's sake, either. It's clean, it gets the point across, the fans love it, and it fits the criteria for what a soccer crest should be. That is why the old one should have come back.

Please don't be offended.

I'm not trying to disparage SLC in any way.

I'm just pointing out that MLS had no way of knowing the amount or quality of fans in SLC prior to putting a team there.

A team was awarded to SLC because of Checketts. (ie money)

It has remained and is successful because of great fans.

(Who owe St. Louis a bit of gratitude because of it's staged offer to move the team if it a new stadium wasn't built)

[knnhrvy16]

Oh no offense taken at all, Sport Billy. I knew you weren't meaning anything bad towards SLC, I was just saying that the fans are a bigger reason than most teams as to why we have a team and succeed. I took no offense at all to your comments, it's all good

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I went to a Sounders/Chicago Fire game last year, and a bunch of Timbers fans showed up (like, 50+) and were general :censored:s the entire game. They also started a fight in the parking lot after the game.

None of this reaction is surprising to me.

[CreamSoda]

The Arsenal badge is really new actually...

[vmd9]

the new logo is awesome and way better than the old one. It was boring and plain, needed an update and I don't understand why these timbers people are crying so much. I just found out which MLS team I hate the most now.

[taantumus]

The Arsenal badge is really new actually...

Well, of those logos at least Chelsea, Aston Villa, West Ham, Tottenham, Manchester United and Fulham have seen more or less tweaking in the last 20 years.

Plus those Inter and Real logos aren't used any more.

But I guess the point was that the old Timbers logo fits pretty well among the European logos, whereas the new one looks quite American in there.

[murtaugh]

I went to a Sounders/Chicago Fire game last year, and a bunch of Timbers fans showed up (like, 50+) and were general :censored:s the entire game. They also started a fight in the parking lot after the game.

None of this reaction is surprising to me.

Not only is this not relevant, it's wrong. I was there.

Don't perpetuate untruths, and don't bring them into a situation they don't belong.

[Coast2CoastAM2006]

i think the new logo looks better than the old one. i personally think its a good update. granted it could use a few minor tweaks other than that, its a good logo.

wait a minute, you a have a logo sheet of logos considered trash and you don't have the buffaslug on it? this sheet is massive fail.

some of those logos are some of the best logos out there and clearly better than their predecessors. granted some are pretty bad like the Wiz but to say they all are trash is bollocks.

[max]

The Wiz should go back to their old uniforms, but keep the name Wizards.

[Pharos04]

i think the new logo looks better than the old one. i personally think its a good update. granted it could use a few minor tweaks other than that, its a good logo.

wait a minute, you a have a logo sheet of logos considered trash and you don't have the buffaslug on it? this sheet is massive fail.

some of those logos are some of the best logos out there and clearly better than their predecessors. granted some are pretty bad like the Wiz but to say they all are trash is bollocks.

Another thing about these "trash" logos is that every soccer logo that the new Timbers crest is compared to have all been changed or eradicated completely. The Burn, Clash, and Metrostars no longer exist under those names, the Fusion and Mutiny no longer exist at all, and the Wizards and Rapids have both been updated. The other issue I have with this list is that all of them are all American logos. So there are no "bad" logos that exist in other parts of the world or there are no obscure trashy logos in any other soccer leagues around the world? I highly doubt that. This whole argument is just trying to pour gasoline onto a small brush fire in hopes of creating an inferno.

I think the new badge is a decent update and a logical evolution of a crest that, while decent, does look rather outdated when compared to other crests in the MLS and world in general. If these supporters don't like the new crest, fine, whatever. But if the Timbers when the MLS Cup in the first year of existence just as the Chicago Fire did I can guarantee no one will be bitching about the logo then

[Jer15]

I went to a Sounders/Chicago Fire game last year, and a bunch of Timbers fans showed up (like, 50+) and were general :censored:s the entire game. They also started a fight in the parking lot after the game.

None of this reaction is surprising to me.

Not only is this not relevant, it's wrong. I was there.

Don't perpetuate untruths, and don't bring them into a situation they don't belong.

I've been to countless TFC games and I've got to see PSV play in Holland. I've always seen chanting battles and I've seen alot of people say "boo your team" but I've never seen violence that was a result of loyalty to a soccer club. Come to think of it, you hear alot less stories of soccer riots these days all together.

Soccer, at least in my opinion, has become alot more about supporting your team and enjoying a sport. When Montreal comes to Toronto we sing things like "Can you hear the impact sing?" and "tic taq tabernaque, who the are the impact?" but we never would hit a Montreal supporter. We all love the sport.

If there was a fight outside of the arena after the game, I'm sure it was because some idiot drank too many beers and found another idiot who drank too many beers (and yes I drink at sporting events, but not enough to get hammered and forget the sporting event that I forked out money for.) and they started a fight over god knows what, just like I've seen happen at so many NFL games.

All that said, the simple fact is, stuff happens. Even if this particular instance happened to be started by a Portland supporter, doesn't mean that one idiot represents all of the Timber Army.

*Edit for a type-o*

[Brian in Boston]

If you have a few minutes and really want to see the fiasco surrounding this rebranding take on a life of its own, check this thread out.

Hmmmm... just who is coming to RARE Design's defense?

[PokealypseNow]

If you have a few minutes and really want to see the fiasco surrounding this rebranding take on a life of its own, check this thread out.

Hmmmm... just who is coming to RARE Design's defense?

Alright, so I'm about twelve pages late to this thread, but at any rate here's my two cents:

I've never been a soccer/futbol fan, but never had any hostility towards the sport. Just plain old American soccer indifference. I moved to Portland about four years ago and has since then gone to my first two soccer games to watch the Timbers and even watched the World Cup game recently.

On one hand, I really like and appreciate the dedication the Timbers Army shows toward its club. I like the rowdy atmosphere and the chants and the scarves. All cool. I also can understand the uproar about the logo change - I went through a similar process when my favorite team/school radically changed their logotype back around 2000.

Oklahoma State could be compared quite evenly to the Timbers in this regard: there was an old logo with a lot of equity built up in it that, while beloved by the fans, was looking old and outdated. When the school released the new updated version, a lot of people hated it and complained a lot about it.

But here's where the rub is for me: it seems that there is this big segment of Timbers Army fans that are behaving in a really classless way that turns me off completely to becoming a fan of the team. Chanting "YOU :censored:ED UP!" at the presentation where families and kids were present? Not cool. Of course, I realize this is painting with a broad brush, but I think that this is the common perception that the Timbers Army has picked up across a lot of Portland insomuch as they come off as elitist, spoiled European hooligan wannabees that often times do as much harm to the goodwill the Timbers have in their town as they do to boost it.

But, onto the logos themselves.

I agree with the decision to update the Timbers logo; it was starting to look (or perhaps always has) old and bland. As a whole, I think the new mark is an upgrade, but definitely comes off looking like a decidedly American sports product. Now, I'm not one versed in global soccer culture, so I can't even speak to what should be done regarding the balance of fitting into that cultural mold as far as logos go and finding a mark that fits American audiences. I'm not sure parroting the old and established European clubs is the best idea, but going bevel happy isn't it, either.

But as it stands, the only immediate changes I'd make would be to get rid of that nasty neon "Moss" color and clean up the axe. That thing needs some work.

All in all, I like it. Doesn't turn me into a Timbers supporter, particularly, but hey - more power to you soccer fans, right?

[Droost]

Brian in Boston Beat Me To It: Here is MLS-Rumors summary of the situation:

Crazy If True

[Gothamite]

Their take:

The Portland Timbers would be wise take a page out of Seattle?s book. When Seattle faced a storm of criticism over the three trademarked names we leaked a week prior to the ?Name the Team? vote, they added a write in category. The Portland Timbers needs to simply admit they got it wrong and start fresh. They can begin by working with the people who will be the most invested in the success of the club, the fans, rather than let this bad P.R. continue drag out and gain more bad P.R. as botched attempts at damage control like the one above take place.

I couldn't agree more.