Indians Concept

[whchoclte]

I dont post often but seeing how there have been many discussions about the Cleveland Indians and the direction they should go regarding logo and uniforms, figured I would give it a whirl and throw out my idea. The main idea was a dreamcatcher. There is two wordmarks one block and one script, people I have shown it to get torn between the two. Also there is a notched version and non notched version.

Bottom row shows some variants i was trying. White letters (but twins have this look almost) and a straight feather.

Will do small book when i decide on final logo.

Thanks to Matt for making some tweaks and suggestions. Feel free to critique but do not steal.

[aci]

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[54Chevy]

i like where you're going with this. I like the feathers and drum as a roundel, as opposed to just a circle. Also like the red "C" to the left, very nice update to the 70's one.

My critique, The "I" in your script Indians is reading as a 4, or an AIDS awareness ribbon.

[hockey week]

I agree about the script I. It's really taking away from the script itself because it looks so awkward.

Best of that set is the fourth one, block text with notches. The curved feathers are a must, and the blue text on red is a must. Looks like a great direction to go in, but I don't know how well any of those primaries would do as a hat logo or on a jersey.

Get your concept down to one solid primary and go from there. You'll definitely have a fantastic logo set, but you have to figure out what the main one will be before you go branching off.

[Cody21]

cant see it dude.

[Lights Out]

The fourth set is the best - I really dig the notched letters. Would you mind trying it in brown and red?

[JayJaxon]

I agree that the fourth one is the best. Any plans for uniforms?

[whchoclte]

My uni plan was to stay soemwhat with what they have. Navy cap red brim, red C on home hat, Indians across chest in red with navy outline with logo on sleeve. Away minus red brim. Thinking keep red letters on both.

Navy alt red letters white outline.

Piping on sleeves.

Real simple. Let wordmark do the talking,

Showing it was to get feedback on what worked what didnt. See if people were digging the script of teh block letter.

[bohob]

I think this is great overall. The fourth one in the top row is my personal favorite, but I think CLEVELAND BASEBALL CLUB should be white. I would also recommend thickening the outline on the wordmark slightly, so it doesn't get lost. When I did the Indians way back when, I used a brown and red palette, and (of course) I thought it worked great. I also used a dream catcher for the primary. I think it is a much better solution to a Native American themed team because it doesn't imply that the mascot is a savage. Great work! I'm excited to see how this concept progresses.

[nuordr]

I can see these logos being for a minor league team, but not Chief Wahoo no great Indians concept.

[kevinmets]

Great start here, definite improvement on what they have now.

I'd like to see the third set, with both variations (straight feathers and white letters).

[andrewharrington]

Strangely enough, I agree with nuordr. It strikes me as a minor league identity because of how cartoony it is. Very well done, of course, but a little too gestural and whimsical for the big leagues in my opinion. I keep wondering if there's a better solution than just popping the letters on top of the dreamcatcher. I like the lettering, but the logo looks to be a little bit of a stack-job to me. Maybe ditch the baseball int eh center and instead weave a block C out of the center of the dreamcatcher? I don't know. I feel like I'm critiquing it just to critique it, because that's what I do. I really do like it a lot, especially for something that's not in my natural style, but probably wouldn't want to see it in Cleveland. The red looks very pink, also.

[whchoclte]

Thanks for all the critique. Revisions below but guess i dont see the cartoony feel. Too detailed yes cartoony no.

To me Orioles is cartoony, Chief Wahoo is cartoony and offensive. Yes they are iconic but that doesnt make them not cartoony.

Here are some revisions:

Upper Left - Original

Upper Middle - White Letters

Upper Right - White Letters and Seams on side

Lower Left - No Bar, Red Letters

Lower Middle - Nor Bar, White Letters

Lower RIght - Red Letters and Seams

My own opinion is it gets too detailed maybe taking away the red bars at top helps. Or adding teh seaming on side. Just trying ideas.

I understand the Indians is a touchy subject as some people love the block letters and only see indians with that or some see Wahoo and say he has to stay. To me there is a happy medium if we are willing to explore. As much as I love a great retro look as a designer always looking to try new things while incorporating some of history.

Guess explaning how i got to this point might help. I wanted to tweak the conventional circle-letter theory as there are alot of teams that do this and I kind of find it boring. Rangers, A's, Padres, Nationals (sorry one mans opinion). Wanted to liven up that look by making it something uniform to the Native American culture without offending and giving the warrior vibe. Sort of trying for that Mets/Brewers look. Have to be aware of the twins look as its very similar. Keep the block or script but improve on it a bit. Keep that style from the 70's in the lettering.

Let me know guys what you think of options.

[GFB]

I didn't have a problem with the original "I"... It's not like the current script "I" resembles an "I" either...

[bohob]

The top middle and top right are great! Either one would be an upgrade.

[andrewharrington]

Well, it's not 'a cartoon' as the Oriole Bird and Chief Wahoo are, but rather, the illustration style is 'cartoony' in that minor league baseball way that's been popularized by the likes of Plan B, Studio Simon and others. Reminds me of the Kinston Indians, for example. Your is obviously slightly less cartoony, but the vibe I get is similar.

[henburg]

This is really great work, The top left is my favorite. However, I did like the "C" insignia in the original post better because it had greater character. I look forward to possibly seeing some uniforms in the future.

[whchoclte]

Here is my top two with other MLB logos. Not as out of place as I was thinking.

[rosstaylor24]

your logos do fit right in. my only c would be that the words Cleveland and baseball club are a bit hard to read. you'll notice basically every other one uses white lettering. Nice work!

[whchoclte]

Added the white version also shrunk the feathers to not take away from the words.