Nippon Professional Baseball

[fumbler]

Love the sky blue set, and the ND Flag with the Double Blue is great.

[Midway]

Feels like the Dodgers, looks like its own team. I think you did a rather good job of keeping those essential elements intact and made a great choice with the light blue trim. I was wondering if maybe you could implement a more dragonesque look somewhere because the branding feels too clean and needs a little more of an identity.

[Raymie]

Awesome! The Kitakyushu color scheme is so nice ? it offers a modern yet traditional look. The Dragons with their bright blue are cool too!

[Gfonk04]

I was wondering if maybe you could implement a more dragonesque look somewhere...

I seriously thought about trying something like that. I tried something on my next team that I might extend to a couple other teams, the Dragons included.

Awesome! The Kitakyushu color scheme is so nice ? it offers a modern yet traditional look. The Dragons with their bright blue are cool too!

Thanks! I was trying to give each team a unique look, which is much easier with a league of 12 than a league of 30. Here comes the next team...

[Gfonk04]

OSAKA TIGERS

This is my favorite NPB team, who are indeed cursed by a fast food mascot. Their current look (as the Hanshin Tigers) has a lot of potential, with a classic-looking cap logo, a unique tiger head logo and a distinct black and yellow color scheme. The uniform has its faults, though. The wordmarks are terrible and cartoony and don't match the cap logo, and the away uniform suffers from gray scale syndrome, with almost no yellow.

I retained the tiger logo, and modified the cap for the "Osaka" rebrand using an old design for a base. I created a wordmark to match, and kept the pinstripes associated with the team. The FB is a true fauxback (so far as I remember), with some inspiration from a current alternate, rather than an old uniform; my goal was to make an olde-timey uniform using (GASP!) vintage white. The tiger stripe alternate was just me having fun with the mascot, adding some red trim from the tiger logo. I might do this with other teams later (see my previous post). Here come the concepts...

Charlie-and-charlie, boys and girls.

[raysfan24]

All looking good so far

[aci]

My first thoughts were that you had a great script going on, and that the uniforms do look good.

Having said that, I see three main problems with the set.

Firstly, that tiger logo is god-awful. I know it's what the actually use, but if you're going to update their set, that would be a great place to start.

Secondly, the cap logo and wordmarks are very blocky in appearance. I know it'd be hard to replicate, but I think the name-on-backs and number font need to be much more similar to that, because right now it's a major clash in styles... you've got a great unique blocky-looking wordmark font, and then a very generic-looking rounded number font on the same uniforms.

The third thing that comes to mind is that you have five different hats, five different helmets, and five different pairs of pants. It probably wouldn't be too hard to cut down to 2 hats/helmets and 3-4 pairs of pants without jeopardizing the overall look you're going for.

That alternate totally looks like something that'd go over well in Japan, though.

[walkerws]

Secondly, the cap logo and wordmarks are very blocky in appearance. I know it'd be hard to replicate, but I think the name-on-backs and number font need to be much more similar to that, because right now it's a major clash in styles... you've got a great unique blocky-looking wordmark font, and then a very generic-looking rounded number font on the same uniforms.

I agree. Even the block font on the throwback. Goes better. Vanilla Whale or even the Pirates font would look good.

[Pava]

About NAGOYA DRAGONS

It reminds me all that soviet Dynamo teams. Kyiv, Moscow, Minsk...

[Gfonk04]

Firstly, that tiger logo is god-awful.

...but I think the name-on-backs and number font need to be much more similar to that...

The third thing that comes to mind is that you have five different hats, five different helmets, and five different pairs of pants...

First point: Personally I love the tiger logo. Yeah it's not modern by any means, it's not the cleanest logo, and someone could totally come up with a modernized version that would look great. But I like the logo as a very authentic Japanese logo that works as a throwback component to a modern uniform. I know a lot of people hate the tiger (and I see your point), but I really like it. Different strokes I guess.

Second point: I'll buy that. I don't have the time to devote to changing it around, but I totally buy what you're selling. If I've got time I'll experiment a little.

Third point: That's true, but my hatred of mismatching piping prevents me from reusing pants on jerseys that have different patterns. Luckily, in making a concept I don't have to worry about real budgets. If anything, I would ditch the red-trimmed cap and maybe even the tiger pants for the home pants. The same goes for the black and yellow alts. I could also use the home cap with the away. But again, I've got no budget to worry about. This will be a consistent issue in my upcoming concepts.

Thanks for the feedback, good points on all three counts.

[Gfonk04]

Let's keep this rolling with the Yankees of the NPB.

TOKYO GIANTS

Modeled after the New York/San Francisco Giants, the Yomiuri Giants are the League's most storied team. Consequently, I didn't mess to much with thier iconic (though borrowed) look. I modified their logo to represent the new initials and ditched the baseball bats and tweaked a few things in the primary. Their current uniform is made by Adidas and has the three stripes pattern down the pants. At first I recoiled in disgust, but then I realized that this pattern gave me some opprotunity to distance the team from the American Giants, so I kept the stripes on the pants and added them to the sleeves. The FB is an unambitious take on the 1950s-era uniforms. Vintage white for all my friends!

[GMW79]

I'm a couple of days behind, but I love what you did with my "home team" Dragons! Their actually unis are pretty bland, but you've managed to keep the simplicity while making them interesting. And the powder blue alts are so Nagoya!

As for Osaka. Yep. You nailed it with the countless variations and alts, from the traditional to the outlandish. That's Hanshin. It's really weird to see an "OT" logo versus the iconic "HT", but, given the premise for your series, it had to be done, right?

Your Giants do a great job of presenting the simplicity of "Japan's Yankees."

Hiroshima gives the Carp a bit more flavor than the real unis.

I like what you've done with the Swallows (great name for a team owned by a drink company -- completely coincidental for anybody wondering), but seeing them in anything but red white and dark blue takes a bit of getting used to. On a side note, I'm not sure moving them to Kitakyushu would be particularly viable since Fukuoka (Softbank) is in the same prefecture as Kitakyushu...

Anyway, keep these coming! I'm looking forward to the Major Leagues' latest import's former team (that would be the Ranger's Yu Darvish and the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters for those who aren't up to date).

[tadasimha]

Great stuff! I'm a big baseball fan and follow the NPB throughout the season. I'm looking forward to see what you do with my adopted NPB team, the Fighters! Would love to see what you do with the KBO teams as well!

I really like the change in the Carp look, moving away from the Reds look-alikes they've had for awhile now. The Tigers cap logo is excellent and I think the Pacific League logo and flag are really sharp. The Central League logo is nice but seems a little bland next to the Pacific logo, maybe it's the color scheme.

I found the G you used on the Giants secondary logo and hat logo is too tight and turns itself into more of a circle - it took me a moment before I saw that it was a G and not another letter or just a design behind the T.

[Gfonk04]

...I'm looking forward to the Major Leagues' latest import's former team (that would be the Ranger's Yu Darvish and the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters for those who aren't up to date).

I'm looking forward to see what you do with my adopted NPB team, the Fighters! Would love to see what you do with the KBO teams as well!

...

I found the G you used on the Giants secondary logo and hat logo is too tight and turns itself into more of a circle - it took me a moment before I saw that it was a G and not another letter or just a design behind the T.

Hey guys, thanks for the positive feedback! I'm looking forward to the Fighters as well, it's definitely a different direction for them on the way! But I'm going alphabetically through each league and Hokkaido isn't until the third team in the PBL.

Tadasimha, I buy your feedback on the G in the Giants' logo. I'll see if I can widen the gap in the G a little. Also, I'm not super thrilled with the colors on the CBL logo, but I'm kinda stuck in how to liven up the colors without getting predictable... I'm open to suggestions!

GMW79, Thanks for the info about Kitakyushu being next door to Fukuoka. My Japanese geography isn't great, but the area around Shimonoseki looked in need of a team, and Kitakyushu was the bigger town. I have some other towns that could be possible expansion locations. Niigata, Kawasaki and Kobe are on that list, again, I'm open to suggestions. Thanks for the insight, it was awesome! Let's get moving on to the last team in the CBL...

[Gfonk04]

Now for the only true renaming of the league:

YOKOHAMA WHALES

The current Yokohama BayStars have a couple things going for them, I love their cap logo, and their "BayStars" and "Yokohama" wordmarks are pretty cool.

CHANGE THAT TO PAST TENSE: Apparently, they've rebranded, for the worse, IMHO, so it looks like they're even more in need of an overhaul.

And that name! UGH! That primary logo! ACK! Those mascots! BOOO! It's very AA Baseball (my childhood in Maryland probably doesn't help on that score). So I reached back into the team's past for a new/old name. For good or ill, whaling and whales are an important part of Japanese culture, and no whale is more marketable than the Orca, so I went with a black, white and pale blue color scheme. I retained the Yokohama script and made the "Y" the cap logo. For the home mark it's a block "WHALES," and there's black alternates a-plenty.

Let's C&C!!!!

[GMW79]

Well, first off: wow! The Whales look great! Such a nice color combination and classy logos. It's tough to see a quirky mascot like the Baystars done away with, but, again, I get your idea of "westernizing" Japanese baseball.

As for expansion locations, all those you mentioned would be great spots for teams. Niigata is a bit "remote" compared to all of the Pacific-side metropolises of Japan, but that could work to their benefit (makes me think a bit of Rakuten -- up in far-away Sendai).

Kobe is really close to Osaka, but Osaka is the third largest city in the country (Kobe isn't small either). That region could easily handle two teams and, in fact, does with Orix and Hanshin. Orix plays in both Kobe and Osaka, so adding/moving another team and having them each associated with only one city might work.

Do you plan to add more teams of your own making, or just stick with the current (or re-imagined) twelve teams?

Keep up the good work!

[tadasimha]

Hey guys, thanks for the positive feedback! I'm looking forward to the Fighters as well, it's definitely a different direction for them on the way! But I'm going alphabetically through each league and Hokkaido isn't until the third team in the PBL.

Tadasimha, I buy your feedback on the G in the Giants' logo. I'll see if I can widen the gap in the G a little. Also, I'm not super thrilled with the colors on the CBL logo, but I'm kinda stuck in how to liven up the colors without getting predictable... I'm open to suggestions!

With regards to the CBL logo, at first I thought about adding a light blue to the shadow on Fuji or maybe blue instead of brown in the "sky", but now I think you should try it with a stronger green and maybe tone down the brown a little - don't make it tan, per se, just not as dark so a bold green would really pop.

Re-rebranding Yokohma to the Whales is a great idea and the uniform design and logo are a huge improvement over what they currently have.

[Gfonk04]

Well, first off: wow! The Whales look great! Such a nice color combination and classy logos. It's tough to see a quirky mascot like the Baystars done away with, but, again, I get your idea of "westernizing" Japanese baseball.

As for expansion locations, all those you mentioned would be great spots for teams. Niigata is a bit "remote" compared to all of the Pacific-side metropolises of Japan, but that could work to their benefit (makes me think a bit of Rakuten -- up in far-away Sendai).

Kobe is really close to Osaka, but Osaka is the third largest city in the country (Kobe isn't small either). That region could easily handle two teams and, in fact, does with Orix and Hanshin. Orix plays in both Kobe and Osaka, so adding/moving another team and having them each associated with only one city might work.

Do you plan to add more teams of your own making, or just stick with the current (or re-imagined) twelve teams?

I've toyed with the idea of creating some expansion teams, but haven't made the plunge yet. But I do have some ideas, we'll see if it comes to be.

With regards to the CBL logo, at first I thought about adding a light blue to the shadow on Fuji or maybe blue instead of brown in the "sky", but now I think you should try it with a stronger green and maybe tone down the brown a little - don't make it tan, per se, just not as dark so a bold green would really pop.

Re-rebranding Yokohma to the Whales is a great idea and the uniform design and logo are a huge improvement over what they currently have.

Thanks for the feedback! I'll toy around with the colors a little in the future and hopefully have some changes to show you guys. I'll see what I can come up with. In the meanwhile, up next is the Pacific League!

[Gfonk04]

CHIBA MARINES

One thing I never understood about the Chiba Lotte Marines was: What is the team name supposed to mean? Do they mean "Mariners?" Or Marines, like Naval Infantry? (Japan doesn't have a Marine Corps, so that's more or less out.) The mascot and alternate logo are waterfowl, so maybe that's it? Or do they just mean that they're associated with the water? I have no idea, but "Mariners" was obviously out, and Marines in a military sense doesn't work, so I just played it straight and went with a Japanese sailing vessel logo based on the Naniwa Maru, a replica of a 17th century ship. The current Marines "M" logo is solid, and the wordmark that goes with it works too, but black and red just don't say anything nautical to me. The easy road was to use blue, but there's a lot of blue in the NPB already, so I went outside the box with green and gold. The alternate uniform uses a gold-to-white gradient that alludes to the team's gradient jerseys, which are totally weird, but very NPB, so I kept them.

Weigh the C&C anchor!

[Raymie]

Beautifully done yet again!