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Most/Least successful Uni/Logo overhauls


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I'm going to take the liberty of applying this topic to one off uniforms, and the least successful uniform overhaul might be the Pittsburgh Penguins Winter Classic jersey from this past season. It was a bland design, with a similarity to the Bruins set, and the team was blown out at Chicago. Hopefully, we'll never see those uniforms again.

The mystery for me is why this horrible uniform was ever produced in the first place. The Pens have plenty of other better alternatives in team history, along with the old minor league Hornets, and pro hockey teams before the NHL came into existence.

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I would say when the Devil Rays became the Rays in 2008. Went from 0 playoff appearances in 10 years as the D-Rays to 4 playoff appearances in 6 years as the Rays including the AL pennant in 2008.

ept_sports_mlb_experts-647761667-1272900

I have, since the day it was announced, hated the change from "Devil Rays" to "Rays." I don't dislike the colors, the jerseys, the helmets or the look, but I always thought there was an alliteration in the name... one that brought out the announcer in me in saying it... "the Tampa BAY... DEVIL Rays..." It's hard to get similarly jacked up when your first thought of "Rays" is either Ray Romano or my brother-in-law Ray from Youngstown, Ohio.

I think I've seen more new Astros caps in the past year than I did the brick and black set the previous 10 yrs. they're just so nice. The gear is everywhere

The Astros return to the rainbow was long overdue. I understand the "brick and mortar" motif was to accompany the new park and the potential change in name to the Houston Diesel and all, but it's so cool to see the Astros in their "natural" colors again.

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I would say when the Devil Rays became the Rays in 2008. Went from 0 playoff appearances in 10 years as the D-Rays to 4 playoff appearances in 6 years as the Rays including the AL pennant in 2008.

ept_sports_mlb_experts-647761667-1272900

Aesthetically, there are at least a few of us on here (myself included) that think this is a downgrade, specifically in the color department.

I know I'm in the minority, but I think their green/blue look was the best one they had. There was no need to change that, IMO. Their current look is a big downgrade from that.

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The Pistons were the first team I thought of when I saw this thread.

Back in the 1980s up to 1995-96, they had this simple, yet classic look:

Pistons1_zps79542f40.jpg

In 1996-97, the "Teal Era" began. New logo, new colors, new font, new jerseys. Downgrade, IMO. Good look for an expansion team at the time, but not for a franchise that had been around since 1941:

Pistons2_zpsaa9fcacc.jpg

Then in 2001-02, the Pistons went back to the red-white-blue color scheme and an updated version of the Bad Boys look. Modern, but with a nod to the past. Upgrade, IMO:

Pistons3_zps9be22fe5.jpg

Didn't really hate the "horsepower" logo--I bought a shirt with that logo on it when I was in high school. I just thought the Bad Boys uniforms (and now the current set) were much better.

They could have at least kept this one...

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As far as Tampa Teams go , i love the Bucs 2014 new uniforms , the old ones were ok and the Orange were the worst. For the Lightning , Loved the original and 2nd Unis , hate the current one. With the Rays I liked the Green sleeveless uniforms the best.

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As far as Tampa Teams go , i love the Bucs 2014 new uniforms , the old ones were ok and the Orange were the worst. For the Lightning , Loved the original and 2nd Unis , hate the current one. With the Rays I liked the Green sleeveless uniforms the best.

How do you say you love the new Bucs unis and then say the old uniforms were okay? You must be crazy.

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I would say when the Devil Rays became the Rays in 2008. Went from 0 playoff appearances in 10 years as the D-Rays to 4 playoff appearances in 6 years as the Rays including the AL pennant in 2008.

ept_sports_mlb_experts-647761667-1272900

I have, since the day it was announced, hated the change from "Devil Rays" to "Rays." I don't dislike the colors, the jerseys, the helmets or the look, but I always thought there was an alliteration in the name... one that brought out the announcer in me in saying it... "the Tampa BAY... DEVIL Rays..." It's hard to get similarly jacked up when your first thought of "Rays" is either Ray Romano or my brother-in-law Ray from Youngstown, Ohio.

I don't think that's what alliteration is, but dropping the "Devil" is a big downgrade. What is a ray? Even stranger is that they still have the devil ray on their sleeves. What's the point?

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this is such a hard thing to measure because a rebrand is usually a sign of change in the organization. new owner, coaches, a relocation, etc. these things effect the team greatly, so if a team starts winning after a rebrand (Broncos, Buccaneers) the Return on Investment there is going to be different than a team who rebrands and starts doing worse. merch sales will go up initially for everyone, but people like winners and no matter what the team looks like, a winner will sell and their identity will build value that people will associate with winning, placing a great, often emotional, value on that identity. the perfect example is the Dallas Cowboys. they've been a mediocre team for 20 years, yet that identity and team is still one of the most loved in America

You nailed it right on the head. I was gonna come in and say the exact same thing. Branding is definitely a synergy between the logo and uniform package but the fan's perception of the team and the success of the team is what should be looked at too. Rebranding is a sign of change. It's difficult to judge what was the most successful logo/uni overhaul because you need to judge it based on what the overhauled team values in their new brand identity. While the logos and the uniforms may look fantastic compared to what they had in the past, the success of the team is what makes it sell. Not saying that the pure aesthetics won't sell (i.e. the brewer's ball and glove), its just that in the typical business of branding, its more stable to bank on success because like Brandon said, building a brand around success will generate a greater value on the team than whether the team looks visually appealing. Branding a new identity is not just updating a logo but its redefining how the fan perceives the team.

Like what Brandon said, while the Cowboys are a former shell of their past glory, they are still the most beloved team visually to casual fans in America. The Patriots maybe in need of a logo overhaul due to how dated the look is, but they don't need to because the team has a foundation of success. Despite how the Diamondbacks won their first World Series in the Purple and Teal, they found the need to rebrand because of the steroid scandal and the new ownership in the organization.

If you are just judging it based on the logo and uniform, I say the Blue Jays had the best overhaul in my opinion. But if you are judging it based on the best rebrand, I would say the Patriots had a strong transition from old (Bledsoe era) to new (Brady era) because everyone is reminded of their Dynasty from just looking at their current uniforms/logos.

Just my two cents.

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As far as Tampa Teams go , i love the Bucs 2014 new uniforms , the old ones were ok and the Orange were the worst. For the Lightning , Loved the original and 2nd Unis , hate the current one. With the Rays I liked the Green sleeveless uniforms the best.

How do you say you love the new Bucs unis and then say the old uniforms were okay? You must be crazy.

I think they are cutting edge and different. Sure the numbers are weird even though I think the digital number thing is a little exaggerated. I like new looking uniforms , I don't really like traditional stuff like the Colts and Packers , its one of the reasons I hate the Lightning's current uni because it looks like a wanna be Original 6 team.

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This one might be debatable.

The New Jersey Nets were arguably the worst franchise in the NBA for decades. From draft busts to awful coaches, these were their uniforms.

nba_g_calipari01_576.jpeg

The overhaul in 1997 took a while to get rolling, but in 2002 everything changed when the franchise became a dominant force in the East throughout the 2000s with Jason Kidd. Back to back Finals appearances, 4 division championships, and 6 consecutive playoff appearances. 5 in which they at least made the 2nd round.

tumblr_mdlmb9MlBZ1qd6wt5o1_1280.jpg

anim_040d06ba-0611-bac4-cd7b-50fc54ad382 

 

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This one might be debatable.

The New Jersey Nets were arguably the worst franchise in the NBA for decades. From draft busts to awful coaches, these were their uniforms.

The overhaul in 1997 took a while to get rolling, but in 2002 everything changed when the franchise became a dominant force in the East throughout the 2000s with Jason Kidd.

Yet they couldn't pay people to care about them.

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This one might be debatable.

The New Jersey Nets were arguably the worst franchise in the NBA for decades. From draft busts to awful coaches, these were their uniforms.

The overhaul in 1997 took a while to get rolling, but in 2002 everything changed when the franchise became a dominant force in the East throughout the 2000s with Jason Kidd.

Yet they couldn't pay people to care about them.

Unfortunately that was true. I know I did but their fanbase was scarce.

anim_040d06ba-0611-bac4-cd7b-50fc54ad382 

 

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Los+Angeles+Clippers+v+New+York+Knicks+I

Clippers in this set from 2000-2001 through 2009-2010:

320-500 (.390)

1 playoff appearance (2005-2006 season)

Clippers in this set

nba-los-angeles-clippers-2011-uniform.jp

Clippers in this set from 2010-2011 through Present:

185-127 (.592)

3 Playoff appearences

then again getting this guy was probably the best overhaul of all time :P

hi-res-459475459-chris-paul-of-the-los-a

Clippers.gif
UCLA.gif

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From 1999 to 2011 the Los Angeles Kings were a consistent bottom feeder of the Western Conference in the NHL with their purple uniforms.

Dustin+Brown+Anze+Kopitar+Los+Angeles+Ki

They went back to their popular black jerseys as their primary uniform and changed their primary logo as well. 2 Stanley Cups in 3 years.

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anim_040d06ba-0611-bac4-cd7b-50fc54ad382 

 

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Are we trying to say a uniform rebrand is successful because the team happens to get good after the change? Is anyone going to call the new bucs uni great even if they win 10 super bowls in a row?

They would be a lot less uglier!

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Are we trying to say a uniform rebrand is successful because the team happens to get good after the change? Is anyone going to call the new bucs uni great even if they win 10 super bowls in a row?

They would be a lot less uglier!

No they will be just as ugly but I guess winning makes ugliness more tolerable.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This one might be debatable.

The New Jersey Nets were arguably the worst franchise in the NBA for decades. From draft busts to awful coaches, these were their uniforms.

nba_g_calipari01_576.jpeg

The overhaul in 1997 took a while to get rolling, but in 2002 everything changed when the franchise became a dominant force in the East throughout the 2000s with Jason Kidd. Back to back Finals appearances, 4 division championships, and 6 consecutive playoff appearances. 5 in which they at least made the 2nd round.

tumblr_mdlmb9MlBZ1qd6wt5o1_1280.jpg

All were still an upgrade from these...

adedb4f447d7e19eab9667be4a4021b21.jpeg

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This one might be debatable.

The New Jersey Nets were arguably the worst franchise in the NBA for decades. From draft busts to awful coaches, these were their uniforms.

nba_g_calipari01_576.jpeg

The overhaul in 1997 took a while to get rolling, but in 2002 everything changed when the franchise became a dominant force in the East throughout the 2000s with Jason Kidd. Back to back Finals appearances, 4 division championships, and 6 consecutive playoff appearances. 5 in which they at least made the 2nd round.

tumblr_mdlmb9MlBZ1qd6wt5o1_1280.jpg

All were still an upgrade from these...

adedb4f447d7e19eab9667be4a4021b21.jpeg

Everything the Nets have had are better then those.

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