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Hello! I’m Jonathan Selikoff, along with Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Dick Vitale, Mel Allen, Dick Enberg and Dr. Joyce Brothers. Join us, for this all-important contest between the logos and uniforms of the old Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays.
We’ve got a heck of a competition tonight, don’t you think Dick?
Dick Vitale: Absolutely, baby. When it comes down to it, a ray of sunshine vs. one of those devil rays? Baby, who are you kidding? No way, baby! My money’s on the bright light.
JS: Dick, there’s no gambling in baseball. I’m afraid you’ll have to leave the booth.
Here’s the scene on the field: last year’s TB Devil Rays, in white uniform vests with green piping, and a green undershirt and some sans serif typography that should be escorted out of this ballpark immediately.
On the other side of the field, new for 2008, we’ve got the Tampa Rays, in classic white with blue piping, a big serifed “Rays” across their chests with quite possibly the longest tail on an R I’ve ever seen. And inside the R we’ve got a burst of, something. Oh, it’s some rays. I get it. Let’s turn to our hall-of-fame pitcher, Jim Palmer, and see what he thinks.
Jim Palmer: I have to tell you, I come from the old school, where we wore stirrups and images of little birds on our chests. Nothing frightens an opponent like an orange and black bird flyin’ in your face. Am I right?
JS: Not really, but I’ll give you this, orange and black certainly beats the bleak green last year’s Devil Rays were sporting. And I’m having a hard time picking those players out on the field. They’re just blending in with the astroturf! So I’ll give one point to the new 2008 Rays. In fact, I’ll give them two points for shedding the oh-so-frightening visage of that pesky underwater bird, the devil ray.
Dr. Joyce Brothers: If I can add a point, the psychology of color plays a big part in who wins this contest tonight. That dark green is for losers. And I mean REAL losers. For ten straight years. The Devil Rays can barely beat their mothers on the field. A ray of sunshine? That golden color combined with some deep blue is just the prescription I’d order. I think even Freud would agree that the players and their mothers will just feel better about themselves in this look. And a winning attitude is 90% mental, the other half physical.
JS: Are you even a practicing psychologist? And channelling Yogi Berra to boot…interesting. But yes, I’d have to agree with you that the new blue scheme, with a hint of sunshine gold is nice. It’s a nice classic fit with baseball, America’s pastime. Of course, I’m a bit biased towards navy blue myself. Just like my old friend Mel.
Mel Allen: Heh, heh. How about that!
JS: Exactly. But we’ve got some bigger fish to fry tonight, folks. Oh, wait, this just handed to me by the good folks in the production booth. The devil ray lives on on the sleeve. That’s just ridiculous. What are these guys, sunshine or fish? McCarver, help me out here.
Tim McCarver: I have to tell you JS, the Rays organization just doesn’t know what it’s doing here. They never have, they never will. They’ve shown they can’t build a quality franchise, and now they show they can’t build a quality uniform.
JS: Well, that’s a bit harsh, but they’re trying to have it both ways here. They want a break with their unsuccessful past, but they just can’t quite let it go. The players seem to like it, though, so maybe that says something. Mel, tell us some more about the new logo.
Mel: Heh heh. How about that!
Dick Enberg: I’ll take it, Mel. That logo is about as special as a Ralph Branca fastball. We’ve got some serifs, some shadows, and a baseball diamond. And, apparently the logo was hit by a laser blast. I hope it’ll be ok.
JS: Right on, Dick. I could be happy that this hasn’t gone the swoosh route, or been illustrated with inlines, outlines and shadows. And for heaven’s sake, at least no rainbow embroidery. But I just can’t. It’s a little league logo for a little league team. It’s a pretender. It wants to be an old-school baseball logo, but just isn’t there. It’s the safe and conservative route, and I don’t see it in the hall of fame anytime soon.
Ok, folks. That wraps it up tonight. What do we know? That the 2008 Tampa team is now the Rays, and they’re hoping for a brighter future on the field. Good luck to them, because they’ll need it.
Thank you, and good night.
The original, 1998 logo. Yikes!
Jump to Most Recent Comment
Joe S’s comment is:
Interesting format for a critique.
This mark has got to be one of the blandest sports logos I've ever seen. I respect the decision to update the last one, but whoever they hired to do this one should probably stick to designing for little league teams. Seriously, how hard is it to pay a decent design firm for a decent logo? Let your in-house designer stretch the heck out of the logo in your programs if you like, but at least get someone with talent to design the initial mark.
It's just too bland for sports. It's like the logo for some technology company with a name like "Futuretech" or something. It just plays by the rules with no intention of trying anything new. Also, I doubt it looks good in B&W or at a small size (check out how small those bases are!).
+joe
On Nov.09.2007 at 01:56 AM
SwineFactory’s comment is:
Uh... WHO CARES? It's baseball...
...I mean, c'mon... the whole sport sucks...
On Nov.09.2007 at 04:06 AM
Adam’s comment is:
First the Diamondbacks now the Devil Rays. If the Rockies change to the ubiquitous red or blue there will be no more purple or teal, people are no fun anymore.
On Nov.09.2007 at 04:15 AM
Dave’s comment is:
You can take the devil out of your business, but it doesn't mean you won't still be a disaster. It looks like the recently re-designed logos of the Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres collided and created this graphical offspring.
On Nov.09.2007 at 07:16 AM
Mark’s comment is:
I like it nice & simple.
On Nov.09.2007 at 08:33 AM
L.Vazquez’s comment is:
Aha-haha... How about that!
On Nov.09.2007 at 08:44 AM
Talal’s comment is:
Do they realize that they have TUBERCULOSIS splashed across the front of their caps?
On Nov.09.2007 at 09:38 AM
darrel’s comment is:
I so want to put an apostrophe in that new logo and hang it above the entrance to Ray's Bar.
On Nov.09.2007 at 09:51 AM
Ty’s comment is:
Bravo, JonSel, Bravo!
On Nov.09.2007 at 10:20 AM
HDSGNWRKS’s comment is:
It looks like a town softball team logo
Very boring and bland... The BlueJays pretty much use the same colors.... wait maybe they used a online clipart logo company to design the new look... if thats the case.... hey great job guys.... hit the showers....
Paul Riehle’s comment is:
The starburst location seems so random to me. It is just boring.
On Nov.09.2007 at 10:52 AM
jac’s comment is:
First the Diamondbacks now the Devil Rays.
Hey hey now. The Diamondbacks were a breath of fresh air, if just because it got us away from those godawful, ugly, totally inaccurate but stereotypical airport-kitsch "desert" colors of purple and teal.
On Nov.09.2007 at 10:57 AM
Steve’s comment is:
The hat actually looks alright: simple, elegant, and classic to some extent, but the main logo is a disaster. It looks to me like if you remove the basepaths it could be an assisted living center's logo.
"Come spend your days at 'The Rays Assisted Care Facility' "
Peter Whitley’s comment is:
I see the new mark. It's nice! It totally tells me that this is a white cloth napkin kind of home-cooking. I'm sure they have a reasonable seafood menu too. Ray's Cafe By The Bay. Maybe we'll actually see Ray there having a friendly conversation with the Mayor of Blahsville.
I don't know baseball logos but I know what I like. Shouldn't they reflect the region they're from in some way? Are the Tampa Bay Devil Rays planning to relocate!? (Like I care.) There's no regional reference in the new mark...nothing to place it in Tampa Bay...which is where again? Nebraska? Might as well be if this is their logo.
What the new logo does that the old one didn't is evoke baseball. While everyone really likes the idea of a manta ray playing baseball, at least the new mark tries to make that association a bit less strenuous. And they may be the first to not use the actual ball as the icon but rather the baselines. Bravo. I think. In this world of circles, it's brave to be a square.
The sparkle is too cute. Shortstop must be proud. The new Rays' pitching team is so good they don't even need an outfield.
As one who doesn't particularly like baseball and wouldn't mind seeing it simply disappear, I am secretly delighted as sports teams distill the unique flavor from their identities. As the sport becomes more bland it makes the job of creating distinctive marks and identities that much easier.
On Nov.09.2007 at 11:08 AM
Katherine’s comment is:
Good thing there's a baseball diamond included in the design. Jut in case I forget which sport I am watching.
On Nov.09.2007 at 11:18 AM
C-Lo’s comment is:
What is that? Honestly. It's set text over clip art, not a logo. And the sun breaks up the R in the worst way. I've seen better logos on old man softball teams even after they've spilled beer and chili dogs on it.
On Nov.09.2007 at 11:19 AM
andrew miller’s comment is:
Among other things, i can't stand that white hairline on the outside of the baselines. That'll really piss off some printers.
On Nov.09.2007 at 11:32 AM
Jon Dascola’s comment is:
As unsetteling as this is for myself to digest, I don't hate the 1998 logo.
I'm assuming they are trying to get away from the bad PR "devil" (appropriately nammed) rays have received after the Crocodile Hunter incident. I think them folks in Tampa Bay are just one step ahead of us. Way to protect your image.
On Nov.09.2007 at 11:41 AM
Doug’s comment is:
An uninspired logo for a team that has been equally uninspired on the field for a decade. It's not classic baseball, it's just boring. What the hell is going on with the "ray" of sunshine in the 'R'? Amateurish.
The color choices create the exact same 'copy the old school' approach that San Diego took with its home uniforms, that make the team look no different than the Detroit Tigers. Add another to the navy hat/white jersey brigade.
On Nov.09.2007 at 11:42 AM
Bigjerk’s comment is:
I read an article that said they wanted to release this look last year, but they didn't want to rush it. Imagine how bad it had been if they hadn't taken their time....Type: Brutal, Starburst: Horrid, Color Scheme: Amateur....commenters above were right when they said it looked Little League...an amateur look for an amateur franchise.
On Nov.09.2007 at 11:42 AM
Ryan’s comment is:
In the immortal words of one Luke Skywalker, "What a piece of junk!"
On Nov.09.2007 at 12:14 PM
Andrew Kidd’s comment is:
Wow, the new logo sure does suck. The original 1998 logo was by far the best. Who wants to root for a ray of sunshine. Maybe the new mascot will just be someone shining a flash light across the bleachers.
On Nov.09.2007 at 12:18 PM
Gabe’s comment is:
Going against the grain a bit here, but I'd say this is a clear improvement. In a classic game like Baseball, better to go for the classic look and come up a bit short than to ride trendy color palettes (from the early/mid 90s), gradients, and illustrated sea creatures. If you watch sportscenter, then you know they've been the 'D-rays' for years now. The shorter name makes sense, even if it's a bit vague for now.
And for those of you (and myself as well) who'd always like to see something progressive and genuinely new, we shouldn't be so quick to trash the designers... don't forget the client half of the design process, and don't assume that they didn't bland this new look to death along the way.
Great review by the way. How long til Spring Training?
On Nov.09.2007 at 12:57 PM
Anonymous’s comment is:
Wow, the new logo sure does suck. The original 1998 logo was by far the best. Who wants to root for a ray of sunshine. Maybe the new mascot will just be someone shining a flash light across the bleachers.
hahahahahaha
So true, it doesn't look like a baseball logo.
What's with the name Rays anyway?
Makes me thing of Ray Charles, not the baseball team.
Looks like something more appropriate for some thing like Ray's sports bar.
On Nov.09.2007 at 01:06 PM
Mark ’s comment is:
forgot to put my name.
Wow, the new logo sure does suck. The original 1998 logo was by far the best. Who wants to root for a ray of sunshine. Maybe the new mascot will just be someone shining a flash light across the bleachers.
hahahahahaha
So true, it doesn't look like a baseball logo.
What's with the name Rays anyway?
Makes me thing of Ray Charles, not the baseball team.
Looks like something more appropriate for some thing like Ray's sports bar.
On Nov.09.2007 at 01:08 PM
Chris’s comment is:
Their new logo makes it look like the short stop and the runner stealing third base suddenly had a collision.
On Nov.09.2007 at 02:28 PM
Andrew W’s comment is:
Oh my. As a Tampa Bay native who now lives elsewhere in the south, I am spared the local flacks chatting about this on the radio and tv. This couldn't be worse looking. My goodness. It has no drama, no spirit, nothing to latch on to as far as an icon goes, nothing. I am glad I have my old green and purple '98 vintage hat stashed at the parent's house. At least the minor league teams have some fun identities:
On Nov.09.2007 at 02:46 PM
C-Lo’s comment is:
It's sad on how the Montgomery Biscuits can make me smirk and cheer thanks to their mascot, an actual biscuit whos quite comical and fun, and yet can't get it together for their main team the Devil Rays.
On Nov.09.2007 at 02:57 PM
Anonymous’s comment is:
Not bad. I prefer it to the other, excruciatingly horrible ones.
On Nov.09.2007 at 03:42 PM
jive’s comment is:
The new logo is cleaner and the typography is better but you cant simply ditch the mascot with sports logos. I think they should of redone the typography on the old logo with less of a slant to it and made the devil ray stand out a little more from the thick stroke and lose the oblique circle and perhaps use the colors in the text, then the old logo would rock.
On Nov.09.2007 at 04:43 PM
Von Glitschka’s comment is:
I just visited my friend who is the Creative Director at the AP here in New York and they just happened to be working on a chart showing team budgets and guess who was at the bottom?
Doesn't look like they paid too much for this clip-art solution.
On Nov.09.2007 at 05:18 PM
Unit B’s comment is:
"Maybe the new mascot will just be someone shining a flash light across the bleachers."
Teriffic: further amplifying the myriad empty seats in that mausoleum they play in... Beyond amateurish, they stole the Padres' look (which should also never have happened). The designer(s) should feel guilty about accepting money for the 20 minutes they put into this project.
Kellie’s comment is:
Wow...that's a stinker.
"A yellow sunburst that Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said was made to represent the Florida sunshine twinkles toward the top of the "R," and there is a patch of a ray on the uniform's sleeve." (from the article)
I mean...come on...a twinkling ray of sunshine? I would have loved to have been in the room when the AE/designer pitched that one...just to see if he/she really believed their own bull...but to hear the owner adapt that language to describe his manly baseball team...THAT is priceless!
On Nov.10.2007 at 12:01 AM
RussBuss’s comment is:
a big serifed "Rays" across their chests with quite possibly the longest tail on an R I've ever seen
I think there may be a little competition for longest "R tail"
Zing! ;)
On Nov.10.2007 at 12:50 AM
g-sppud’s comment is:
Nice commentary Swine - "whole sport sucks." Maybe some of enjoy baseball, and do care what logos come about - bad as they may be.
I get that it may be too low-brow for you. I guess you should concentrate on you making sure your monocle is spotless so you can review the next caviar logo.
Much more suited for such sophisticated taste
On Nov.10.2007 at 01:21 AM
robbie’s comment is:
woof.
On Nov.10.2007 at 10:32 AM
Eric Nentrup’s comment is:
The most important thing to consider is that THIS IS BASEBALL.
All the expansion teams have come out of the gate with CRAP for and identity. And I best qualify that statement and do it concisely.
For the MLB you need an ID that has STAYING POWER. Like, an emblem that can weather 20, 30, 50 or more years.
I mean...what's more ubiquitous and substantial than:
or...
and even 'dem bums that went to da west coast...
And if my beloved Rockies DON'T take their World Series appearance seriously and update their ID this coming year, I'll eat my hat:
Mark’s comment is:
Their new logo makes it look like the short stop and the runner stealing third base suddenly had a collision.
hahahahahahahahahaha!!!
good one. :)
On Nov.10.2007 at 02:09 PM
Von K’s comment is:
This is really bad. Anyone know who did it?
On Nov.12.2007 at 10:06 AM
i was a rays fan’s comment is:
THIS NEW LOGO IS SO GAY!!!!!
I HATE EVERYONE IN THE "DEVIL" RAYS ORGANIZATION!
THEY COULD HAVE SPENT THIS TIME GETTING A BULLPIN, RATHER THAN LOSING WHAT FEW FANS THEY HAD! THIS IS THE STUPIDEST THING ANY TEAM WILL DO THIS OFF SEASON! I GUESS THERES ALWAYS 09...
TheUprock!’s comment is:
Almost as bad as this.... Go Government!
On Nov.15.2007 at 02:02 PM
TNeary’s comment is:
Von,
MLB Design Services designed the new look with help from Interbrand out of NY. Full article in Sports Biz Journal.
Not the best work.
On Nov.15.2007 at 02:03 PM
David JT’s comment is:
OH MY GOD!!! WHAT THE ^%#%$@ IS THAT?
That Go Government! Terrorist Buster Logo is the best example of the DON'Ts of logo design. Looks alot like the stuff my customers send me and ask me to "clean-up".
1. Designing by committee is the best way to ruin a logo.
2. Second best is designing by having a logo contest.
Mark’s comment is:
What the heck is that terrorist holding anyway? it looks like a rifle with a knife in it wait a minute why would a terrorist be carrying a rifle with a bayonet in it? Isn't that like completely outdated by now?
In fact why would a terrorist be carrying a huge and absolutely obvious weapon like that? Isn't it heavy to carry? why is he wearing a ski mask? wait a minute arn't actual terrorists less obvious in real life?
(must be the type of terrorist from the movies)
All I see from that logo is wishful thinking mixed in with a complete rip-off of the Ghostbusters logo. Very poor in my opinion makes a complete joke about what we face in this day and age.
They might as well take the Ghostbusters song and change it to "I ain't scared of no terrorist".
*rolls eyes*
barf.
On Nov.16.2007 at 08:55 AM
Bart’s comment is:
wow,
I wouldn't wear that on my shirt.
ouch!
On Nov.27.2007 at 08:51 AM
Rachel’s comment is:
This is ridiculous. The sunburst is laughable when you consider that the Trop is a domed stadium. Ain't no sunshine in there.
On Dec.06.2007 at 06:30 PM
Chase Langdon’s comment is:
Nothing good can ever come out of the Devil Rays. Go Sox!
On Dec.07.2007 at 02:58 PM
jingalink’s comment is:
Add your website(s) to the jingalink.com Free Advertising Network
On Dec.11.2007 at 02:06 AM
John L. Hoh, Jr.’s comment is:
Well, looks like the "Rays" added a baseball diamond to their logo. The way the team has played, I guess they have to remind people what they actually do. I though no one could screw up a logo worse than the Brewers (what was wrong with the '80's glove that a color update couldn't fix?). The team still sucks.
On Jan.10.2008 at 06:27 PM
Char Alfonzo’s comment is:
New logo: ZZZzzzZZZzzzZZZ
I am not crazy about 1998, but it's definitively more exciting than this dull new logo.
On Jan.11.2008 at 02:14 PM
John L. Hoh, Jr.’s comment is:
Rumor has it fines are levied by the Tampa Bay "major" league baseball organization on anyone using the word "devil." It is simply "Rays." I guess rays from the sun? Sunny days ahead? Remove the roof from the Trop? I always like the intrastate Florida fish fight in interleague play every year.
On Feb.18.2008 at 11:00 AM
Alex’s comment is:
The Under Consideration logotype has a longer tail on the R, buddy.
On Mar.03.2008 at 03:22 AM
Anonymous’s comment is:
THE RAY SHUOLD GO BACK TO THE OLD LOGO.
On Jul.02.2008 at 06:10 AM
Tim Whalen’s comment is:
All logos for the MLB nowadays are designed in house and led by Anne Occi, MLB's VP of Design Services. As far as I could tell, from reading this article, the organization got exactly what they wanted, if not with execution that lacked any creativity whatsoever. If you've had a chance to see the new All-Star Game logo for 2009 (check it out here), you can see that MLB's art department has become quite lazy, in this humble designer's opinion. So, particularly for the person hoping for a Rockies redesign, be careful what you wish for!
On Aug.05.2008 at 06:10 PM
Jordan’s comment is:
Its great
On Jan.06.2009 at 04:05 PM
Comments in Brand New, V1.0 have been closed.
