How I’ve played in every single Major League Baseball game for the past 47 years
Okay, “played a part” in every game. Let me explain.
If you told me back in 1968 that I would have a part in creating one of the longest lasting symbols in baseball and in business, I would have said that you haven’t been wearing your batting helmet lately.
Sure, when I was a kid I once tried out for the Yankees. But didn’t make the team. Then in 1968 I was approached by Major League Baseball, not to play shortstop for the Yankees, but for something even more important. The oldest professional sports league in the country, one that started in the 1860’s, needed a new identity and a modern, inviting logo.
I asked the great designer Jerry Dior to think about a logo. When I saw one of his designs I knew that was it. It was dynamic, colorful, modern and distinctive. The logo said it all. A batter waiting for the ball, and as Juan Concepcion said you have no idea what’s coming next, anything can happen. From a strike out to a grand slam.
He captured it all. In one iconic symbol.
In a world where companies are constantly looking to tweak, or modernize their visual identity to remain “current” the Major League Baseball logo has remained the same for 47 years running. And that’s as it should be because Baseball is all about tradition. Besides, there are no “do overs” in baseball.
The moral to the story is: create something simple and powerful and you’ll not only knock it out of the park but you could wind up in the Branding Identity Hall of Fame.
See you at the game.
Alan