The Milwaukee Brewers are turning 50, and they’re treating themselves to a makeover that features retiring its current script logo and embracing an updated version of its former “ball-in-glove” symbol. The project was executed by Mississippi-based Rodney Richardson of RARE Design. Richardson had never rebranded a Major League Baseball team, though his high-profile sports team experience has included rebrands for the National Basketball Association Minnesota Timberwolves, Charlotte Hornets and Sacramento Kings.
Notably, Richardson did not come to the initial meeting with the Brewers with any design ideas. That’s one of the reasons he was chosen, say club officials, who appreciated the idea of a blank canvas. “Going into this process, the Brewers didn’t put any pressure on us to go one way or the other,” Richardson said. “They said, ‘We’re going to go through this process and discover the things we need to discover.’ The reality is that anyone who is any kind of sports fan whatsoever, you’re familiar with the ball-in-glove icon, how tremendous it is and how beloved it is.”
Richardson, who had not previously visited Milwaukee, made several trips from Mississippi with his staff, attending games at Miller Park, talking to fans, seeing what team apparel was being worn most, and generally getting a sense of the challenge. It soon became evident how deeply rooted the ball-in-glove logo was in team history and how devoted fans still were to that symbol. “It’s just such a tremendous mark, and the history and all it represents,” Richardson says. “As we continued to explore, it continued to rise to the top as being the one that carries that story in the best way.”
