By Matt DeVries / @DeVries_Matt
MIDLAND, Mich. — The Great Lakes Loons unveiled an updated brand and new uniforms at the 10th Season Kickoff event held at Dow Diamond on Saturday. The new logos, wordmarks and jerseys are a continuation on the benchmark that was set in 2007 when the team moved to Midland.
“With us heading into now our 10th season of Loons baseball, we felt it was time to freshen things up and build upon what we put in place when this organization started,” Loons President Paul Barbeau said. “It’s an evolution for us, as opposed to a revolution. If you look at what we did, we didn’t stray too far away from what we originally had. That’s why you will see a lot of similarities between the old and new brand because we liked what we had.”
The Loons will have a multitude of logos in use, yet all are variations from the core set. From bottom left clockwise to bottom right: interlocking GL, Loon head, Loon L, Winter Loon, Dive In, interlocking GL with Loon in flight, Swinging Loon, Summer Loon. At the center is the Loons primary logo.
The process started with contacting Brandiose, the San Diego-based sports branding company, at the beginning of last season in April 2015. Once the initial conversation was started, a lengthy process began.
“Upon us reaching out to Jason Klein and Casey White at Brandiose, the ‘Discovery Process’ started in June of last year with them visiting us here in Michigan,” Vice President of Marketing & Entertainment Chris Mundhenk said. “They had the chance to work on surveys with our staff, lead focus groups with our staff and fans, along with visiting different parts of Mid-Michigan. They toured Midland and travelled to Bay City and Saginaw to get a feel for our region.”
From there, Klein and White took all of their findings and began sketching out options with different variations.
“As with any process like this, there was plenty of back-and-forth between us and Bradiose,” Mundhenk said. “We had a great working relationship with them and they really understood where we were trying to go with our brand.”
It was in August 2015 when the process began to narrow and specific designs became the main focus. Fine-tuning was the topic of conversation until immediately after the conclusion of the 2015 season when the process was completed.
“There’s a logo for every fan and we’re really tapping into what our entire region has to offer,” Mundhenk said. “The Winter Loon pays homage to all of our fans who are with us at the beginning of the season. When you look at where we’re located, it’s no secret it gets cold in Michigan and that it can spill over into the early part of the season. But you also have the Summer Loon for all of our fans who enjoy the diverse outdoor activities Mid-Michigan has.”
The main colors for the team will remain relatively the same, with tweaks in areas. Desert Red, Green Bay Green, Metallic Black and Cool Gray will be the primary colors for the Loons.
Home uniforms with the nostalgic cream color are an instant classic and harkens back to yesteryear. The road set is your classic gray with red lettering across the chest. The new alternates are green with the interlocking GL and Loon in flight anchored on the chest. All caps are the official New Era on-field hats with the road and alternates having the ability to interchange for select road games.
“We’re really excited about the vintage look we were able to capture with these uniforms,” Mundhenk said. “They strengthen what Loons baseball means to our fans and gives us a very clean, defined look.”
“Specifically with the cream, we’re going to be unique in Minor League Baseball using that as our primary uniform at Dow Diamond. The away logo is a classic look and has a distinct Loons feel while including the interlock GL and Loon in flight on the cap.”
After fans attending the 10th Season Kickoff event have first access, the Loon Loft team store at Dow Diamond will open to the general public in March leading up the Opening Day. Fans can purchase new merchandise 24/7 online at Loons.com.
The 2016 season begins on April 9 with the Opening Day Celebration, presented by Maple Hill Nursery. This year’s festivities feature the Loons Pennant Race at 10 a.m., followed by the parade on Main Street beginning at 12 p.m. with performances from the Chicago Boyz. Following the parade, the Loons will play the Lansing Lugnuts at Dow Diamond at 2:05 p.m.
