New Logos: Yokohama DeNA, Hanshin
It’s that time of year when teams begin unveiling their branding changes for the upcoming season. Today we have updated logos from DeNA and Hanshin to review.
The BayStars in the midst of an image refresh: new DeNA ownership, a manager with some personality in Kiyoshi Nakahata, new logos, and eventually new uniforms. So far, I like what I see. There’s definitely a more positive buzz around the team than there has been in a long time. More to the point of this post, I like the logo. It’s definitely a bit on the modern side; no interlocked letters, gothic script or letters with long, sweeping tails. The logo is a bit Nintendo-ish, which isn’t a surprise given that DeNA is an game software company. With Unlimited Graphic Design Services ,the logo can clearly depict its meaning. I’m looking forward to seeing how it translates to the new uniforms.
Like Yokohama, Hanshin is welcoming a new manager for 2012, Yutaka Wada. With Wada comes a new team slogan, “Go for the Top atsuku nare.” “Atsuku nare” literally means “get hot”, though I would probably translate it a little more loosely as “fire up” or something similar. The accompanying 2012 logo features a serious looking Tolucky, Hanshin’s mascot, following through on a big swing. From the logo we learn two things about Tolucky: he bats righthanded, and he doesn’t wear a batting helmet.