Baseball By Design: Stories of Minor League Logos and Nicknames
Paul Caputo, minor league baseball correspondent for SportsLogos.net, tells the story of America one minor league baseball logo and nickname at a time. Paul is joined every episode by Dan Simon, founder of the prolific design firm Studio Simon, as well as guests including front office personnel, designers, and subject-matter experts.
Instagram, Threads, Bluesky: @baseballbydesign
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Episodes
Tuesday Mar 08, 2022
Tuesday Mar 08, 2022
The collegiate summer level Dub Sea Fish Sticks were the darlings of the offseason with their hotly contested online vote to determine a new name. The team's general manager comes on the show to break down the Fish Sticks/Seal Slingers electoral map, to track live polls on whether fish sticks are junk food, and react in real time to rival minor league social media accounts still bitter about how the online vote turned out.
Jason Klein from Brandiose joins the podcast again to talk about the unique idea to have two fully fleshed out brands go head to head in an online vote, and the process of designing a logo that looked just the right amount of fish stick crunchy.
And Ed Rivera from the Dad Hat Chronicles stops by to discuss his process in developing a new dad hat for the Fish Sticks (even though he was team Seal Slingers).
Dub Sea Fish SticksWebsite | Twitter | Instagram
BrandioseWebsite | Twitter | Instagram
Dad Hat Chronicles Podcast | Twitter
Baseball By DesignTwitter | Instagram | Website
Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
The Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels were one of the original wacky minor league brands, but now in their 13th season, they're one of the game's classic brands. On this episode, Flying Squirrels CEO "Parney" Parnell talks about the origin of the nickname and logo, Creative Services & Production Director Nick Elder talks about his work creating the team's Copa brand, the Ardillas Voladoras, and Marketing & Social Media Manager Samantha McCloskey discusses the responsibility of reflecting the team's persona on social media.
Plus, be sure to stay through the end credits for that surprise scene! On this episode, Christen Miller of Virginia State Parks joins the podcast to talk about what makes actual flying squirrels so great.
Richmond Flying Squirrelswebsite | Twitter | Instagram
Baseball By DesignTwitter | Instagram | Website
Tuesday Feb 22, 2022
Tuesday Feb 22, 2022
In many ways, the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas are the poster team for the era of wacky logos in minor league baseball. Lifelong El Paso resident and Chihuahuas Senior Director of Marketing & Communications Angela Olivas joins the podcast to talk about what the team's identity means to the community, and Brandiose's Jason Klein stops by again to share the thinking behind the development of the brand.
El Paso ChihuahuasWebsite | Twitter | Instagram
BrandioseWebsite | Twitter | Instagram
Baseball By DesignTwitter | Instagram | Website
Tuesday Feb 15, 2022
Tuesday Feb 15, 2022
The reason for the Tri-City Dust Devils' identity becomes apparent when you learn that they have had just one single rainout in more than two decades of playing baseball in Pasco, Washington. But their brand is about so much more than their logo—it's about their place in the community.
This week, Erik "The Peanut Guy" Mertens, who has been the face of the team for its entire existence, and who was recently commemorated by the team with a life-size bobblehead outside the stadium, joins Baseball By Design to talk Dusty, the Viñeros, and the sure to be future food-based brand, the Tri City Tres Leches!
Tri-City Dust DevilsWebsite | Twitter
Erik the Peanut GuyTwitter
Baseball By DesignTwitter | Instagram | Website
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are, by design, a Triple-A team with a Single-A approach, which has led to one of the most fun brands in the minors—and lots of bacon! The team's general manager Kurt Landes stops by to talk about the logo, as well as the team's Salute to Philly alternate brands, and we settle once and for all which team started the food-based logo trend.
Plus, for the first time, Jason Klein of Brandiose stops by to talk about the work his firm did in creating this suite of logos.
Lehigh Valley IronPigsWebsite | Twitter | Instagram
BrandioseWebsite | Twitter | Instagram
Baseball By DesignTwitter | Instagram | Website
Tuesday Feb 01, 2022
Tuesday Feb 01, 2022
Reno Aces general manager Emily Jaenson talks about the unique challenges of branding the Triple-A team that plays in the Biggest Little City in the World. The Reno Aces, who have been an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks since their inception have a fun but grownup identity that has undergone subtle shifts over the years—with more coming soon!
At the time of her hiring, Emily Jaenson was the only female general manager in Triple-A Minor League Baseball, and is now one of four. She hosts the Leadership is Female podcast, which highlights women in leadership positions in sports.
Also, Ed Rivera from the Dad Hat Chronicles stops by again to discuss the Aces' cap offerings!
Reno AcesWebsite | Twitter | Instagram
Emily JaensonInstagram
Leadership is Female PodcastPodcast | Instagram
Dad Hat Chronicles PodcastPodcast | Twitter
Baseball By DesignTwitter | Instagram | Website
Tuesday Jan 25, 2022
Tuesday Jan 25, 2022
Dan Simon is one of the most prolific and influential graphic designers in sports, and especially in minor league baseball at all levels. In two and a half decades, he has created hundreds of brands, including Super Bowl logos, identities for major league teams in multiple sports, and nearly 100 minor league baseball team logos. On this episode, we discuss the impact Dan's work has had on minor league baseball, with some great stories about teams like the Savannah Bananas, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, Memphis Redbirds, Great Falls Voyagers, and Idaho Falls Chukars.
Find Studio Simon online at studiosimon.net and on Instagram at @studio_simon.
And stay tuned for the surprise post-credit sequence with Zack Gold, the mind behind the hit @mlb_paint accounts on Twitter and Instagram!
Baseball By DesignTwitter | Instagram | Website
Tuesday Jan 18, 2022
Tuesday Jan 18, 2022
The collegiate summer-level Portland Pickles take minor league fun to the next level with a wacky logo and nickname and a hilarious social media presence. I talk with the team's very funny co-owner Alan Miller about how serious the team is about having fun.
Also, I speak with Ed Rivera of the Dad Hat Chronicles podcast to get his take on Pickles caps, and Emma Segerman, who has been ranking minor league baseball logos on TikTok and Twitter, stops by to weigh in on a few logos.
Portland PicklesWebsite | Twitter | Instagram
Dad Hat Chronicles Podcast | Twitter
Emma SegermanTikTok | Twitter
Baseball By DesignTwitter | Instagram | Website