Matthew Cerrone

Logo: Citi Field
By Matthew Cerrone - Feb 25, 2008 9:41 am

This is the logo for Citi Field, unveiled by the Mets this morning from Port St. Lucie:

Jeff Wilpon, as quoted in the team’s press release…

“With the unveiling of the Citi Field logo, and the construction of our new home, we are one step closer to bringing the dream of a new home for Mets fans to reality.  This marks the start to the official countdown to our April 2009 opening of Citi Field.”

According to eyewitnesses, Omar Minaya, Willie Randolph, Carlos Beltran, Billy Wagner, David Wright, Jose Reyes and Johan Santana wore the logo on a hat while at the unveiling this morning.

i guess this is supposed to bug me, but it doesn’t…i understand the nexus of money and baseball…i just hope to never see corporate logos on the actual team hat and uniform…that’s all…otherwise, i realize it is what it is and i, as a fan, really have no say over how the team makes money…i just want them to look good while doing whatever it is they need to do…oh, and win too…that’s pretty important, as well

that said, it’s a solid logo…i don’t quite get the angle, and it feels more like a logo for a special bank account than it feels like a logo for the stadium…then again, maybe that’s the point

Update10:10 am

At his blog for the Star-Ledger, Jeremy Cothran has a picture of the hat people were wearing.

…a reader in the comment’s section wrote that the logo looks a lot like the Domino’s Pizza logo, and he’s right…which is not a good thing, if you ask me…

…by the way, to win a hat, go to cothran’s blog, as well as Steve Popper’s blog for the Bergen Record

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132 Comments »

Comment by QnsNative718
2008-02-25 09:58:13

eh, whatyagonnado…

Comment by zer09
2008-02-25 10:12:26

Comparing the Shea Stadium commemorative logo to this one one could see how crappy a job the Citi/Mets marketing did with this one. I think they drew it up after attending a “start of season” party and waking up in the morning with a hangover…. Jeez…you would figure there would be some relevance to the Mets…or baseballl…or a stadium….instead they just took the regular logo and stuck it in a box….looks like it’s directing me to the orange section of the citibank parking lot….

Comment by mikey_FF
2008-02-25 10:17:33

I think this is all Citi in terms of creation of this logo. I don’t think the Mets had much say, since the bank is paying for the naming rights with all that money. That’s why it’s bland. Citi probably demanded that the “Citi” logo be the prominent thing and that nothing else distract from it. I guess there is nothing you can do about it when you’re getting 20 mil a year from a bank.

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Comment by zer09
2008-02-25 10:52:08

I understand completely what you’re saying, but I think there should be a “NY” or a baseball / bat / helmet / mr.met somewhere in there….SOMETHING that associates this logo with NY and baseball…ANYTHING….i mean, realistically, for all i know this could be the logo to any park, any where….

 
Comment by mikey_FF
2008-02-25 10:53:55

I’m with you 100%. On the previous post I was commenting on how much I don’t like it … mostly because I’m a graphic designer, and I hate when creativity get tied up and held hostage.

 
 
Comment by Nate W.
2008-02-25 10:26:55

I does look extremely simple and yet some marketing firm probably got richer for it…

It does at least have a diamond shape… thats from baseball right?

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Comment by zer09
2008-02-25 10:48:09

or geometry…

 
Comment by dulcetpine
2008-02-25 11:43:09

if i wanted to look at corporate logos all the time i would watch nascar, the ultimate commercial.

 
 
 
Comment by UpperDeckDweller
2008-02-25 11:21:08

I think if they put another Orange rectangle along the “3rd baseline” that said “Mets” it would be a little better….kinda like two dugouts along the diamond….

 
Comment by Ametfan
2008-02-25 16:06:18

You can’t be serious. This logo sucks. I know Citi paid 20 mil or whatever, but do you think that they could at least put a Mets logo, Mets colors or SOMETHING Mets on it? Why don’t they just change the team name to the Citibank Mets. Has the Rollerball prophecy of corporations taking over everything finally come true? Will we soon be singing the Citi Bank corporate anthem at the beginning of games? (For those of you who don’t understand, rent Rollerball and watch it. I mean the older James Caan version, not that piece of crap that came out a few years ago.)

 
 
Comment by toogr82b4got10
2008-02-25 09:59:33

Thats kinda weak… they should have given a few choices and asked fans which one they liked best before making a decision

Comment by ravi3
2008-02-25 10:14:01

It almost looks like its a (field level) ticket, with the way the colors are laid out…That may be the logic behind the logo? It seems to me as “effecitively simple”

 
Comment by Xavier22
2008-02-25 10:24:22

you mean fans of Citibank? They’re the ones who came up with the logo.

 
 
Comment by reyrey1230
2008-02-25 09:59:57

what the hell, thats the best they could come up with? I could throw that together in less than a minute in Illustrator.

Comment by breadclock
2008-02-25 11:05:19

It’s a temporary stadium name and logo anyway.

Citigroup (among other former stalwart financials) is the latest imploding Enron fiasco, and at the rate they’re selling mammoth chunks of themselves to Abu Dhabi and Singapore, we should be getting a new name change in a couple years. How about The OPEC Sovereign Nation of Abu Dhabi’s American Field for Baseball and Public Stoning? Kinda catchy.

Comment by Giaco
2008-02-25 11:14:50

LOL - Wow… I just hope we dont end up with some crappy company that just makes the stadium name awkward like Jobing.com Arena (NHL’s Pheonix Coyotes)

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Comment by Stems
2008-02-25 15:20:38

I thought it was a 20 year deal…

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Comment by DjDeF
2008-02-25 09:59:58

Here comes the complaints that it is bush league and wha wha wha.

We’re Met fans its what we do

Comment by zer09
2008-02-25 10:13:25

The exact term I would use is, “effortless”…

 
 
Comment by sheahey81
2008-02-25 10:00:14

I’m getting dizzy just looking at it.

 
Comment by realist718
2008-02-25 10:00:43

Off-topic: I’m planning on going down to Port St. Lucie in a few weeks to see a few ST games. What’s a good hotel to stay at down there? What’s the nearest airport? Thanks.

Comment by NYMetz6986
2008-02-25 10:07:25

pretty sure west palm beach airport, its ab 45 mins to an hour away and theres a hotel like a minute away from the stadium but i forget which one…if you do a search on like hotels.com or something, sometimes they tell you how far away the hotel is from the main attractions in the area…and believe me the stadium is the only main attraction in port st. lucie…its awesome being able to go to the games and see the players up close but the night life is minimal.

 
Comment by BSMITTYFDNY
2008-02-25 10:16:24

I am going March 8th thru the 11th. I am flying in to West Palm Beach Airport which is about 50 minutes from Port St. Lucie. My father lives in Hobe Sound which is halfway between the airport and the game. I was looking at hotels too because I am bringing the fiance who wants to lay out while me and pops are at the game. Found Pine Villas at Perfect Drive in St. Lucie. Nice hotel with terrace for each room, fridge, 2 double beds, etc. Rates on Expedia start at 126.00 per night. Little pricy but not too bad. My father sent me Florida newspaper articles to show me how in demand Met spring training tickets are. Everyone is so pumped up for this year. Game I am going to against Red Sox I have front row behind home plate which we can get 400 a piece if we sell. Cant wait!
On another note, my father said the fans are going so crazy to see F-Mart hit that they had to hide him under a hood and escort him to private batting practice. Mets are being very careful with F-Mart. Paper there says he is second behind Santana as far as who fans want to see and get close to. Very Interesting. Hope his play matches all the hype.

Comment by mikey_FF
2008-02-25 10:20:39

I will be there the same weekend as you, 7th-10th. I had to get the Red Sox tix off stubhub because I couldn’t get them from mets.com. Can you believe that?

And yeah … West Palm Beach, PBI is the airport … for the original poster asking the question. Hotels are getting very booked by now so hurry up!

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Comment by BSMITTYFDNY
2008-02-25 10:33:53

What did you pay for the Sox game? Where are you sitting? Will be great game but the prices for an exhibition game is ridiculous! Only good thing is where I am sitting (front row behind home plate) I can shake hands and get autographs from players from both teams. Players are so fan friendly at spring training. Talked to Wright for 10 minutes 2 years ago. He was interested in what its like to be a firefighter for the FDNY. Its a great memory. He signed a magazine and 2 balls for me. Great down to earth guy. Now my favorite Met of all time.

 
Comment by mikey_FF
2008-02-25 10:41:37

I got them pretty cheap … mostly because I bought bleachers. The field level seats were going for like 100 a ticket which is absurd. I paid 15 a ticket for bleachers … works for me.

Yeah man I went last year and met Wright in the bowling alley … He signed a ball for me and took a picture with me and my girlfriend. Then he got mobbed soon after once word got out, but he signed for everyone in between bowling frames. He’s a really good guy.

I also ran into a bunch of them that same night in the connecting restaurant, Alou, Valentin, Sosa, Feliciano …

I can’t wait to get down there again, should be lots of fun.

 
Comment by mikey_FF
2008-02-25 10:45:22

Oh and Johan is slotted to pitch that Red Sox game … which should be cool!

 
Comment by BSMITTYFDNY
2008-02-25 11:01:57

Didnt know that! Seeing Johan will be sick! Will have great view of his windup and that signature change-up. Cant wait!

 
 
 
Comment by mhochman
2008-02-25 10:39:31

My parents live in PSL, so i fly down there a lot, PBI (Palm Beach International) is the closest major airport. But if you are renting a car, you can find chaper flights if you dont mind driving a bit, Ft Lauderdale, Miami and Orlando are all within 2ish hours drive of PSL, I usually fly into Ft Lauderdale, as it can save over $200 on the flight, unless you get a great deal flying into PBI.

As for Hotels, There are plenty of Chain hotels, and they are all pretty much the same.

 
 
Comment by DaWrightStuff
2008-02-25 10:01:51

i’m a graphic designer… and I’m totally offended by this logo

Comment by reyrey1230
2008-02-25 10:04:48

yup, the funny thing is, this probably went through months and months of revisions at a top ad agency and ended up costing a fortune. Just like those new hideous NYC taxi logos.

Comment by mikey_FF
2008-02-25 10:06:03

Sad but true!

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Comment by Blue_n_Orange
2008-02-25 10:19:47

I’m also a designer and while it’s not an unexpected result given today’s strict corporate branding guidelines, it’s pretty bad. I expected something simple, safe and “fast” but that tilt is just arbitrary and clumsy. If the intent was to achieve a baseball diamond shape then it would have made sense to incorporate the word “field” in a lockup within that shape. Instead, what you end up with is something that vaguely resembles a hang tag on a Starter jacket. It’s a good example of how branding standards should always be combined with little bit of common sense.

Comment by reyrey1230
2008-02-25 10:39:12

This could give Verizon a run for its money for the “Worst Logo of All Time” award

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Comment by DjDeF
2008-02-25 10:39:36

The font for FIELD is based on how Ebbits Field was written on the stadium. Thought I would throw that out there if nobody caught that.

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Comment by TylerDirden
2008-02-25 16:29:48

it’s actually just the Citi typface in all caps…

 
 
 
 
Comment by bkdrew
2008-02-25 10:02:54

Looks like the Dominos Pizza logo vomited…

 
Comment by Minayas_Mets
2008-02-25 10:03:05

very weak …

 
Comment by fortleemets
2008-02-25 10:05:48

I’m ok with the sponsorship, just not ok with the CITI logo. Lets not forget, stadium sponsorship is not a new concept (Wrigley Field). However, when CITI gets bought out by another company in two years time, does the name change as well? Which is why I think that the name should be called, “Citi Field at Shea Stadium”. Keeps something the same. I’m not sure I could bring myself to say, “The Mets play at Goldman Sachs Field.”

Comment by zer09
2008-02-25 10:17:14

That’s pretty funny…I don’t think Citi is getting bought out by anyone though…it’s the largest bank in the country (or second largest - behind Chase)…if anything, they’re buying other guys out….

Comment by da burg's greatest
2008-02-25 11:05:33

actually, its the largest bank in the world. they are going through some tough times though, so you never know.

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