Do Leaked Screenshots Provide a Glimpse of the New Minnesota Twins Rebrand?

[Nick Nelson]

A potential leak from MLB apparel partner New Era might have accidentally given fans a glimpse of the Twins rebrand that has been teased. 

Image courtesy of Uni-Watch.com

The above image comes courtesy of the website Uni Watch, which is built around a singular obsession with sports uniforms. They note that the subtle logo redesign appeared in the Twins cap from a new "southwestern"-themed line of team hats from New Era. 

Twenty-nine results come up when you search the new theme, with Minnesota conspicuously excluded. However, it seems the Twins iteration was briefly featured, and "an enterprising fan got a screen shot of it before the link was disabled."

Why was the Twins cap removed? The logical conclusion, and one reached by Uni Watch, is that it revealed an embargoed brand update, which can be pretty clearly distinguished in the side-by-side comparison. It's hardly a drastic overhaul, but the classic "TC" logo has been streamlined and sharpened up, with a look that hints at the more "modernized" feel that's been promised.

I will emphasize that, as author Paul Lukas noted at Uni Watch, "We can’t know with 100% certainty that this logo tweak will be part of the Twins’ new uniform package, but it seems likely." In addition to having no official verification, even if legit this is likely one small element in what's being billed as a more substantial and expansive brand update.

What are your inital thoughts on these tweaks to the traditonal "TC" lettering?

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[Brock Beauchamp]

It’s fine. I was expecting something much more drastic and frankly, something much worse. I like the TC and want it to stick around. This modernization does that. 

[Seth Stohs]

I'm not buying it. Why would they spend what I assume is a ton of money to 'rebrand' and then do essentially nothing other than a slightly different font. 

As the kids say, this is a bit "sus." 

Also, aside from baby blues, I just don't care about uniforms. I'm not one of those guys who knows players number. Yeah, I know 34 and 7, 14, 3, 6, 29... I believe Cuddyer was 5. Denny Hocking was 7. Of the 60+ guys who put on a Twins uniform in 2022, I bet I coudln't accurately tell you 10 of their uniform numbers. Arraez 2. Lewis was 1. Correa was 4. That may be about it. 

[Cris E]

The font change doesn't even register, but I'm not a fan of the gold. Not sure why, it just seems muddier or something.  

[Unwinder]

I was expecting something almost exactly like this - A tweak that 95% of fans wouldn't even notice without seeing the two side-by-side. Nobody's going to be blown away by it, and I can understand not liking it. It's clear that the goal here was to not lose any of the identifiability, but to make the spacing on everything a little more even, and the lines are a little bolder and more uniform. The main reason to do this is that it'll look just a tiny bit clearer and read just a tiny bit better when printed at small sizes, or when viewed at a distance, like on a player's cap.

 

THAT SAID, is that T Kasota Gold or is that just lighting?????? (Even if it is, they play around with the colors a lot on novelty caps like this, so it's hard to be totally sure that the standard T isn't still white)

 

EDIT: I looked at the "southwestern" themed hats for the other MLB teams and all of them had the white in their logos replaced with beige for this particular series of hats, so it's very safe to assume that the Twins TC emblem will continue to use a white T.

[Andy Brodie]

Prefer the current design with the T "hugging" the C. To my eye that actually looks cleaner and more classic. It's also more specific to the team. The potentially updated logo looks more generic. Have also never liked the use of gold in recent years and wish it'd go away. 

[Puckett34]

New one looks out of focus. Give me the cleaner, current one or switch to the M

[CRF]

C'mon...if that's the "rebrand"...why do anything at all? Not much of a difference. 

[Doctor Gast]

I don't mind the gold T but if they go with design on both side of the TC, it'll have negative effect. This kind of thinking does nothing to promote a winning attitude so why even bother!! If they don't have any idea how to do it ask some old fans how to regenerate what has been lost. 

[Unwinder]

Saw this on Reddit and they put the new hat on the left and the old hat on the right, and a good handfull of Redditors are angrily bashing the old logo because they think it's the new logo.

[DocBauer]

Just wondering, is that "T" really gold? (light gold) Or is it maybe off white as a hat to be worn with some cream uniforms? Really looks more cream than gold to me.

But who knows with that lighting. Could be just a single snapshot of a single proposed hat of many that will be offered in 2023.

[IndianaTwin]

1 hour ago, Seth Stohs said:

I'm not buying it. Why would they spend what I assume is a ton of money to 'rebrand' and then do essentially nothing other than a slightly different font. 

As the kids say, this is a bit "sus." 

Also, aside from baby blues, I just don't care about uniforms. I'm not one of those guys who knows players number. Yeah, I know 34 and 7, 14, 3, 6, 29... I believe Cuddyer was 5. Denny Hocking was 7. Of the 60+ guys who put on a Twins uniform in 2022, I bet I coudln't accurately tell you 10 of their uniform numbers. Arraez 2. Lewis was 1. Correa was 4. That may be about it. 

With the pitchers, it's probably because Rocco didn't leave them on the mound long enough to get familiar with them.* 

*I'm not a Rocco/"Spreadsheet" basher (more toward the opposite, in fact). It just seemed like a smart-aleck thing to say before someone else did. ?

[chaderic20]

1 hour ago, Unwinder said:

THAT SAID, is that T Kasota Gold or is that just lighting?

The UniWatch article notes that all the "southwest" caps had that cream color instead of white.

An interesting idea being discussed in the comments of the UniWatch article is that they may rebrand from the Minnesota Twins to the Minneapolis Twins or Twin City Twins, as not many professional teams use state names anymore, most use city names.

[Craig Arko]

I was hoping for Comic Sans.

[BD57]

i'm hoping the "splash" on both sides of the logo on picture #3 won't be part of it ...

looks "Seattle Pilot-esque."

Not a huge fan of squishing the C either.

Taking out the gold is OK.  

[ashbury]

A nothing burger, to me.  This can't be the most important part of the rebrand.

[Dave Borton]

2 hours ago, Seth Stohs said:

I'm not buying it. Why would they spend what I assume is a ton of money to 'rebrand' and then do essentially nothing other than a slightly different font. 

Years ago, I worked for, let's say "Generic Hospital." The organization spent a gazillion $ on consultants and rebranding. Expectations were high. Want to know what they came up with?

"The Generic Hospital." Fell flat.

[mikelink45]

The team really knows how to liven up the off season.  How about new Twins underwear?

[Squirrel]

1 minute ago, mikelink45 said:

The team really knows how to liven up the off season.  How about new Twins underwear?

Hey ... I'd buy some! 

[jmlease1]

It's fine, but weirdly I'd miss having the red dot on the top of the cap.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

7 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

It's fine, but weirdly I'd miss having the red dot on the top of the cap.

You just stole my thunder JM. I like the red button on top also. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

It's the red button on the top of the hat. Looking at these two hats is like looking at "Can you find 3 differences in the 2 pictures" in a  children's "Highlights Magazine".

[Dave The Dastardly]

54 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

The team really knows how to liven up the off season.  How about new Twins underwear?

Yeah! That way we can be sub rosa fans until the Twins win the division, thus avoiding potential embarrassment if they again falter, but if they take the division we can drop our pants and prove we've been supporting the Twins, as well as other things, all along!

[Whitey333]

Yawn!!  Looks like the camera was out of focus on the "new" cap logo.

[Dave The Dastardly]

I find this whole "rebranding" thing a waste of time and money. Like Dunkin Donuts spending millions to drop Donuts from their name. Whoppee! I'm sure millions of new customers ran out and stocked up on Dunkins after the name change. WTF!

Or if anyone else remembers back when 3M, after a CEO change at the top, spent tens of millions changing their well-known blue "3M" to a red "3M". New guy must have been a genius. I don't know about all you other old-timers but I quick jumped in my truck and bought a couple hundred more cases of sticky notes pads right after. Something about the color change inspired me do it...

Hell, I'm still wearing my Vikings stocking cap I bought for their first trip to the Super Bowl. Getting the same result from that cap as all the other caps the Vikings have "re-branded" since... still no trophy.

Deep breath... okay, I fell better. The Twins will win,.. The Twins will win... in their spiffy new uniforms

Relapse! Relapse! Call the guys in white coats... uh, do they still wear white coats? Mauve? Stripes down the leg? WTF is mauve?

[jkcarew]

2 hours ago, ashbury said:

A nothing burger, to me.  This can't be the most important part of the rebrand.

Maybe rebranding from also-ran to contender?

Nah.

[ashbury]

Just now, jkcarew said:

Maybe rebranding from also-ran to contender?

Nah.

You mean to say, actually redefining the brand meaningfully.  Yeah, nah.

[Linus]

New one just looks dirty. Never got the Kasota gold bit. Has nothing to do with Twins history. 

[RpR]

In the picture they look more like British Bobbie helments

[Nine of twelve]

4 hours ago, DocBauer said:

Just wondering, is that "T" really gold? (light gold) Or is it maybe off white as a hat to be worn with some cream uniforms? Really looks more cream than gold to me.

But who knows with that lighting. Could be just a single snapshot of a single proposed hat of many that will be offered in 2023.

 

4 hours ago, chaderic20 said:

The UniWatch article notes that all the "southwest" caps had that cream color instead of white.

An interesting idea being discussed in the comments of the UniWatch article is that they may rebrand from the Minnesota Twins to the Minneapolis Twins or Twin City Twins, as not many professional teams use state names anymore, most use city names.

It looks cream to me also, as opposed to gold. I hope the home unis will follow suit, cream instead of white or powder blue or red. Regarding the blue, this is not 1977. We don't look like the Twins wearing red.