The Reason

Change for Padres baseball is in motion. New ownership. New players. New primary logo. New feel. New look.

The San Diego Padres were looking to reconnect their brand to the San Diego community as well as gain a more prominent place in the eyes of MLB fans on a national level. They wanted to conduct a rebrand across all of the company's brand assets with an emphasis on the new primary "SD" mark and the excitement the new players were bringing to the field.

In order to achieve this the Padres asked a select few of San Diego's finest branding and design agencies to come down and pitch ideas to them.

The Process

As we approached this project we knew we needed to create a campaign and brand mantra that would communicate everything about the Padres in an emotional way that engaged all who came in contact with it. So we looked deep into and far outside of what the Padres had done in the past, conducted our market and competitive research, and formulated a brand strategy to execute upon.

While gathering and reviewing the information we collected we realized that there was something wrong with the imagery being portrayed by baseball... It rarely communicated sport. This was without question the case with the Padres. Most of their marketing materials were smiles, empty crowds, and high fives... Not the hustle and the grind that is Padres Baseball.

Baseball is a sport with unique qualities, there is something engaging and dynamic for all who encounter it. Kids love the autographs, the die-hards love the pitching duals, the transplants love the social aspect, and the sports fan love the athleticism, and ESPN loves the homers.

We took these facts and combined them with the fact that the Padres are a team of low payroll players looking to make an impact and sustain a career in the Major Leagues. This means they're running the base path, stealing bases, diving for fly balls or better put... PLAYING BASEBALL.

After coming to a conclusion of what Padre Baseball is and what is unique about it, we needed to figure out a way to connect the brand to the community. Obviously winning was something we couldn't control... But we realized that we could still spark a connection by creating an exciting visual style that portrays the great things that the sport brings. Winning, action, emotion, all the things people want to see when they think of a professional sports organization.

Developing the brand driver came easy to us. People want to stand for something, believe in it, and love it. The new "SD" mark was clean and its meaning was the perfect connection catalyst. "SD" stands for San Diego. Stamp that down on an intriguing visual with an attention getting tagline and you have the perfect brand identity that is strong, built on strategy, and memorable.

The Results

“SD” STANDS FOR SAN DIEGO is a statement that delivers the key attributes of the brand to the marketplace in a clear and simple format. Its an emotional delivery of who we are and is also a bridge between the organization and the city it occupies.

The concept is highly flexible and will extend throughout the season and into the playoffs. In it’s preliminary stage, it will serve as a brand presence program, inspiring the community by showing the new, positive direction the organization is taking and will get the fans excited about what’s in store.

It requires the reader to become involved with the message, interpret the alternate message, experience the brand for maximum impact, and develop thoughts
about what “SD” STANDS FOR SAN DIEGO means to them.

We're excited to see what the future holds for Padres baseball and iHook Creative.