Re-Desinging the Giants Road Uniform

I am a fan of the Uni Watch blog run by ESPN columnist Paul Lukas and friends. Monday they posted the first set of entries for the “Design-A-Baseball-Jersey Contest” and in the first set of unis are two redesigns of the San Francisco Giants road uniform and yesterday there was a third take on the jersey.. While this isn't the usual fare that I write about I found this pretty interesting and this can be a good distraction if the playoff hunt turns for the worst.

I actually really like the current Giants road grays it is a very simple and classic look that to me is a very timeless look that can stand the test of time without constant updates. That being said I really like what these two guys came up with.

First up is a design from Chris Antipuesto:

Both Giants’ uniforms are classic simplicity, but their away sets needed more funk. The “San Francisco” script has never been used on a jersey and was long overdue. The black chest piping and the super-thick sleeve stripes are borrowed and tweaked from the late-80’s away getups I grew up watching.

This is a gorgeous looking set. The thick orange stripes on the selves and down the leg is straight out of the Humm Baby Giants. I like the use of the orange billed hat which has been nice to see brought back and I think that it actually goes much better with the road grays then it does with the home creams. Overall there is a lot to like in this design and I find it very appealing. If the team switched to these I would be a happy camper.

Second is a design from Daniel Chanelli:

Road jersey inspired by the 1933-35 set. Added piping to the front and moved the sleeve piping up a little. Ornate San Francisco script replaces the block lettering, with matching numbers and NNOB. Modernized the original Giants logo and placed it on the sleeve. I’d put this revamped classic up against the Giants current roads any day.

I don't like this one quite as much as the first design. There is something about the double orange piping on the front of the jersey that is distracting to me. I think removing the Name on the Back of the road jersey is a mistake, in addition I prefer the block numbers but these are pretty minor quibbles. I like how the designer brings back the 50's Giants logo that has been more or less banished to batting practice and spring training. It has a nice mid-century retro feel.

Lastly is a design by Andrew Grinberg:

The Giants are my favorite team and have the best uniforms in MLB, so no drastic changes. I have always loved the San Francisco script from the old batting practice jerseys and the sleeve patch is the perfect place to put the best logo ever in sports.

Like the others this design moves away from the block San Francisco and uses a more script like font with the traditional tail. After looking at this 3 times I have to say it is beginning to look a little bit too much like the Los Angeles road font for my own comfort. In addition I have to say that I don't like that he lifted the logo from the Warriors even if it is a classic. The Giants have enough of their own tradition that they don't need to borrow from there Bay Area brethern. This is probably my least favorite of all of the re-designs.

Overall all 3 of these designs are very nice but the only one that I would even really want to consider see replacing the current design would be the 80's inspired threads and think that is mostly for the memories of Will Clark that are invoked. It is a tough challenge to improve on what the team currently wears.

What does everyone else think?

---

If your on Twitter you should definitely follow the The Crazy Crabbers. If you're not you should really consider joining, lots of good stuff going on there.