Creating A Logo For Yankee Stadium’s Final Season
This article was written by Todd Radom
This article was published in Yankee Stadium 1923-2008: America’s First Modern Ballpark
The logo for Yankee Stadium’s final season appeared as a patch on the left sleeve of the team’s uniform. (Courtesy of Todd Radom)
Over the course of my career, I have created opening and/or closing ballpark logos for numerous major-league clubs, including the Cardinals, Reds, Twins, Mets, Rangers, Braves, and others. I grew up about 10 miles north of Yankee Stadium and attended hundreds of games there, so the opportunity to create the official logo for the final season of the old ballpark was a job that I took on with knowledge and enthusiasm (even though I am a Red Sox fan, which is another story for another day).
From a visual perspective, the Yankees have a brand personality like no other franchise – austere, rooted in tradition, and devoid of excessive color and detail. Commemorating the Stadium in logo form necessitated a devolved approach and clear, direct messaging.
The club and Major League Baseball provided me with concise direction on what they wanted to be depicted. We focused on the original 1923 exterior, embracing the Gate 4 entrance. It was especially important to get the YANKEE STADIUM lettering just right. An authentic representation of the four-foot-high copper letters delivers the bulk of the information here, accompanied by a simple “1923-2008.” We explored a range of retaining shapes and colors, ultimately opting to bathe the façade in a romantic golden light. I couldn’t help but remember my first encounter with the place, when it was a stark, bright white.
Closing logo in hand, mission accomplished, I soon moved on to the official logo for the inaugural season of the new Yankee Stadium.
TODD RADOM is a designer, sports branding expert, and writer. His work includes the official logos for Super Bowl XXXVIII, the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, the 2014, 2016, and 2018 MLB All-Star Games, the graphic identities of multiple major-league baseball teams – including the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels – and league, team identity, and branding for Ice Cube’s BIG3 basketball league. His work was included in the Worcester Art Museum’s 2021 exhibition “The Iconic Jersey: Baseball x Fashion,” the first exhibition in an art museum solely devoted to the baseball jersey. Radom is the author of Winning Ugly: A Visual History of Baseball’s Most Unique Uniforms, and co-author of Fabric of the Game: The Stories Behind the NHL’s Names, Logos, and Uniforms.