It honestly is an improvement, if we're actually concerned about logos/crests/branding. The full FAQ is somewhat interesting, if not especially helpful or insightful.
I think I dislike the stars more than other portion. WORDMARK: MLS stands for Major League Soccer. SLASH: The slash refers to soccer’s speed and energy. The slash begins outside the perimeter and drives upward at a 45-degree angle to illustrate both the nonstop nature of our game and the rising trajectory of our league. It bisects the crest to create a “first half” and “second half.” STARS: The three stars represent the pillars of our brand: For Club, For Country, For Community. PERIMETER: The perimeter represents the lines that mark off the field of play. FIRST HALF AND SECOND HALF: The first half contains MLS and the three stars. The second half is an open white space that brings you in and out of the MLS world.
It is what it is. This new logo/crest, if it does anything (which it probably won't), will be a net positive for the overall business of the league. The long-time (or even newish) fans of the league/clubs aren't going to leave. And I doubt this new crest will prevent anyone from becoming a new fan of the league in the future. Overall, it is a very decent marketing refresh for MLS. It is what it is.
I'm fine with the stars. What would you have rather had there, a tiny soccer ball and/or cleats (or some visual representation of a single-entity business structure)? Edit: Note, they kinda are giving us a "visual representation of a single-entity business structure" by assigning each club/franchise a localized color-branded version of the league crest.
Does the primary mono reversed link work for anyone? http://static.mlsdigital.net/next/mls-primary_mono_reversed.png
I don't like the stars because they are confusing. My first thought when I see stars are MLS Cups. Then the reasoning was some bogus club, country, community. MLS Soccer doesn't even represent one country...
I don't know why you are so pissed about my comment? I only said for me it looks cheap und unfinished.
I don't hate it, I think it's an improvement over the current logo, I think it is more timeless, and I like that it doesn't have a soccer ball on it... But all things being equal, I like a 21 year old logo more than I like a 0 year old logo.
Nor one community. They're not attempting to represent "one" anything. The new crest will mean many things (or nothing) to many people. There are parts of the new crest that are confusing and/or not very "good" -- but there are also some very solid and likable portions of the new crest. And overall I give it good marks and it does what it needs to do (if anything).
I don't get being so defensive about this thing. STARS: The three stars represent the pillars of our brand: For Club, For Country, For Community.
Not at all pissed. Just offering my take and opinions. Even "looking cheap and unfinished" is an honest and useful representation of (certain parts of) the league at this point. And I kinda like that about MLS (and this "NEXT" stuff).
Since all of this was pushed due to the new FIFA game, I'm somewhat surprised Columbus didn't release their plans.
And that they're doing a mock-up for 21 and not just 20 teams. But it will be fairly easy to refresh this NEXT template as the off-season arrives and branding changes (or removals) are made at various franchises/clubs.