Major League Baseball’s new look pays homage to the sport’s history

Major League Baseball (MLB) unveiled a fresh visual identity in 2024 that pays tribute to the sport's rich history. The league's branding partner, Mother Design, collaborated with five type designers and foundries to create a distinctive font book that now appears across MLB's digital platforms, venues, and special events.

The original silhouette of the batter logo, designed by Jerry Dior in 1968, remains unchanged. However, MLB's wordmark was redesigned to fit into a comprehensive visual system. Mark Sloan, Mother Design's New York City head of design, explained that the goal was to honor the traditional letterforms that have been part of baseball's visual vernacular for over a century while ensuring they are suitable for modern screens and small spaces.

Five typefaces were created for the project: MLB Franklin, MLB Clarendon, MLB Flare, MLB Block, and MLB Script. Each typeface was chosen to reflect styles that have been present in baseball since the early 20th century. MLB Script, designed by OH no Type Co. from the Bay Area, incorporates quirky details such as flags and horizontal stripes, reflecting the sport's Latin American influence.

MLB Flare, created by Uruguayan foundry Tipotype, embodies warmth and charm, drawing inspiration from the Latin community's significant presence in the game. MLB Franklin and MLB Clarendon are customized versions of classic American grotesque and slab-serif fonts, respectively, designed by Nick Sherman and David Jonathan Ross. Finally, MLB Block, designed by Skye Dillon, is an octagonal typeface inspired by jersey names, numerals, and lettering at historic venues like Ebbets Field.