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Gator aid: Lowell puts fresh spin on logos

Spinners' new look emphasizes city name, mascot, Boston affiliation
The Lowell Spinners' new logos, created by FS Design, incorporate mascot Canaligator as well as the city's mill-dominated skyline.
February 1, 2017

The Lowell Spinners, named in honor of their city's textile mill history, unveiled new logos Wednesday that emphasize their place within the fabric of the community.The Spinners, Class A Short Season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, have always incorporated a baseball bat "spindle" into their identity. While that iconography

The Lowell Spinners, named in honor of their city's textile mill history, unveiled new logos Wednesday that emphasize their place within the fabric of the community.
The Spinners, Class A Short Season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, have always incorporated a baseball bat "spindle" into their identity. While that iconography remains, the team has added several new elements. The primary logo now features mascot Canaligator gripping a baseball bat as he towers over Lowell's mill-dominated skyline. The team's full name is included below the hulking, yarn-covered reptile, whose moniker is a reference to the city's extensive network of canals.

Spinners owner Dave Heller, who purchased the team from original owner Drew Weber, said the Spinners' new look had three primary objectives.
"We really wanted to bring the name 'Lowell' back into the logo," said Heller, who also owns the Quad Cities River Bandits, Billings Mustangs and Wilmington Blue Rocks. "Somewhere along the line in various rebrands, we lost it. On our road caps and jerseys, it was nowhere to be found…. We're very proud to be from Lowell, to be of Lowell. We're part of the DNA here."  
He continued, "The second thing we did was to really tap into what makes Lowell unique -- its factories and iconic mills. Those mills and factories are not only part of Lowell's past, but part of the present and an important part of the future."

The Lowell Spinners are incorporating the Boston Red Sox iconic font into their caps and jerseys.
Finally, the Spinners have adopted the same font used by the parent Boston Red Sox. This font is used in the primary logo as well as the uniform and road cap lettering.
"We wanted to reinforce the tie between the Spinners and the Boston Red Sox," said Heller. "We're proud to be the only Red Sox affiliate in the state of Massachusetts, and the closest affiliate to Fenway."
The Spinners' new look was created by Francis Santaquiliani of FS Design, who had previously worked with Heller in creating the River Bandits' logo prior to the 2008 campaign.
"[Santaquiliani] did such a good job for us in Quad Cities that we used him again," said Heller. "Ten years later, [the River Bandits] still sell a ton of merchandise."
Heller indicated that more changes would be coming to the Spinners in the form of myriad improvements to the team's home of LeLacheur Park. Nonetheless, he said it was important to retain the core of the Spinners' identity.
"We didn't want to start all over from scratch," he said. "We wanted to root the team and mascot in the community, in a way that was completely unique to Lowell."

Benjamin Hill is a reporter for MiLB.com and writes Ben's Biz Blog. Follow Ben on Twitter @bensbiz.