66ers Unveil New Logo at Hangar 24 Brewery

After winning the California League championship in the 2013 season, the Inland Empire 66ers decided they’d throw a wrench into the rest of the league in 2014.

Well, figuratively, at least.

The San Bernardino-based 66ers unveiled its new logo and colors Tuesday night before a packed house at the Hangar 24 Brewery tasting room. About 600 people milled around until the logo was introduced, and then had the chance to start buying merchandise.

The process officially kicked off in April, as the team contracted with San Diego-based Brandiose, 66ers general manager Joe Hudson said.

“Our first mock-ups and logos came right around the end April, and we did not finalize on anything until Aug. 15 or so,” Hudson said. “So it was a good three or four months. And it took a lot of time, a lot of arguing, a lot of stress before we found out what we wanted it to be. But at the end of the day, we think we nailed it.”

The new team identity contains five logos, according to the release. The primary logo features a mechanic swinging a giant wrench – instead of a baseball bat. Other logos that the team will feature on its uniforms and merchandise include the wrench by itself, a speeding engine block, a 66ers script with winged tires as the “66” and an “IE” with a wrench making up part of the E. The wrench-swinging mechanic will adorn the team’s home hats, with the “IE” logo highlighting the road cap.

In an interview with the San Bernardino Sun, Hudson said the aim of the new logos was to show the team’s “passion for the community.”

“The old logo served the team well for a number of years, but we just didn’t think it expressed the creativity and the enthusiasm that our front office and our organization has really began to form over the last few years,” Hudson told the Sun. “And we want to rebrand and create a new logo that made that expression and showed our passion for the community, for the name and really give us a lot more creativity. And this one will.”

The team’s color scheme also changed to light blue and orange, with granite, black and white trim.