Could a Logo-less Set Be Successful?

The wait for the 2010 Upper Deck base set [or even preview images] got me thinking about the question "can a logo-less set be successful?" The recent history of logo-less sets would give the answer No. Donruss tried in 2008 to come back with a mainstream baseball set in Donruss Threads with the logos mostly airbrushed out. The release led to a lawsuit by the MLB and all of Donruss' baseball products have been scrubbed from their list of products that were released in 2008.

The Donruss Threads set took photos and tried to manipulate them into a copyright acceptable version of the card [well, at least they tried]. I contend that the trick to a successful logo-less set is to find normal photo graphs that just happen to not have the baseball logos appear. This is easier than you may think. I've gone through some of my boxes of common cards and found great examples of cards that are missing MLB logos but look totally normal. The trick is just finding the right photo:

Poses

2006 Bowman Heritage #BHP84 Matt Long

The mitt is always a good way to block that troublesome logo.

2008 Upper Deck #152 Tom Glavine

Or when in doubt use another player.




Swinging And Blocking

With the exception of American League pitchers everyone gets a chance at bat eventually. Just wait for that perfect moment, grab that shot, and you've got a great looking card with no logos.

2008 Upper Deck #17 Brad Ausmus


2008 Upper Deck #347 J.R. Towles

Just airbrush that shoulder logo...


2007 Topps Turkey Red #97 Don Kelly


2007 Bowman #10 Dan Uggla


1997 Upper Deck SP #17 Darin Erstad



2008 Topps Moments & Milestones #122 Jeff Kent 063/150


Shot From The Back

All those pesky logos are only on the front of the jerseys so...get some nice shots of our favorite players rear ends and you've got nothing to worry about.

2008 Topps Co-Signers #42 Todd Helton


2007 Topps #485 Tadahito Iguchi


2008 Topps Moments & Milestones #85 Jim Thome 001/150

2008 Upper Deck #388 Garret Anderson

And don't forget to use soft focus to get rid of those logos in the background.


Catchers

If you are running low on card ideas don't forget catchers. Their catching gear blocks all the problem areas so no airbrushing is needed.

2006 Bowman Heritage #73 Johnny Estrada


2008 Topps #54 Victor Martinez

2007 Bowman Chrome #BDPP49 Jonathan Lucroy


2007 Topp Sweet Spot #80 Paul Lo Duca 254/850


Just follow these handy steps and you'll have some great looking cards and no troublesome lawsuits.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Love the Victor Martinez third grade signature.