Wood Ducks' colorful look fits the bill

Wood ducks, in the wild, are known for their vibrant hues. On Wednesday afternoon, the Down East Wood Ducks released a logo that is commensurately colorful.
The Wood Ducks, Class A Advanced affiliate of the Texas Rangers, will play their inaugural season in 2017 as occupants of Grainger Stadium in Kinston, North Carolina. The logo unveiling, which occurred approximately two and half months after the Carolina League franchise unveiled its Wood Ducks name, marked a significant step in the ongoing development of the franchise.
"It goes hand in hand -- when you're evaluating the name, you're trying to visualize what the logo will look like," said Wood Ducks general manager Wade Howell. "It's been a long process. We're excited people are finally going to see it."
What they will see is a primary logo featuring the head of a male wood duck with green, orange, gold, tan and black all factoring into the color scheme.

"We had to stay true to the name. When you announce that you're the Wood Ducks, it's got to be a colorful logo," said Howell. "We didn't hold back. We wanted it to be as true of a representation as possible.... And when it comes to [the yet to be unveiled] uniforms, that means we have a lot of options. Orange, camo, red, green -- a lot of different colors."
Encircling the duck's head is "Down East Wood Ducks" script, which Howell likened to an illuminated sign in a diner window.
"That's right in line with where we are here in eastern North Carolina, comfort food and a welcoming atmosphere," he said.
One of the alternate logos features a wood duck brandishing a log as if it were a baseball bat.
"That duck out in the wild, he wants to play baseball," said Howell. "We have a very resourceful duck who wants to play so badly he made his own bat."
The logos were designed by Brandiose, the San Diego-based firm behind every rebranding and new logo effort thus far unveiled during the 2016-17 offseason. The Wood Ducks are owned by the parent Texas Rangers, and Howell said Brandiose's uniquely Minor League perspective was an important part of the process.
"They're the dominant guys out there. And even though we're owned by the Rangers, our experience going through the logo process was not very vast. We liked that [Brandiose] were active, knew the process and have a good success rate."
Now that the logo has been released, the Wood Ducks will focus on developing uniforms and a mascot as well as continuing with their efforts to secure sponsors and season ticket holders. Having a look to go with the name is a huge part of their ongoing evolution.
"We want to get this out there as widely as possible, online and at events," said Howell. "This sets the stage for more to come."