A clean block M
It looks like Dave Brandon is kicking it old-school with a nice, clean block M:
No lines, no stripe across the middle, no halo. It's just what it should be. Hopefully, it'll be painted over the backside of the scoreboards this season as an interim change before the HD Michivision screens arrive...next year?
August 17th, 2010 at 12:59 PM ^
Though the "Michigan" across it never looked that bad either...
Edit: though I prefer the solid M.
August 17th, 2010 at 12:58 PM ^
Love it. I really like the clean, simple look of the Block M. And I hope they paint it over too, need to make everything clean and consistent.
Edit: Of course as M-Wolverine pointed out the blue outline is slick too.
August 17th, 2010 at 12:59 PM ^
Reminds me of the business school's logo - which I've always thought looks crisp
August 17th, 2010 at 1:01 PM ^
In the link it looks like there is a dot after the M. Is that anything significant?
Edit: NM its the copyright logo, in yellow its hard to actually read.
August 17th, 2010 at 1:02 PM ^
It's a little fuzzy on my monitor, but I'm pretty sure it's just a circle-R "registered trademark" symbol.
August 17th, 2010 at 2:32 PM ^
It's a statement.
M.
An exclamation point would work too, but a period is more arrogant.
August 17th, 2010 at 1:00 PM ^
on the stadium - i'd like to see that replaced with a clean block M and navy/dark blue background more in line with the current color scheme
August 17th, 2010 at 1:11 PM ^
I absolutely despize the "split-m" ("Michigan" through the middle). I don't know if it is the obvious "well duh it's michigan" or the fact that the point of the M goes through it's "legs", but I can't stand it.
Good riddance split-m!
August 17th, 2010 at 1:20 PM ^
Agreed.
There was a shirt at a bookstore on Fifth (across from Running Fit and Eastern Accents) years back that said Vaginas in the M. I'm not kidding.
August 17th, 2010 at 2:00 PM ^
That was a shirt specifically made for a production of The Vagina Monologues in AA around 2002-2003
August 17th, 2010 at 3:05 PM ^
I like to think it was more than that.
August 17th, 2010 at 6:36 PM ^
but it was exclusively for that - i actually have one.
August 17th, 2010 at 8:44 PM ^
same. It took me some time to find the pic I took. Pic is dated Oct 19 2k3
August 17th, 2010 at 5:23 PM ^
I never thought about that, but I have noticed for a long time that the upper-left portion of the "M" looks just like the state of Nebraska.
August 17th, 2010 at 1:27 PM ^
I actually like the blue outline around it. To me, when the maize M is on a white background it's not so "crisp". The blue outline provides that crispness.
Oh well, I'm not going to flip out over it.
August 17th, 2010 at 1:41 PM ^
I agree that is some instances it doesn't look crisp. However, in other situations it does. For example, I have a new "dry-fit type" Adidas long shirt that simply has the maize block M on the left chest. It would look sloppy or not as slick of there were an outline around it or it have "Michigan" across the logo.
August 17th, 2010 at 1:48 PM ^
Because I see what he's saying...on a white background, it kinda fades. If it's a blue background (like the back of the scoreboards, or the above Business School card), it looks awesome.
August 17th, 2010 at 2:49 PM ^
Blue. It is awesome and I have to fight the urge to wear it everyday. I tried looking for it on MDen, but I got it through the Athletic Department and I don't think it's a product sold to the public.
August 17th, 2010 at 1:30 PM ^
My preference is the nice big block M, with or without outline, but frankly, I like all of our logos, from the banner M, to the block M, to the skinny one the Bo Hat.
August 17th, 2010 at 7:42 PM ^
+1 for remembering the skinny block M on the old-style caps, my favorite alternative logo to the simple, solid block M Brandon is re-introducing. I did never like the split M. It seemed to me like we were ceding some ownership of the M brand to other block-M schools like Marshall, Missouri, and Minnesota -- god help you if you can't tell the Minnesota M apart from ours -- and their logos by spelling out our name. Like we needed it. We're Michigan, we don't need no stinkin' words.
August 17th, 2010 at 1:37 PM ^
Is this M now going to take the place at the 50 yard line??
August 17th, 2010 at 4:23 PM ^
This is the new block M on the field. Slight blue outline. I still think it looks really good and makes the field alive with color. I like it.
August 17th, 2010 at 7:48 PM ^
Looks like it's the "old"-style blue outline M. Is it part of the turf, or just painted on? It might've been too late to change the turf order when the logo change-up was made, and we won't see the maize-only block M on the field until the turf is repainted or replaced. Or maybe they did it for TV viz, I dunno. I really do like the minimalism of the outline-free M, though, and would like to see it implemented as much as possible.
August 17th, 2010 at 11:39 PM ^
None of the lettering on the field is painted, it is all inlaid. They actually ordered the wrong color initially. When they had the first open house for the public the field was supposed to be complete. When they laid out the lettering the maize color was dingy, like the event staff and usher's jackets at the big house and had to be re-ordered.
The field crew laid out 5 yard rolls that unrolled sideline to sideline and used what looked like a torch or something to marry the rubber(?) seams together from the underside. The turf is light enough to be blown around by the wind before they dump the silica sand on it. When the endzone lettering and block M came in it was already dyed in the maize color and cut in to the turf. The process went really fast. If you looko closely at the yellow lines that indicate the team's sideline boundaries you can see the old color originally ordered. Those lines were installed before the alleged "Oh Shit" moment they realized it was the wrong shade, and never changed it. Just a tidbit of useless knowledge for your enjoyment.
August 18th, 2010 at 2:08 AM ^
Any idea what the lifespan of the turf is?
August 18th, 2010 at 2:20 AM ^
Well, we first installed FieldTurf in 2003, and we re-installed this year, so that can give you an idea. The new carpet should last most of this decade.
August 17th, 2010 at 2:32 PM ^
Can this translate into the M adidas uses on things like the Bo hat? Towards the end of the Nike era, and continuing on with adidas, the M they use has become far too bold and wide.
August 17th, 2010 at 3:46 PM ^
Hopefully this leads to a stockier, blockier M.
August 17th, 2010 at 3:53 PM ^
Are you sure you're agreeing? The two of you seem to be calling for two different things.
Anyway, to answer the question above, at the M-Den I saw both the old-school Bo-style skinny M hat and the block M hat for sale.
August 17th, 2010 at 3:06 PM ^
When I first looked at the link I thought there was a dot after it as well. My first thought was "cool", I liked the idea of it being a period!!!!! M (period).....was how I read it. Mades sense until I seen it was actually the trademark logo. Too bad.....I kind of like M....period.
August 17th, 2010 at 3:43 PM ^
Speaking of clean block M's, and maybe this will happen in due time, but I always thought the outer face of the scoreboard should be changed from its current design (M with Michigan written across) to a plain maize M on a blue background. Even more tits-in-face, the M should light up at night.
August 17th, 2010 at 3:56 PM ^
I like it better with the blue outline. We have two school colors, not one.
August 17th, 2010 at 4:15 PM ^
Could this be why the athletic department as Brian and others to remove the Block M from their banners? Because it was changing?
August 17th, 2010 at 5:16 PM ^
... but I'm not going to get worked up about it, even though I'm closer to being old than not.
Telling?
August 17th, 2010 at 6:07 PM ^
...but with our battle cry, "Go Blue," why is it we're featuring maize? I've never understood this apart from the fact that maize is a "hot" color and blue a cool, recessive color.
August 17th, 2010 at 6:16 PM ^
1. Blue is an extremely common team color. Maize is much more unique.
2. Blue outs would suck for obvious reasons
3. FWIW I believe there were student shirts while I was still in high school that said "Go Blue, Wear Maize." No one is attempting to replace "Go Blue," we own it and it's great, but maize apparently needs love too (see point 1)
August 17th, 2010 at 6:27 PM ^
...this version has been used at the health center for several years.
August 17th, 2010 at 6:28 PM ^
Hands down the plain block M is the best.
I've often wondered why it was ever messed with in the first place.
Everyone knows who's M that is. Maybe we had to spell it out for some less educated rivals of ours? hmmmmm....
I also like the blue outline, adds definition. When on a blue shirt, it would blend in and wouldn't matter. When on any other light color, it would add definition.
The "period" is awesome, and although it's a trademark, i choose to look at it as a period. that was awesome.
August 17th, 2010 at 6:42 PM ^
The Block M is and always will be the best! Go Blue!