Marking the 40th anniversary of the foundation of the new baseball stadium, the Hanwha Eagles declared 2025 as the first year of its great leap forward. The Korean baseball team will start anew with new uniforms at the new stadium after ending a long period of darkness. Fans are showing explosive reactions to the uniform that they are not envious of the Major League. 스포츠토토

Hanwha on the 12th unveiled its brand identity (BI) and four new uniforms that will be newly applied from next season. It has changed its uniform for the first time in 10 years since 2015, and even changed the logo and emblem that it has used for 18 years since 2007. 

Ahead of the opening of the new baseball stadium, Baseball Dream Park (tentative name) in Daejeon in 2025, Hanwha has been preparing BI and uniform change projects for one and a half years since July last year. The project was led by Park Chan-hyuk, a famous brand marketing expert, and carefully prepared it with time and money. 

Through an internal investigation of 1,000 fans, 300 designers, 10 experts, and the team, it took its direction by analyzing the team BI. It selected a design agency at home and abroad to collaborate with the team's design part, and in the process, it joined hands with Matthew Wolff, 34, who is well-known as an American sports graphic designer. 

Wolf was a famous designer who was also nominated for the Beasley Design Award for designing the 2018 Nigerian national team uniform that was highly praised by soccer fans. At that time, his uniform was a combination of traditional Nigerian patterns and bright green, which gained sensational popularity during the 2018 World Cup. In addition, Wolf received favorable reviews for designing logos and uniforms for famous U.S. clubs such as the MLB Minnesota Twins, the NBA's LA Clippers, and MLS LAFC. 

Wolf visited Daejeon twice in February and April and collaborated with the club while touring Hanwha Life Eagles Park, his home stadium. It implemented a clean and sophisticated image by using a concise English font. In addition, navy colors along with existing white, orange, and gray were added to create a more modern and sophisticated feel. 

Hanwha, which dreamed of a monumental change with an intense rebranding in line with the era of the new stadium in 2025, has completed a differentiated club identity. The BI's core slogan is "RIDE THE STORM," which embodies the image of an eagle flying higher through the storm and shows its willingness to leap to a prestigious club. It emphasized the club's direction with its brand slogan, not its catchphrase that changes every year. 

The logo also reflects the identity of the team. The logo of the team's home uniform inherited the logo when winning the Korean Series in 1999 but added a modern reinterpretation to show the eagle hunting. The away uniform is arch-shaped and expresses the eagle sitting on the top. The logo also revealed the eagle's fierceness, and the emblem containing a cursive font has become fresh. In addition, exclusive calligraphy, pictograms, and patterns developed with the motif of an eagle's beak, claws, and feathers will be applied throughout the new ballpark to provide the same brand experience from online to offline for fans visiting the stadium. 

Hanwha, which even wrapped fancy wrapping paper ahead of its new stadium, only has to fill the inside. No matter how cool the baseball stadium is and how fancy the uniform is, if you don't win, the team will fade. There is no branding stronger than victory. 

Hanwha has invested a total of 12.8 billion won (approx. 7.8 billion won (6.37 million U.S. dollars) in the free agent market by recruiting Eom Sang-baek, the largest pitcher for four years, and Shim Woo-joon, a shortstop for four years. Some say it is "overpay," but Hanwha has quickly dominated the players who are most needed in pitching and hitting. It added depth to its starting lineup and strengthened its center line with fixed shortstop. Although they are not top-rated free agents, they are the best players who can scratch Hanwha's itchy spot. Above all, the two players are young players aged 28 to 29, each of whom is differentiated from past free agents in that they are still in their prime.

At the Miyazaki Finishing Camp in Japan led by head coach Kim Kyung-moon, Hanwha has been conducting intensive training sessions with 47 players since April 31 with four-day training and one-day rest. Veteran players including Chae Eun-sung and An Chi-hong are unusually participating in the camp and leading the mood by taking initiative. Coach Kim Kyung-moon, who took office during the June season, is also closely monitoring individual players' potential by strengthening the team's internal stability through this camp. 

After spending the last 17 years playing fall baseball only once, and eight times since 2008, Hanwha has no place to back down. We need to end our dark history and open a new era with new uniforms in our new stadium. "We are preparing for major changes including the launch of new BIs and new stadiums to mark the 40th anniversary of the foundation in 2025. Please support the dynamic future of the Hanwha Eagles," said Park Jong-tae, CEO of Hanwha.