Pirates to unveil new logo in 2014, letting fans decide

The Pittsburgh Pirates will get a logo change for 2014, but the gold "P" will remain. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

The Pittsburgh pirates will undergo a cosmetic change of sorts next year, and the team is letting the fans decide the new look.

According to a report from Bob Cohn of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the team is currently in the proess of designing a new logo to unveil in time for the 2014 season. The discussions about what it should look like are happening this week and Pirates officials are using focus groups comprised of fans, from season ticket holders to people who randomly attend games, to decide on the new aesthetics for the logo.

According to Pirates executive vice president and chief marketing director Lou Depaoli, the time is now to start having these talks; the current rendition of the logo, a snarling pirate in a black and red bandana, has been in existence since 1997. He said the fact that they're using focus groups should let people know that the team does not have any "preconceived notions" about what the new logo should look like. Though rest assured, the gold "P" featured on the game hat and in marketing materials for the team is not going anywhere:

“It's time to update it a little bit. [W]e don't have any preconceived notions. We figured we'd go at it a little bit differently. When people see the gold ‘P,' they know it stands for Pirates. It's something you don't mess with."