Hector Rivera

Case Study Arrieta Sports Design

From Video Game Uniforms to Professional Baseball Identity

My relationship with Uniformes Arrieta began in 2012 while I was studying Multimedia Production Engineering in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora.

At that point, I had already spent six years working as a hobby on MVP Caribe, the Total Conversion Mod for MVP Baseball 2005 on PC. Within the project, I was responsible for everything related to the Mexican Pacific League.

What started as a fan project eventually grew into a community that reached more than 3 million downloads and brought together thousands of Latin American baseball fans around a shared passion for the sport.

That was when Uniformes Arrieta became the first official sponsor of MVP Caribe.

At the time, Arrieta was already one of the most historic baseball apparel companies in Mexico, with more than 40 years of experience producing professional uniforms, including the ones worn by Team Mexico in the Caribbean Series, the most important professional baseball tournament in Latin America.

The brand sponsored the MVP Caribe website and, without realizing it at the time, that relationship would completely change the direction of my professional career.

In 2014, during a trip to Hermosillo related to the video game, I had the opportunity to meet and have lunch with Joaquín Arrieta. During that conversation, he gave me an opportunity that would change everything for me.

“You already create uniforms for the video game. Now create some for us to submit to the league.”

That was the exact moment when I went from the virtual world into the real one.

2015 – 2016 | The Caribbean Series Years

Joaquín asked me to develop proposals for Team Mexico’s uniforms for the 2015 Caribbean Series in San Juan, Puerto Rico: Home, Away and an Alternate.

I spent countless nights studying historical baseball uniforms connected to Mexico, searching for a unique typography and visual identity that felt authentic within professional baseball.

Weeks later, the proposal was officially approved and presented during the opening game of the Mexican Pacific League Finals.

I still remember watching on television as the league president held one of my jerseys up in front of the media.

A few days later, I found myself at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, watching Team Mexico wear uniforms that for years had only existed inside a video game.

2015 Caribbean Series Uniforms
2015 Caribbean Series Uniforms

That experience eventually led to another opportunity when I was once again trusted with designing all three official Team Mexico uniforms for the 2016 Caribbean Series in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Unlike previous years, the collection introduced a much bolder visual identity for Team Mexico, incorporating uncommon colors within Mexican baseball such as neon green and navy blue alongside the traditional white and red.

That same year, Team Mexico won the Caribbean Series championship wearing the white jersey from that collection.

The “M” logo designed for that team was later featured on the official Caribbean Series championship rings, becoming permanently connected to one of the most memorable titles in Mexican baseball history.

That moment completely changed the way I viewed what sports design could become in the real world.

2016 Championship Ring
2016 Caribbean Series Uniforms

2015 – 2016 | Sultanes de Monterrey

During those years, I also had the opportunity to develop typography concepts and uniform proposals for two of the most historic franchises in the Mexican Baseball League: Sultanes de Monterrey and Pericos de Puebla.

For Sultanes de Monterrey, I had the privilege of designing uniforms used during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

Sultanes de Monterrey Away
Sultanes de Monterrey Alternate

2015 | Pericos de Puebla

But it was the Pericos de Puebla project that ultimately left the biggest mark.

Although the partnership between Arrieta and Pericos de Puebla concluded after the 2015 season, the typography created for those uniforms left a lasting impact. Beginning in 2016, the club officially adopted it into its primary logo, replacing the identity it had used since 2004.

That same year, Pericos de Puebla won the Mexican Baseball League championship wearing a typography that had originally been created in front of my computer while I was still a college student.

To this day, that typography remains part of the club’s official identity.

Before & After - Pericos' Logos
Pericos de Puebla 2015 Uniforms

What started digitally became part of the sport

My story with Arrieta took a new direction in 2024 when Joaquín contacted me once again, this time to develop the brand’s digital evolution through arrieta.pro and shop.arrieta.pro. 

What began years earlier by designing uniforms for a video game eventually evolved into helping shape the visual and digital experience of one of the most recognized baseball brands in Mexico.

Because some stories begin in front of a computer screen.
And others end up leaving their mark on the field.