In 1968, Major League Baseball commissioned the agency to design an original logo. The mark was to serve two purposes: to signify that MLB was placing league-wide merchandizing rights under the auspices of a new umbrella company, and to commemorate the national pastime's upcoming centennial.

Mr. Dior's all-American design -- that of a silhouetted batter poised to swing at a ball, against a red-blue background -- won over a selection committee that included Mr. Villante, New York Yankees president Mike Burke, Licensing Corp. of America executive Joe Grant and the then-attorney for the National League, Bowie Kuhn, who later became MLB commissioner. First unveiled in the fall of 1968, the horizontal logo appeared on players' uniforms during the 1969 season, accompanied by the words "100th Anniversary."