Good Design: College Football Edition

College Football season is the best season of them all! From the playoffs, to mascots, underdogs, and bowl games, I am a huge fan. And though it comes with ups and downs each week, I cannot seem to get enough. Other sports are great as well, but college football has something special: the uniforms. 

Every college football team has a set of uniforms that tells a story, from the long tradition of Notre Dame’s golden helmets to the classic Longhorn logo of the University of Texas. Each team has a unique past and tradition, with a timeline of coaches and players that have worn their uniforms. It means something to put on the uniform, and the designs of the uniforms communicate this meaning. All designers have the opportunity to share stories. The combination of colors, patterns, and logos all give meaning to our products and designs. Design choices evoke emotions and can deliberately be used to communicate with the end user.

In this article, I will highlight five college football uniforms that illustrate how designs tell stories. I chose these not simply because I think they look super cool–though that definitely plays a part–but because there is real meaning represented in the design choices made. The stories they tell are inspiring and create layers of significance in their designs.

When we are asked to design products we will have to make difficult decisions on what to include. We will have limitations in what we can incorporate. We can help ourselves make these design decisions by filtering through the question, “What story am I trying to tell?” If part of our design does not fit the story, or perhaps complicates the story, then we know it should not be included. If we find that after our first iteration the story conveyed was not the intended one, then we can readjust. Maybe the story evolves through the design process and we get lucky enough to discover a better story. This list of uniforms below demonstrate how design is a form of storytelling. Mastering that story can help us as designers share meaning, connect with our audience, and make a positive impact. 

UCF’s SpaceU

While UCF’s typical colors are black and gold, for one game of the season each year, they rep a space-inspired uniform because the University of Central of Florida is located near the Kennedy Space Center, on the space coast, and has a long history of preparing students for the United States space program. To tell that story, they’ve come up with their space-inspired uniforms. This year's theme is “hyperspace” due to their recent contributions of research in hypersonic technology. And as a sucker for good blackout uniforms, I think these are some of the coolest, including a contrasting blue pattern representing mach-speed travel [1].

University of Tennessee’s Smokey Greys

Tennessee’s Smokey Grey uniforms never disappoint. Similar to UCF’s space uniforms, Tennessee has created a tradition of wearing a Smokey Grey uniform each year. This year they honor the famous folk hero and soldier Davy Crockett. On the shoulders is a light grey striped pattern that is also incorporated in the helmet. This pattern represents the leather fringe jacket of Davy Crockett who led a group of Tennessee volunteers, volunteers being their team’s mascot, into the Battle of the Alamo [2]. My personal favorite part are the orange and grey helmets which include the “Volstar” military-style logo on the front.

University of Oregon’s “Mighty Oregon” Throwback

While this list could be compiled of entirely Oregon Uniforms, I chose to just keep it to one: the “Mighty Oregon” uniforms. With the help of Phil Knight, CEO of Nike, Oregon has changed the uniform game in college football, coming out with flashy new uniform designs seemingly every week. In this uniform they bring it back to their roots, the traditional Oregon green and yellow, featuring the UO retro logo on the helmet as well as the retro duck on the shoulder. The traditional striped design on the helmet and shoulder, in combination with the historic colors, makes for an attention grabbing masterpiece. Oregon remembers their football program's past and tradition through these uniforms, taking them back to their glory days.

Navy’s Jolly Rogers 

Though I think this design may have gotten a bit messy, the bones of it are definitely there. The meaning behind these uniforms makes it one of my favorites. “Fear the Bones” pays homage to the fierce U.S. Navy and the historic Jolly Rogers fighter squadron that helps fight to keep our seas safe. The cross bones logo on the helmet and shoulder pads is an iconic logo that casts fear, demands respect, and signifies a commitment to victory. The black and yellow stripes on the sleeves feature nine triangles in total, which represent the nine aircraft models the Jolly Rogers have flown throughout its history [4].

BYU’s All Navy

Though this may not be the common fan favorite, I favor the all navy uniforms worn by BYU. In more recent years, BYU has gone to a predominantly royal blue color combination that also looks great, but these all navy uniforms take me back to the dark blue that was used when I watched BYU as a young kid. I looked up to players like Max Hall, Austin Collie, and Kyle Van Noy. I am brought back to these fond memories as I look at the navy tops. Along with those memories, I think it is a great design. The small highlights of white, the simple two colors, and the dark matte navy helmets make for a cohesive and great looking uniform.

Final Thoughts

The colors, the uniqueness, the tradition, and the history of these college football uniforms combine to make their designs meaningful. Designs can create a unique experience. Aesthetic designs can create feelings and emotions, and like we see in these uniforms, every good design tells a story. I encourage you to find ways in your products and designs to tell important stories that create meaningful experiences and help those who interact with your products connect with them. Not only will it improve your designs, but it will inspire and uplift those that have the privilege of seeing and using the designs you make. 

References

[1] "UCF Knights Football Space Game Uniforms: Mission IX Hyperspace." Daytona Beach News-Journal, 7 Oct. 2025, https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/sports/college/ucf/2025/10/07/ucf-knights-football-space-game-uniforms-houston/86570006007/.

[2] Lind, Andrew. "Tennessee Volunteers Unveils New Davy Crockett-Inspired 'Smokey Grey' Alternate Football Uniforms." SportsLogos.Net News, 3 July 2025, https://news.sportslogos.net/2025/07/03/tennessee-volunteers-unveils-new-davy-crockett-inspired-smokey-grey-alternate-football-uniforms/college/.

[3] "Oregon's 'Mighty Oregon' Throwback Uniform." UNISWAG, 19 Oct. 2023, https://www.uniswag.com/blog/oregons-might-oregon-throwback-uniform.

[4] "Fear the Bones: Navy Football Unveils 2024 Army-Navy Gameday Uniforms." Eye On Annapolis, 20 Nov. 2024, https://www.eyeonannapolis.net/2024/11/fear-the-bones-navy-football-unveils-2024-army-navy-gameday-uniforms/.

[5] "BYU Football Uniform Combinations: All Royal, All Navy, Helmets Top 10 Ranking." Vanquish The Foe, 2 Mar. 2021, https://www.vanquishthefoe.com/2021/3/2/22309357/byu-football-uniform-combinations-all-royal-all-navy-helmets-top-10-ranking.

[6] "Ranking the Best and Worst Alternate Uniforms in BYU Football History." Sports Illustrated, 3 July 2024, https://www.si.com/college/byu/news/ranking-byu-football-uniforms.

To cite this article:
Heiner, Taylor. “Good Design: College Football Edition.” The BYU Design Review, 13 October 2025, https://www.designreview.byu.edu/collections/good-design-college-football-edition.