Some Ladder visitors may recall a previous post about our work on Boise State University’s identity. (Wait. Who are we kidding? OK. I remember it.) Not only was it the rarest of engagements, in which we developed both institutional and athletic identities, but it led to a surprising application—namely, a branded Horizon Airlines Q400.

This year, the application toolbox expanded yet again, as Nike selected the Broncos to wear its Pro Combat System uniform. The white helmets caused a stir, but we love the gloves.

And Nike’s press release included language we hadn’t thought of:

“Hues of blue and chrome showcase Boise State’s dominance of the sky and mountain, while orange accents underscore the team’s explosiveness. An asymmetrical placement of motifs around the uniform adds to the calculated unpredictability of the Broncos squad.”

Ah, branding.

Stationery, web headers, campus vehicles, signs. These are applications that spring to mind when we map out visual identity style guides.

And so we braced when we learned recently of Horizon Airlines’ plans to celebrate its 25th year of service to the city of Boise by marking a Bombardier Q400 with the Boise State athletic identity that we worked on with The Joe Bosack Graphic Design Company.

Turns out that Horizon did a fine job, flying as it did without NCSDO instructions on the matter. We simply never thought to include them.

Moving forward, and just to be safe, we are adding “modes of aviation” to our standards-development checklist.

(Since adopting the new design in 2002, the Broncos have appeared in the Humanitarian, Fort Worth, MPC Computers, Hawai’i, and Poinsettia bowls—not to mention their stunning defeat of Oklahoma in the 2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Just saying . . . )