Iowa State Cyclones Uniform Review

I’ll start by sharing that I’ve always felt compelled to write a design blog, but have never felt I had enough of an idea worth sharing. When Iowa State unveiled their new football uniforms for 2018–2019, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take a deeper dive.

Iowa State football as a whole doesn’t have the tradition or rich visual history as a program to be able to grab onto anything specific, so anytime there is a new uniform to be unveiled I’m anxious to know what Nike and the university gravitate towards. Additionally, the Cyclone’s were NCAA’s cinderella team last fall, and with young head coach Matt Campbell at the helm, there is a real belief that something is building. So let’s get started!

First Reactions

Number Font

It’s no longer a compressed version of the Cyclone Bold typeface, which would occasionally be illegible and difficult to identify at first glance. So moving to a more standard weight is a positive move, for sure. However, the new two-tone numbers with a shading detail are not working. This causes more visual distractions than enhancements, as the alignment of those notches would rarely match or compliment one another. (see Black uniform photo)

Chest Wordmark

I will miss the ‘Iowa State’ wordmark across the chest, as this was a piece of pride for fans and locals. But reducing the clutter with the mandatory Nike swoosh and Big XII logos is understandable. (see image left)

Goodbye Ronald McDonald!

I think I speak for everyone, as we kiss these bright yellow uniforms goodbye. Hoping they’re never worn again.

Red (home) uniform: C

Underwhelming was my first thought. The two biggest flaws are the black tonal collar, and the red wing detail just don’t match. If the away uniform was inverted and all things white + red flipped, with yellow numbers, this would be a nice home uniform, and better connect and match to the other combinations.

White (away) uniform: A-

Bravo. This should be the template for the other uniforms. The two-tone collar and red sleeve/wing detailing is the level of subtle that suceeds in todays world of sports. Large and over-stated moves become trendy and quickly fade away. The wing detail calls attention to the seconday mark designed by Joe Bosack & Co., a personal favorite of mine, and is the type of asset that you can build upon. My only gripe on this would be the metallic decals on the helmet, it’s just design for design sake. But overall, really love the look.

Black (alt) uniform: D

The biggest problem with this is that the blackout alternate pieces won’t pair well with the home or away uniforms. Not to mention, the cross-state rival Iowa Hawkeyes pride themselves on Blackouts. A simple move of making the logos full color, outlining the numbers in red/yellow, or even colored sleeve detailing could have tied everything together as a set.

The trend of blackout, and more importantly the absence of school color, makes this alternate uniform nothing more than a gust of wind. The first time they wear these, it will be accompanied by emoji’s such as “🔥💀💣”, but soon upon realizing they don’t add value or increase awareness of the Iowa State brand these will disappear. This begins to hit on a deeper issue, as nationally, Iowa State Football is often viewed visually as the knock-off version of the perineal blue-blood, USC due to their similar color + uniforms of past. But I digress…

Final Verdict: C+

Overall, I think this is a nice update. It reduces the clutter, but almost went a shade too simple. I hope Iowa State can continue to build their brand equity, as well as a produce a quality product on the field.