Excerpted from the NY Times
LAS VEGAS — The basketball court at the Mountain West Conference tournament was like no other, impossible to ignore, which is exactly the point. Stained in at least four hues of brown, it featured deep contrasts of arcs and boxes and jags, including a range of snow-capped peaks stretching the length of the floor.
It was part backyard deck, part art installation. More than anything, it was a conversation piece.

“When people look at that, they’re going to think mountains,” said Dan Butterly, the Mountain West’s senior associate commissioner. “And they’re going to think Mountain West.”

“There’s a lot of focus on branding,” Butterly said. “It’s so important, especially with all the recent conference realignment. Programs want to stand out and brand who they are. And the basketball court is one way to do that.”

 Read the full article at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/20/sports/ncaabasketball/in-swirls-of-stain-the-art-of-ncaa-branding.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0