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I'm a professional Graphic Designer of sports things; AMA


BrandMooreArt

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first off, i want this thread to be helpful for anyone looking to start a career as a Graphic Designer (specifically in sports), any Designers who are independent looking to improve their business, or anyone who may be looking to hire a Designer/Studio for their project. Because there are many industry professionals that frequent the boards, i hope they will jump in here as well and add to anything I might miss or anything they can expand on. But i feel this could be a good thread for this forum because i'm seeing more and more people ask about portfolios, logo design, and design careers– the timing seems right. 

 

a bit about me:

i graduated from Full Sail University in 2009 with an AD in Graphic Design, though my focus since has been in Logos and Branding/Identity. Since graduation, my independent design career has always been important to me, though i have held a few full-time positions. the first was with a timeshare company in Orlando doing mostly web design, then a year with J.America creating Ohio State apparel, and i am currently a Graphic Designer with the Miami Dolphins where i've been since Feb 2016.

 

i do hope whatever experience or knowledge i have can help (or at least entertain) the community here. i will answer as open and honestly as i can, though i will get a couple of things out of the way first. 1.) the Dolphins have no plans to change their logo and/or uniforms that i am aware of, and they seem happy with where they're at now 2.) yes, i wish they would wear the throwbacks full-time too :) 3.) while in Columbus, i learned to love Ohio State, but i also like Michigan too. i'm not one of those kinds of Buckeyes!

 

other than that, AMA

 

 

 

GRAPHIC ARTIST

BEHANCE  /  MEDIUM  /  DRIBBBLE

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I've got one! What was your "foot in the door" to working in the sporting industry? I'm always curious to see how different people got into the field, as the sports design community can be kind of a niche community that's hard to get into unless you knows someone (or someone knows you). I'm currently in my second year of college, and I'm sure there's lots of others my age who are wondering what the best way in is. Hopefully that's worded semi-well.

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What is it like to work with an NFL team  are there any big hurdles you had to go  through  and also what is it like having a college team use your stadium during the season does it  affect your creative ideas for the stadium? 

http://i.imgur.com/4gh4ZhB.png http://i.imgur.com/DmN6VqA.png

http://boards.sportslogos.net/topic/103365-star-based-championship-signatures-by-request/

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2 hours ago, dsaline97 said:

I've got one! What was your "foot in the door" to working in the sporting industry? I'm always curious to see how different people got into the field, as the sports design community can be kind of a niche community that's hard to get into unless you knows someone (or someone knows you). I'm currently in my second year of college, and I'm sure there's lots of others my age who are wondering what the best way in is. Hopefully that's worded semi-well.

 

it's hard to point to one specific thing, it's probably more of a whole body of work thats had the biggest impact. but an early project i did was for QBA ( https://www.quarterbackacademy.com/ ) where i designed a new logo and tons of sub-brand logos afterwards. i got that job because i just emailed the owner and asked to work with him. turns out they were searching for a designer at the time and it all worked out; i don't think anyone i've ever cold emailed since has wanted to work with me though, so i definitely owe a lot to those guys.

 

another thing, connections are huge and one of the biggest connections i've made came from the CCSLC. years ago i was notified of an opportunity with Adidas here and though i didn't get that job, it did lead to me going to Columbus not long after. i guess what i'd advise anyone looking for that foot in the door opportunity is to get to know someone you admire (no matter how high they might be on the chain, most creative people are very helpful and friendly) and be prepared (portfolio) should an opportunity come your way.

 

GRAPHIC ARTIST

BEHANCE  /  MEDIUM  /  DRIBBBLE

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49 minutes ago, StaatsBrett said:

What is it like to work with an NFL team  are there any big hurdles you had to go  through  and also what is it like having a college team use your stadium during the season does it  affect your creative ideas for the stadium? 

 

i've come to learn that the work experience can vary widely depending on the team. but i think what most NFL designers would tell you is that they either work at the stadium or training facility and get to use design and art as a means to support their team. most of us i think are at each home game as well. for me, i'm editing photos and/or making score graphics for out social accounts. i try to be as professional as possible at all times, but as a life long NFL fan i can't help but be star struck every time i see Dan Marino or Nat Moore. i also walk out to the stands of an empty stadium each day for a few minutes to remind myself this is still real. 

 

there weren't any major hurdles i had to go through for the job that i was worried about, but they did their due diligence before hiring me. background check, drug test, 3 calls to references, and HR will probably creep on your facebook photos too.

 

most of the time, the U doesn't effect what we do. they design their own in-stadium banners to drape over the walls, their own scoreboard graphics, etc. there are from time to time  games that are on the same weekend or so close together that we take into consideration what the field art looks like. so, if during a Dolphins game you just see "MIAMI" written in the endzones, they probably did that so it wouldn't be odd for the Hurricanes during their game. it is the Dolphins stadium first and foremost, but everyone does try to work with the U to make sure they look good on gameday too. 

 

 

 

GRAPHIC ARTIST

BEHANCE  /  MEDIUM  /  DRIBBBLE

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Thanks  do you think the u should get their own stadium with the Beckham MLS team  also did it take long for you to get  acclaimed to the threat of Hurricanes and other inclement whether 

http://i.imgur.com/4gh4ZhB.png http://i.imgur.com/DmN6VqA.png

http://boards.sportslogos.net/topic/103365-star-based-championship-signatures-by-request/

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How much do you charge for lesser mortals to smell your farts?  Or is that free?

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1 hour ago, StaatsBrett said:

Thanks  do you think the u should get their own stadium with the Beckham MLS team  also did it take long for you to get  acclaimed to the threat of Hurricanes and other inclement whether 

 

i would like to see the U have their own stadium just because i think every team should have their own stadium. and if it were on campus that would be even better for them for attendance. 

 

lol, well i've lived in Orlando off and on for 7 years or so. i've been through some nasty tropical storms and the way i saw it was anything that survived Andrew and the outbreak in 2005 will probably survive anything else. plus, building codes down here have improved greatly and anything built post 05 is pretty much a fortress. i worry more about the cockroaches and palmetto bugs

 

GRAPHIC ARTIST

BEHANCE  /  MEDIUM  /  DRIBBBLE

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1 hour ago, Yippy said:

Are you proficient in any coding languages? If so, which?

 

no. i had to re-take a web design class in college because it was hard for me to grasp. there are plenty of designers who can do both, but there are also specialist that do well too. if that's an area of design you're interested in and you want to work in sports, there's probably a gig waiting for you. i don't know what the future really holds for NFL team sites, but i think the NFL's template policy is dated enough and every teams Creative Team is expanding enough, that its only a matter of time before there's a major overhaul. personally, i think each team should be able to design their own site and their own content to support it because each fanbase is a bit different. it would make sense then that every team would have their own full time web designer, which isn't the case just yet.

 

GRAPHIC ARTIST

BEHANCE  /  MEDIUM  /  DRIBBBLE

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Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?

On 8/1/2010 at 4:01 PM, winters in buffalo said:
You manage to balance agitation with just enough salient points to keep things interesting. Kind of a low-rent DG_Now.
On 1/2/2011 at 9:07 PM, Sodboy13 said:
Today, we are all otaku.

"The city of Peoria was once the site of the largest distillery in the world and later became the site for mass production of penicillin. So it is safe to assume that present-day Peorians are descended from syphilitic boozehounds."-Stephen Colbert

POTD: February 15, 2010, June 20, 2010

The Glorious Bloom State Penguins (NCFAF) 2014: 2-9, 2015: 7-5 (L Pineapple Bowl), 2016: 1-0 (NCFAB) 2014-15: 10-8, 2015-16: 14-5 (SMC Champs, L 1st Round February Frenzy)

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1 hour ago, NoE38 said:

I'm just learning how to make logos, do you have any suggestions on how to find inspiration or any basic tutorials on how to make logos?

 

for general vector/Illustrator tutorials, i highly recommend checking out these courses: LINK

 

one other tip; something that helped me a lot when starting out was gathering JPGs of logos i really liked, then tracing them in Illustrator. doing this was kind of like learning to play someone elses songs. you learn them "note for note" and at the end, you have understood what its like to actually make a quality logo. how big strokes should be, how small you can go with details, and just how to make something from simple shapes.

 

but most importantly, focus on the idea. the Nike logo isn't just a swoosh, it's a wing in motion. the Apple logo isn't just an apple, its an apple with one bite out of it and that means something. this goes for color too. there should always be some concept that you start with, then learn how to make it into a real thing.  

 

GRAPHIC ARTIST

BEHANCE  /  MEDIUM  /  DRIBBBLE

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