Submitting your work

[Funkatron101]

Have any of you guys submitted your concepts to professional teams, and if so, how far in the process did you get?

[OpaqueChicken]

I don't think teams have people submit logos to them. They usually contact a designer and have them make a logo for them.

[derschwigg]

It never hurts to ask. It's how I got my gig with the UFL.

[hockey week]

It never hurts to ask. It's how I got my gig with the UFL.

That definitely warrants some expansion. What is your gig with the UFL? Who did you talk to (what job title or position is the person to talk to in organizations like that)? What did you submit (show off your artwork a bit, maybe show us what it takes to get to the pros)? What is the process, from your experience, for going from fan with a concept, to seeing your concept on the field? etc.

Just trying to help the thread along, and it seems like you have a success story here that I'm sure we'd all love to hear (and if you've shared it already, send along a link, because I'm rather new and probably didn't see it). Thanks!

[fishheatcats]

Yeah it really can't hurt to give it a shot. In 2007 I posted a Miami FC concept here, and someone suggested I send it to the team. So I said what the heck and sent it in. They didn't use the logo but as a result I got an internship with the team in 2008, and later parlayed that experience into a full time job with the Marlins in 2009. If not for the owner being a total jackass to the point where as a lifelong fan and artist I could no longer stand to work there, it worked out pretty well. Now I'm working for Miami FC again, who are rebranding to the Strikers next year, and might just use one of my designs. Plus the team ownership is now exploring a move to MLS in a few years so I'm in no the ground floor with that.

By the way, thanks to whoever suggested to me that I send my MFC design to the team. It hasn't been the smoothest road, but I'm working in sports as a designer, so I'm pretty stoked.

[robbman21]

Very interesting topic! Back before I knew how teams went about introducing a new logo or uniform, I submitted designs to both the Atlanta Falcons and the Houston Rockets once each team made it known they were changing their unis. In fact the Rockets even posted it on their site a whole year and a half before the change was to be made and were asking fans to submit ideas, which I took to mean that they were going to go with a fan's work. I worked-up this nice presentation that included a picture of newly-drafted Yao Ming in my uniforms and sent it to their front office...but heard nothing. I did the same thing with the Falcons right at the same time, complete with Vick sporting my uniforms, but again heard no response. The Falcons' design has been used as my WFA fantasy league team since 2004. The closest I came was in 2004, when the new ABA had a team in my home state called the Arkansas Rimrockers. I contacted them about logos and uniforms and was told that they hadn't decided on anything and wanted to see some things I could come up with. I contacted the board's very own AAO (Against All Odds as he was known then) to see if he wanted to collaborate on it with me, and he and I swapped some ideas back and forth for a week ago. It was very promising and could've developed into something actually used on the court, however I was in a bad car accident at that time and had to abandon the whole project. After reading about fisheatcats' experience above, it definitely sounds like something I'd like to pursue again on the smaller/minor league scale.

[derschwigg]

I love telling this story because it's absolutely far fetched. A couple months back, I found out my hometown of Omaha was getting a team. Needless to say, I was ecstatic. So I went online trying to find if they had any sort of logo. At the time, they didn't even have a name. So I turned ultimately to Facebook. I went to their fan page and left a wall comment saying something along the lines of "Look guys, I love football. This is my hometown, and I'd love to design for you if you'd let me." I didn't expect much - but HOURS later, I got a reply saying I needed to talk to Nation Hahn, their Director of Digital Media Enterprises. I sent him basically the same email I'd left on facebook, but I added my resume and portfolio (which is probably some reason why I got the job - but that's another story). He replied pretty quickly saying he'd send this to their VP of IT, and later that very day, I got a phone call from him. He explained that they already have a firm working on branding and whatnot, but that they still need a designer for their other events. So me being all wide-eyed optimistic, I jumped at the opportunity. My first "job" for them was to design the 2010 Draft logo.

Since, I've been doing a lot of miscellaneous web ads for them, but they now want me to make Twitter, Tumblr and Youtube backgrounds for them. It's not what I'd initially wanted - to brand my Nighthawks - but it's still pretty great.

[BBTV]

Right, but it's not like you actually submitted a design to them and they decided to go with it. Essentially they solicited your services by asking you for more information and then assigning you a project.

Since the Ravens fiasco, pro teams (or at least "major" pro teams) won't even consider looking at unsolicited work due to the legal implications of releasing a design that is too close to one that someone sketched on a coctail napkin and sent in to them.

As for the Robbman / AAO team, after the way AAO cried and complained like an infant after the Thunder wouldn't consider his crappy logo, I'm not sure why anyone would want to collaborate with him.

[derschwigg]

Right, but it's not like you actually submitted a design to them and they decided to go with it. Essentially they solicited your services by asking you for more information and then assigning you a project.

Since the Ravens fiasco, pro teams (or at least "major" pro teams) won't even consider looking at unsolicited work due to the legal implications of releasing a design that is too close to one that someone sketched on a coctail napkin and sent in to them.

As for the Robbman / AAO team, after the way AAO cried and complained like an infant after the Thunder wouldn't consider his crappy logo, I'm not sure why anyone would want to collaborate with him.

True, but I'll take a consistent gig over a "one night design stand" any day

[Funkatron101]

I like to hearing any success stories, even if it means being involved in a different capacity than what you intended.

[derschwigg]

Right, but it's not like you actually submitted a design to them and they decided to go with it. Essentially they solicited your services by asking you for more information and then assigning you a project.

Since the Ravens fiasco, pro teams (or at least "major" pro teams) won't even consider looking at unsolicited work due to the legal implications of releasing a design that is too close to one that someone sketched on a coctail napkin and sent in to them.

As for the Robbman / AAO team, after the way AAO cried and complained like an infant after the Thunder wouldn't consider his crappy logo, I'm not sure why anyone would want to collaborate with him.

I forgot to touch on this before, but when I was at the Fiesta Bowl, we'd have a couple of designs get sent in every week or so. Unfortunately, having a fairly strong graphics department (as most organizations do anymore), we usually stuck them in the trash. Truth be told, most of what we got seemed really rushed/unfinished/unusable anyway, so we didn't feel bad if we just threw it away. THAT SAID. It never hurts to try.

[Funkatron101]

Right, but it's not like you actually submitted a design to them and they decided to go with it. Essentially they solicited your services by asking you for more information and then assigning you a project.

Since the Ravens fiasco, pro teams (or at least "major" pro teams) won't even consider looking at unsolicited work due to the legal implications of releasing a design that is too close to one that someone sketched on a coctail napkin and sent in to them.

As for the Robbman / AAO team, after the way AAO cried and complained like an infant after the Thunder wouldn't consider his crappy logo, I'm not sure why anyone would want to collaborate with him.

I forgot to touch on this before, but when I was at the Fiesta Bowl, we'd have a couple of designs get sent in every week or so. Unfortunately, having a fairly strong graphics department (as most organizations do anymore), we usually stuck them in the trash. Truth be told, most of what we got seemed really rushed/unfinished/unusable anyway, so we didn't feel bad if we just threw it away. THAT SAID. It never hurts to try.

I guess I'm curious to what happens if they like the concepts, or see the potential in them.

There are so many talented people on these boards, it's a shame that these designs will be put in the trash due to some technicalities or perceived legal headaches.

These "just for fun" concepts often outshine the real product.