7 answers
aubrey
Student
Bay City, Michigan
1
Question
Updated
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How do I get myself into the design community as a college student?
I am a college sophmore majoring in graphic design. My dream would be to work for a football team like the Detroit Lions. What should my next steps be?
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7 answers
Nishtha Das
Product Designer
4
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Nishtha’s Answer
Hi Aubrey,
Great question! This is truly about making the most of your resources at college, while you're there. I would recommend looking for:
1) Design clubs/organizations and events. Even if you don't find a perfect match with graphic design, it's worth at least getting in touch with like-minded people and potentially creating your own! Big emphasis on events, it's the best way to network and learn from the community.
2) Connect with professors and/or alumni that are following your ideal design career path. More often than not, they can help build a network of other professionals who can then bring you into their own communities or events.
3) Explore design volunteering opportunities. One that comes to mind is Hack4Impact, which has chapters in colleges around the world. They pair you up with an NPO partner and you get to take on real design challenges with immediate value.
Great question! This is truly about making the most of your resources at college, while you're there. I would recommend looking for:
1) Design clubs/organizations and events. Even if you don't find a perfect match with graphic design, it's worth at least getting in touch with like-minded people and potentially creating your own! Big emphasis on events, it's the best way to network and learn from the community.
2) Connect with professors and/or alumni that are following your ideal design career path. More often than not, they can help build a network of other professionals who can then bring you into their own communities or events.
3) Explore design volunteering opportunities. One that comes to mind is Hack4Impact, which has chapters in colleges around the world. They pair you up with an NPO partner and you get to take on real design challenges with immediate value.
Maycon Santos
Staff Researcher, Data & AI
5
Answers
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Updated
Maycon’s Answer
Hi Aubrey! I'd start by looking for opportunities at your school. A few ideas:
-See if your college has a co-op program or courses with design capstone projects that partner with local companies.
-Visit your school's career center and ask about opportunities to connect with like-minded students or industry professionals.
-Browse your school's club directory to see what student organizations are available. Many schools have clubs focused on design, UX, research, or technology that host events, invite guest speakers, and provide great networking opportunities.
-See if your college has a co-op program or courses with design capstone projects that partner with local companies.
-Visit your school's career center and ask about opportunities to connect with like-minded students or industry professionals.
-Browse your school's club directory to see what student organizations are available. Many schools have clubs focused on design, UX, research, or technology that host events, invite guest speakers, and provide great networking opportunities.
Rachael Raymer
Product Design
4
Answers
Concord, California
Updated
Rachael’s Answer
You've already got some great answers here. I'll try to fill in any gaps.
College organizations can be amazing. I volunteered for my Student Activities Programming Board (the people that put on all the campus events) and started designing a lot of their flyers and marketing material. This helped me network more throughout my university beyond my college professors and career fairs.
In the meantime, practice as if you already work for a sports organization. You can create the story, the use case, and the graphics and deliverables. Create designs that make you excited, and you'll start building a portfolio of sports-themed creative work that future companies can evaluate.
The Lions have a application link for future consideration -- shoot your shot! https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/detroitlions/jobs/4066307005
College organizations can be amazing. I volunteered for my Student Activities Programming Board (the people that put on all the campus events) and started designing a lot of their flyers and marketing material. This helped me network more throughout my university beyond my college professors and career fairs.
In the meantime, practice as if you already work for a sports organization. You can create the story, the use case, and the graphics and deliverables. Create designs that make you excited, and you'll start building a portfolio of sports-themed creative work that future companies can evaluate.
The Lions have a application link for future consideration -- shoot your shot! https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/detroitlions/jobs/4066307005
Jason Goméz
1
Answer
New York, New York
Updated
Jason’s Answer
First, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the types of deliverables a team produces. A graphic designer for an NFL team could be working on marketing materials, social media posts, event branding, web design, and email design, among other things. Scrolling through the team's Instagram page will show you what their look and feel is like for the current season. I recommend checking Behance to find a toolkit put together by a solo designer or a team of designers, so you can see how their branding looks within a well-defined, unified system. Some inspiration, you know?
This project done for the Chargers is a great example of a scalable system that unifies digital, print, social, and other channels.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/205882419/zro__g-x-los-angeles-chargers-2024-art-direction
From there, try your hand at doing your own team rebrand, or mocking up different in-season assets in your own style!
Client work in a portfolio is important, but so is the exploratory and personal work that shows how you think and how you solve design challenges. So when you include these pieces in your portfolio, you'll want to make sure you explain why you made your design choices, what problem you were trying to solve, and, if applicable, any metrics/results involved.
Make sure to practice your layouts, typography, information hierarchy, and contrast. Grid systems can really help with layouts and composition. You want to show the Lions that you get what they're about and can deliver work that looks and feels like the Lions, whether it's a social media post, a billboard, an email, or a printout. Composition will always matter more than an artsy design - at the end of the day, what you're doing is communicating :)
In short, "learn the rules and then learn how to break them."
This project done for the Chargers is a great example of a scalable system that unifies digital, print, social, and other channels.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/205882419/zro__g-x-los-angeles-chargers-2024-art-direction
From there, try your hand at doing your own team rebrand, or mocking up different in-season assets in your own style!
Client work in a portfolio is important, but so is the exploratory and personal work that shows how you think and how you solve design challenges. So when you include these pieces in your portfolio, you'll want to make sure you explain why you made your design choices, what problem you were trying to solve, and, if applicable, any metrics/results involved.
Make sure to practice your layouts, typography, information hierarchy, and contrast. Grid systems can really help with layouts and composition. You want to show the Lions that you get what they're about and can deliver work that looks and feels like the Lions, whether it's a social media post, a billboard, an email, or a printout. Composition will always matter more than an artsy design - at the end of the day, what you're doing is communicating :)
In short, "learn the rules and then learn how to break them."
Ashleigh Lay
Marketer
3
Answers
Indianapolis, Indiana
Updated
Ashleigh’s Answer
Hi there! It’s super exciting that you already have a goal in mind like working for the Detroit Lions. Having a clear target this early in college is a huge advantage!
To start building your network, looking into local groups like CreativeMornings or your area's AIGA chapter is a great first step. Chatting with your professors is also a smart move, since they often have connections to alumni working in sports or higher-level design roles.
If you really want to dive into the sports side of things, a lot of that community hangs out online. Following creative directors, team designers, and sports agencies on X/Twitter and Instagram is a really casual way to see what they’re working on, leave thoughtful comments, and start making friends in that niche.
As a sophomore, you have plenty of time to experiment, too. You might want to try creating some mock Detroit Lions graphics—like gameday posts or schedule reveals—just for fun to add to your portfolio. Reaching out to your own school’s athletic department for student design gigs is another low-pressure way to get real sports experience on your resume before you graduate.
To start building your network, looking into local groups like CreativeMornings or your area's AIGA chapter is a great first step. Chatting with your professors is also a smart move, since they often have connections to alumni working in sports or higher-level design roles.
If you really want to dive into the sports side of things, a lot of that community hangs out online. Following creative directors, team designers, and sports agencies on X/Twitter and Instagram is a really casual way to see what they’re working on, leave thoughtful comments, and start making friends in that niche.
As a sophomore, you have plenty of time to experiment, too. You might want to try creating some mock Detroit Lions graphics—like gameday posts or schedule reveals—just for fun to add to your portfolio. Reaching out to your own school’s athletic department for student design gigs is another low-pressure way to get real sports experience on your resume before you graduate.
Rachael Parekh
UX designer
8
Answers
San Jose, California
Updated
Rachael’s Answer
It's awesome that you're planning ahead and have things you love! If you're into sports and design, try creating work that shows it off and share it online. You'll gradually find others who share your interests. Your school likely has resources to help you connect with groups in your field too.
Andrew Dixon
Graphic Designer
8
Answers
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Updated
Andrew’s Answer
Hi Aubrey,
Congrats on your education and desire to work in this particular field. If you would like to work for the Detroit Lions, perhaps develop a portfolio of designs specific to football. Get in contact with the Lions Organization. See if they have any internship opportunities. Follow personnel on LinkedIn. If you can gain entry, get a feel for the culture and see if it aligns with your values and beliefs.
I hope this helps,
Drew
Congrats on your education and desire to work in this particular field. If you would like to work for the Detroit Lions, perhaps develop a portfolio of designs specific to football. Get in contact with the Lions Organization. See if they have any internship opportunities. Follow personnel on LinkedIn. If you can gain entry, get a feel for the culture and see if it aligns with your values and beliefs.
I hope this helps,
Drew