NU Athletics - Graphics/Photography
Lexi Marston - Spring 2021
In the spring semester of 2021 I interned with the Women’s Basketball team at NU. I had heard about this opportunity through an email that was sent to me from one of my professors saying that the team was in need of student managers, a graphic designer and a photographer. Being a part of communications department here, I was interested in the graphics and the photography position.
During my time with the team, I was responsible for taking pictures at games and practice, creating graphics and videos for the team instagram and twitter pages as well as any other small job that needed to be done like packing the bus for an away game, getting the food that was delivered after games or wiping down chairs during a game. Throughout this semester I feel like I was able to gain a better understanding on the tools photoshop had to offer as well as my camera to get the best results. Before this internship I liked to play around on photoshop and take pictures for fun and I feel like this experience has shown me new skills on photoshop and on my camera. I was also able to revisit Adobe AfterEffects for one of the videos that I needed to make. I had to reteach myself how to use it because I hadn’t used it since my junior year of high school but I was able to figure it out and my supervisor loved the result.
One of the biggest benefits of this internship was being able to see if graphic designing would be something that I wanted to continue on into a possible career. I was also able to meet the team and get to know them more than just players on a team. I was also able to get to know the coaches and the other managers on the staff. Another thing that I really liked about this was that if I had a week where I was swamped with schoolwork or had family things to take care of I was able to do so without any sort of explanation needed or complaint. I was also was able to take my work home with me and work with the graphics from a distance which helped a lot especially now.
However, with COVID being a big part in the season, the student managers were kept pretty separate from the team and the coaches. We weren’t able to travel with them or intermingle with them very much with the safety procedures that were put in place. There was also a strain on communication as well. Some of us got information while others had to ask our supervisor or other managers to get the same information. Other than those few things I really enjoyed my time there and being able to get closer and make friends with the management staff for the team.
When I first started this position I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my future career. I knew I wanted it to be something either in TV or working with graphics. I took this internship because I wanted to see what spiked my interest and what didn’t. Throughout this internship I was able to build a portfolio and gain more experience in both adobe and on my camera should this be the path I decide to go down in the future. I do know now that photography for me, though I enjoy it, it will probably just remain a hobby. I enjoyed doing it for the team and will continue to do it for the team, but I found most of my interest going towards the graphics I made with them instead of taking them. Though, I am still unsure if doing graphic design is something that I want to do full time, I do know that it is something that I really enjoy and is a possible career choice for my future.
One thing that I would tell someone who is considering this internship is to have patience. The team is a very tight-knit group who are constantly around each other and you can feel as though you shouldn’t be there. But once you start getting to know the other mangers, the coaches and parts of the team you will be just fine. Another piece of advice I’d give is don’t be afraid to make a suggestion on a graphic or photo. The point of being one of the graphic designers for the team is creativity and yes, there are some templates that need to be exactly as they are but there were things that I had complete creative control over, like the holiday posts and especially the manager spotlight post. I had pitched the idea of a manager post to my supervisor and backed it with the template I had made and they loved it, so don’t be afraid to suggest something. Another thing I would say is don’t be afraid to ask for help. I wasn’t the only graphics person for the team and if there was ever a time that I either wasn’t near my computer to make a graphic or I didn’t have time with classes to make a graphic I was able to go to my supervisor and we’d figure something else out for that graphic.
Overall, really enjoyed my time with the basketball team this semester. Everyone was nice and very grateful for the time and work I was doing for the team. I wouldn’t have made the friends that I did or built the portfolio that I have now without it. I am not sure if I’ll be able to do it next semester as a volunteer, but if I have the opportunity to design for them again I definitely would.