Episode 69: Mekale Jackson, Creative Director, St. John's University Athletics

03/17/16 • 66 min

“You can always learn from anyone — you can learn from people older than you, you can earn from people younger than you — always be open. Always be open to critique.”

On this week’s podcast, Mekale Jackson from St. John's University athletics joins us to discuss working for New York's college hoops program.

Mekale gives us some insight into his background prior to St. John's where he discovered graphic design & Photoshop in college as an English major at the University of Michigan by stumbling across a fraternity flyer.

Detroit, Mekale's hometown, is a place of inspiration for creativity and art despite the negative stereotypes the Internet & media says about the city and Mekale shares his love for the city with us including a few fav artists he follows.

We also discuss Under Armour's relationship with St. John's basketball, its value to the school for recruiting and brand recognition, as well as that one time Steph Curry practiced in their facilties.

Lastly, Mekale explains why he chooses to self-brand himself as a "sports creative director" rather than a graphic designer or sports designer.

Mentions include:

My next guest is going to be Brian Gundell. Brian is a freelance graphic designer in Portland, Oregon. Prior to joining the freelance ranks, Brian had stints at Old Hat Design, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the University of Washington football program.

You can also show your support for the podcast by joining the community and keeping it sponsor-free.

Did you enjoy this episode? Then please rate and/or write a review of the show on iTunes. Also, be sure to follow show host, @TAdamMartin and @MakersofSport on twitter and Dribbble.

“You can always learn from anyone — you can learn from people older than you, you can earn from people younger than you — always be open. Always be open to critique.”

On this week’s podcast, Mekale Jackson from St. John's University athletics joins us to discuss working for New York's college hoops program.

Lastly, Mekale explains why he chooses to self-brand himself as a "sports creative director" rather than a graphic designer or sports designer.

Mentions include:

You can also show your support for the podcast by joining the community and keeping it sponsor-free.

Did you enjoy this episode? Then please rate and/or write a review of the show on iTunes. Also, be sure to follow show host, @TAdamMartin and @MakersofSport on twitter and Dribbble.

Previous Episode

Episode 67: Aaron Masik, Senior Graphic Designer, Upper Deck

“When you get to work in pro sports, these players are their showcase...the message, putting people in the seats, getting people interested in the team and buying merchandise comes before cool graphics.”

On this week’s episode, Aaron Masik joined the podcast. Aaron is a senior graphic designer at The Upper Deck Company. Prior to Upper Deck, Aaron had stints in-house at the San Antonio Spurs and the San Diego Padres before making the move into consumer products.

We discuss Aaron’s big break into the sports industry, what it’s like working in a consistently winning organization such as the Spurs (including an interaction with Coach Pop himself), as well as the differences between working with the NBA versus the MLB.

We touch on some of the pain points working in sports as a creative person and have a very real & raw conversation on the frustrations that are prevalent when one makes the decision to work in team sports; including the way our personal and career values change over time and how sometimes it might be best to move on.

Lastly, Aaron gives us some insight into working at Upper Deck as we discuss design & printing processes, timelines, as well as the passion of the sports collectibles industry and how it has had a reawakening.

Mentions include:

My next guest is going to be Mekale Jackson. Mekale is the Associate Director of Athletic Communications for St. John's University in New York City. In addition to St. John's, Mekale freelances for numerous univerities including his alma mater, the Michigan Wolverines.

You can also show your support for the podcast by joining the community and keeping it sponsor-free.

Did you enjoy this episode? Then please rate and/or write a review of the show on iTunes. Also, be sure to follow show host, @TAdamMartin and @MakersofSport on twitter and Dribbble.

Next Episode

Episode 71: Brian Gundell, Brian Gundell Graphic Design Co.

“The best designers are always problem-solvers...[our] job is to figure out how to make this [project] the best it can be.”

On this week’s podcast, freelance sports designer Brian Gundell joined the show to discuss his career working in a few different limbs of the sports industry. From agency side to Nike to the MLB to college football recruiting, Brian has an varied history in this niche of design.

Brian touches on the importance of SportsLogos.net to his entry into sports design, as well as the importance of networking and building relationships with folks in this very small industry.

We laugh about the ridiculousness of college football recruiting graphics and Brian elaborates on this newest position for designers in sports.

Lastly, we touch on the lack of upward mobility in college sports and Brian leaves us with some insight into his move to full-time freelance.

Mentions include:

My next guest is going to be Tim O'Shaughnessy. Tim is a broadcast art director at ESPN where he has worked on motion packages for brands such as ESPN College Football, Mike & Mike, NBA on ESPN and the 2014 World Cup to name a few. Some of Tim's work can be seen at his site here.

You can also show your support for the podcast by joining the community and keeping it sponsor-free.

Did you enjoy this episode? Then please rate and/or write a review of the show on iTunes. Also, be sure to follow show host, @TAdamMartin and @MakersofSport on twitter and Dribbble.