Trying out Temple Football
When many people think of fall, they think of apple cider, pumpkin picking, changing leaves, and of course, weekends dedicated to college football. With football season in full swing, I have had the opportunity to intern with Temple football and assist with their advertising, their graphics, and their behind-the-scene operations. My name is Jocelyn Burns, and I am a junior advertising major following the art direction track in the Klein School of Media and Communication.
As a NCAA Division 1 football program, my role is a small but critical part to the overall success of the program. Every graphic or advertisement is seen by thousands of students, Philadelphia natives, future players, college football fans, NFL coaches, and more. The graphics and advertisements brand the Temple football program, give the program its personality, and even encourages school spirit among students and fans. Have you ever heard a student say they are “Temple Tough?” That phrase came from the football program, and is used to encourage students to become “one of us,” (another football slogan) here at Temple University.
As a graphic designer for Temple Football, I work on graphics for incoming recruits, game time announcements, personalized good luck graphics, game recaps, and more. These graphics most commonly end up on the various Temple Football Twitter pages or official Instagram (@temple_fb). As I began my internship, I quickly realized how critical my knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator was to the success of my position. I follow many Photoshop templates designed by my supervisors, and modify the already existing layers. As I became more comfortable with the brand elements, my supervisors encouraged me to be creative and design my own advertisements for them to see and approve. For example, I had an opportunity to design a badge earlier in the semester. The badge I designed was approved and was printed onto t-shirts and jackets to identify the football program’s interns. The home game on October 6th, interns (including myself) wore the shirts and jackets with my printed design on them. Seeing my designs utilized on such a large scale, and at a place like Lincoln Financial Field, has been one of the greatest benefits of my internship thus far.
However, it is not the only benefit I have received. I have had the opportunity to network, experience the sideline and press box of the Linc, and receive Under Amour apparel. During the first home game I worked, I stepped into an elevator with Dion Dawkins and Brian Westbrooks; although that happened by chance, I can thank Temple football for my accidental meet up with two former NFL players. I have additionally learned more about the game of football itself from the knowledge of my fellow student workers.
I genuinely enjoy my position with Temple Football, but am unsure if I would enjoy the sports industry as a future career route. The long, unusual hours, and required travel, disinterest me from following a career in sports. It has been very interesting to notice the disconnect between graduates in creative and artistic fields with the graduates in the sport industry- many sports media professionals are self taught in the Creative Cloud programs. Therefore, my internship has been beneficial not only for me, but also for the staff I work with. We have different backgrounds in the designs we are creating, and have been able to share our knowledge and perspectives with one another.
I have gained countless learning experiences from this internship and I will be able to apply all these experiences to future careers. I am excited to continue exploring graphic design with Temple Football and to see what new things I will learn. Whether I end up working in sports as a future career or not, I will continue to have a newfound appreciation for football and will apply the skills I have learned to my future endeavors.
