Young Buck Sports Management

Young Buck Sports Management

Young Buck Sports Management

OVERVIEW

OVERVIEW

TL;DR

TL;DR

During my internship at Young Buck, an NIL agency, I helped build a scalable visual system for athletes, brands, and fans.

I created 27 social graphics, designed custom assets like holographic stickers, extended the website, optimized SEO with Google Analytics, and established reusable brand standards that could grow with the roster.

Role

Graphic and product designer

Tools

Photoshop, Illustrator, Wix, Google Analytics

Impact

Delivered athlete and partnership assets, built flexible templates, maintained the website, and improved online discoverability.

SOCIAL TEMPLATES

SOCIAL TEMPLATES

The welcome post

The welcome post

When I started at Young Buck, I had no prior graphic design experience. My main goal was to create a reusable “welcome” social graphic for new athletes.

I experimented with three directions, landed on the preferred concept, then evolved it through subtle tweaks over time.

Iteration 1

I experimented with three directions: Head-to-Head (bold and high-energy), Player Focus (clean and professional), and Polaroid Welcome (textured and editorial).

Split-screen graphic of ASU DB Laterrance Welch next to a white buck silhouette on a maroon background.
Action shot of Liberty QB Kaidon Salter with large white "YBSM" text and a "Welcome" message.
Collage-style graphic of Kaidon Salter inside a Polaroid frame taped over an aerial stadium view.

Iteration 2

The Polaroid design grew from a scrapbook-style concept into a polished, professional template. I made subtle tweaks such as swapping opaque duct tape for translucent, adding the YB logo, cleaning up the card text, darkening and desaturating the background, and making the film grain consistent so the Polaroid became the undisputed focal point of every welcome post.

A Polaroid of Penn State WR Omari Evans in a blue uniform, taped over a stadium crowd background with "WELCOME" in bold white text.
A Polaroid of Miami OL Matthew McCoy in a green jersey, taped over a wide-angle stadium shot with large white "WELCOME" text.
A Polaroid of Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo running with the ball, taped over a night-time stadium background with a "WELCOME" headline.

Iteration 3

My final design focused on minimalism, professionalism, and clarity. I switched to vertical typography and a neutral background to reduce distractions and make the Polaroid the main focus.

I also added “Young Buck” in the top right with the YB logo in the bottom corner as a subtle anchor.

A Polaroid of RB Bo Jackson in an Ohio State uniform, taped to a light textured background with a vertical "WELCOME" title.
A black-and-white Polaroid of QB DJ Bordeaux in pads and a helmet, taped to a textured off-white background with a vertical "WELCOME" title.

ADDING A LITTLE SPARKLE

ADDING A LITTLE SPARKLE

Custom holographic sticker pack

Custom holographic sticker pack

I designed a custom sticker pack for each university to give the Polaroid welcome posts a premium, tactile feel. The holographic stickers add a collectible, sports-card quality, bridging digital graphics with physical memorabilia.

OTHER WORK

OTHER WORK

Design extentions

Design extentions

As the agency grew, we needed to do more than just welcome posts. I took the brand’s look and applied it to:

  • NIL partnerships, showing how athletes and brands connect

  • Event promos, with bold, high-energy graphics like the ASU Football 2024 Kickoff

  • Player stats posts to get fans talking

Because it all comes from the same visual foundation, everything still feels like part of the same brand.

As the agency grew, we needed to do more than just welcome posts. I took the brand’s look and applied it to:

  • NIL partnerships, showing how athletes and brands connect

  • Event promos, with bold, high-energy graphics like the ASU Football 2024 Kickoff

  • Player stats posts to get fans talking

Because it all comes from the same visual foundation, everything still feels like part of the same brand.

A brand collaboration graphic announcing an NIL partnership between players CJ Fite, Elijah O’Neal, and Magnum Electric Bikes.
A promotional flyer for a 2024 ASU Football kickoff event on August 7th at Trophy in Chandler, AZ.
A stats graphic for Kyson Brown showing 8 touches, 98 total yards, and 1 touchdown next to his photo.
Banner image of social graphics for YBSM.
Banner image of social graphics for YBSM.

Challenges

Challenges

Learning a new visual language

Sports design has its own energy. It's fast, tactile, and emotional. I got up to speed by studying what works, testing designs against the team’s needs, and iterating until the visuals connected with both fans and athletes.

Balancing creativity with agency goals

I stayed in close contact with Young Buck leadership to make sure every design choice, from the transparency of a tape asset to the tone of a background, supported their long-term goals. My aim was to bring a fresh creative edge while keeping designs clear and focused.

Learning a new visual language

Sports design has its own energy. It's fast, tactile, and emotional. I got up to speed by studying what works, testing designs against the team’s needs, and iterating until the visuals connected with both fans and athletes.

Balancing creativity with agency goals

I stayed in close contact with Young Buck leadership to make sure every design choice, from the transparency of a tape asset to the tone of a background, supported their long-term goals. My aim was to bring a fresh creative edge while keeping designs clear and focused.

Reflections

Reflections

Jumping in headfirst

This pushed me to adapt quickly. I started with no graphic experience and finished with a sharper eye for audience-focused design and the confidence to learn new tools under pressure.

Design as a growth tool

The visual system I built did more than improve the look. It became a scalable standard for the agency. By creating a cohesive brand identity, I helped boost social engagement and showed that good design is a way to connect athletes with their community.

Jumping in headfirst

This pushed me to adapt quickly. I started with no graphic experience and finished with a sharper eye for audience-focused design and the confidence to learn new tools under pressure.

Design as a growth tool

The visual system I built did more than improve the look. It became a scalable standard for the agency. By creating a cohesive brand identity, I helped boost social engagement and showed that good design is a way to connect athletes with their community.