Dan Simon, Creative Director, Studio Simon

Makers of Sport® Podcast

Dan Simon, Creative Director of Studio Simon in Louisville, KY, joined the show to discuss his lengthy career as a sports designer.

Dan began his career at a west coast design studio who allowed him to freelance at night using their equipment. Him and an account rep wanted to pursue sports branding and ended up creating some mocked up work with acual sewn jerseys and it eventually led Dan down a 30-year path of designing for sports.

We discuss how tough it is, even today, to win quality clients in sports design, why he chose his name for his studio instead of a made up name and why the former is important.

Dan tells the story of working on three Super Bowl logos, including the patriotic XXXVI logo of the 9/11 season.

Finally, we discuss how the industry has changed, burnout, and how to run a studio in a commoditized design industry.

Dan is a treasure trove of stories and was the first-ever in-house sports designer for a profesional sports franchise. Listen along as he shares his story.

Mentions Include:

• Studio Simon
• Studio Simon on Instagram
• Scott Mednick
• SME Branding
• Duffy & Partners
• Charles S. Anderson Design Co.
• Ep. 15 with Matt Stevens
• The Max 100 Project
• Ep. 84 with Ross Yoshida
• Ep. 74 with Brian Lindstrom

My next guest is Tori Boykins, a talented graphic designer for the Kansas City Royals. Tori has had a fast rise to becoming one of the most talented designers in professional baseball.

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