A guide to graphic design for coaches

As athletics coaching continues to evolve, it's increasingly important for those in the profession to carry a toolbox that extends way beyond just on-field knowledge.

As it turns out, having graphic design capability is a skill set that could serve coaches quite well.

Maybe you want to brand your program or promote your players in a more new-age way, or perhaps you're just asking yourself where you can get one of those cool headers you see a lot of coaches using on Twitter?

Or, just maybe, you want to learn graphic design to be able to make some extra cash on the side. After all, it is one of our top ways for coaches to make money on the side!

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There are several resources at your disposal to learn graphic design as an athletics coach, or if you want to find someone to make graphics for you! Here are our favorites, with some shoutouts to coaches who are already doing great work with graphic design.

1. Canva

A personal favorite, Canva gives so much versatility and has a smaller learning curve.

You can design everything here: t-shirts, programs, social media graphics, web banners, even videos. There are thousands and thousands of ready-made templates that you can use or customize to your liking.

A Canva pro subscription unlocks even more features, such as increased cloud storage, ability to schedule posts directly to social platforms, ability to upload your own logos, fonts, and customize a brand kit, even more templates and 75 million stock photos, videos, graphics, and audio clips. Plus, one of our favorites, unlimited use of a background remover for “cutouts”. Trust me, you can save so much time and hassle with this tool, as opposed to doing it manually.

2. Adobe Suite

Think of graphic design, and you're going to think of Adobe's suite of products, whether it's Photoshop, Illustrator, or something else.

The learning curve is more steep here, and you may want to consider one of Adobe's courses (or similar learning platforms like Skillshare) to help you along the way.

However, Adobe is well-known for its capabilities and end results.

3. Fiverr

If you need some graphics or some type of design work done, Fiverr's a great place to go. Fiverr is an online marketplace where you can search for what you need and find a huge database of folks who can perform your service.

Ratings from previous customers, prices, and expectations for the work are included on all Fiverr provider's profiles.

Another cool thing about Fiverr is this: if you have already honed your own graphic design skills, you can sign up to sell your own services on the platform!

4. Other coaches with experience in graphic design

Perhaps you can pick their brains, or you can simply ask them if you need some work done for you or your program. Here's a list, complete with Twitter profiles, of some coaches that we know have experience in graphic design work.

L.C. Cisneroz | @Coach_Cisneroz

John Weaver | @CoachWeaverMRA

Nick Stromeyer | @NickStro66

Pat Bloemen | @PatBloemen

Maurice Allen | @Coach_Allen5

Kortlin White | @CoachKWhite

Marcus Washington | @gawga_boi044

Kyle Reichert | @CoachReichert_

Hope this guide has helped you in some way! One bonus tip: if you are a coach that wants to sell graphic design services or just showcase your work, consider launching a website. It's the most professional-looking method! See our full guide on starting your own website for help in this area.

Any questions? Feel free to ask by emailing me: chris(at)thecoachbridge.com!