From Miami to the Cavs: Bailey Mincer’s Path to Art Director
October 22, 2024 | Courtney Russell
By: Natalie Silk, senior at Miami University
If you’re from Cleveland or Ohio or just a basketball fan in general, you know working for the Cleveland Cavaliers is a very cool opportunity. So how does one start working for the Cavs? Bailey Mincer, a 2019 Miami alumna, tells us how she landed her role as Art Director for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Life At Miami
Beginning her journey at Miami, she pursued a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design (now Communication Design) with a minor in Entrepreneurship. A professor who influenced the way she does things in her everyday work environment was Jim Friedman. Through her Entrepreneurship classes, Dr. Friedman taught her to not choose the first right answer or the most obvious solution. Rather, he pushed her to think creatively and outside the box when it comes to finding solutions.
One project that she has carried with her outside of school was when she had the opportunity to go to San Francisco and work with a gelato company through her entrepreneurship studies. There she was involved in a problem-solving-based competition between teams to have the best solution/idea for the client. Bailey’s solution was to redesign the packaging of the gelato, which ultimately led to her winning the competition. This project was able to highlight just how powerful design could be in solving problems.
Postgrad Experiences
After graduating from Miami, she decided to find another internship, this time through Major League Baseball (MLB.) Bailey never pictured herself working in sports postgrad, but after working with MLB she knew she wanted to work in sports. Working with MLB led her to her current career with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
During her internship with MLB, she was able to design a logo for a Dominican Republic Major League Baseball game. After her internship was done she went on vacation with her family to the Dominican Republic and saw her logo for the game in the Dominican Republic airport. This experience was one of the most surreal moments for her being able to see her work being used!
Life As Art Director at Cleveland Cavaliers
As an Art Director for the Cavs, she leads a team of six designers who work on a variety of different projects, such as social media posts, billboards, and merchandise. One of her favorite projects she got to work on was designing a logo for the international game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Brooklyn Nets in Paris. She was able to incorporate elements from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland with elements from the Louvre in Paris to tie the two cities together in one logo.
When creating for the Cavs she loves to draw inspiration from anything and always finds herself noticing different design decisions made in things she sees every day. She especially loves to draw inspiration from fashion and streetwear when creating. She continues to push her limits past the obvious solutions when working on projects and is grateful for all the skills she developed at Miami to lead her into the position she is in today.
Bailey’s Advice for Students
Leaving students with some inspiration, she gave the advice, “stay true to the things you’re passionate about, and try to tie that to the things you’re good at.”