The Canadian Graphic Designer Making a Mark in the Disc Golf World

One Canadian who is making waves in the Disc Golf community is Lane Mosolf, a top-notch graphic designer responsible for creating visually captivating logos for some of the world's best Disc Golf professionals like Calvin Heimburg and Catrina Allen.

In this interview, Lane shares his journey in the Disc Golf world, his experiences, and insights on what it takes to succeed in the industry.

Q: Who are you?

A: I’m Lane Mosolf and I’m the current Art Director at Prodigy Disc. I started in May of 2022, so I have been working there for just over a year. In that time, we have launched a brand refresh, a line of signature series discs, and dozens of other products.

I’ve been working as a professional designer for 13 years and have a mixed bag of freelance, agency, and in-house experience.

Q: What is your relationship with Disc Golf?

A: I am brutally addicted to everything about this sport. Every aspect is just so interesting to me, from disc selection, collecting, body mechanics, to simply watching a beautiful flight through the woods.

I haven’t had a sport or hobby dig its claws into my mind like this since I started skateboarding 20 years ago. (Which has now promptly been replaced by Disc Golf, lol)

Q: How would you describe your current role?

A: I oversee and manage the artistic output of Prodigy, which includes conceptualizing campaigns, generating artwork, designing brand and visual ID elements, collaborating on photography & video, and managing projects and other designers/illustrators.

On top of this higher-level stuff, I provide graphic design support, apparel design, and input on decisions related to new products. The team at Prodigy really listens to the input from everyone, which is refreshing; it is a genuinely collaborative experience since we are a small, tight-knit team.

I also just need to shout out my right-hand man, Josh Owens: @prodigy.josh, who is an incredibly talented graphic designer who basically keeps the wheels turning while I get to mess around in the world of concepts. If you want to work in professional sports, be like Josh. Hardworking, a great teammate, and no ego.

Q: How did you get into Disc Golf?

A: Like a ton of people, I started during the pandemic as I was searching for something to fill the void and that was safe to do socially while staying outdoors. I think beer league hockey had been off for a year+ at that point, so I was desperate to find some new athletic outlets.

I was skateboarding at Quilchena one day, but the park was way too packed for my comfort (at that time, it was one of the big waves of COVID), so my friend pointed out the baskets and asked if I wanted to try that. I had grown up playing a ton of golf, so I was immediately down to try this new sport.

We drove to Abbies, I bought an Innova Star Rat, and the rest is history.

Q: What was your breakthrough project?

A: In Disc Golf, it was a logo design for Ezra Aderhold. I entered a contest for fun in my spare time, and he ended up using that as his pro logo! It was a pretty rapid project with no design brief, but sometimes I like to do contests like this just to challenge myself regardless of the result.

That project resulted in Squatch reaching out to me for a paid project doing their visual Identity, which I believe was a success. They have been one of the fastest-growing Disc Golf companies of all time. @squatch_disc_golf Sean Gutermuth, one of the owners of Squatch, then proceeded to line up the Catrina Allen project, which was incredible and definitely the biggest exposure I had yet in the Disc Golf scene. Thank you for everything, Sean!

Outside of Disc Golf, there wasn’t a specific project that took my career to the next level but a specific person. Corey Way @corey.way, the owner and Creative Director of Dayjob Agency (Now called “I’ve Got Dreams”), took a shot by hiring me on a few freelance projects and then as a full-time Senior Designer. The design and creative mentorship he provided was the most valuable part of my entire career as a designer, and I owe a lot to him. As a person and as a boss, you couldn’t ask for a better guy, and I want to model the way that I provide mentorship after him. (Empathy, respect, humanity, and not getting an inflated ego.)

Q: What project are you the most proud of?

A: Dodi Blunts was cool because I got to say hello to Marshawn Lynch for about 2 seconds on Zoom.

Q: What advice could you give others who want to follow in your footsteps?

A: I’m gonna try to keep this advice fairly practical:

1. Work in an agency setting for at least a while. You’ll rapidly refine your skills and learn a lot in that environment. It can be intense and demanding, but you will end up a better creative on the other side, which will allow you to stand out in the specific niche you might want to pursue.
2. Find a good mentor that you feel comfortable having open, honest critiques with. Learn as much as you can from that person.
3. Try to present your work nicely online. (This can mean expanding on existing projects to build them into a larger portfolio piece)
4. Be prolific, not perfect.
5. Lastly, I have benefitted enormously from a system that is tilted to favor CIS white men. This is a factor I am not in control of, but I acknowledge it plays more than a minor role in my success. I do not have to face the issues of racism, sexism, or bigotry, and that absolutely has made my career easier.

My advice related to this is to acknowledge your own luck and privilege. Be grateful for the opportunities and circumstances that seemingly pop into your life at random by trying to make the most of them. Don’t attribute too much of your success or failures to hard work or not working hard enough. As far as I can tell, it’s about 90% luck, 10% effort.

Q: How would you describe your impact on Disc Golf?

A: I just hope that I am helping to improve the perception of Disc Golf as a professional sport to the larger, more mainstream audience. I would love to help be a part of the massive force that is pushing to grow this sport and get it to the next level.

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As Lane Mosolf continues to make his mark on the Disc Golf scene, you won't want to miss out on his latest projects, inspirations, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into his creative process.

To keep up with Lane's journey and witness firsthand how he shapes the future of Disc Golf design, follow his Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/mosolfdesign/. By following Lane, you'll be supporting a talented Canadian artist and staying updated on the exciting developments within the world of Disc Golf.