Designing a Legacy: How Michelle Sutherby Has Immortalized Red Wings History and Paved the Way for the Next Generation of Women
- karinnaleonard
- 21 hours ago
- 7 min read
This week I had the pleasure of speaking with Michelle Sutherby, who is the Social Media Content Designer for the Detroit Red Wings. While her primary role involves designing content for their social media channels, after seven years with the organization her responsibilities have evolved. Alongside her digital work, she has designed t-shirts, pucks, commemorative tickets, signage, and more. Outside of the social media team, she works with various departments such as Brand and Revenue, Marketing, Web and App, In-Arena, Corporate Partnerships, Ticket Sales, Communications, Community Relations, and more.
After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design and Marketing from Madonna University, Michelle gained her first experience in professional sports through a year-long graphic design internship with the Orlando Magic. The role was a pivotal step that jumpstarted her career, by giving her hands-on experience inside a major sports organization. She encourages anyone interested in working in sports to pursue similar opportunities and apply for all available internships: “So many teams across leagues have internships that are a huge first step in a career working in sports that are valuable experiences that will help you grow both personally and professionally.”
Building on that experience, Michelle took her next step in October of 2018, when she joined the Red Wings as a Jr. Designer in the Creative Department at Ilitch Sports + Entertainment—the business operations conglomerate for major Detroit sports organizations and entertainment experiences. At the time, the company was known as Olympia Entertainment and with them Michelle designed creative content for not only the Wings, but also for the Detroit Tigers, 313Presents, and the District Detroit.
All of this experience has led to her fulfilling career today. Her favorite part of the job is being a part of the team's history. As a creative member of the team, the design campaigns she works on are, in her words, "extremely rewarding and something that I'm immensely proud of and will look back on one day and say, 'Hey, I did that and was a part of that.'"
Michelle has a lot to be proud of—you can follow along with her work on TikTok @thechellelee, which I discovered over the summer. Her work is truly fascinating, and it's fun to see how the graphics come together. For example, her designs for the Sergei Fedorov jersey retirement announcement showcased the creativity and precision she brings to every project. The concept behind the graphic was to replicate a mixed-media scrapbook. To achieve this, she scanned fabric materials to mimic the look of a real jersey, then added texture by layering photos, stickers, rubber bands, ribbons, felt, newspaper clippings, and historic elements. The ticket in the graphic is from Fedorov's debut game, and the years represent the span of his career with the Red Wings.
This is just one example of the amazing work she does to highlight the Red Wings players and immortalize their careers in history. Admittedly a tough question, I asked Michelle if she had a favorite Red Wings player, past or present. She said, “The Wings have so many legends and alumni, as well as some really interesting current players. I think my favorite past Red Wing, if I had to choose one, would be Henrik Zetterberg, and my current favorite would be Lucas Raymond.” Through this, Michelle shows how much she values both the legends who built the franchise and the players defining it now. As a fan of the historic team, her sports hot take is that the Red Wings have the best logo in all of sports, and once you see how she incorporates it into her work, it's hard to disagree.
To understand more about her role, I asked Michelle to walk me through a typical in-season workday. She works all 82 games and most practices, so her days stay full and fast-paced. On a game day, she starts her morning by preparing graphics and turning over templates for that night’s matchup. This means updating templates with things such as the opponent’s logo, dates, matchups, and anything else that needs to be adjusted. From there, she assists with morning skate coverage by editing photos and arranging them into graphics for the team’s Instagram Story. She also creates media availability thumbnails for YouTube, DetroitRedWings.com, and the Red Wings App. In the few hours between morning skate and puck drop, Michelle shifts her focus to catching up on other projects such as player milestone graphics, holidays, sponsored content, or any last-minute requests like announcements, injury updates, or player transactions. Before heading to the arena, she always grabs an iced coffee—her current go-to is a grande iced brown sugar oatmilk shaken espresso with non-dairy vanilla sweet cream cold foam from Starbucks.
Just before warmups, she heads up to the press box to begin pre-game and in-game coverage and create graphics for all of their social media channels. Throughout the game, she designs real-time graphics for their social platforms with things like goal highlights, in-game milestones, end of period score updates, and anything else that the team may need created. If the Red Wings win, her night gets even busier. She edits photos and creates the 3 Stars of the Game graphics, the "Wings Win You Win" promotional campaign with Little Caesars, updated thumbnails, and the win celebration graphics.
Though there are no games or practices, she stays just as busy in the off-season. The pace may change, but it doesn’t slow down. Instead of game coverage, the focus shifts to the NHL draft, Development Camp, free agency, player signings and announcements, and campaign planning for the upcoming season. This past off-season carried an extra layer of excitement and pressure, as Michelle and the creative team prepared for the organization’s Centennial Season.
Michelle grew up as a Red Wings fan, but actually preferred basketball and baseball when she was younger. It wasn't until she began working with the team that she truly became immersed in hockey. As she spent more time around the sport, her appreciation and knowledge deepened, and now it’s her favorite. Like many of us, she was drawn in by how challenging and dynamic the game is: "The speed, precision, work-ethic, and strength that these players have is, in my opinion, like no other sport. Seeing what these players do on a daily basis to stay in shape and perform at this high level is really something special."
Beyond just watching the game, Michelle has found purpose in the role she plays behind the scenes. She explained: "Not only that, but it’s really awesome and rewarding as a designer to highlight these players’ achievements throughout their career and help bring the teams’ stories to life that will be a part of the history." For many women, careers in sports have only recently begun to feel visible and accessible, and Michelle’s path reflects that shift. Mixing sports and design wasn’t a career she grew up knowing existed. It wasn’t until later that she learned of the possibility of working for a professional team in a creative role. Once that became an option, she allowed herself to envision a new future and then worked hard to turn that dream into reality. For Michelle, it has become the perfect intersection of her passions:“Bringing my love for sports together with my passion for art and design has been extremely exciting, rewarding, and truly a dream come true.”
That's not to say the job comes without challenges. Like any career, there are hardships and for Michelle the biggest struggle is the daily grind. Working in sports often means there are no traditional hours, which requires making sacrifices. Despite this, Michelle relies on strong time management skills and a good support system to help her stay grounded. She acknowledges the demands, but also finds meaning in her career, explaining: “The work we do and the people we get to work with makes all the long work hours and late nights worth it".
One of the people she gets to work closely with is Kyle Culps, who is the Red Wings Art Director. When I asked Michelle who has inspired her or had the most influence on her career, his name came up immediately. She's looked up to him since the beginning of her time with the Red Wings, and she credits his passion—as a creative and a designer—as being integral for her own growth. She’s grateful for his constant support and to continue learning from him and collaborating with him.
For anyone hoping to work in sports, Michelle offers simple but powerful advice: "You may get a lot of no's before you get that one yes, so don't give up or feel discouraged." The process of getting a job in sports can be competitive and sometimes discouraging, but she emphasizes that persistence is key, as every experience helps build the foundation for your next opportunity. The most important message she has—specifically for women entering the field—is this: "Don’t be afraid to let your voice be heard. It can be daunting at times working in a male dominated field, especially as a woman, but your opinions and ideas matter. Be professional, be curious, stay open-minded, and be okay with making a few mistakes along the way. It will only help you learn and grow even more."
I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to dive into Michelle's journey and learn more about her career. Her story is inspiring and a reminder that women belong wherever sports are. Michelle shows that there is always a space for women to create, contribute, and shape the future of the industry. Be sure to follow along with her work as she continues to design history and carve a path for the next generation of women in sports.