Nico Budde

Nico Budde, a versatile designer and illustrator, serves as the Creative Coordinator of Football Design for LSU Athletics. In his role, Budde oversees creative efforts for LSU Football Recruiting and Softball, developing visual content that supports team branding, recruiting initiatives, and fan engagement.

A native of Watson, La., Budde began his career with LSU Athletics in March 2022 as a Student Graphic Designer while pursuing his undergraduate degree. His talent and creative vision earned him a Graduate Assistant position in May 2023, where he worked across multiple programs, including Swim and Dive, Beach Volleyball, Volleyball, and Softball.

During his time as a student and graduate assistant, Budde distinguished himself through his illustration work, contributing to department-wide campaigns and content. He led the creative direction for LSU Comics, an illustrated storytelling series that showcased LSU student-athletes in a unique visual format. He also designed the widely successful Mike the Tiger T-Shirt-Ticket packages, blending original artwork with promotional strategy to drive fan excitement and ticket sales.

Budde earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Digital Art from LSU in 2023 and completed his Master of Science in Digital Media Arts and Engineering in May 2025. His academic foundation in digital and interactive media has allowed him to bring a dynamic, multimedia approach to his creative work in collegiate athletics.

With a full-time role at LSU Athletics starting in May of 2025, Budde continues to push the creative vision forward for football and softball, crafting content across social media, recruiting, print, and in-venue platforms to help elevate LSU’s brand and support its student-athletes.