Let's draw! Summary of ideas for the sports festival panel

Keyboard playerSAKI
I’ve been playing the Electone since I was six, mainly performing Disney music, anime songs, and music from dramas and films. I post performance videos on YouTube and social media, and I also give concerts. Building on my Electone experience, I took up synthesizer and piano during my student years and performed at school-sponsored events. As a writer, I’ve covered not only music-related topics but a wide range of genres, so I hope to draw on my experience to deliver articles that make readers think, “I want to try that!” or “I want to listen to that!”
A Vocaloid producer who is also a music writerAraki Jakkan
I’ve worked in a variety of roles—regardless of pro or amateur settings—including live event PA, cameraman for video and photography, restaurant staff, and logistics center staff. I now spend my days as a part-time writer. I’ve contributed to music and manga websites with feature/review articles, and wrote the liner notes included as a bonus for 1st PLACE Inc.’s “IA SUPER BEST.” As for my music background, I started playing guitar in junior high and focused on band activities during my school years. For over 15 years since then, up to the present, I’ve continued releasing original tracks as a Vocaloid producer. My areas of expertise are Japanese rock, Vocaloid, and manga.

That sense of unity at sports days and athletics festivals is wonderful, isn’t it? Aiming for victory together, cheering as one… just imagining it fires me up.

Now, when it comes to items that really elevate that feeling, nothing beats the team’s signature panels! With a cool illustration or powerful words at your back, your energy for the events goes way up! In this article, we’ve compiled design ideas for athletics festival panels that we hope will help anyone in charge of creating them.

Be sure to use it as a reference!

Let's draw! Ideas for sports festival panels (21–30)

RPG-style

An RPG-style class banner is a unique and cool idea that transforms the sports festival into an adventure stage.

If you portray the whole class as a party aiming for victory—casting everyone as characters like heroes, mages, warriors, and clerics who take down rivals—you can perfectly express your unity.

Listing items like “Friendship,” “Grit,” and “Speed” in an inventory adds a full-on game vibe.

The storyline of combining forces as comrades in battle will fire up the hearts of viewers.

It’ll be a panel brimming with determination, as if you’re challenging the final boss called Victory.

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Baton Pass

A design that depicts the baton pass against a backdrop of blue sky or a sports field is a compelling idea that conveys an iconic scene of a school sports festival.

The expansive sky evokes images of hope and a broad future, while the act of handing off the baton portrays teamwork and deep bonds.

Adding a tagline to this composition allows the message to come through both visually and verbally, capturing the viewer’s attention.

If you emphasize dynamism in the composition and pay close attention to the athletes’ taut muscles and expressions, the result will be powerfully impactful.

It will create a sense of realism as if the supporters are participating in the event as one, heightening the atmosphere of the venue.

It’s a classic yet profound panel that visually expresses the importance of effort and cooperation.

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Let’s draw! Ideas for the sports festival panel (31–40)

pixel art style

A pixel-art style panel design inspired by a game world sparks a playful spirit and turns the sports festival into an adventure.

By composing the entire piece in pixel art and characterizing the students, you can create an atmosphere where they seem to be battling in roles like hero, mage, or martial artist.

Place courses and obstacles against a stage-like background, and the festival will look like a game level, doubling the excitement of each event.

Shaping the title area into a logo that mimics classic game packaging will further elevate the overall finish.

This design can depict not only victory and defeat, but also challenge and growth, emphasizing that everyone participating is a protagonist.

It will be a creative piece that even those who aren’t into games can enjoy.

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mutō

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in the style of an old folktale

A design themed around the world of old folktales is a unique idea that sparks the imagination while emphasizing the spirit of the sports festival.

By depicting well-known characters like ogres, Urashima Taro, and Princess Kaguya, you can create visuals that balance familiarity with a touch of surprise.

Incorporating Japanese aesthetics into the background and props, and adding calligraphic lettering, will deepen the overall world-building.

Participants will feel as if they’ve become the protagonists of a story as they take on the events, which can strengthen the unity of the entire class.

You’ll be able to create a striking panel that blends visual interest with a strong sense of narrative.

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Enbu-style

A performance-style panel that incorporates elements of Japanese culture—such as traditional attire, taiko drums, and kendo—offers a design that expresses both beauty and intensity.

Use a powerful pose in the overall composition, as if capturing a moment from a staged performance, to evoke the vivid sensation of hearing the drumbeats.

For the background, incorporating a sunset or a flurry of cherry blossoms creates an impression where tradition and fervor merge.

For the tagline, using kanji or brush-style fonts effectively emphasizes strength and focus.

By viewing the sports festival as a single stage and conveying the spirit of expressing oneself with full commitment, this design enables direction that values not only the events but also cheering and unity.

It will come together like a performance where hearts move as one.

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Rainbow-colored art

A panel design themed around the colors of the rainbow will enliven the sports festival as a production that symbolizes hope, diversity, and openness to the future.

By vividly depicting students running at full speed, the moment they break through the finish tape, and even the batons in their hands in rainbow hues, you create a visual brimming with energy and dreams.

If you draw a large rainbow in the background and compose it so they appear to be running along it, it adds a narrative of challenge and growth.

Applying gradients and light effects to the text and catchphrases will also heighten the visual impact.

It’s a design that artistically expresses the essence of the sports festival—individuality shining as one team.

It will be a memorable piece that brightens the heart.

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balloon

How about a panel design that depicts students sprinting with all their might as colorful balloons soar high into the sky? It captures a moment of freedom, liberation, and youthful spirit.

The balloons symbolize hope and dreams, giving the impression that each competitor’s aspirations are being carried into the air.

By incorporating a blue sky and the sun into the background to create a bright overall finish, the entire venue will be wrapped in a positive atmosphere.

Adding lines that let viewers feel the wind around the runners will bring a sense of dynamism to the panel.

Writing supportive messages or class names on the balloons will visually convey the purpose of participating and the team’s unity, making it a piece that leaves a lasting impression.

It’s a brilliant idea that heightens excitement for the sports festival.

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