Anticipating the holiday season’s excitement and cheer, University of Florida President Kent and Linda Fuchs partnered with the UF School of Art + Art History to create their annual holiday greeting card. The contest is in its second year.
A design by Eleni Yannakopoulos, junior graphic design major in the College of the Arts, was selected as the winner among the student-designed pieces.
Assistant Professor and graphic designer Jarred Elrod and UF Libraries’ Book Arts / Letterpress Specialist Ellen Knudson assigned students in the Typography 2 course to create designs that could be utilized as the President’s holiday card. This year, 23 students participated in the competition.
Each card was evaluated by design and art faculty along with the Senior Graphic Design Cohort in the School of Art + Art History. The top five finalists presented their work in person to the Fuchses via digital presentation in the Junior Graphic Design Studio.
The selected card was then produced on a Vandercook Proofing Letterpress, which features two colors on the outside and one color on the inside, with snowflakes showcasing symbols that represent UF, such as palm trees, Century Tower and a gator. Every color pass on each card is hand cranked through the press by a student or faculty member. In addition, faculty and students scored and folded each card by hand. As is their tradition, the Fuchses will give a $1,000 donation to the School of Art + Art History program in recognition of Yannakopoulos.
Each year, the president sends out about 400 cards, and an electronic version was emailed to faculty, staff, students and alumni.
Originally published on UF News.
