When Ball State University President Geoffrey S. Mearns invited senior art student Paige Coleman to design his 2025 holiday card, she knew she wanted to honor the University’s history in a way that felt playful and familiar.

Her final illustration places two of Ball State’s best-known landmarks—Shafer Bell Tower and the Frog Baby Fountain—inside a glowing Ball Mason jar snow globe, a nod to the Ball brothers whose glass company and philanthropy helped found the University.

“It started with looking into the history of Ball State and the Ball brothers,” Ms. Coleman said. “I wanted to use icons people instantly recognize, and then give them a style that still feels like my own.”

The finished card, printed with “BSU ’25” on the base of the snow globe, features Shafer Tower rising from swirling drifts while a scarf-wrapped Frog Baby leans against its side as snow falls around them.

From South Bend to the School of Art

Ms. Coleman is a senior visual arts/animation major with a concentration in illustration from South Bend, Ind. She first visited campus with her twin brother after watching her older sister attend Ball State.

“We toured in the Fall and just kind of fell in love with the campus,” she said. “Then I met with the head of the animation department, and I liked that I could take both animation and studio classes. It felt like the perfect fit—far enough from home for my own experience, but still close.”

Today, she’s active in the School of Art and is already thinking about what comes next. Ms. Coleman hopes to build a career in illustration—particularly children’s books and studio or freelance work—and is interested in opportunities on the West Coast, including in cities like Seattle.

An Idea That Started in Book Works

The holiday card opportunity began in one of Ms. Coleman’s favorite classes, Animation: Book Works, which focuses on designing children’s books. Her professor emailed the class to say President Mearns was looking for a student designer and invited anyone interested to submit sketches.

Ms. Coleman put together concepts that same week.

“She gave me some feedback on the sketches and then sent them up to the School of Art,” Ms. Coleman said. “From there it just kind of worked its way through the process.”

When she learned her design had been selected, the significance quickly sank in.

“Initially I was very excited—it was a cool opportunity and a chance to show I can do professional work,” she said. “Then it was like, ‘Oh, this is for the University. This can’t just be a sketch; it has to be a fully resolved piece.’ So, there was excitement and a little nervousness, but I felt confident in the idea.”

Building a Snow Globe Around Ball State Traditions

To shape the concept, Ms. Coleman researched Ball State’s history and studied vintage holiday cards.

“I was looking at lithograph holiday cards that use a lot of line etching and snow globe imagery,” she said. “I thought it would be cool to merge that classic holiday look with Ball State’s history.”

The Ball Mason jar became the centerpiece—both a familiar household object and a direct connection to the University’s founders. She then added Shafer Tower, the carillon that anchors the heart of campus and is surrounded by student folklore and traditions, including a superstition about walking underneath the tower before graduation.

President Mearns suggested the final element.

“He recommended including Frog Baby,” Ms. Coleman said. “That really helped tie it together. I wanted something instantly recognizable that also fit the style of the piece.”

Frog Baby—a bronze sculpture of a child holding a frog in each hand—was created in 1917 by American sculptor Edith Barretto Stevens Parsons and later purchased for Ball State’s art collection by Frank C. Ball, one of the five original Ball brothers. Today it stands in a fountain north of Bracken Library, where students rub her nose for luck before exams and bundle her in hats and scarves once winter sets in.

In Ms. Coleman’s illustration, Frog Baby wears a striped scarf inside the jar, echoing that cold-weather tradition.

A Growing Holiday Tradition

Last year, President Mearns invited animation major Emeryn Sinclair to design his holiday card, shifting from the campus photographs he traditionally used to highlight the creative talents of students in the School of Art.

This year marks the second year in a row he has partnered with a student artist on the project.

“Jennifer and I really enjoy, every year, having a student come up with a design,” President Mearns told Ms. Coleman during their meeting. He noted that the card is sent to hundreds of friends and partners of the University and that a QR code on the back links recipients to a story about the student behind the artwork.

Throughout the process, Ms. Coleman said the President’s Office was collaborative and encouraging.

“They were very accommodating,” she said. “They’d say, ‘We love this’ and offer suggestions. It always felt supportive.”

Looking Ahead

As Ms. Coleman finishes her senior year, she’s grateful to have a portfolio piece that represents both her own style and the campus she’s called home.

“It’s really special to know this card celebrates Ball State’s history and the places students care about,” she said, then joked: “If I don’t see it on my family’s fridge when I go home for break, we’re going to have issues.”

For President Mearns, the collaboration is another way to showcase the creativity and ambition of Ball State students.

“Paige’s design beautifully weaves together our University’s proud history and our campus traditions,” he said. “It’s a joyful image I’m proud to share with the extended Ball State community this holiday season.”