Isabell Macrina’s illustration of a snow-capped Colgate Hall cupola and Mount Kearsarge is the cover art for the Colby-Sawyer College President’s Office 2024 holiday card.   

Macrina ’25, who majors in creative and professional writing and minors in graphic design, used blue and shades of white to create the dreamy, snow globe-like winter scene. 

"[Mount] Kearsarge is a large part of the Colby-Sawyer experience,” Macrina said. “Mountain Day alone is an annual tradition, and I hadn't seen it used on a holiday card despite snow-covered mountains being one of the first things I think of when it comes to winter.”  

The resident of Norfolk, Massachusetts, made the design for the annual holiday card project in Assistant Professor Cory Dinsmore’s 330 Illustration course. Her creation will be used for both digital and printed cards. 

Junior Maggie Morse’s digitally painted scene of the decorated cupola against a snowy night sky was selected for the cover of the Advancement Office’s holiday cards. 

“I was hoping that the recipients of my card would feel the joy and whimsy of the holidays by seeing such an iconic part of Colby-Sawyer dressed in festive garland, berries and ribbon,” said Morse, who lives in Canaan, New Hampshire, and majors in business administration and minors in studio art and graphic design. 

Dinsmore, who joined the graphic design faculty in 2022, said the assignment gives students the chance to use illustration techniques and have a real-world client experience.  

She encouraged the class to do research, create sketches and select either a digital or analog medium. She also reminded students that people of varying faiths and cultural traditions would be receiving the cards. 

A jury of Colby-Sawyer staff members critiqued the students’ initial designs and later chose the winning illustrations.  

Laura Sykes ’98, interim college president, was joined on the jury by Tracey Austin, director of alumni and community relations; Dayna Carignan '04, graphic designer in Marketing & Communications; Stacy Hannings '14, communications manager for advancement and admissions; Megan Oman '13, executive assistant and secretary of the college; and Dan Parish, vice president for college advancement. 

Hannings, a former art major at CSC, said it was fun to see the designs and hear students explain their thoughts and methods.  

After the critique, Macrina added a subtle lighting gradient and expanded the warm glow inside the cupola from one window to three. Morse removed snowflakes around parts of the cupola and experimented with fonts and colors. 

Dinsmore said a goal is for students to effectively combine text and illustrative elements into a piece. 

“A fundamental aspect of illustration is storytelling and the ability to reach an audience,” she said. “This project is a perfect way for the students to practice this.”