The Faculty Staff Holiday Card is one of UNLV’s most beloved traditions, bringing seasonal joy to staff and scholarship dollars to students every year. 

Created 58 years ago by UNLV faculty, led by foreign language professor Don Schmiedel, his wife Grace, and others to build community and support students, the campaign has raised more than $172,000 for 50-plus scholarships. This year’s recipients are Jonatan Hailemariam, a business management senior, and Rafielle Reyes, a criminal justice senior.

Every year, the card features a new collectible design, from the zany to the magical. Desert turtles in Santa hats, seals in earmuffs, and woodland critters in COVID masks have all graced cards, along with more elegant abstract designs and cozy snow-dusted campus vignettes.

But for the past four years, the card has had just one creator: UNLV alumna Amelia Davis, ’22 Graphic Design and English, and now a graphic designer for the Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement.

Davis fulfills hundreds of design requests for diverse university departments every year. But the Faculty Staff Holiday card is one of her favorite projects. Here, we dig into her design process and the joys of a career in art.

Tell us why you love this project.

I think it’s my way of giving back to all the staff who helped me as a student and all those who have such a passion for UNLV. I like to give them a little piece of the university, a little piece of love, and say thank you and happy holidays. This project is also special, because I get to be a part of this history and long tradition of cards. It's also interesting because you really have to make sure you don't copy something that happened 10 years ago. Like this year, we have a sweater design — it’s not really an ugly sweater, it’s cute. If you look closely, each stitch is the shape of a heart.

Do you have a favorite holiday card from over the years?

People loved last year’s card for 2024, and I was really proud of that design. It was a hand-drawn illustration that I did in Procreate on my iPad. I wanted to pay homage to an essential part of campus, so I chose the Lee Pascal Memorial Rose Garden and the Flashlight sculpture. I used to walk past it every day as a student. Ham Hall is in the background, and I used to play orchestra concerts there in middle school. And we have the rose garden, established by famous UNLV donor Elaine Wynn. And then there's the Snuffleupagus tree — did you know it has its own Instagram? Some friends of mine got engaged under that tree, and I’ve heard other people have, too. It’s a very special willow tree. 

The card’s look was inspired by a lot of textured, hand-drawn illustrations. People can relate to that, from coloring with crayons or colored pencils as children. I think people yearn for that organic, human feel. I wanted the aerial perspective, so my friend Clay King, ’22 BS Architecture and ’24 M.Arch, created a 3D diagram for me from Google Maps to work off.

Do you get feedback from colleagues on the cards?

Yes! People really love the moving snow on the digital versions, which we did in 2023 and 2024. They told me they put them in their email signatures.

Were you always an artist?

My mom was a huge crafter, and she always encouraged me to draw and color. We did Lego projects and paint-by-numbers, and she put all my school crafts on the fridge! I actually wanted to be a paleontologist when I was little, but I figured out that’s an extremely difficult job. So, I thought, maybe I’ll go into something arts related.

How did you become a graphic designer?

I went to SECTA for high school and studied 3D animation, I was really into animation for video games. I had a teacher who suggested I go into graphic design because there were no good programs for 3D animation in Nevada at the time. She told me I was a good artist, and I could probably learn the programs pretty quickly. 

So, I went to College of Southern Nevada and got my associate degree in art and then came to UNLV. Getting into graphic design here was hard; you have to test in. I got in on my second try, and in the meantime, I pursued an English degree. I got a really good classical design education here. I learned all the Adobe programs, as well as typography, print and publication design, and even some web coding. I also had a job designing and writing a publication for the Better Business Bureau before I even had my degree.

What is your design process?

When I get an assignment, we have an initial meeting to discuss ideas. Sometimes I come with my own ideas, or sometimes we go with someone else’s idea, but I can adopt every idea at some point and eventually be happy with it. I often create a story board, like a mood board, which is common for artists and animators. I usually come up with five different designs, and not every one works, but I might keep it for a future project. 

Like all art, it’s a process of trial and error. And I think that's what really keeps a lot of people from becoming artists is they hit the error part and feel they can’t do it. But sometimes you hold on to an idea for a week or a month or a year and then you revisit it and you're like, oh wait, this could actually work! If I am working on a piece and I get a good feeling about it, I’ll stick with it. I just let my gut sort of move my hands.

What and who inspires you?

I always really liked Van Gogh and Basquiat and Renaissance sculptors. I like and appreciate all art; my Instagram is full of artists, from character to fan art. I love seeing what other people create, especially when they pair it to music. I've discovered a lot of good music that way. 

I also keep a lot of magazines and tons of screen shots; I have a collection of so much art that I've consumed over the last 29 years of my life. Like, I can remember things that I saw in a magazine 10 years ago. They say nothing in art is original, but I believe what makes it original is what you bring to it, to freshen it, and also how people perceive it.

Do you get artist’s block, and how do you cure it?

It happens all the time. Graphic design has such a high burnout rate, it’s very demanding. One thing that helps is that all of the people or schools I work with have different tastes. Like the law school, they really like geometric designs, College of Fine Arts likes more flowy and breathable designs, College of Liberal Arts is very open to whatever I show them. Integrated Health Sciences prefers a very minimalist, clean look. It keeps it interesting. 

I've also developed practices like taking walks and finding art and colors in nature. And I talk to people! You’d be surprised how many nonartists have given me fantastic ideas. I will also look at all my galleries and references, and that helps bring my spark back. 

You work in philanthropy and volunteer a lot for UNLV – what does philanthropy mean to you?

I was never involved as a student apart from being part of the Star Wars student organization. [Side note: She dressed up as a Jedi and did light saber duel shows with this group at Strip casinos and local parades.] But now that I've graduated and work here, I volunteer at all our events – the Foundation’s annual dinner, football tailgates, the President’s Holiday Village, and our Art of Scholarship event. I'm also getting involved with the College of Fine Arts Alumni Chapter; starting Jan. 1, I will be the vice president and in two years I should become president. 

I like giving back to the place and people who did so much for me. I know not everyone can financially donate — I can't always donate as much as I would like — but I can give my time, effort, and care. I also really like free food! But seriously, when I create art, it’s usually for an event and I like seeing how people interact with the art, and how the art behaves in the space.

Why should we give to the Faculty Staff Card Scholarship campaign?

It’s giving to the students. [The recipients] are in very tough degrees and they have good grades.The students are always incredibly grateful, and in many cases, scholarship recipients come back and become donors to the university. So, you’re really setting someone’s future up. If all you can donate is $5 or $25, you get a nice little card to put on your fridge. To you it's a card, to them it's an opportunity they wouldn't have otherwise.