Working with prestigious academic institutions represents the pinnacle of artistic collaboration for any digital mosaic artist. When the University of California San Diego partnered with the innovative team at Vitro Agency to launch their historic "Non Other" campaign, I was honored to contribute my specialized photomosaic design expertise to this groundbreaking $3+ billion fundraising initiative.
This commission challenged me to create seven distinct digital mosaic portraits - six featuring distinguished UCSD faculty, students, and alumni, plus the iconic Sun God statue that serves as the university's beloved symbol. Each piece required a unique approach to visual storytelling, combining my signature mosaic technique with careful consideration of each subject's academic achievements and personal journey.
The Challenge: Transform individual stories of academic excellence into compelling visual narratives that would resonate across diverse donor communities while maintaining the sophisticated aesthetic standards expected from a world-class university campaign.
The Solution: A series of carefully crafted digital mosaics, each incorporating thousands of micro-images relevant to the subject's field of study, personal interests, and UCSD's broader mission of innovation and discovery.
The Artworks: Detailed Project Breakdown
Mari Kawamura - Virtuosity Redefined
Subject: Doctor of Musical Arts '22, The Ruth Epstein Endowed Memorial Fellow in Piano Performance
Department: Music, School of Arts and Humanities
Department: Music, School of Arts and Humanities
This digital mosaic portrait embodies Mari's revolutionary approach to musical performance through pure musical language - every element of her likeness is constructed from actual musical notation, sheet music fragments, and musical symbols. The composition features thousands of carefully selected musical notes, staffs, treble clefs, and score excerpts that build her portrait while telling the story of her musical journey.
Artistic Process: The entire portrait flows like a musical composition itself, with musical notation creating both the structure and detail of her features. The dominant blue palette suggests the depth and contemplation of classical music, while strategic golden accents - appearing as highlighted musical notes and symbols - represent the moments of brilliance and discovery that define her innovative approach to piano performance.
Musical Storytelling: Each musical note and staff line serves a dual purpose - contributing to the photographic likeness while representing the "breaks between" sound that Mari champions in her artistic philosophy. The density and flow of notation varies across the composition, creating visual rhythm that mirrors the ebb and flow of musical performance, where silence and sound dance together in perfect harmony.
Technical Innovation: This piece demonstrates advanced digital mosaic technique where the micro-elements (musical notes and symbols) are not merely decorative but narratively meaningful, creating a portrait that can be "read" both visually and musically by those familiar with musical notation.
from the UCSD website: Sounding off like non other
In music, virtuosity is everything. But what if it isn’t? That’s the question pianist Mari Kawamura poses by embracing not only the action in music, but the breaks in between. Fed by a diverse community of faculty, students and researchers — and fueled by generous donors creating a learning environment like non other — she’s free to pursue sounds like non other. Thanks to these visionary supporters, the Campaign for UC San Diego has concluded with over $3 billion raised. And its impact will continue to echo into the future.
Mari Kawamura digital mosaic portrait, composed entirely of musical notation and sheet music fragments for UCSD's "Non Other" campaign.
You can find a high resolution (12800 x 15360) version of this artwork here.
Tammy Russell
PhD ’24, NOAA Dr. Nancy Foster Scholar, Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Tammy's portrait embodies her groundbreaking research through a living ocean ecosystem - her entire likeness emerges from countless marine species that populate her research world. Tropical fish in brilliant yellows, blues, and oranges form her facial features, while seabirds in flight create the flowing movement of her hair. Sea turtles, coral formations, and diverse marine life build the structure of her portrait, creating a vibrant celebration of ocean biodiversity.
Artistic Process: The composition flows with the organic movement of ocean currents, as schools of fish create the contours of her face while individual species add textural detail and depth. The rich blues and teals of the marine environment contrast beautifully with the warm corals, yellows, and oranges of tropical species, reflecting the diverse Pacific ecosystem she studies from UCSD's coastal location.
Environmental Storytelling: Each fish, bird, and sea creature represents the interconnected marine life that Tammy works to protect. The dynamic arrangement of flying seabirds around her portrait emphasizes her specific research focus on climate change impacts on seabird populations, while the coral and tropical fish speak to the broader ocean health that affects all marine ecosystems.
Scientific Authenticity: The careful selection of species - from angelfish and parrotfish to gulls and corals - reflects actual biodiversity found in Pacific coastal waters, making this portrait both artistic achievement and educational tool about marine conservation.
from the UCSD website: Exploring like non other
From our perch on the Pacific, future thought leaders are looking at marine stewardship with fresh eyes. One of them is doctoral student Tammy Russell, who is researching the impacts of climate change and plastics on seabirds — and by extension, every living thing. Finding creative new ways to help the brightest minds improve the health of our planet is empowered by generous donors who contributed more than $3 billion as part of the Campaign for UC San Diego. And while the Campaign has come to a close, its legacy will benefit the planet for decades to come.
Tammy Russell digital mosaic portrait by Charis Tsevis, created from tropical fish, seabirds, and marine species for UCSD's ocean conservation campaign.
You can find a high resolution (12800 x 15360) version of this artwork here.
Shyamanga Borooah, MBBS, PhD
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine
Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology at the Shiley Eye Institute, UC San Diego.
Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology at the Shiley Eye Institute, UC San Diego.
This portrait achieves perfect conceptual harmony between subject and medium - Dr. Borooah's likeness emerges from thousands of human eyes and iris patterns in every conceivable color and variation. The composition features eyeballs with irises ranging from deep browns and warm hazels to brilliant blues and greens, creating a mesmerizing tapestry that celebrates the diversity of human vision while honoring his groundbreaking work in genetic eye disease treatment.
Artistic Process: Each eye serves as both artistic element and scientific reference, with the varied iris patterns and pupil sizes creating the tonal variations needed for photorealistic portraiture. The warm amber and golden tones dominate his facial features, transitioning to cooler blues and teals in the background, symbolizing the hope and healing that his genetic research brings to patients facing vision loss.
Medical Symbolism: The multiplicity of eyes creates powerful metaphorical layers - representing not only the thousands of patients his research may help, but also the idea that through genetic research, we gain new ways of "seeing" solutions to previously untreatable conditions. The floating eyes around the portrait suggest the broader vision and perspective required for groundbreaking medical research.
Technical Precision: This piece demonstrates the highest level of digital mosaic artistry, where each individual eye element maintains its anatomical accuracy while contributing to the larger portrait composition, reflecting the precision required in both art and medical research.
From the UCSD website: Vision like non other
Vision is everything at UC San Diego. In fact, our physician-scientists are inching ever closer to preventing and even curing vision loss. Right now, Dr. Shyamanga Borooah is harnessing the power of the latest genetic discoveries to develop groundbreaking precision treatments for inherited macular degenerations, currently untreatable genetic eye diseases that prematurely rob patients of their central vision. Empowering the discovery of new treatments for devastating diseases like this is the direct result of generous donors who collectively contributed over $3 billion as part of the Campaign for UC San Diego. And, while the Campaign has closed, its waves of impact will be seen well into the future. We call that vision at work.
Dr. Shyamanga Borooah digital mosaic portrait by Charis Tsevis, composed of thousands of human eyeballs and iris patterns for UCSD's vision science campaign. You can find a high resolution (12800 x 15360) version of this artwork here.
Luke Paulus
Brian M. Powers and Paula H. Powers Chancellor’s Associates Scholar
Luke's portrait celebrates educational opportunity and access. The mosaic incorporates hundreds of images representing diverse academic disciplines, student life, campus architecture, and symbols of educational achievement.
Artistic Process: The composition uses an upward-flowing design motif, suggesting growth and aspiration. Bright, optimistic colors dominate - blues, greens, and warm oranges - representing the boundless possibilities that education provides.
Symbolic Elements: Books, laboratory equipment, artistic tools, and sports imagery are woven throughout, reflecting the comprehensive university experience that scholarships like CASP make possible for deserving students.
From the UCSD website: Opportunity like non other
At UC San Diego, we believe educational access should be nonnegotiable. So in 2013, we created the Chancellor’s Associates Scholarship Program (CASP), offering students like Luke Paulus the financial and academic support that allows them to truly explore and experience a university education like non other. Fueled by visionary supporters, CASP and similar scholarships and student services ensure access, opportunity and success for our future changemakers. And while the Campaign for UC San Diego has concluded with over $3 billion raised, it will continue to empower more students well into the future.
Luke Paulus digital mosaic portrait by Charis Tsevis, composed of hundreds of UCSD campus life photographs celebrating educational opportunity and student achievement. You can find a high resolution (12800 x 15360) version of this artwork here.
Teddy Cruz and Fonna Forman
Professor of Visual Arts, School of Arts and Humanities, Director of Urban Research, UC San Diego Center on Global Justice, Professor of Political Science, School of Social Sciences, Founding Director, UC San Diego Center on Global Justice
This dual portrait celebrates the rich cultural exchange at the heart of their cross-border work through an intricate tapestry of American and Mexican heritage symbols, patterns, and iconography. Their likenesses emerge from a dynamic collage featuring traditional Mexican textiles and geometric patterns interwoven with American cultural elements, flags from both nations, indigenous motifs, contemporary symbols of community development, and actual photographs from the San Diego-Tijuana border area where their groundbreaking work takes place.
Cultural Fusion: The composition radiates outward from their portraits with vibrant golden and orange tones that evoke the warmth of both cultures. Traditional Aztec and Native American patterns merge with modern architectural elements, housing imagery, community development symbols, and documentary photographs of the actual borderland communities they serve, creating an authentic sense of place and purpose.
Cross-Border Symbolism: Mexican flags, traditional tessellated patterns, and indigenous geometric designs blend seamlessly with American imagery, contemporary graphics, and real border area photography. Text elements related to "CONSTRUCTION," "HOUSING," and "HELP" appear throughout, directly referencing their Community Stations project that brings together researchers, schools, and nonprofits across the San Diego-Tijuana corridor.
Social Justice Narrative: The radiating composition suggests energy and movement flowing outward from their collaboration, symbolizing how their cross-border initiatives create ripple effects of positive change. The inclusion of actual border area photography grounds the portrait in the real landscape and communities where their work transforms lives, while the warm, earth-toned palette connects to both the physical borderland environment and the warmth of the communities they serve.
From the UCSD website: Connection like non other:
Straddling countries and cultures, Fonna Forman and Teddy Cruz are linking up — and building up — vulnerable border communities. UC San Diego’s network of cross-border Community Stations are bringing together researchers, schools and nonprofits in an effort to expand education, culture and climate action. Mobilized by visionary donors, who collectively contributed over $3 billion as part of the Campaign for UC San Diego, these cross-border thought leaders are able to tackle urban inequality in a way that is truly boundless.
Teddy Cruz and Fonna Forman dual digital mosaic portrait by Charis Tsevis, featuring American and Mexican heritage symbols plus San Diego-Tijuana border photography. You can find a high resolution (13200 x 15760) version of this artwork here.
UCSD Sun God statue
Subject: Niki de Saint Phalle's Monumental Campus Sculpture (1983)
Transforming this beloved campus icon into digital mosaic format celebrates the vibrant community that surrounds it - the entire statue emerges from hundreds of photographs capturing authentic UCSD student life, campus activities, academic moments, and university traditions. From graduation ceremonies and research laboratories to casual campus gatherings and Sun God Festival celebrations, every element of university life contributes to recreating this iconic sculpture in photographic form.
Artistic Process: The mosaic honors both the original artwork's vibrant, playful aesthetic and its central role as the heart of campus community. The composition flows with the statue's distinctive curves and bold forms, while the photographic elements - showing real students, faculty, campus architecture, and daily university life - create the textural detail and color variations that bring the sculpture to life in this new medium.
Campus Community Celebration: Each photograph represents the living, breathing university community that makes the Sun God statue meaningful - not just as public art, but as a gathering place, celebration focal point, and symbol of UCSD student spirit. Images of actual campus events, academic achievements, student organizations, and daily campus moments create an authentic portrait of university life surrounding this cherished landmark.
Cultural Heritage Bridge: This piece bridges traditional public art with contemporary digital techniques while celebrating the ongoing campus traditions that have grown around de Saint Phalle's original creation, demonstrating how beloved institutional symbols can find new expression through community-centered photomosaic design.
UCSD Sun God statue digital mosaic by Charis Tsevis, recreated from hundreds of authentic campus life photographs celebrating student traditions and university community. You can find a high resolution (12800 x 15360) version of this artwork here.
Campaign Applications and Impact
The versatility of digital mosaic art shines through in campaign applications. These portraits appeared across multiple media formats:
Print Applications:
Magazine advertisements, Large-format posters for campus installations and donor events
Direct mail pieces targeting major gift prospects
Digital Applications:
Web banners and social media campaigns
Email marketing materials
Digital display advertising across multiple platforms
Environmental Applications:
Campus building displays and donor recognition walls
Event backdrops and presentation materials
Mobile exhibition installations
Magazine advertisements.
Magazine advertisements.
Project Success Metrics
The "Non Other" campaign's remarkable success speaks to the power of custom digital mosaic art in educational fundraising:
$3.05 billion raised - exceeding the original $2 billion goal by more than 50%
More than 163,000 donors engaged across diverse demographics and geographic regions
UC San Diego became the nation's youngest university to reach a multibillion-dollar fundraising goal in a single campaign
As reported by UC San Diego: "Thanks to the support of more than 163,000 donors, UC San Diego has raised more than $3 billion to date, making us the youngest university in the country to reach a multibillion-dollar milestone in a single campaign."
The campaign, which concluded June 30, 2022, demonstrated how specialized digital mosaic artistry can elevate institutional communications beyond conventional photography or illustration, creating memorable visual assets that resonate with sophisticated audiences while honoring academic excellence.
Sources:
Large-format posters for campus installations and donor events
Large-format posters for campus installations and donor events
Behind the Scenes: Creative Process Insights
Creating educational illustration at this level requires deep research and collaboration:
Research Phase: Each portrait began with extensive research into the subject's work, reading their publications, and understanding their contributions to their respective fields.
Collaborative Development: Regular consultations with both Vitro Agency and UCSD stakeholders ensured each piece aligned with campaign messaging and brand standards.
Technical Innovation: This project pushed the boundaries of what's possible in digital mosaic art, particularly in representing abstract concepts like musical silence or genetic research through visual metaphor.
Quality Assurance: Multiple rounds of review ensured both artistic excellence and factual accuracy in representing each subject's work and achievements.
Digital display advertising across multiple platforms
Website campaign
Website campaign
Website campaign
Website campaign
Website campaign
The Power of Educational Art Commissions
This UCSD project exemplifies why leading universities choose custom digital mosaic art for major campaigns:
Emotional Connection: Unlike stock photography, custom mosaics create unique emotional bonds between viewers and subjects, essential for donor engagement.
Brand Differentiation: In competitive educational fundraising, distinctive visual assets help institutions stand out from countless other appeals.
Versatile Applications: A single artwork can serve multiple campaign needs across various media and time periods, maximizing investment value.
Cultural Impact: These pieces become part of the institution's permanent visual heritage, continuing to serve the university long after the campaign concludes.
Close-up detail showing how individual musical notes and staffs create the subtle tonal variations around Mari's eyes in this innovative photomosaic design
Background detail revealing the density and variety of musical symbols - treble clefs, notes, and staff lines - that create the blue atmospheric space
Close-up showing how brilliant tropical fish species - angelfish, parrotfish, and coral reef inhabitants - form the facial structure of this environmental portrait
Detail of dynamic seabird imagery creating the flowing movement of Tammy's hair, reflecting her specific research on climate impacts on bird populations
Close-up revealing the stunning variety of human iris colors and patterns - from deep browns to brilliant blues - that create the tonal variations in this medical portrait
Luke Paulus digital mosaic portrait, composed of hundreds of UCSD campus life photographs celebrating educational opportunity and student achievement
Close-up showing graduation ceremonies, academic achievements, and scholarly moments that represent the educational opportunities made possible through scholarship programs
Intimate detail of everyday campus moments - students studying, socializing, and living the university experience that surrounds this beloved landmark
Vibrant detail showing Sun God Festival celebrations, student gatherings, and campus events that have made this sculpture the heart of UCSD community life
Detail showing traditional Mexican textile patterns, Aztec geometric designs, and indigenous motifs that celebrate Mexican cultural heritage in this cross-border portrait
Special thanks to Wade Wagner, Ross Brodie, and the entire team at Vitro Agency, along with the visionary leadership at UC San Diego who understood the power of combining artistic excellence with educational storytelling. This collaboration represents the future of how digital mosaic art can serve institutional communications at the highest level.
Technical Details:
Medium: Digital mosaic illustration / Photomosaic design
Commission Type: Educational institution fundraising campaign
Agency Partner: Vitro Agency
Project Timeline: 6 months development and refinement
Applications: Multi-media campaign materials across print, digital, and environmental formats