Read more about TEDxBellarmineU here

One thing that makes TEDxBellarmineU stand out is its sign. TED rules dictate the outline of the TEDx logo, which must be red. “You can’t change the outside of it, but you can change the inside,” said Dr. Shawn Apostel, Bellarmine’s license holder.

So every year, TEDxBellarmineU commissions an art student to create the design inside the letters, which were fabricated by Dr. Laura Hartford, associate dean of the Bellarmine College of Arts and Sciences, and her brother-in-law Steve Baker.

This year’s sign was created by Ari Eastman, a first-year major in Digital Design and Digital Art from Louisville who operates a graphic design business called Super Weird Studios. His design, he said, is a visual homage to “Community Resilience,” this year’s theme.

Through digital illustration, photography and collage, it depicts the Big Four Bridge; Bellarmine’s bell tower, entrance arch, Centro and Our Lady of the Woods Chapel; horse imagery; and finally, in the “x,” the Bellarmine Knight.

“The sign celebrates the spirit of resilience within the Bellarmine University and Louisville communities, emphasizing commitment, interconnectedness, community engagement, diversity and inclusivity as steady beacons in a changing world,” Eastman said.