Simple doodle led to business opportunity

Ambigram features an image of Santa that transforms into Jesus.

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By Jay Morrison, Staff Writer Updated 6:47 PM Monday, June 29, 2009

WEST CHESTER TWP. — What began as a simple doodle by Beth Gully nearly 15 years ago has mushroomed into a prestigious award, a new business opportunity and a designation as one of only a handful of ambigramists in the world.

Gully’s Santa-Jesus creation, a greeting card with a translucent cover that features an image of Santa that transforms into Jesus when flipped open, recently earned first place at the 2009 Summit Creative Awards.

“Seeing things frontward and backward has always been a gift,” said Gully, who lives with her husband Dave, the Warren County administrator, in Lebanon and has owned BT Graphics on Tylersville Road in West Chester Twp. since 1990.

“I remember in high school I would write notes in mirror writing so that the teacher would never know what it said,” Gully added. “So I think I began developing it at a younger age and just didn’t know how to turn it into something of worth.”

Ambigrams are exercises in graphic design that play with optical illusions, symmetry and visual perception, usually in rotation or mirror-image form.

After creating the Santa-Jesus in 1994, Gully simply placed the image on cards, magnets and ornaments and sold them to churches before donating the proceeds back to the church to help with mission trips.

“It wasn’t until last fall when I really kicked it up a level and came up with the flip-over design that makes it more powerful,” she said, adding that she used it as her family Christmas card.

Gully previously took bronze in the SCA contest for designing the Fitton Center logo and OKI’s clean-air campaign billboard. And in addition to winning her first gold award for Santa-Jesus, she also took home silver this year for designing the annual report for Butler County Job and Family Services.

“I’ve got something else on the horizon that I can’t share yet,” Gully said. “When that hits, it’s going to make the Santa-Jesus look like nothing. It’s similar to that one, but much, much bigger.”

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