Once Shunned in Antarctica, Female Scientists Are Now Doing Crucial Polar Research

Scientific American - A case study

Earlier this year I got approached to develop a spot illustration for an article published by Scientific American, titled “Once Shunned in Antarctica, Female Scientists Are Now Doing Crucial Polar Research” (read the article here). This is a documentation of the process of developing and delivering this illustration.

Upon receiving a draft of the article, it was very clear that the text could be divided in two segments. In the first part of the narrative, the author walks through her struggles in the scientific field, and provides data on the struggles of women in the science field. On the second part, she highlights the areas where there has been an improvement in the integration of women and marginalised people in the science field.

I started out by doing quick sketches that highlighted both of these distinct segments, looking for visual metaphors for the invisible wall that exists between marginalised communities and their integration in the workplace. I wanted some of the sketches to represent both the feelings of rejection and struggle. However, I also dedicated some time to explore designs that expressed positive feelings of progress and hopefulness, alluding to the improvements within the scientific community to prioritise equal opportunities within their job searches.

In these initial sketches, I am looking for ideas, movement, or a quick composition. This is what a first round of rough sketches look like:

After this first pass, I develop some of these ideas further into what I would consider a readable thumbnail that combines all elements mentioned before: concept, movement and composition. These are some of the ideas I presented to the AD:

Option B: A woman who is fully equipped to work in the Antarctic looks through a snow globe that contains a tent in the Antarctic, alluding directly to her first job rejection in the article. The globe is sitting on a shelf that contains rocks and other working materials. The interior of the globe is unattainable, and it’s position on the shelf alludes to the fact that the author had a dream in the past that had to be shelved.

Option C: A group of scientists walk towards the tent mentioned in the article, but the ground they walk on is cracking, symbolising the fragility of their positions in the Science field.

Option D: A group of scientists is lost in the Antarctic, seemingly looking for direction, but all around there the ground is cracked and divided, making it impossible to move forward.

The AD decided we should go for an optimistic route, therefore picking option A. There was no wish to adjust any elements of the composition. At this point, I am ready to start coloring. I set up my document to a CMYK color setting, since this illustration is for printing. I look for soft, soothing color palettes, to avoid having the illustration become loud or aggressive. Certain colours such as deep blues, violets or pinks can be hard to print efficiently, and they don’t serve my purpose, so I avoid them. This is what a first study of color palettes can look like:

I decided to go for the greener color palette, for its meaning of hopefulness and prosperity. I start rendering the illustration, adding details and textures that bring it a frosty look - after all, I am representing Antarctica. I swap the colors of the coats of the 2 first scientists for a better readability of the illustration, positioning their color palettes from darker to lighter. This helps the viewer to read the image as it was intended: from left to right.

I like to give my ADs at least one update before delivering the illustration. For this delivery, I push the illustration to an almost finished state, and share it with the client for feedback, notes or small changes before the final delivery. This is what I shared with the AD:

The response was positive. With no feedback from the client’s side, I focused on doing the final touches of the illustration, pushing it to have a polished look. At last, we have the final illustration completed, as showcased below. Thank you for reading, I hope this. was insightful to you! You can read the article here.