Frontiers
for Young Minds
Bringing science to life for youngsters.
Illustration + Motion Branding
Industry:
Education
NGO's
Year:
2022
We were beyond excited to be approached by FYM with the task of streamlining their cover illustration process and creating an engaging visual identity for the articles. Their previous approach, relying on freelance designers, had led to inconsistencies and delays. With partnerships like these trust is key. FYM gave us ample freedom, thus we were able to implement a scalable design system that significantly accelerated their production, along with a flexible yet consistent graphic style that could adapt to diverse scientific topics and content formats.
If you're curious to find out more about Frontiers for Young Minds, visit their website.
Project Handling
Through a dynamic and collaborative workflow we designed a system that allowed us to expedite FYM’s cover illustrations - clearing their backlog of 200+ illustrations alongside additional special covers, designs for web, ebooks and social media feed. Eventually reaching over 570 illustrations and counting.
Staying mindful of everyone's needs, resources and timeframes we developed a "complexity hierarchy" for the illustrations. Grouping them into low, medium and hard complexities allowed us to be efficient without losing any of the quality of the designs or portrayal of the scientific information.
Concept Creation
We created an entire visual universe that mirrors our client’s core values - clarity, adaptability and information accessibility for a young audience. Our design approach reflects their goal of creating engaging yet informative designs. The overall aesthetic is a balance between scientific accuracy and child-friendliness. Each illustration is carefully derived from the rigorous research of the article, and validated by both the client and the scientific authors.
A colorful and playful style that utilizes direct, sometimes literal interpretations of scientific concepts. Decorative elements like perspective distortions, outer glows and transparency can be used to create atmosphere, but never at the expense of scientific integrity. Our focus remains the scientific discovery, its impact, and practical research applications, ensuring the core message is visually communicated.
Stylistic Details
We achieved consistency through updating the color palette, adding strong central focal points, and using a flat, vector-like aesthetic. We wanted to refresh the color palette, so that it used fewer colors and contained more nuances. The depth of the nuances allowed for more harmony in the final illustrations and the smaller palette builds visual familiarity for the audience of young readers. Alongside that we introduced a layering of foreground and background elements and space for the easy inclusion of explanatory bubbles. This allowed us the freedom to delve into intricate topics and hilight key parts of the scientific article. All these elements work well together to create a visually captivating and clear vision, empowering young minds to more easily grasp complex topics.
Impact
Frontiers for Young Minds is a powerful example of how we can collaborate to educate future generations. By providing access to cutting-edge research, the journal fosters curiosity, critical thinking, and provides the opportunity for children to be active participants in the scientific community. This aligns with our commitment to empowering individuals and fostering a culture of innovation. Our fruitful partnership with this great organisation supports our dedication to providing high-quality resources and our belief in the importance of continuous learning and growing.
Credits:
Creative Direction: Bogdana Peeva
Illustration: Bogdana Peeva / Dimana Tomova / Vesela Karapetrova / Gergana Shehtova / Pavleta Pavlova
Animation: Vesela Karapetrova / Rumena Petrova
Client Service: Victoria Grigorova / Desislava Gerasimova