Caltech Magazine: Chemical Codebreakers and Signatures from the Past

Working with university presses is an incredibly enriching and educational experience. The California Institute of Technology, a returning client, consistently challenges me with fascinating projects. This time, I had the opportunity to develop a series of digital mosaic illustrations for Caltech Magazine, showcasing the pivotal role of isotopes in uncovering the mysteries of Earth's ancient past. The artwork blends scientific themes with creativity, transforming extinct animals like the ground sloth, a dinosaur, and ancient species of penguins into vibrant mosaics made up of countless atoms and molecules, symbolizing the precision of isotope research.

Award: the Fall 2024 cover was recognized at the UCDA Design Awards. The tesserae echo isotopes, the tools scientists use to date Earth's past. We worked from sketches and 3D models by Caltech paleontologists and geochemists.

Tools: Synthetik Studio Artist, Tsevis Mozaix and Photoshop. Read the story: Caltech Magazine Cover Wins a UCDA Design Award.

Chemical Codebreakers and Signatures from the Past: The ground sloth

Chemical Codebreakers and Signatures from the Past: The dinosaur.

Chemical Codebreakers and Signatures from the Past: The penguin

Chemical Codebreakers and Signatures from the Past: The cover

Chemical Codebreakers and Signatures from the Past: The opening spread.

Chemical Codebreakers and Signatures from the Past: More pages from the article.