Clear figures, clever posters, and creative journal covers

Working together since 2019

100+ Whitehead Forum poster designs, each with a custom illustration

3 published journal cover designs, numerous published illustrations & figures

Poster goals

  • Create a layout that is consistent, yet flexible enough to accommodate unique weekly illustrations

  • Stand out on message boards in the halls

  • Create illustrations that draw in a crowd, without spoiling the talk

How we delivered (and continue to)

  • Create a consistent, yet flexible layout

    • All important information kept in a consistent, simple, quickly readable format, making it easy for someone walking by to know where to look for this week’s information.

    • Simplicity also allowed for a flexible alternate layout during the pandemic, when presentations were virtual. This helped set apart the virtual (and hybrid) presentations, while also adapting for horizontal screen display.

  • Stand out on message boards in the halls

    • Bright, contrasting colors and bold large capital letters stand out in a sea of flyers. The color palette changes weekly, and multiple color palette versions of the same poster are often printed to keep viewers interested.

    • Hand-drawn Illustrations are eye catching.

  • Create illustrations that draw in a crowd, without spoiling the talk

    • Illustrations aren’t created as literal scientific drawings of the new work presented each week, but rather convey a main topic through visual metaphors, symbols, and personifications.

    • This way viewers are intrigued by the general subject, and want to attend to “figure out” the illustration. We’ve been told many researchers look forward to each week’s poster for this reason.

“In every instance, Caitlin is able to absorb scientific summaries that were rarely adjusted for laypeople and quickly translate it not only into an easily digestible idea, but also an illustration that anyone could understand. She is incredibly professional throughout the process, and everyone who worked with her was so happy to do so. Researchers from Harvard, Johns Hopkins, MIT, and Columbia have all requested to continue using her illustrations in their talks.

I have nothing but the highest respect and recommendation for Caitlin’s work, and have been so lucky to work with her. I recommend her to any scientist looking for illustration assistance.”

Amelie Raz, PhD, Whitehead Forum Illustration Coordinator, Whitehead Institute

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