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The Evolution of a Scientific American Information Graphic: Gamma-Ray Flashes

On occasion, concept sketch submissions make me swoon. Most often, the happy-making sketch comes from a freelance illustrator that has been commissioned to flesh out a specific information graphic for us.

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


On occasion, concept sketch submissions make me swoon. Most often, the happy-making sketch comes from a freelance illustrator that has been commissioned to flesh out a specific information graphic for us. But every once in awhile, an unexpected gem arrives directly from an author.

Scientific American’s expert authors are generally great at providing reference material for illustrations in the form of previously published journal article figures and PowerPoint lecture slides. And many authors go the extra mile and take pen to paper to help answer specific questions from our editorial team with annotated cartoons. Packed with handy–and critical–information, the source material is gratefully accepted, digested, and used. But it rarely makes me grin.

A few months ago, a sketch from author Joseph Dwyer made me grin (below). The information was clearly visualized, which certainly made my job easier. But the careful details and style in which the cartoon was executed…well, that just made me very happy.


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Dwyer gamma-ray sketchAuthor Joseph Dwyer's concept sketch

Illustrator Brian Despain painted the final version for the August 2012 print issue (“Deadly Rays from Clouds” by By Joseph R. Dwyer and David M. Smith), and I animated it for our iPad edition. Very different in tone from the original sketch, but definitely inspired by it in content and care.

Dwyer final illustrationBrian Despain's final illustration
Dwyer animationAnimated version for iPad

 

Jen Christiansen is author of the book Building Science Graphics: An Illustrated Guide to Communicating Science through Diagrams and Visualizations (CRC Press) and senior graphics editor at Scientific American, where she art directs and produces illustrated explanatory diagrams and data visualizations. In 1996 she began her publishing career in New York City at Scientific American. Subsequently she moved to Washington, D.C., to join the staff of National Geographic (first as an assistant art director–researcher hybrid and then as a designer), spent four years as a freelance science communicator and returned to Scientific American in 2007. Christiansen presents and writes on topics ranging from reconciling her love for art and science to her quest to learn more about the pulsar chart on the cover of Joy Division's album Unknown Pleasures. She holds a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a B.A. in geology and studio art from Smith College. Follow Christiansen on X (formerly Twitter) @ChristiansenJen

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