There's No Infographic without Info (and other Lessons from Malofiej)
News graphics professionals converged in Pamplona, Spain for the 23rd annual Malofiej Information Graphics World Summit for one week last month.
SA Visual
Illustrating science since 1845
STAFF BLOG
Subatomic Particles over Time: Graphics from the Archive, 1952 to 2015
In the May issue of Scientific American, a familiar friend makes an appearance: a chart of fundamental particles. These particles—fermions (which include constituents of matter such as electrons and quarks) and bosons (usually carriers of force)—are at the very heart of the Standard Model of particle physics.
Behind the Scenes at Scientific American MIND‘s May/June Cover Shoot!
The May/June cover is a first for Scientific American MIND in that it features our first non-human cover boy - a very handsome 5 year old Border Collie named Ten!
The Oceans' Origins and the Evolution of a SciAm Infographic
When it comes to developing an illustrated information graphic, sometimes you don’t really know what sorts of details you’re going to need until you dive in and start drawing.
Pop Culture Pulsar: Origin Story of Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures Album Cover [Video]
Sure, I was familiar with the graphic—and I’m not alone. Drop this image (right) on someone’s desk and chances are they’ll reflexively blurt, “Joy Division.” The band’s 1979 Unknown Pleasures album cover leaned entirely on a small mysterious data display, printed in white on black.
How to Choose the Form of an Infographic: It's All about Context
As a graphics designer, I have a love/hate relationship with circles. The humble form provides a relief from rigid rectangular chart structures that are pinned to x- and y-axes.
Math Is Beautiful, But Is It Art?
Every so often, beauty comes up as a topic of conversation in editorial meetings at Scientific American. Surely there’s an article, or series of articles that we can develop on the topic?
The Influential Murals (Really!) of Scientific American Founder Rufus Porter
Perhaps the tweet below from editor-in-chief Mariette DiChristina last weekend shouldn’t have been a surprise. After all, I knew that Rufus Porter, founding editor and publisher of Scientific American, was a well-rounded fellow.
The Evolution of a Scientific American Information Graphic: Clues to Dampening Pain
Every graphic is a new adventure. Some of our magazine articles involve abstract concepts that require lots of time and energy at the front-end, making decisions about what, exactly should be illustrated.
Mars's First Close-up
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s Mariner IV spacecraft (November 28, 1964). In total, the mission gave us 21 complete images of Mars, including this, our first close view of the planet—courtesy of data transmitted by the interplanetary probe and earth-bound scientists wielding pastels (below).
Blog Index
@ScientificAmerican
STAFFBehind the scenes at Scientific American
Read
Anecdotes from the Archive
STAFF
Read
Anthropology in Practice
Exploring the human condition.
Read
Beautiful Minds
Insights into intelligence, creativity, and the mind
Read
Budding Scientist
Everything you always wanted to know about raising science-literate kids
Read
Cross-Check
Critical views of science in the news
Read
Dark Star Diaries
STAFF
Read
Dog Spies
Explore the science behind the dog in your bed
Read
Expeditions
Read
Extinction Countdown
News and research about endangered species from around the world
Read
Frontiers for Young Minds
Science by and for kids ages 8-15
Read
Guest Blog
Commentary invited by editors of Scientific American
Read
Illusion Chasers
Illusions, Delusions, and Everyday Deceptions
Read
Life, Unbounded
Discussion and news about planets, exoplanets, and astrobiology
Read
MIND Guest Blog
Commentary invited by editors of Scientific American Mind
Read
Not bad science
New discoveries in animal behavior and cognition
Read
Observations
Opinion, arguments & analyses from the editors of Scientific American
Read
Plugged In
More than wires - exploring the connections between energy, environment, and our lives
Read
Roots of Unity
Mathematics: learning it, doing it, celebrating it.
Read
Rosetta Stones
Adventures in the good science of rock-breaking.
Read
SA Visual
STAFFIllustrating science since 1845
Read
Talking back
STAFFA science blog, sans blague
Read
Tetrapod Zoology
Amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals - living and extinct
Read
The Artful Amoeba
A Blog About the Weird Wonderfulness of Life on Earth
Read
Voices
Exploring and celebrating diversity in science.
Read
