Illustration

Scientific Illustrations | Nature-inspired Art | Pet Portraits

You can see more examples of my work on my science communication business website, Wapiti Studios. I am currently available for freelance commissions in all three of these areas. Please get in touch with me at sarah.e.nason[at]gmail.com. I am also considering pro bono work at this time for charities and non-profits.

Scientific Illustrations

A simple infographic explaining some interesting aspects of my M.Sc. study species, the Wellington tree weta!

As an Ecologist and Science Communicator with Fuse Consulting Ltd., I produced a series of infographics for a Twitter campaign called “Fuse Fact Fridays.” You can view examples of these here, here, and here. I also produced illustrations for a poster to attract participants in a study on the skin microbiome at McGill University, which you can see here.

Case Study: Climate Change Factsheet

Background

At the beginning of 2020, I collaborated with scientists at the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (Northern Alberta Chapter) to create a factsheet to inform members of the general public about how ecosystems naturally store carbon – and thus are a great tool to fight climate change! This is an important message to get out, because for nature to do its job, we need people to stand up for its protection. In Alberta, the provincial government had recently made a decision to close and privatize 37% of the provincial parks. It was more important than ever to express to Albertans the value of parks and protected areas.

The Product

CPAWS Nature-based climate solutions factsheet (front)

CPAWS Nature-based climate solutions factsheet (back)

The Process

We started the project with a kick-off meeting to talk about goals, visual identity/branding and audience. From a science communication perspective, the target audience is the single most important thing for me to understand! Knowing who I am speaking to, I can make smart decisions about how to present the information.

Next, we co-developed the text for the factsheet so that the information was presented in an accessible, general public-friendly way (my expertise!) while maintaining accurate scientific content regarding climate change and protected areas (CPAWS’ expertise!). By collaborating on this part of the project, we were able to bring both our strengths to the table and maximize the impact of the factsheet.

It was then time for me to put my design brain to the task and create the design and illustrations. I drew on the visual identity established in CPAWS’ Finding Common Ground report to create a factsheet that would complement these other outreach materials. The visual elements in the factsheet were also a great way to hide some “easter eggs”: for example, I tucked a caribou into the forested ecosystem to show that protecting natural areas not only helps store carbon, but also provides important habitat for threatened species! These little details can really help bring a product to life while increasing the impact of the messaging.

Finally, we finalized the factsheet through feedback and revisions. I always love to hear what clients have to say to help fine-tune the product, as it’s an opportunity for me to learn. For this project, we needed to make sure that all the statistics presented were described accurately, but without getting too technical for a general audience. We had a great back-and-forth to make sure the final product was the best it could be!