I don't often receive requests for logo design, but I really enjoy the challenge of creating a single image to explain the ideas and goals of a project. Biologists at Princeton recently asked me to design a logo to represent their research on North American canine genomics and evolution. This collaborative project incorporates researchers from multiple institutions in order to explore the genetics of canine populations across North America. For this logo, I worked with the project's Primary Investigator, Bridgett vonHoldt, to better understand what the image would need to convey. I then presented the group with a number of roughly sketched designs. Design number 3 was the group's favorite, but it needed to also include the words "North American". I then used Adobe Illustrator to complete the final illustration, choosing a black and blue color scheme to match the project's website. Learn more about the Canine Ancestry research group at http://canineancestry.princeton.edu/home.html. You can also follow the project Twitter feed @k9ancestry for the latest news.
0 Comments
I am excited to announce that I have taken the plunge and become a full time freelance illustrator from my new home in Zurich, Switzerland. Earlier this month, my husband and I moved to Zurich, beginning our new adventure as expats in Europe. This move is a great opportunity to expand my business and pour more time and effort into art and illustration.
Move to Switzerland in November!? Who would be that crazy? I thought this would be a terrible time to move. Cold, snowy, dark, rainy. The start of winter would surely make me miss California too much. It turns out, however, that I moved here during peak mushroom season and at the start of the festive Christmas markets. The city is sparkling with lights and the forest is loaded with fungi! Bundled in enough layers, this Californian can enjoy it all without freezing. Before leaving the states, I decided to make my business an LLC, mainly for legal protection and to build it as its own entity, separate from myself as an individual. This was easier to do than I thought it would be. Naming the business was probably the hardest part. I changed my name from Himes to Johnson, and it turns out there are a lot of Johnsons out there. Finding a business name using my new name was tough. I spent a lot of time thinking about the name, coming up with many duds, and asking friends for suggestions. Having worked as a biologist and lab manager in Life Science departments throughout school and career, I decided this was a fitting title and encompassed the type of work that I do. I was able to then register the business as an LLC by simply filling out the forms online, and then I changed the URL of my website. Next task: new business cards. As I start on this new chapter, I am aiming to build Life Science Studios, LLC into something meaningful, artistic, and valuable for biologists and their audiences. I believe illustration can be an important tool for communicating science, and I hope to do that from my new art studio in beautiful Switzerland. Be prepared for more frequent blog posts, lots of mushroom paintings, and pictures of Alps thrown in every once in awhile! |
Categories
All
|