2020 was an important year for UC San Diego Health Sciences. The pandemic brought more stories than could fit in the traditional 32-page format. This commemorative 88-page issue had to be rethought and structured from previous years to allow for a collaborative effort with the team at UC San Diego. Many of the stories were still developing in the field as the issue was being designed, this required a template that could adapt and host a variety of story types.
With COVID being such a heavy part of our recent history, our goal was to focus the issue on the inspirational and positive aspects of the year. We wanted the issue to be able to live on a coffee table without overtly being a reminder of everything we were experiencing and seeing in the media. Instead of leaning into the typical dark and red presentation of COVID, this design took a softer more approach inspired by the artwork of vintage book covers.
Each issue of Discoveries features a custom "O." For 2020, I created an art-deco inspired representation of a single Covid cell
A look at 4 of my personal favorite cover explorations I developed for the issue – each unique in design approach and print finishes.
The heart of the issue was a gatefold timeline of 2020—2021. This also lives as an interactive digital experience.
