LVB loves helping scientists communicate environmental topics, especially those as pressing as climate change. Scientists from Lynker Intel’s boulder office approached Lauren with the challenge of summarizing a 30-page scientific paper on ‘Drought in the Intermountain West’ into one compelling image for a peer-reviewed publication.

Drought is a tricky environmental hazard to wrap one’s head around. While floods’ timeframe and impact area are more sudden and discrete, the insidious onset of drought occurs much slower. And often, there’s an interconnected web of impacts spanning multiple geographies and economies.

The project began with reviewing the draft scientific paper and noting keywords, concepts, and visual elements. Next, thumbnail sketches helped organize concepts into a composition. Finally, pencil sketches went through two rounds of review and revision with the science writers before moving into final art production.

The final illustration was digitally created and submitted for publication in a scientific journal. See final and draft process images below.