Neutrino Interactive Timeline

Our team (myself, Naomi Hui and Stephanie Ng) were approached in a studio context by Dr. Carsten Krauss, a physicist, with the task of making a complex set of information accessible to a new audience: high schoolers. He had been studying neutrinos for several years, and as such knew what they are and why they’re important like the back of his hand – but also understood that very few people share that understanding, even within his field. Regardless of who knows about neutrinos, though, they remain incredibly important and worthy of attention.

So, our challenge was this: to simplify the concept of neutrinos and their properties through imagery, type, colour, and physical installation, and represent those ideas clearly and concisely. The language used had to be catered towards a younger audience, while still being accessible to the broad public.

I chose this illustration style because it’s vibrant, detailed, and eye-catching for the intended audience. It’s loosely inspired by other science exhibits we looked at in our research. Lines, curves and dots swirl around every inch of the timeline, creating depth and movement within the static piece. It’s space-y and modern, breathing a bit of fresh air into the subject of physics. Each illustration is supported by a segment of text, telling the story of a neutrino’s journey through space and offering additional info and experiments users can try for themselves.