ENCODE
The Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) is a public research project which aims to identify functional elements in the human genome.
In 2012 Nature published the landmark ENCODE papers, along with an interactive website and app to help researchers wade through the huge amount of information published at once.
For the visual identity that went across print and digital, we worked with artist Carl DeTorres to design a striking image, based on one of the figures in the main research paper. The data viz is based on the Circos diagrams often employed in genomics, while the 'eye' shape is a metaphor for deeper seeing into what makes us human.
An important aspect of publishing the ENCODE papers was an innovative interactive that helped connect more than 30 papers by alternative topics called 'threads'. For this Nature was short-listed for a UK Publishers Association innovation award.
For more information on the interactive (now archived), please read:
Publishing ENCODE: The Use of Interactive Graphics for Navigation and Exploration of Research (journal article)