thesis editorial design
Editorial design for a scientific doctoral thesis, translating biomedical concepts into a clear and distinctive visual system across the cover and chapter openings.
CHALLENGE
The challenge was to balance two worlds: complex scientific research on pectins and the personality of the scientist behind it.
She wanted the project to move away from conventional academic aesthetics. That instinct felt natural to her: she is methodical, intense, irreverent and brilliant, and the design needed to reflect exactly that balance. The real difficulty was finding a visual language that could remain credible in an academic context while still feeling unmistakably personal.
SOLUTION
Rather than translating the research in a literal or textbook-like way, the design approached it through metaphor and structure. The intestinal maze replaced the arcade maze. Yellow circular forms referenced citrus, pectins and gameplay logic at once. Micro-organisms and internal cellular elements became part of a more playful and symbolic universe. This made it possible to communicate scientific complexity with clarity, while also giving the thesis a distinctive and memorable personality.
Because the system was built around both content and character, it never felt decorative. It functioned as a bridge between raw research and readable editorial design, helping organise the thesis while making it feel truly authored. What could have been a conventional academic object became something much more specific: a publication that reflected both the science and the scientist behind it.
