The Professional Bug Detective & Full Time Nerd
We conducted an interview with Dr. Ainsley Seago, the associate curator for the Section of Invertebrate Zoology at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Ainsley describes herself as a “Professional Bug Detective, Part-Time Illustrator, and Full-Time Huge Nerd.” In this series, we designed a newspaper, website, and stickers to share Ainsley’s incredible curiosity, intelligence, and wit.
Timeline: Fall 2023, 6 weeks
Role: Lead UX Designer, Graphic Designer
With: Ana Baskinger, Michelle Dang
Tools: InDesign, Illustrator, Figma
After our interview, we were tasked with creating a typographic editorial system to publish this text. This system would be used to design a readable, engaging, navigable experience of this long-form text across print and digital.
Summary
We were challenged to translate our interview to both print and digital, rethinking traditional reading experiences to create something new, fun, interactive, and immersive. I wanted our project to convey the pure joy that we felt during the interview. Ainsley’s curiosity, wonder, and passion was so inspiring. My team and I gained a newfound appreciation for insects, and we wanted to share that.
Problem Space
Process
Our design system is colorful and vibrant, with an emphasis on illustrations. This is in reference to scientific illustrations, with a playful twist to the style and tone. The style, color palette, and jokes throughout the project makes the topic of “bugs” a little more approachable. Our digital version is divided into five sections, with a mini-game about searching for beetles. Through testing, we found that this version was the easiest to read and engage with.
