Art Direction • Campaign Development • Visual Strategy

AAAS: Science Advances
Journal Launch Campaign

Objective

The launch of Science Advances, a new open-access journal published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), marked a significant milestone in the organization’s mission to broaden access to high-impact scientific research. Created as a sister publication to Science magazine, Science Advances was designed to publish groundbreaking research across all scientific disciplines—peer-reviewed, freely accessible, and globally relevant. Our objective was to position this new journal as a trusted extension of the Science brand, generate awareness among the scientific community, and drive submissions from leading researchers. This campaign included high-visibility print ads in Science magazine and digital outreach to reinforce credibility and encourage engagement.

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The Challenge

Because the journal was entirely new, there were no established visual assets, photography, or physical content to draw from, only the journal name and mission. The core challenge was to create a compelling and credible visual identity for a publication that didn’t yet exist. We needed a design solution that would resonate with high-level scientists, convey editorial gravitas, and invite trust, all while distinguishing Science Advances as its own entity within the Science family of journals.

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Design Solution

The campaign focused on symbolic, bold visuals paired with the tagline: “This is the start of something big.” We used tight crops of familiar icons of scale and progress (e.g., deep space, human scale, complex structures) contrasted against minimalist backgrounds to create visual tension and intrigue. The clean, editorial aesthetic positioned the journal as authoritative yet forward-thinking.

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Outcome

The campaign received enthusiastic praise from AAAS stakeholders and Science magazine leadership, effectively positioning Science Advances as a credible and compelling destination for peer-reviewed publishing. It resulted in a measurable increase in new white paper submissions and elevated awareness of the new journal within the global scientific community. The creative team was also honored with its first MarCom Platinum and Gold Awards for excellence in creative execution.