This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
I tried something new! Instead of drawing a comic willy nilly, I actually thought ahead. I know. For this, I deserve a parade.
But in all seriousness, merchandising is something that I and many artists struggle with. It's a different way of thinking. I usually create a design or comic in whatever aspect ratio and format makes the most sense for the content, and when it comes to putting it on a shirt or making it into a poster -- eh, that's something I think about later, if ever.
But not this time. I decided to do an infocomic (my own breed of infographic) and give myself a poster-sized art board right from the start. I worked within those boundaries instead of trying to shoehorn an organic design into the mold later.
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As for the content of the poster, I have found that the average person, even my very educated friends, can easily forget the varieties of life on our own planet. One friend looked to me for approval when she explained, "There's plants, animals, and bacteria. Right?" She was befuddled when I said, "And archaea, protists, and fungi, yes."
And then of course there are viruses. Those pesky little balls of nucleic acid that are so hard to classify.
Look! It's a real poster! The future is now!