JOURNAL OF NATURAL SCIENCE ILLUSTRATION

From 2018 to 2025, I served first as Layout Manager and later as Managing Editor of the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, published three to four times a year for members of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI).

In addition to managing a small team of volunteers through Basecamp, I worked across nearly every stage of production. My responsibilities included copy editing and vetting submissions, writing and editing articles and other journal content, selecting and editing images, developing cover designs, and designing article layouts. I also wrote the editor’s letter, event summaries, headlines, captions and other supporting copy.

The role combined editorial judgment, writing and copy editing with visual storytelling and publication design, helping shape each issue from submitted material through final production.

Explore a sample issue here:

Here’s a peek at a few other layouts I created, including cover designs. While I worked within GNSI’s established branding and visual style, I continually refined the journal’s design to improve clarity, hierarchy and visual impact. I treated the existing style as a framework rather than a rigid set of rules, using editorial and design judgment to depart from conventions when a story, image or idea called for greater emphasis.

Throughout my tenure, the journal received consistently positive feedback from GNSI members and the board, who expressed strong satisfaction with its design and overall quality.