iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

In my happy place at Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, Netherlands 🇳🇱

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

A playful graphic contrasting the cGAS–cGAMP pathway in multicellular versus bacterial systems. It shows how complex organisms have retained this ancient, primitive machinery, repurposing it to drive different immune outcomes. Full story: www.quantamagazine.org/the-ancient-...

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

A lot of fun making this graphic of mycorrhizal fungi for a story on the symbiosis between plants and fungi! Really pleased with how this turned out. Story here: www.quantamagazine.org/an-arctic-ro...

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

A fun illustration I made for Quanta's story on deSitter space www.quantamagazine.org/in-expanding...

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

A new graphic illustrating a 'hydraulic jump' in flowing electrons, from today's story at Quanta: www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-m... #physics #particlephysics #electrons #science #electronflow #condensedmatterphysics

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

I made this bat flap around for today's story on neurons that help guide our day-to-day navigations. Working in web animation is a new exploration since joining Quanta, and this is a nice example of how motion can tell a simple science story. Read more: www.quantamagazine.org/how-animals-...

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Today in Quanta we report on a unique puzzle in topology. I had a lot fun making a full graphics suite for this story, choosing the palette, mood, and even graphical representation of some of these tricky mathematical concepts. Check it out here! www.quantamagazine.org/two-twisty-s...

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

I co-wrote a visual explainer with Joe Howlett on the quantum mechanics of greenhouse gases. It includes graphics/animations showing why molecules like CO₂ are such powerful drivers of planetary warming. It was fun! I'd appreciate if you checked it out here: www.quantamagazine.org/the-quantum-...

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

In Sept, Quanta Magazine published a special issue on the science of climate change. We spent a lot of time curating 9 climate stories that span technology, microbiology, math, and more. I made these 9 planetary models that reflect each story. Check it here: www.quantamagazine.org/how-we-came-...

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

some fun graphics in today's story about smell 👃 read it here: www.quantamagazine.org/how-smell-gu...

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

can anyone in #cartography or #mapping help me find a plate-carree/equirectangular projection of Pannotia? (ie: this planet?) Would greatly appreciate it!

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 07/06/2025

The final result? A 3D web environment that presents as a clean, 2D, flat vector style! 🎯 Ie: what you're seeing is a 3D space that is rendering as a flat, vector graphic. No need to painstakingly hand-make every frame of this animation into a vector, or host a super-heavy GIF/video file!

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 07/06/2025

For the artistic part, I exported these 3D animations and, using Spline.Design, created toon shaders that mimicked Quanta's 2D vector style. ✅ I could then set parameters that mimic the look and appeal of reading these animations as flat graphics on our website!

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 07/06/2025

A need in this story was to show an arrow moving across various surfaces: the position, direction, and perspective of this arrow changes - a lot. First, I modeled these things in Cinema4D, and animated the motion of the arrow across the surface. This was the "science": accurate motion + geometry ✅

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 07/06/2025

Quanta's style is 2D vectors, which is industry standard: web graphics should be scalable + lightweight, but cool 3D work tends to produce rasters (complex, but heavier, unresponsive, and pixellated). Add lighting, shadows, angle changes, etc., and it's hard to both produce and host vector graphics.

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

I had so much fun creating this infographic for Quanta's story on metabolic cell fates. Bit of a challenge stretching the style guide to new heights, but we're headed somewhere ✨ Article here: www.quantamagazine.org/how-metaboli...

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

Good fun creating this graphic of the internal brain structures for a story on Concept Neurons, out today on Quanta: www.quantamagazine.org/concept-cell...

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 08/07/2024

NEW PIECE: The Microbial Role of Climate Change Check out this infographic I made with @environmicrobio.bsky.social that introduces this unique intersection between methane, microbes, and climate change!

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 23/04/2024

a handful of cover designs. some published, most rejected. still aiming for that Nature cover 🎯

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 09/04/2024

Hey #PortfolioDay My name's Mark, and I'm a scientific illustrator and information designer. I translate scientific concepts (and make 'em pretty, too!) with the power of visuals.

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 25/01/2024

little late, but finally got my copy of Nautilus where I made this front cover back in October. Really proud of this one! Full story here: nautil.us/mirror-image...

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 03/12/2023

Making a good science figure is like baking a cake: you can have all the best-tasting ingredients, but without good execution + presentation (ie: design theory, organization, placement, hierarchy, etc.) who's gonna wanna taste it?

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 03/12/2023

Unnecessary confusion in figure construction. Two process affecting apical constriction of a cell, yet both processes read right-to-left, and are loaded on the bottom right hand corner. So much deciphering needed to understand this. Let's tackle it!

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 16/11/2023

Actually, the correct graphic that expands on the paper that @mjafreeman.bsky.social shared is this one :D

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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 01/11/2023

Did a piece on shrinking Antarctic Sea Ice recently. Check it out! ❄️🌊🤏🧊

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