1663 is the flagship science and technology magazine of Los Alamos National Laboratory. This publication highlights the most significant research initiatives and accomplishments of the Laboratory and is delivered to a diverse audience across the country.

When SARS-CoV-2 hit the United States in force, Los Alamos did what many other organizations across the nation did: sent most of its workforce home. Apart from key national security personnel who continued to work onsite, Laboratory employees worked from home to answer a new call to serve the nation. Questions abounded about the virus, the illness, and what to do next. Within just a few weeks, the Lab’s considerable resources and expert personnel were allocated to national pandemic-related research efforts, and a rush of new internal research programs were variously proposed, approved, and underway.

To communicate this important research in real time, we created a special issue of the magazine focused solely on SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, and the Lab’s response to this global pandemic.

For the special issue, “Answering the Call,” we created a cover illustration which captures the uncertain and nebulous natures of both the virus itself, unseen yet ubiquitous, and the unanswered questions swarming through every element of life during the pandemic.

One of the most hotly discussed questions had to do with face coverings or masks. To accompany an article which discusses the scientific testing of different options, we created a collage showing highly magnified portions of some of the most popular choices. The comparison clearly illustrates the differences between them.

Early in the development of the magazine, we decided to create a large graphic of a single virus particle for dramatic emphasis. Rather than use the same image from the CDC that was being shared by every other news outlet, we worked closely with a virologist at the Lab to design a new 3D model of the particle based on the most complete information available at the time. We then imported this model into Photoshop and added various effects and overlays to up the drama by emphasizing the strange beauty of this deadly particle.

When creating the opening art for each featured article, we looked for unique metaphors and unexpected combinations of ideas to illustrate each article’s topic. We also chose to create illustrations that had a more optimistic tone, even playful at times, to emphasize that the technology and advances being developed by Lab scientists looked toward solving and softening the crisis rather than simply sounding alarm bells.

For a story about the development of accurate COVID-19 tests, we showed test swabs flying like arrows at a target meant to symbolize reliable test results.

For a story about epidemiological forecasting, we showed groups of people, meant to symbolize populations, clustering in the shape of the virus itself with select individuals colored red to indicate infection.

For a story about medical-supply shortfalls, which includes a new virus-killing mask, we showed a marriage of familiar and newly familiar by combining a traditional bug-zapper with an N95 respirator.

The nature of the work featured in the magazine regularly requires the we create technical illustrations to explain the new technology being proposed. This image shows how a simple new adapter would allow an existing medical device to be repurposed for critical, COVID-19-specific care. A more complicated technology—a novel, rapid-result COVID-19 test—is illustrated in the step-wise series below.

The technical illustration above helps explain the present knowns and unknowns of how SARS-CoV-2 enters a human cell by interacting with naturally occurring proteins on the cell surface.

A digital version of the magazine was released online as well to facilitate sharing this important informational resource.