Radiation Oncology Mechanism Illustration
Client: University of Wisconsin Radiology Department – Collaboration with an oncologist.
Purpose: To create a scientifically accurate illustrated graphic accompanying a peer-reviewed manuscript submitted to JAMA, visually explaining how radiation therapy inhibits cancer progression and how this mechanism intersects with chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatment pathways. The illustration was developed in close collaboration with the paper's research team to ensure clinical and biological accuracy while translating complex oncologic concepts into a clear, visually compelling format suitable for a high-impact medical journal.
Audience: Physicians, oncologists, and medical researchers reading JAMA, as well as broader academic and clinical audiences seeking to quickly grasp the combined mechanisms of radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy in cancer treatment.
The original graphic, created by the collaborating oncologist, contained all of the necessary scientific content but was visually overwhelming and difficult to follow. I used it as a foundation to redesign the illustration for clarity and accessibility—restructuring the composition to guide the eye more logically, adjusting scale to highlight key elements, introducing a cohesive color scheme to distinguish treatment pathways, simplifying labels, minimizing overlapping arrows, and adding pictorial elements to make abstract biological processes easier to visualize. The final result preserved the scientific accuracy of the original while making the mechanism far more intuitive and accessible to readers.
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