Key visual for
CiRA 2017 International Symposium
For the last several year, Center for iPS cell Research and Application (CiRA) has organized international symposia to promote the worldwide dissemination of its research results and to advance iPS cell research.
This year, CiRA hold the CiRA 2017 International Symposium near Heian Shrine in Kyoto's Sakyo Ward on Nov 6-8 , celebrating the 10th anniversary of the discovery of human iPS cells. The theme of this symposium was "A decade of human iPSCs: from bench to bedside." ( http://www.cira.kyoto-u.ac.jp/e/pressrelease/seminar/171120-150000.html )
Rough conceptual sketch of the key visual of the symposium.
I was one of the CiRA 2017 International Symposium Secretariat member and was in charge of creating the key visual for the symposium. The key visual required to include concepts of 1) researcher and patient to reflect this year's theme, 2) some pictures of cells, such as neurons, cardiac muscle cells, and iPS cells, 3) something to do with autumn, and 4) something to do with Japan. And of course all in all, the visual should be not disturbing, not too busy and be simple as possible.
Since I like the theme, "from bench to bedside", I really wanted to put a researcher and a patient in a symmetrical position in the center of the visual.
Then I got a bunch of colorful cell images taken by CiRA researchers using imaging Flow Cytometry. Those images were much more colorful than I expected and suddenly I came into an idea to relate them to coloring leaves. Finally I overlaid "Washi"-like texture to make a hint to relate colorful images to Japanese Origami paper.
Final image of the key visuals. The blue pictures inside the silhouette of the researcher and the patient is iPS cells.
About 500 researchers from academia and the private sector took part in the symposium. The key visual was also used for the large sign board at the venue! Those boards light up from the bottom were really stand out well during the event. I was relieved to see the symposium ended up successfully thanks to many people's cooperations.
Large sign boards were on the venue stage.
I standing next to the sign board with the symposium program brochure.