A good cover design will communicate the main message of a manuscript in a clear and graphically appealing manner. It has to fit the style of the journal and allow the art editor to overlay text. I develop a concept art of my own or further your ideas to meet these criteria, build a scene in 3D, from which I render and composite the final graphics. The time I need to create a cover ranges from two to several weeks.

The process to develop a molecular movie starts with writing and sketching a storyboard. I do this together with the client to clarify what is the purpose of the movie and in what sequence the molecular mechanism should be narrated. Next comes concept art - what type of graphic and level of details should be used? Based on what the movie will be showing, I create custom rigs of the molecules, animate the molecular mechanism and create the setting for the cellular scene in which the main characters - the molecules - act. This can range from a very simple background to a complex 3D scene. Making a molecular movie is a major project that will likely require several months of work.

Be it a professional render of your structures, a figure for a manuscript, a graphical abstract, illustration for web or a publication, I will design the composition and art concept, build a 3D scene, render and composite the final piece. I combine 3D and 2D graphics to create an illustration to meet any needs.

Science Communicated is a one person company founded by me, Bara Krautz.

I studied biochemistry at the Institute of chemical technology in Prague, Czech republic, did a PhD in structural biology at the Astbury institute, University of Leeds, UK and a postdoc in structural biology at PSI and ETH, Zurich, Switzerland. Setting off to the career of science animator, I attended a professional course in 3D character animation at The Animation workshop, Viborg, Denmark.

I live in Zurich, Switzerland, and make scientific illustrations and animations for clients all around the world.

• You can see my work @instagram
• Showreel