Best of CASE District VII Award
 

Institution: University of California, San Francisco

Title of entry: UCSF Magazine, Winter and Summer 2025

About this entry: The Summer and Winter 2025 issues of UCSF Magazine were strategically designed to engage UCSF’s core audiences (alumni, donors, faculty, and staff) by showcasing the university’s groundbreaking research, clinical innovation, and social impact. Our goal is to produce a visually compelling, brand-aligned publication that elevates complex science storytelling while deepening connection with the UCSF community. We have recurring sections that provide structural continuity between issues and reinforce the UCSF brand through our use of typography and a disciplined grid system. This allows us to take creative risks with our covers and feature stories.

In Summer 2025, the cover story on microplastics and human health paired bespoke artwork — a human figure sculpted entirely from salvaged plastic — with bright, accessible graphics. The design juxtaposed playful color and composition with a sobering scientific subject, striking a careful balance between urgency and optimism.

Across both issues, feature stories such as “Can We Train Our Brain to Unlearn Chronic Pain?” and “How HIV Changed Medicine Forever” integrate portrait photography with illustration to humanize scientific breakthroughs. The Winter 2025 cover story, “On the Origins of Disease,” exemplifies close collaboration between editorial and design teams: layered infographics, original artwork, and thoughtful pacing guide readers through complex evolutionary science, making dense content digestible and visually engaging.