What is the mRNA vaccine? How does it work? How was it developed?
Those are kinds of questions I had about the Covid19 vaccine(s).
Those are kinds of questions I had about the Covid19 vaccine(s).
The following presentation gives a brief overview on how the mRNA vaccine was developed and how it works through illustrations and short descriptions. For this project, I will also be sharing my design process to give a little insight on how I understand, organize and deliver on design concepts.
Below: The Process
1.) Initial Research
To guide my initial research, I started with three general questions:
1.) How does COVID19 infect our cells?
2.) How did scientists develop the mRNA vaccine?
3.) Why does the vaccine work?
My goals here were to gain a basic understanding of how viruses affect our cells and how our immune system reacts.
2.) Organization of Research + Specific Research
Next I listed the molecular steps that take place once the mRNA vaccine reaches our cells. I also began to draw rough sketches of the different processes that take place when COVID19 infects the body and when the vaccine enters the muscles cells.
Once I gained a better understanding of these processes, I wrote a list of the specific images I wanted to illustrate.
3.) Gathering Reference Photos/Images— Cross Referencing Sources
Using 3D scans and visual interpretations, I began to sketch out my own illustration assets of the following:
1.) the SARS-COV-2 virus
2.) The mRNA vaccine
3.) Spike Protein
4.) the Human Cell and how the vaccine interacts with it
5.) The process of Spike Protein production
6.) Antibodies
4.) Illustrating Assets
During this stage, I would practice explaining the process to my parents and friends. After every sketch, I would detail to my listeners how the illustration related back to the mRNA vaccine. I would ask after every exercise if my explanation made sense and if I needed to clarify anything in the process. Shout out to them for being such great sports!! After drawing all assets, I scanned them and colored them in Photoshop.
5.) Organizing the Powerpoint Presentation
By this stage, I've gained a better understanding of the subject matter and determined that the best way to represent a general overview of the research is to break it down into five sections, the precedent always leading to the next:
1.) What is SARS-COV-2?
2.) Knowing that, how did scientists develop the mRNA vaccine?
3.) Knowing that, what does the mRNA vaccine actually look like/contain?
4.) Knowing that, how does the mRNA vaccine interact with our cells?
5.) Knowing that, how would the residuum interact with the live virus?
6.) Reflections
I think that this presentation gives a basic and brief explanation of the mRNA vaccine. I felt confident in the research and feel that this presentation is an accurate representation of our scientific findings on COVID19. That being said, I do think that there is opportunity for improvement. I think I could condense the process of interaction between vaccine and cell into one image instead of two. I think I had a good start with the (left) image below— my next steps would be to include the production of S-Protein/S-Protein rising to the surface of the cell/creation of antibodies. Essentially, combining the two illustrations into one.
Below: illustrations I created for this infographic
Drawn in pencil. Colored in Photoshop.
