MICA Lab: bacterial cooperation

MICA Lab is a research group at Leuven University dealing with antimicrobial strategies. To accompany a publication in Nature, the scientists at MICA Lab commissioned a short animation of their novel approach to preventing the development of antibiotic resistance in communities of bacteria.

At their request we’ve taken a design-driven approach where simple abstract shapes ensure clear communication, while the use of colour and texture provide a viewing experience that is more engaging and impressionistic than that of most common dry academic data-viz.

The video linked at the top of this page is an earlier version slightly different from the final publication. This initial cut was warmly welcomed by the people of MICA Lab, but considering the variety within the expected target audience, we collectively concluded that a slightly toned-down version would be a safer bet.

Since the client expressed their great appreciation of the earlier version, it didn’t feel right to label it a “director’s cut”. It’s more of a “public beta”.

A breakdown of the design process in available on our blog.

You can watch the final animation in Dutch and English here.

The full research paper can be accessed on nature.com.

And finally, background info and latest news from MICA Lab is available over here.