All about antlers

This story appeared in the September 2024 print and digital issues of National Geographic magazine. It received two Awards of Excellence from the Society for News Design (for print infographics and combined print and digital infographics).

It explores the annual cycle that male deer go through, shedding their antlers in winter and regrowing them in spring and summer in preparation for fighting in the fall. This process can be compared to limb regeneration and has generated scientific interest in possible applications for the growth of human tissue and organs.

While the main illustration for the print story was created using scratchboard—a gesso-coated surface onto which black ink is selectively applied and then scratched away to reveal the white beneath—the digital story was illustrated in a bold, colorful, and simple retro style.