New Scientist Christmas Cover 2019 – Speed Render Process

This project showcases a full speed render of the creative process behind the 2019 Christmas cover for the internationally recognised science magazine, New Scientist. As one of the year’s most eagerly awaited issues, the New Scientist Christmas edition offers both visual and editorial highlights. The task was to create a bold, imaginative, and festive design that would sit proudly on newsstands.

The final composition reflects a playful yet scientific take on the holiday season. Dominating the cover is a reindeer adorned with brightly coloured Christmas lights and baubles entangled in its antlers. Perched beside the reindeer is a charming dog, captured mid-pose, adding an element of whimsy. Both animals share the spotlight with a blue toy car and a golden spiral, suggesting both motion and curiosity—perfectly fitting the tone of New Scientist.

The background remains clean and white to allow the foreground elements to pop. Strategic placement of headline text adds balance while guiding the viewer’s eye across the design. The top third prominently displays the New Scientist masthead, with subheadings teasing the special features inside the issue.

Rendering this cover was an extensive and rewarding digital illustration process carried out in Adobe Photoshop. The project started with a rough digital sketch that outlined the composition and scale of each object. This was essential for ensuring that the New Scientist brand identity remained central while making space for the festive elements.

Layer management played a key role during production. Each element—the reindeer, dog, toy car, and typography—was rendered on separate layers for maximum control. This allowed for easier adjustments to colour, lighting, and composition as the design evolved. The New Scientist art direction team provided clear feedback at each approval stage to ensure the final artwork met their editorial standards.

The reindeer’s fur was rendered using custom Photoshop brushes that mimic natural hair textures. Building up the lighting on the Christmas lights required careful layer blending, with multiple glow effects applied to create a sense of warmth and festivity. This level of detail ensured the New Scientist audience would be greeted with a cover that felt both inviting and visually stimulating.

Another highlight was the careful attention given to shadows and depth. Each object, including the toy car and the spiralling ribbon, was given realistic shading to create a convincing 3D appearance on a 2D surface. This step was crucial in making the New Scientist cover stand out among competing magazines during the busy holiday publishing cycle.

The typography was carefully integrated. Using New Scientist’s brand fonts, the headings and callouts were colour-matched to harmonise with the central illustration while maintaining readability. The blue and gold text treatments added a holiday feel without straying from the magazine’s signature style.

Post-production involved final colour grading, contrast tweaks, and sharpening to prepare the file for print output. Once approved by the New Scientist editorial and design teams, the high-resolution file was delivered to meet the publishing deadline.

Documenting the entire illustration workflow was a key part of this project. The full speed render video compresses the entire multi-day rendering process into a few captivating minutes. This timelapse offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the New Scientist Christmas cover went from initial sketch to finished publication artwork.

Overall, the 2019 New Scientist Christmas cover was a rewarding project, blending festive imagination with scientific storytelling through visual art. The process required a mix of technical skill, creative interpretation, and close collaboration with the New Scientist editorial staff.

For anyone interested in digital illustration, publication design, or simply curious about how a New Scientist cover comes to life, this speed render offers valuable insight into the creative journey behind one of the magazine’s most memorable issues.