Reef Carpet Editorial Cover

Client
Shehryar (Shay) Saharan, University of Toronto

Year
2025

Audience
General Population

Tools
Autodesk Maya, Photoshop, Procreate

Description
Reef carpets are designed to enhance biodiversity by integrating nursery-grown corals with associated reef organisms, creating immediate habitats that support a diverse range of marine life. This editorial cover aims to metaphorically explore this restoration strategy using visual storytelling.

Initial Thumbnails & Sketches
This project began with research, followed by quick thumbnailing sketches. With helpful feedback from the client and peers, rough ideas turned into more polished digital drafts.

Three magazine covers titled 'Science Visualized,' each featuring a different underwater scene related to reef carpets, with illustrations of people exploring underwater coral reefs.
Rough editorial cover thumbnail sketches in a sketchbook

Modelling
After sketches were finalized, models were created. All assets were modelled in Maya.

A 3D human model standing in a T-pose on a grid in a digital environment.
3D model of a human body with wireframe mesh and highlighted pink areas on joints and fingers.
3D rendering of a living room scene featuring a sofa with a pillow, a floor lamp, two vases, various small decorative objects, and a rug on the floor.
3D model of a human hand and part of the arm in a neutral pose.
Wireframe 3D model of a person diving, with a lamp and potted plant nearby, all on a dotted grid background.
3D wireframe model of a human figure diving with a reef carpet, with additional 3D objects and interface elements visible.

Textures & Lighting
Textures were added to the models, including hand-drawn elements created in Procreate. Lighting was adjusted through several iterations to achieve the desired underwater atmosphere.

Living room underwater scene with a sofa, reef carpet covered with colourful coral and starfish, and a lamp.
Rendering of reef carpet scene.
Colourful pink octopus and other sea creatures on a white carpet base with a sandy background.
Colourful coral on a reef carpet.

Compositing
Photoshop and Procreate were used in post-production and finalize the cover.

A digital journal cover illustration of an underwater scene, including a diver in a wetsuit unrolling a reef-covered carpet, a school of fish, and a cozy couch with a lamp.
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