SCADpro X NASA Biome Buddies Illustrations

Biome Buddies are collectible cards that will introduce you to the science of NASA’s ICESat-2 and the environments the satellite collects data on. These landscapes are presented through the lens of cute and friendly animal pals. Learn about all 8 buddies in the set and line up the backs of the cards to create a special piece of artwork!

Biome Buddies are a set of collectible cards that I illustrated for ICESat-2 as part of Savannah College of Art and Design's collaboration with NASA from September 2022-March 2023. NASA approached SCADpro with the goal for our team to create material that would engage and inform the public about the mission of ICESat-2. The specific problem we were tasked with was how to interest a younger audience in the data that the satellite collects. The team and I brainstormed and created the concept of collectible cards that introduced children to the data the satellite collects on various biomes around the world and represented these biomes with various cuddly and cute creatures. Once all cards are collected, the illustrations on the back form a poster design of the satellite itself. The last slide contains an interactive AR demo for the arctic fox card created by Eliezer Garcia Gazaui, in which the user would be able to scan the card via Instagram’s camera to display a pop-up with even more information about that biome.

The design of Biome Buddies is a result of a collaborative student program

between ICESat-2 and the Savannah College of Art and Design SCADpro.

Illustrations by Cai Burks. Pho Design by Adriana Manrique.