Hi, I’m Daniela Leitner – a designer with a great passion for visual science communication.
Since my diploma thesis Als das Licht laufen lernte (When the light learned to walk), I have been passionate about visualizing complex scientific content in an understandable, fresh and original way. I work interdisciplinary in 2D, 3D, animated and interactive – and combine these techniques to create extraordinary visual worlds that convey knowledge in an impressive way.
What makes me special: My great interest in scientific topics and my quick comprehension enable me to quickly familiarize myself with new subject areas. I develop didactic concepts that communicate content in a precise and aesthetically appealing way.
I also offer creative workshops for scientists and students. In these, I provide insights into my working methods and teach how scientific topics can be designed on a visual level in such a way that they arouse interest, stand out aesthetically and reach the target group in a targeted manner.
Scientific infographics explain complex relationships much better, faster and more excitingly than pure text – whether in popular science, in a graphical abstract for scientific journals or in scientific posters.
Illustrations and photographs transform information into stories that arouse emotions and are therefore more easily memorised. They are used in science especially as covers or lead images.
Films and animations convey knowledge in a very special way. In combination with music, moving images have an enormous impact and are therefore particularly memorable in science when it comes to conveying a lot of information in as little time as possible.
Editorial design combines text and image into a strong unit to breathe life into the content of books and magazines. Multi-page documents are indispensable, especially when a great deal of information needs to be conveyed in science, for example in research proposals or publications for the general public.
CV Daniela LeitnerSince 2012
Freelance Dipl. Designer Daniela Leitner | Design trifft Wissenschaft (Design meets Science)
Since 2015
Freelance Designer for Ernst Klett Verlag (Stuttgart)
Since 2013
Free Author for Verlagsgruppe Random House (Munich)
2013 – 2021
Freelance Designer for bild der wissenschaft (Leinfelden-Echterdingen)
2013 – 2017
Freelance Designer for the National Institute for Science Communication (NaWik) (Karlsruhe)
2012 – 2014
Freelance Designer for Spektrum der Wissenschaft (Heidelberg)
Since 2006
Freelance Communication Designer
2004 – 2012
Study at the University of Arts and Design Karlsruhe / Communication Design
1985
Born in Naila (Bavaria)
Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Hamburg
bild der wissenschaft, Konradin Mediengruppe
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft – DFG – German Research Foundation
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
Fraunhofer Center for International Management and Knowledge Economy IMW
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE
Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP
Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg
Fonds National de la Recherche (FNR) Luxembourg
German Academic Scholarship Foundation
German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)
German Rheumatism Research Centre Berlin – DRFZ
Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ)
Helmholtz Center Potsdam – GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences
Hochschule Geisenheim University
Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW)
KIT – Karlsruhe Institute for Technology
Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH)
Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography (IfL)
Leibniz Institute for Crystal Growth
Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Nature Genetics, Nature Publishing Group
NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen
Technical University of Darmstadt
Technical University of Munich
2014
Nominee for the Opus Primum Förderpreis of the VolkswagenStiftung
for the best scientific newcomer publication of the year:
Als das Licht laufen lernte | Eine kleine Geschichte des Universums, publisher: Bertelsmann
2014
Nominee for the Scientific book of the year 2014, cathegory esthetics:
Als das Licht laufen lernte | Eine kleine Geschichte des Universums, publisher: C. Bertelsmann
2014
The Best German Book Design:
Als das Licht laufen lernte | Eine kleine Geschichte des Universums, publisher: Bertelsmann
Shortlist of the best 108 books
2013
Award Special Mention of the German Design Council
in the context of the German Design Award 2014
for my diploma thesis Als das Licht laufen lernte
2013
Nominee at the German Design Council
for the German Design Newcomer Award 2014
2013
Silver Nail at ADC Junior Award
for my diploma thesis Als das Licht laufen lernte
2012
Red Dot Award: Communication Design
for my diploma thesis Als das Licht laufen lernte
2012
Diploma with honors
Als das Licht laufen lernte
2010
:output award
for the seminar work Licht im Raum
2008
Award at the ADC Junior Award
for the seminar work fashionac