The Cancer Atlas by Languagedept

The annual number of new cancer cases worldwide is predicted to increase from 14 million in 2012 to almost 22 million in 2030 due to population growth and aging alone. But each country has different challenges according to their level of development, demographics, risk factors and lifestyle patterns. The Cancer Atlas brings together cancer control experts from around the world to present useful and comprehensible information to aid in the fight against cancer.

The 136-page book is comprised of nearly 100 insets and 44 choropleth-coded maps illustrating global data. The visual voice was inspired by academic quarterly publications; sophisticated but digestible, with a color palette inspired by tissue and cell photography. Circles are used as a consistent throughline, to represent the cellular and global levels that cancer strikes. The cover design sets up the vast scale of the issues, balancing a single cancer cell atop the globe. The stark blackness of the cover is repeated in section dividers that also use photographs as chart-like elements. Visual hierarchy of each page allows skimming and browsing, while details invite careful reading. The left column is used as a brief summary of the chapter; numbered indicators in the body copy point readers to the insets for the deeper story.

This Atlas was designed with its wide-reaching audience in mind. It needed to be accessible to audiences from policy makes to patients; it needed to be portable as chapters and as discreet graphics. Single spreads can serve as infographic topic-driven posters; individual graphic insets can be parsed out as digital assets into presentations and social media. A consistent visual system and underlying grid provides structure for the varied print content and help it translate to the companion website (canceratlas.cancer.org) and social media.

“We at the Society believe this critical publication will be an essential and accessible resource for everyone involved in the cancer fight—from advocates and agencies to policymakers and patients, and everyone in between… Information is a powerful tool in the hands of passionate, dedicated individuals, and this book provides an unparalleled resource to arm and inform everyone committed to this fight.”
—John Seffrin, Chief Executive Officer, American Cancer Society