XQ: Science & Youth

Identity, UX/UI Design, and Web Development for Argentina’s first school-based scientific journal

Services

Brand Identity, UX/UI Design, and Web Development

Client

Government of the City of Buenos Aires (GCBA)

The Department of Science and Technology of the City of Buenos Aires entrusted us with the development of the identity and digital platform for XQ Journal: a digital portal designed for high school students nationwide to publish their curricular research as scientific papers. The challenge was to build a platform that matched the strict standards of international scientific journals—including peer review by experts—while maintaining a visual identity that resonated directly with a teenage audience.

Encouraging curiosity: The “XQ” Identity

The journal’s name already established a direct bridge to the youth by using the shorthand “XQ”, the common way for teenagers to synthesize “por qué” (why) in mobile messaging. Our work consisted of translating this concept into a visual identity that broke down the barrier of “unreachable seriousness” often associated with academia. We designed a brand with a tone that was both fresh and professional, retaining the credibility required for an official publication while conveying that scientific research is, above all, a process of curiosity and playful exploration.

Pixel Art Aesthetics

Since scientific papers often lack visual resources, we designed a header system for the papers based on pixel art illustrations. Inspired by 8-bit video game aesthetics, these pieces serve as visual identifiers for different categories: from Engineering and Technology to Life Sciences. For the article covers, we applied playful color filters to image assets, transforming technical content into visually engaging pieces. The result was a portal that professionalized school-based production, providing a prestigious framework for the curiosity born in the classroom.

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