Steve Cook has specialized in developing technical content for medical device manufacturers and medical device marketing agencies since establishing scientific communications business, Steve Cook Illustration, in 1999. After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Communications with a minor in Biology in 1977, Steve began his career as a scientific illustrator at Scripps Institution of Oceanography – which gave him the unique opportunity to work with some of the world’s leading research scientists in the fields of marine biology, climate research, geophysics, and both physical and chemical oceanography for over twenty years.

Since the graphic design and illustration world were changing rapidly during this time period, one of Steve’s key projects at the Institution was helping to introduce the new world of digital and electronic design.

As Scripps Institution was one of the first active adaptors of computerized work stations and internet-based communications, helping implement these innovations positioned Steve as an early user of computer-based design and illustration software. He first began studying the inner workings of Adobe Illustrator in the late 1980’s, and soon afterward, began to developed an expert understanding of Photoshop and other design and illustration software.

Spanning these two time periods has given Steve a comprehensive outlook on illustration, where his scholastic foundations in life drawing and visual composition have transferred over to a time period where airbrushing and painting can now be managed with a mouse and a stylus instead a respirator and paint brushes. Through combining years of experience working with a wide range of scientific professionals with a mastery over developing scientific visuals that accurately represent complex topics, Steve Cook Illustration offers all-encompassing services for a variety of scientific and medical projects.

Steve comments:

Each illustration project is different, but the challenge of communicating effectively is constant. Whether it’s a manufactured product, a scientific concept, or an engineered system, my objective is communicating how it’s used or why it works. In the end, the most important aspect of my job is contributing to the positive image of the businesses and organizations I work with.

Some of Steve’s clients include Zimmer Dental Inc., Bledsoe Brace Systems, United Orthopedic Group, Science Applications International Corporation, Poseidon Resources, Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc., the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, and University of California, San Diego. To check out more scientific illustration work by Steve Cook, view his portfolio or website.