Case Study:
University of Glasgow & LIGO
Gravitational Waves Pop-Up Book
The Challenge.
How do you turn ripples in space-time, into a magical, informative experience for children?
The team behind Listen to the Universe - Dr Mariela Masso Reid, part of LIGO (Laser Interferometer Graviational Wave Observatory) the Nobel Prize winning collaboration who discovered gravitational waves, and Prof Dimitra Fimi, Professor of Children's literature of at the University of Glasgow, wanted to create an engaging, scientifically accurate pop-up book to introduce children in the Hingoli district of India to the wonder of gravitational waves.
The book needed to support public engagement for LIGO and LIGO INDIA ahead of the construction of a major new observatory in the region.
It had to explain complex astrophysics in a way that was accessible to young readers, while also respecting cultural and linguistic context. This meant integrating creative storytelling, scientific accuracy, mechanical paper engineering, and bilingual presentation — all while ensuring the final design could be produced at scale and distributed free of charge.
Kind Words.
“Working with Ollie was the best decision we could have made for our project.
From the earliest concept stages through to production, Ollie brought a rare combination of creativity, professionalism and care to every stage of the process as well as invaluable advice.
He is very knowledgeable and captured the essence of the artwork we needed.
The final result is a beautifully illustrated pop-up book — which has been received with great enthusiasm, and has already made a real impact in helping us communicate fascinating science in an accessible way.
Ollie was responsive, thoughtful, and proactive throughout, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him to others working in science communication or creative publishing."
“Ollie was an absolute pleasure to work with: organised, professional, and generous
with his time and advice.
His role in realising our project was crucial - he helped us transform our concept into a fully-fledged output that achieved exactly what we had hoped.
I would recommend him without hesitation."
Professor Dimitra Fimi
University of Glasgow