My old website header had been around since 2022. It showed northern lights and had served the site well, but after a while it no longer felt quite right for my website.
I wanted something that felt more personal, more flexible and more connected to the creative side of astronomy. Not just a pretty night-sky image, but an illustration that could work as part of the whole visual identity of the website.
The unexpected spark came at the ATT, the astronomy fair in Essen. Of all things, I was inspired by a special-edition beer can design from Baader Planetarium: Their special design featured an illustration full of bold colors, comic-like space elements, scribbles and little details. It was truly an eyecatcher.
I loved the layered design, the mix of science and imagination and the bold colors. Based on that I started developing my own space-inspired illustration for Astrofrüchtchen. My own illustration went in a calmer, more atmospheric direction and that slightly retro-scientific atmosphere
The result became the new website header illustration. It now appears as the visual entry point of the site and also inspired several illustrations for the subpages. This makes the whole website feel more connected. Astronomy, art and writing orbit around the same visual idea.
For me, this illustration marks a small but important shift. Astrofrüchtchen is still about stargazing, stories and creative work, but the new design feels more like the world I actually want this website to become: curious, cosmic, a little playful and deeply inspired by the night sky.