Yellowcake is the intermediary. It is produced though the in situ leaching of acids into boreholes, drilled into a mineral deposit. Yellowcake is rarely yellow. This was just the colour due to early extraction efforts, it is now more efficient. Yellowcake is what remains after drying but precedes enrichment. We chose this name before we knew what it meant. We still do not properly know what it means. We've never seen pre-enriched uranium ore or known it's effects directly. The name fit due to the discrepancy between the images it conjures and the actual product.

Through radiation we came to waste. These images are from the paper proposing a waste isolation plant in New Mexico. Costing an estimated 19 billion dollars, the plant stores only the waste from the research and production of United States nuclear weapons. These proposals are the first effort of "linguists, archaeologists, anthropologists, materials scientists, science fiction writers, and futurists" to come up with a warning message for the future, hoping to last 10,000 years. This paper birthed the field of Nuclear semiotics alongside the foundations of a religion based around creation of an atomic priesthood. The fallout was wide ranging and caused some to question the benefit the 20th century technological progress. The final plan will be submitted to the US Government by around 2028 and they will finalize the design by 2033.

Yellowcake's design for Issue 01: Radiation draws inspiration from vintage radiation warning symbols. This is evident in the first issue's deep red cover and the slab serif typeface used in the logo and logotype. The magazine format is inspired by the "Manual of Civil Defence: Vol 1 Nuclear Weapons," a 1956 Civil Defence Corps training pamphlet. The cover's main design element is a simple white box, acting as a window into the theme of each release. This window will be tipped in on a different coloured cardstock for every issue. For this debut, three alternate covers are available, each featuring a unique radiation warning symbol concept, from recognisable facial emotions to harsh spike monuments.