Designing Clear and Compelling Scientific Figures
To see upcoming course date(s) and to register, go to Employee Self-Service, click on Training Enrollment, then check Employee Skills Development.
Objectives
Learn how to:
- Eliminate visual distractions so audiences can understand your scientific figures quickly and intuitively
- Tell the most compelling story possible about your research by emphasizing what is unique and important about your data
- Enhance your efficiency during the time-consuming process of creating figures
Participants
This workshop is designed for postdocs and GSRAs across all scientific disciplines represented at the Lab. Scientists are also welcome to attend.
Course Summary
In this three-hour workshop, you will learn graphic design principles that can be used to create clear and compelling scientific figures. The workshop will explore:
- Strategic use of color
- Use of spacing to signal visual hierarchies
- Differences between creating figures for manuscripts, research talks and posters
You’ll have the chance to practice what you’ve learned through a series of exercises on planning a focused visual story, using knowledge of visual perception to evaluate figure design, planning figure layout and evaluating the use of color and space.
Please note that this workshop does not cover the nuts and bolts of graphics software; instead, it highlights essential principles of graphic design that apply across software.
More Details
The instructor is Dr. Jennie Dorman, Program Director of Career and Professional Development for Researchers at the Office of Career and Professional Development at UC San Francisco. Dr. Dorman designs courses, workshops, and online resources to train postdoctoral scholars and graduate students in the professional skills they need to be successful. She received her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Washington.
