![]() ![]() Be realistic when it comes to budget, deadlines, and scope. The tips below include strategies that I’ve developed for creating graphics in the service of science journalism, on deadline.īuilding a graphic can be time- and/or cost-intensive. My role includes developing images that both explain the latest research findings in depth and place those findings in the context of the larger research arc. Starting with a clear introduction to the concept of information graphics and their role in contemporary science communication, it then outlines a process for creating graphics using evidence-based design strategies.Īs a graphics editor at Scientific American magazine, I use graphics-a term I use here as shorthand for illustrated explanatory diagrams and data visualizations-to help make advances in science and technology accessible, with the goal of engaging, informing, and inspiring a nonspecialist audience. Building Science Graphics is a practical guide to communicating scientific content in visual form. The tips presented here are distilled from the book Building Science Graphics: An Illustrated Guide to Communicating Science through Diagrams and Visualizations, by Jen Christiansen (December 2022, CRC Press). At its best, engagement is followed by learning, which then leads to continued engagement, all within the same frame. But to my mind, science graphics are uniquely positioned as visual aids that have the power to both beckon folks in and provide very specific information. Photographs, editorial illustrations, fine art, and graphics all have the potential to quickly capture the attention of people in different ways. In science communication, a wide range of image types serve the purpose of engagement. This ability to engage an audience quickly-before asking too much of them-is a powerful thing when vying for eyeballs and attention. As perception researcher Colin Ware wrote in the book Visual Thinking for Design, “visual media can support the perception of almost instantaneous scene gist, rapid explorations of spatial structure and relationships between objects, as well as emotions and motivations.” ![]() Color, form, and composition can trigger a reaction from the viewer without significant conscious effort. There’s generally a low initial barrier to entry when faced with an image. Do you flip through the pages first, scanning the images? What about social media? Once you start scrolling quickly down your timeline, what has the power to make you stop? Chances are, it’s an image. That said, consider how you experience a print newspaper or magazine. I’m betting you can’t decipher all of the tiny icons without a text assist.) (Think about the laundry tags in some of your clothing. Visual jargon, for example, is just as prevalent as written jargon. It’s tempting to proclaim that visual languages are more universal than spoken and written languages, and that the very act of presenting information in the form of a drawing instead of words makes it more accessible. (See the story where this final graphic was published in the December 2015 issue of Scientific American.) Jen Christiansen/Scientific American Léelo en Español From initial exploratory sketches to the final product, creating a science graphic is a process. Degree Programs in Science, Health, or Environmental Writing Science Writing Resources (Elsewhere) That We Like.Guide to Using Alt-text to Make Images More Accessible.Sample Script & Survey for Tracking Source Diversity.Finding Diverse Sources for Science Stories.Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Resources.Tip Sheet for Newcomers to Science Writing.Where to Get Started at The Open Notebook.The Covering Science Slack: A Peer-Mentoring Community.Sharon Dunwoody Science Journalism Mentoring Program.Virtual Workshop Series: The Craft of Science Editing.Navigating the Science Journalism World.$ - New products (that are not sold in bundles) are posted at 40% off for the first 48 hours! Just click the green star to follow my shop and you'll be notified of these huge discounts! :) Read my complete Terms of Use document HERE. If you use these graphics in TpT or TN resource products, please lock down the images and provide a link to my shop in your product pages. Images may not be given away freely or re-sold as clip art, classroom decor items, or coloring pages, but you may use them on your personal resources, or embed them in the teaching resources that you create to sell on TpT or TN. Scientist looking through magnifying glass Microscope slide blank (Layer numbers, letters, "bacteria" :), etc. It contains a whopping 73 images in total - 32 black and white and 41 color versions! It includes: This clip art set is PACKED with images related to science - both science equipment and the little scientists who use it!
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