Illustrate to Communicate: Turning Science into Effective Visuals

About the Workshop: Every research tells a story of patterns, processes, surprises, and discoveries. But too often, those stories stay buried in dense text, cluttered slides, or charts that inform but don’t truly connect. This workshop is an invitation to rethink how we communicate science. Together, we’ll explore how design principles, illustration, data visualization, animation, image editing, and even AI can work hand-in-hand to transform research into visuals that are clear, accurate, and engaging. Expect hands-on exercises, collaborative doodling, creative interactions, and practical tools you can immediately apply to your own work. Whether you’re a researcher, designer, or science communicator, this session will help you move beyond “just making figures” to crafting visual stories that truly resonate. Because data deserves more than decoration, it deserves thoughtful design.

Structure of the Workshop (3 hours): Module 1: Fundamentals of Design (20 min) • Core principles: hierarchy, consistency, typography, colour theory • RGB vs CMYK and why colour modes matter in publishing • Quick visual critique activity to identify design strengths and weaknesses

Module 2: Scientific Illustration & Animation Essentials (55 min) • Introduction to Scientific Illustration (types, real-world examples) • Hands-on: Create a simple graphical abstract using Inkscape • Essentials of infographic and poster layout (types, real-world examples) • Intro to Scientific Animation • Hands-on: Create a short animated visual using Canva • Interaction and Q&A

Module 3: Scientific Data Visualization (Discussion-Based) (20 min) • Why data visualization matters in research • Examples of strong vs misleading scientific visuals • Interactive activity: Participants analyse and improve a flawed visualization

Module 4: Image Editing in Scientific Communication (25 min) • Post-processing basics in Adobe Photoshop • Demo: Adding false colours to SEM/TEM images • Guided activity: Participants apply false colouring using stepwise instructions

Module 5: AI in Scientific Illustration & Image Editing (25 min) • Responsible use of AI tools in research visuals • Prompt design for illustration refinement • AI-assisted background clean-up, enhancement, and layout ideation • Discussion on ethics, originality, and scientific accuracy

Module 6: Science Doodle Lab (Group Activity) (30 min) • Participants are divided into groups and given a published research paper. Each group: • Works on one section (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion) • Creates doodle-style visuals and short explanatory captions • Interaction and discussion This playful yet analytical exercise encourages imagination while reinforcing comprehension.

Reflection & Key Takeaways (10 min)

Key highlights: • Understand core design principles for scientific visuals • Create a graphical abstract and simple animation • Improve scientific images using editing tools • Critically evaluate data visualizations • Explore AI responsibly in visual workflows • Expand your creativity through doodling

Why This Matters? As someone who transitioned from biotechnology to scientific illustration, I’ve experienced firsthand how powerful visuals can clarify complex mechanisms and data. In the ever-growing data visualization landscape, combining illustration and design thinking expands how we tell scientific stories by making them more human, accessible, and impactful.

Intended audience: This workshop is designed for students, researchers, academicians, designers, and industry professionals who seek to strengthen their scientific communication skills and learn how to translate complex data into clear, compelling visual narratives. No advanced technical skills or design background are required.