Graphical Abstracts – Visualize your Research Ideas and Projects

Target group

Doctoral & postdoctoral researchers of all faculties

Content

This workshop deals with the visualization of scientific ideas and projects. Much like the traditional abstract as a written summary of a journal article, the graphical abstract has made its way into scientific publications as a visual summary. Beyond that specific purpose, it can be widely used in a variety of contexts, be it in a thesis defense, a conference talk, or on a poster. No matter what the context, a graphical abstract captures the viewer's attention, explains the science, and will be remembered. However, visualizing complex scientific ideas can be tricky. Where do you start? How do you organize the content? What is important and what can be left out? How can abstract concepts be visualized? This course leads you through the different steps of creating a graphical abstract and includes an introduction to vector graphics.

Objectives

After the course, you will

• be familiar with a systematic approach to generating a graphical abstract,
• be able to visually structure your project,
• be aware of resources and approaches to visualizing abstract concepts,
• be able to digitally create custom vector graphics and icons in Affinity Designer,
• understand the concept of vector graphics,
• know the basics of graphic design such as the intentional use of color, line thickness, typography, etc.,
• have learned about different graphic styles and have settled on your own style, and
• have created a graphical abstract for your project.

Methods

Theoretical input, practical exercises (individual and group work), group discussion, trainer feedback

Prerequisite

You will need to install the latest stable version of Affinity Designer (free trial version available, you will receive detailed instructions in advance) for use in the workshop. Please plan approximately four to eight hours for individual work between the two days of the course.

To participate in the online course, you will need a PC/laptop with a current browser as well as a headset (or speakers and a microphone), a webcam, and a stable internet connection.