Best Practices

Visual Science Communicators specialize in distilling information into visuals that are accessible, audience-appropriate, and visually appealing. You’ve heard the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words…” Well?

The reality is, we are often too close to our work to step back and provide the overview necessary to effectively communicate our work to different audiences. A skilled visual science communicator will ask you who your audience is, what your goals are with a particular visual, and will bring the artistic and storytelling skills to make your work shine. It is well worth the investment to celebrate and communicate your research as widely as possible by working with a visual science communicator. 

While photography and high-tech imaging systems continue to advance and can produce high-quality visuals, photos often fall short when it comes to engaging audiences with subject matter. Because we are all constantly bombarded with images in the form of photos, be it online, on tv, or even in our own camera roles, even the best and most descriptive photos can feel distant to viewers. Visual science communicators add a human aspect to visuals that can captivate your intended audience. Additionally, visual science communicators can remove the additional info that might be captured in a photograph and filter it in a way that only shows the absolutely crucial parts of the story.

While we never want to discourage interested grad students, researchers, etc from learning more about visual science communication and trying their hand at producing visuals for their own work, creating high quality visuals takes training & practice. Just because someone can create a visual doesn’t always mean that it’s an effective or engaging visual. So why not put the time used creating a basic visual in Photoshop to better use? There’s no need to add more job titles to the one you already have. Always consider hiring a visual science communicator to create top quality visuals for you. They may cost more than a grad student with Photoshop, but they’ll have higher impact and can be used to not only educate, but also promote your work long-term.

Just like working with any contractor, a project with a visual science communicator begins with a consultation in the form of a phone call, email conversation etc. During this time, be clear about your budget and deadline, your goals for the visual, how it will be used, and what style of visual you’re looking for. Once all details are clear between both parties, the creator will put together a proposal contract that lays out the scope of work, estimated fees, delivery dates, number of included edits, licensing and redistribution rights, and a payment schedule. Both parties will sign this contract when details are agreed upon and work can begin! The process of creation may include the creator providing you with sketches to be approved and the opportunity to give comments on several drafts. Communication during this time is key as many creators will charge for additional edits and not being able to communicate the changes you desire may lead to a higher price tag. Upon approval of the finished product, the creator will send the deliverables to the client in the predetermined form and any last payment will be finalized. 

Fun fact: Many research grants require an outreach component as part of the application. Yet many researchers interpret this as “publication in a peer-review journal” and leave it at that. GNSI believes that investing in well-crafted visual abstracts or press release images that summarize your work can provide years of mileage as you explain the importance and impact of your work. Further, opportunities for broader science communication can make any application stand out - there are many ways to engage visual science communicators beyond visuals for papers and talks (think public outreach events, exhibits, community activation events, etc.) We recommend building room for visuals into every budget you write. Then bring on the professionals early so they have time to understand your goals. 

You pour your heart and soul into your work and funds are tight, we get it. While we highly encourage you to budget communicating the results of your findings into the costs of doing effective science, we recognize paying for visuals is not always possible. If you have any inclination to learn some of the skills we teach, we encourage you to increase your skills and understanding of what makes good science visuals by attending our conferences, reading our journal, and taking workshops. 

Fantastic! We have a job board where you can post opportunities that go out to our members who have indicated an interest in taking on work (the link is in the footer on every page). We do not screen or monitor candidates for you, but it is a way for you to get in touch directly with people who may be interested in your project. Please note, we will not post unpaid work, including work “for exposure.”