Shortcuts & Designing Yourself

Hi Reader, is there a shortcut to designing scientific graphics?

Being creative like the creators of these posters is one. But let’s be honest: creating good visuals can be time-consuming and difficult.

However, scientists are sometimes asked to design journal covers, graphical abstracts, or summary graphics for broad communication.

So, let’s discuss what could make your life easier:

It's Your Decision

No matter the path you decide on, the responsibility will fall to you.

You will have to decide which information and key elements will be included in your graphics.

That also means you are responsible for reading the guidelines of the journal or outlet where you will publish.

It may seem trivial, but there is crucial information to know. For graphical abstracts, for example, they might tell you not to display original data.

Similarly, several outlets advise against including more speculative aspects of your work in visual summaries.

When to Design Yourself

Designing your own graphics comes with three distinct advantages:

• It can be a fun variation in your workday that lets you express your creative side.
• It often teaches you important aspects of how to frame your work.
• It prepares you for situations where you need to design things yourself (think changing labs where there is no support or certain industry positions).

Importantly, even when you hire a designer, they will often ask you for basic guidance.

Knowing how to decide what to portray and understanding general layout principles will go a long way.

However, there are two extremes in which you should refrain from designing yourself:

First, if you really don’t have time (or motivation) and would therefore rush the process.

Simply depicting a molecule or adding a random icon just to submit something will hurt the perception of your work. Picture: Bad graphical abstract.

Also, if you have big expectations, you should rethink whether you have the necessary experience.

Big goals come with a big time commitment. Unfortunately, nobody becomes an artist overnight.

Yes, I advise getting inspired by great visuals in your field - but having an idea of what looks good and actually doing it are two very different things.

The issue is that emotional frustration is exhausting and often leads you to invest unreasonable amounts of time without making real progress.

Choosing the Right Software

Your success will also depend on choosing the right software.

However, learning a new tool from scratch can take more time than you might expect. So what about PowerPoint?

Honestly, I may be one of its biggest proponents.

However, designing complex shapes or icons is not feasible at all.

In other words, unless you already have all graphical elements prepared and just need the layout, don’t use it.

As an alternative, consider easy-to-use tools such as BioRender or Mind the Graph.

It seems like a shortcut, but don’t think you are lazy—it’s simply the better choice for clear visuals.

The point is that these tools are tailored to your use case.

They often provide graphics that are already aligned and look professional and consistent.

Moreover, they typically offer helpful nudges for color and shape choices that support your design. If you combine that with what you have learned in this series, you can achieve very good-looking results.

Hiring a Designer

It can be a good shortcut to hire a designer although it depends on the field how common it is.

Yes, it costs money but it can be worth it. It will save you (or your PhD student/postdoc) a great deal of time.

Moreover, you will end up with a sophisticated piece of visual communication that can significantly strengthen your message.

Your work will look more professional, and including such graphics in documents like grant proposals can make a strong impression.

What About Freelancers?

There are cheaper options, and platforms such as Fiverr can be a great opportunity.

However, here you must often be very precise about what you want. Moreover, it is not always clear whether the person you hire has the necessary skills and field experience.

I can only advise planning enough time, as not everyone is reliable…

Another caveat is that if the result looks only okay—but not great—it can be difficult for you to improve it afterward.

In short, it is more of a gamble: if you have some money to spare, you might hit the jackpot—but have a backup plan if you don’t.

Your Takeaway

• Designing things yourself can be fun and teach you valuable skills. However, it takes time to learn and execute well. Time should be your main consideration.
• If you are new, use supportive software that fits your purpose.
• If professional-level graphics would significantly benefit your career, consider hiring a designer. It may feel unusual at first, but it can take your communication much further.

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