Course "Effective visual communication in the sciences "

On the 17^th of November, Luca Malatesta, a researcher at GFZ, held a course on the effective visual communication in the sciences. During this short course, the participants covered fundamental rules of graphic design applied to science visuals, paying particular attention to the proper usage of color. The course was split into two parts with a lecture in the morning and an extended “office-hour” in the afternoon.

The ESRs learned how to structure the hierarchy of visual cues (axes, data points, grids, text) to match the hierarchy of information (data values, axes marks, labels) and give intuitive meaning to graphics to simplify the reader’s task. They also discussed the use of color to convey quantitative information and identify associated pitfalls and safe approaches. The afternoon “office-hour” was an optional addition for those who want to put into practice some of the concepts covered in the morning. The participants brought their current work that has a visual dimension and discuss design choices with the instructor and the rest of the group.