Visual Communication Training for Scientists and Researchers
Helping researchers communicate complex ideas clearly, through design principles, data presentation, and visual storytelling.
Why does visual communication matter?
Scientists and researchers work with complex, information-dense material every day. The challenge isn’t usually the content. They’re masters of that. The difficulty comes in translating that content into visuals that actually communicate: slides that don’t overwhelm, posters that stop people, graphical abstracts that convey a study’s essence at a glance.
Most researchers learn visual communication the same way they learn presenting: by osmosis, copying what they’ve seen, and hoping it works. The result is slides crowded with text, posters that need explaining, and figures that mean everything to the researcher who made them and little to anyone else.
Visual communication is a learnable set of principles. Once researchers understand why certain design choices work, like hierarchy, contrast, simplicity, visual flow, they can start to apply those principles across everything they make.
Why visual communication matters for researchers specifically
Research is increasingly assessed and shared visually. Graphical abstracts are now required by many journals. Conference posters compete for attention in crowded halls. Funding applications include visual summaries. Public engagement relies on images and infographics that communicate without explanation.
Yet visual design is almost never taught in research training programmes. Researchers are expected to produce high-quality visual materials while working with tools they’ve never been taught to use intentionally.
Our training addresses the underlying principles rather than software skills. This means that researchers can make better visual decisions regardless of which tools they’re using.
Visual communication training: what we offer
We offer training in-person training across Europe in the form of our 1-2 day workshops, as well essential skills sessions that typically take 2 hours.
Explore these below, or get in touch for details →
Visual Communication for Researchers: Principles and Practice →
A one- to two-day programme combining visual design principles with hands-on application. Participants build an understanding of visual communication principles by reviewing real research materials, and through practical inputs. Depending on the length of the workshop, researchers have time to improve their own visual materials — slides, posters, figures — and receive peer input. They also have time to apply principles and skills to create a graphical abstract from scratch, peer input. Brings together design theory and immediate practice in a single session. Best delivered in person, although we can also offer this as a blended-learning experience.
Essential skills sessions: 2 hours, online
Our essential skills sessions last for two hours and take place online. Designed for large groups, each session introduces one skill with time for guided exercises and peer feedback. Examples include:
- Visual Design Principles for Researchers
- Graphical Abstract Design for Scientists & Researchers
- Poster Design Essentials
- Designing Effective Slides for Research Presentations
We can also offer design skills sessions on using specific tools, like Canva, Affinity Suite, and similar tools.
Request our skills session catalogue, or view all topics here →
Not sure where to start?
Get in touch and tell us what your researchers need. We’ll suggest the right approach.
Or browse all training topics to get an overview of the specific training and workshops we offer.
Looking for data visualisation training?
Data visualisation (or “dataviz” training)— tools like Tableau, R, and Python for chart design and analysis — is a related but distinct discipline. We work with a network of specialists who deliver exactly this kind of training.
If that’s what you need, get in touch and we’ll connect you with the right person.
Who this training is for
Researchers at any career stage who produce visual materials for conferences, publications, or public engagement. Particularly valuable for PhD students preparing their first conference posters, researchers required to submit graphical abstracts, and teams preparing visual materials for grant applications or dissemination reports.
I have a whole new toolkit for improving my slides and figures
I attended a two-part training on visual principles and how to apply them to slides. Getting an awareness of design basics, seeing them in action in slides and figures, and then having a chance to reflection my own work has been eye-opening. I was doing some things right, but there is room for improvement, and I’ll work on this incrementally as I create future presentations. Very helpful.
—Cristina Silva, Researcher, CIIMAR
Ready to discuss visual communication training for your researchers?
Need something tailored?
We design custom programmes to fit your context, or offer immersive in-person formats for retreats and intensive programmes.
Why our skills training works
We focus on transferable skills, not rigid templates and “cookie cutter” approaches to skills development.
Your researchers learn practical techniques to use immediately, whether presenting at conferences, writing grant proposals, or engaging with policymakers and the public. Skills that serve them throughout their careers.
Our focus is on offering useful tools and approaches, so that training participants can try them out and choose the ones that help them communicate confidently, clearly, and authentically.