Visualize your Science

You don't need big arrows to guide someone's eye through a graphic.
One of our former students, Caroline Lööf from Chalmers University, shows that with her graphical abstract.
Instead of using arrows, she uses these simple tricks:
→ An S-shaped path running through the background creates a natural flow from start to finish → A warm-colored illustration marks the entry point, so the viewer knows exactly where to look first → Bigger text at the bottom right signals a clear exit point
That's it. Using shape, color, and scale can be an elegant alternative to arrows and makes the work more interesting to look at.
And once your eye follows that path, the science comes through clearly. Her research uses mass spec imaging plus histological ROI identification and multivariate analysis to build a chemical fingerprint of prostate cancer. All in service of better patient outcomes.
Beautiful illustrations. Subtle labels. And a clear message.
That's what happens when visual flow is designed with purpose.

You've already sat for hours on your presentation slides.
Moved the same bullet multiple times. Shrunk the font so it fits the text. Added another chart because more data feels solid.
And it's still not really working.
In most cases nobody ever taught us researchers how to present. We spend years to master the science part, then get ten minutes to make a room care about it.
Present your Science helps you with that. Learn how to structure your story, what belongs on a slide, and how to design visuals that support you instead of overwhelming your audience.
Autumn round starts next week: Sep 25 – Nov 27. Fully online, recorded lectures plus live instructor feedback.
Defense, conference talk, or team meeting coming up? Then this is for you.
For more information on the course or to signup click the link in the comments below.

Branching shapes show up everywhere in nature: roots, rivers, neurons. Same logic, but different. But where to start drawing them?

As scientists, we draw these more than you'd think. So we decided to share a quick four-step guide to drawing vector branching structures. Shown on the example everyone's been waiting for 🌾

Can you believe how much a PhD student can learn in just a few weeks?

The Visualize Your Science Summer 2026 course has come to an end, and we're thrilled to share some of the incredible work our students created this summer.

Thank you to everyone who participated. Your creativity and effort shine through in every illustration. We wish you the best of luck with your future visualizations!

Lab Equipment: Ema Durcova (Klaipeda University), Bhubhud Thongrakon (KTH – Royal Institute of Technology), Bent Speksnijder (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)

Graphical Abstracts: Maria Hausmann (Aarhus University), Kristoffer Ansbak Petersen (University of Copenhagen), Anil Can Önder (University of Copenhagen)

Posters: Surabhi Raj (Uppsala University), Mie Mortensen (Novo Nordisk), Prune August (DTU)

100% of students would very likely recommend this course and we couldn't be prouder of what this group achieved.

Want to develop your own visual science communication skills? Our Autumn Course starts 15 September 2026.

A big mistake in scientific communication? Showing data without showing the message.

Research often produces datasets that are hard to make sense of. Collecting the data is one challenge. Finding the right way to help people see the patterns inside it is another.
In Markus' poster, different visualizations communicate different layers of the research:
Maps reveal global patterns and geographic distribution
Network-style diagrams show relationships between biological elements
Illustrations explain the mechanisms behind antimicrobial resistance spread

Each visualization answers a different question. Where is it happening? What is connected? How does it happen? That's what effective data visualization does, it helps the audience understand.

A strong scientific visualization:
→ Reveals patterns, not just numbers
→ Makes relationships between variables visible
→ Connects different levels of information
→ Turns datasets into clear insights

In good visualization we don´t replace the data. With help of the visualization the data themselves reveal the story that's already in it.
Research by Markus Johansson and colleagues, Technical University of Denmark, Division for Epidemiology and Microbial Genomics.

Become a visual scientist this autumn!

Visuals are an important part of science. Whether you're writing a paper, making a presentation, or creating a graphical abstract, you'll need a visual representation of your research.

Luckily, we have four courses this autumn that can help you:
🔹 Animate your Science (Sep 1st to Dec 11th)
🔹 Visualize your Science – Autumn (Sep 15th to Nov 13th)
🔹 Animate your Science (Sep 25th to Nov 27th )
🔹 Visualize your Science – Winter (Nov 17th to Jan 29th)

Learn more, sign up, and become a visual scientist: https://www.visualizeyourscience.com/home?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medium=Visualize%20your%20Science