Overview
Research visuals travel further than papers. A single chart can end up in a ministry briefing, a university news story or a post shared thousands of times, often without the caption that explained it. That makes design choices consequential: a truncated axis, a misleading area comparison or a red–green palette can distort a finding or exclude part of the audience.
We start by asking who will see the graphic and what decision or understanding it should support. Then we choose the chart form that matches the comparison (change over time, parts of a whole, ranking, distribution, relationship), keep uncertainty visible where it matters, and write plain-language titles and annotations that say what the chart shows. Infographics combine several of these with icons, short text and a clear reading path.
We design in tools you can reuse, including R (ggplot2), Python (matplotlib, seaborn, plotly), Tableau, Power BI, Excel, Illustrator, Inkscape and Canva, and hand over source files so the graphics can be updated when data change.
Who it’s for and the problems it solves
This is for you if you are…
- Researchers producing visual abstracts or graphical abstracts required by journals
- Project teams writing reports and policy briefs for funders, NGOs or government
- University communications and research offices publicizing findings
- Doctoral researchers who want thesis figures that are consistent and publication-ready
- Students preparing an assessed infographic who want design feedback on their draft
Common problems we help with
- Your key chart relies on red and green, and some readers cannot tell the lines apart
- Stakeholders misread a figure because the axis starts at a value other than zero without warning
- You have a 60-page report and need a one-page visual summary
- A journal requires a graphical abstract in a specific size and you do not know where to start
- Your thesis figures come from four different programs and look inconsistent
What’s included — and what isn’t
Included
- Audience and message brief: who sees the graphic, where and what they should take away
- Choosing the chart type for the comparison, and advising against misleading forms (3D pies, dual axes without care, truncated bars)
- Colorblind-safe and print-safe palettes, checked with color vision deficiency simulation
- Showing uncertainty: confidence intervals, error bars, ranges or fan charts explained in plain language
- Visual abstracts and graphical abstracts sized to journal specifications
- One-page infographics and report summaries with a clear reading order
- Social media cut-downs with alt text and platform-appropriate aspect ratios
- Consistent figure styling for a thesis or report: fonts, sizes, color mapping and export settings
- Reproducible code or template files so graphics can be regenerated from updated data
Not included
- Changing or selectively presenting data to make a finding look stronger
- Running new statistical analyses — see our data analysis services if the numbers themselves need work
- Designing an assessed student infographic on your behalf; we give feedback on your draft
- Using copyrighted icons or images without a suitable license
What you receive
- Visual brief
- A short note agreeing audience, message, format, dimensions and the data each graphic uses.
- Charts and figures
- Finished graphics in the required formats (vector PDF or SVG, high-resolution PNG), with alt text drafted for each.
- Infographic or visual abstract
- A layout combining charts, icons and short text, delivered as an editable file and exports for print and web.
- Source files
- R or Python scripts, Tableau or Power BI workbooks, or Illustrator, Inkscape or Canva files, so the graphics can be updated later.
- Style sheet
- For multi-figure projects, a one-page guide to fonts, colors and chart conventions for your team.
How it works
Brief
You share the findings, data or existing figures, the audience and where the graphic will appear.
Sketches
We propose chart forms or a rough infographic layout and explain the trade-offs of each.
Design
We build the graphics, check accuracy against your data and test colors for accessibility.
Accuracy review
You check every number, label and claim; we revise to your comments.
Export and handover
We deliver files in each required format and size, with alt text and source files.
Visualization practices we apply
- Chart choice by comparison
- Lines for trends, bars for comparing amounts, dot plots for rankings, histograms and box or violin plots for distributions, scatterplots for relationships; pie charts only for a few simple parts of a whole.
- Colorblind-safe palettes
- Okabe–Ito for categories, viridis-family or ColorBrewer sequential and diverging schemes, with redundant cues such as labels, shapes or line styles.
- Honest scales
- Bar charts start at zero; line charts may zoom in with the axis clearly marked; log scales labeled explicitly; no area or 3D effects that distort magnitude.
- Uncertainty display
- Confidence intervals, error bars, gradient intervals or small multiples, with a sentence explaining what the band means.
- Direct labeling and annotation
- Labels next to lines and bars instead of legends, and a short annotation pointing to the result that matters.
- Accessible outputs
- Alt text for each graphic, sufficient text contrast, and a data table or text summary for screen-reader users where the context allows.
Designing for readers with color vision deficiency
Color vision deficiency is common, especially red–green types among men, so a chart that separates groups only by red and green will be unreadable to part of any large audience. We choose palettes designed to remain distinguishable, check them with simulation, and add a second cue such as direct labels or different markers. This also helps when a graphic is printed in grayscale or projected in a bright room.
Infographics without losing the science
An infographic simplifies, but it should not change what the research says. We keep the sample, the time frame and the main caveat on the page, avoid turning associations into causal language, and cite the source publication. Icons and illustrations support the numbers rather than replace them.
For journals, a visual or graphical abstract usually follows strict rules on size, file type and text. We check the current author guidelines for the specific journal before designing.
- Say who was studied, when and how many
- Use 'linked to' or 'associated with' when the design is observational
- Link to the full paper or report for details
Reproducible graphics
Figures made by hand in a drawing program are hard to update when a reviewer asks for one more year of data. Where possible we build charts in code (ggplot2, matplotlib) or a dashboard tool and only finish typography or layout in a design program, so you can regenerate them in minutes and keep a record of how each figure was made.
What the work can look like
Illustrative example — fictional data
Illustrative redesign of a report chart
A fictional NGO research team has a stacked 3D pie chart showing how 1,200 surveyed households spend water-collection time, for a policy brief. The details are invented to show the kind of change we suggest.
Issue
Seven slices in red, green and orange, with 3D perspective making the front slices look larger. Readers could not compare the two middle categories.
Redesign
A horizontal bar chart sorted from largest to smallest, bars starting at zero, direct percentage labels, one accent color on the category the brief discusses and a title stating the finding: 'Most households spend over an hour a day collecting water.'
Accessibility
Colors checked for red–green deficiency, alt text drafted with the key numbers and the underlying table included in the appendix.
Illustrative example with invented data. It does not represent a real client or survey.
What you’ll need to provide
- The data behind each chart (a spreadsheet or data file) or your existing figures and the numbers they show
- The key finding in your words and the audience you are trying to reach
- Required formats and dimensions (journal graphical abstract rules, report template, social platforms)
- Brand or institutional style rules and logos
- Any statements you must include, such as funding acknowledgements or data sources
You don’t need everything ready to ask for a quote — tell us what you have and we’ll say what’s missing.
What affects price and turnaround
Price depends on
- Number of charts or infographic panels
- Whether data need restructuring before plotting
- Custom illustration versus icon libraries
- Number of output formats and sizes (print, web, social, slides)
- Whether reproducible code or dashboard files are required
Turnaround depends on
- Availability of clean data and confirmed numbers
- Rounds of stakeholder review, especially for institutional or policy outputs
- Publication or launch dates
Every project is quoted individually. How we price our work.
Questions people ask before starting
What is the difference between a graphical abstract and an infographic?
A graphical abstract is a single image, usually required or invited by a journal, that summarizes a paper's main finding in a fixed format. An infographic is broader: it can combine several charts and text for reports, websites or social media, and follows your chosen layout rather than a journal's rules.
Can you make my results look more impressive?
We can make them clearer and more engaging, but we will not exaggerate them. Honest scales and visible uncertainty tend to increase trust in a finding, especially with policy and expert audiences.
I only have the chart image, not the data. Is that enough?
Sometimes. For simple charts we can work from clearly labeled values. For accurate redrawing, the underlying numbers or data file are much better, and we will ask for them if precision matters.
Which tools will you use?
Whatever suits the output and your team: R or Python for reproducible charts, Tableau or Power BI for dashboards, and Illustrator, Inkscape or Canva for layout. We hand over files in a format you can edit.
Can you help with my graded infographic assignment?
We can review your draft and explain what to change in chart choice, color, hierarchy and accuracy. The design and content you submit should be your own.