Research communication

Design Better Scientific Figures Without Distorting the Data

Improve scientific figures through scale, annotation, accessibility, and image integrity while keeping the underlying evidence unchanged.

By Hendri Susetyo (ArsyaVisual) · Published · Updated

Separate truth from polish

Identify which visual properties carry meaning: position, length, area, colour, or shape. Keep those mappings stable while removing clutter. Never crop, recolour, smooth, or retouch scientific images in a way that changes interpretation; record legitimate adjustments.

  • Preserve raw data.
  • Use comparable axes.
  • Disclose transformations.

Design for placed size

A journal figure may fail when reduced to one of twelve poster panels. Simplify labels, enlarge essential marks, and separate multi-panel figures when the story permits. Check raster images at their placed size; vector plots remain preferable for lines and type.

  • Remove irrelevant panels.
  • Use scale bars.
  • Make annotations readable.

Explain where the eye needs it

Put labels near structures, values near important points, and a short message above each figure. Define abbreviations and uncertainty close to use. Readers should distinguish observation from annotation without relying on the presenter’s memory.

  • Use arrows sparingly.
  • Keep terms consistent.
  • Test with a new reader.

A practical example

A microscopy montage can keep identically processed panels, add consistent scale bars, label tissue and condition directly, and outline the discussed region without altering source pixels.

Combine figure refinement with the full poster system

Choose custom design when charts, microscopy, diagrams, and captions need consistent hierarchy and careful placement across an editable poster.

Compare poster design packages

Sources and further reading