How much do you charge for scientific illustrations? How can I pay?
No other professional scientific illustrator can match my affordable prices while keeping the highest quality levels. Send me a description of your project and within 24 hours I will inform you of my budget estimate. You can pay with bank transfers, Paypal, etc.
How long does it take to complete a work order?
It depends on the number and complexity of the figures you want to publish. Usually I send you first drafts in one week and final figures in two to four weeks.
Can I use the designed figures once my paper gets published?
You can use your illustrations as you wish: you paid for them and you own the copyright. However, you will probably transfer them to a journal editorial once you publish your work.
Should I cite you as a designer in the acknowledgements?
Acknowledgements to the designer’s work are completely optional.
Which are the best graphic programs used to design colorful and publishable scientific illustrations?
Most people recognize that Adobe Illustrator is by far the best software to use for figure creation. Many other drawing software are also used in the design of scientific illustrations: MATLAB; Inkscape; R-RStudio; Graphpad; Golden Software; Sigmaplot; SPSS; QtiPlot; EQUINOX-3D; Edraw; ConceptDraw Pro; Power B1 Desktop; DrawPlus; yED; Mindthegraph; Mayura Draw; MathType; Origin; LaTex; FrameMaker; FrameScript; etc. Most formats used for figures are: PNG, JPEG, SVG, etc.
Can I draw my own high-quality figures for publication?
Most scientists do not have the adequate design knowledge to draw high-quality artwork which takes a lot of time. Scientists often produce graphs using Excel or PowerPoint which might look fine to them, but may have fundamental design problems. Some of these figures are spectacular, others are not and most of them fall somewhere in between. A flood of data presents a challenge to scientists with poor design knowledge, often resulting in messy presentations or illustrations that can crowd out the main message.
How do scientists interact with graphic designers?
Designers first ask scientists about their goals, deadlines, stages in the design process, publication venues, layout, etc. Designers typically use hand drawings to sketch out scientific ideas and bring clarity to these complex data and generate effective illustrations that clearly communicate the results. They create a visual hierarchy so that many elements can be included without confusion. The designer focuses on simplifying the original raw-sketches provided by scientists, reorganizing portions of the composition and making more effective use of visual contrast.
