Details
Speaker: Jen Christiansen (Scientific American)
Title: "Special Considerations for Science Graphics (from a journalist's point of view)"
When: Fri 1 Sep, 10:30-11:30
Where: HS 2, Währinger Straße 29, 2nd floor and online in Zoom
Abstract: Science graphics are beholden to the same design principles as other types of graphics. But the information they hold is often the product of a process that a lot of people in broad audiences may not be familiar with. It's important to honor the fact that the data you're presenting is both the product of a rigorous study that builds upon past studies, and that interpretations may eventually shift a bit as future research sheds more light on the topic. This talk outlines strategies for addressing three overarching themes that are particularly pertinent to science graphics: honoring complexity, avoiding misinformation pitfalls, and visualizing uncertainty.
Bio: Jen Christiansen is author of Building Science Graphics: An Illustrated Guide to Communicating Science through Diagrams and Visualizations (CRC Press) and senior graphics editor at Scientific American, where she art directs and produces illustrated explanatory diagrams and data visualizations. In 1996 she began her publishing career in New York City at Scientific American. Subsequently she moved to Washington, D.C., to join the staff of National Geographic(first as an assistant art director–researcher hybrid and then as a designer), spent four years as a freelance science communicator and returned to Scientific American in 2007. Christiansen presents and writes on topics ranging from reconciling her love for art and science to her quest to learn more about the pulsar chart on the cover of Joy Division’s album Unknown Pleasures. She holds a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a B.A. in geology and studio art from Smith College.
