Scientific Artwork & Infographics (online)

This course builds on your knowledge of Adobe Illustrator to help you create professional, impactful scientific visuals and infographics. Beyond the basics, you'll learn the core principles of effective design, including the power of color, typography, and composition, that make visuals truly compelling.

Note: Adobe Illustrator is primarily for creating illustrations and vector graphics. If your goal is to focus on document layout for a thesis, publication, or presentation, our Scientific Publications & design course might be a better fit.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Draw clear, effective icons and build well-structured infographics.
• Design clear scientific artwork.
• Apply the principles of good design (color, typography, composition) to guide your audience through a clear visual journey.
• Produce professional-quality figures, graphical abstracts, and posters for your research, making your work more impactful and memorable.

Instructional Method

• Sessions 1-2: Master the tools of Adobe Illustrator with hands-on practice.
• Sessions 3-4: Focus on design principles. Learn to create custom icons and identify common design flaws to elevate your work.
• Bring your own project: You are strongly encouraged to bring your own work (like a figure, a graphical abstract, a poster) to apply the skills you learn directly to your personal projects.
• After the course: You’ll be able to produce professional-quality figures, graphical abstracts, or posters, making your research more impactful. As a bonus, you can reach out to Iliana for further feedback on your work after the course ends!
• You will receive a comprehensive manual and additional material. Homework will be assigned after each session with personalized feedback from your instructor, Iliana.

Additional important information

• Software: You need a computer with Adobe Illustrator installed in English. You must uninstall the program to adjust the language setting in Creative Cloud, and then reinstall it. For installation issues, please contact your faculty's ICT department.
• Equipment: A second screen and a mouse are highly recommended. A microphone and camera are mandatory for interactive sessions.
• Study Load: In addition to the scheduled sessions, anticipate an extra study load of approximately 30 hours, consisting primarily of homework assignments.
• Contact: If you plan to miss parts of the course, please contact Iliana directly to discuss options.

General Information

Target Group:	This course is primarily intended for PhDs and Post-docs from Wageningen University & Research. Should spots remain available, PhDs and Post-docs from other universities are also welcome to apply. It's a beginner-friendly course that will take you to an advanced level in just four weeks.
Group size:	12 to 20 participants
Course duration:	4 days from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm
Language:	English
Credit points:	1.8 ECTS
Self-study hours:	We recommend at least 30 hours of self-study and practice after the course
Name lecturer:	Iliana Boshoven-Gkini
Venue:	Online

Trainer

Iliana Boshoven-Gkini is a visual communicator who merges her passion for design with her love of nature. Her unique background is a perfect blend of science and art: she holds a BSc in Plant Sciences and two MSc degrees in Landscape Architecture & Floriculture. She is also an accomplished artist and has been an Adobe Certified Instructor since 2021. Iliana founded AgileColor design studio (www.AgileColor.com) in 2012, specializing in scientific visual communication and publications such as thesis books. For more than a decade, she's been teaching design courses at various universities and research institutes, empowering students to turn their complex research into clear, visually engaging content.

Fee

Reduced fee: • PhD candidates of Wageningen University with an approved Training and Supervision Plan (TSP) who are registered at one of the WU graduate schools (EPS, PE&RC, VLAG, WASS, WIAS, WIMEK) • Postdocs of Wageningen University who are registered at one of the WU graduate schools	€ 150
University fee: All other PhD candidates / Wageningen University postdocs and staff	€ 300
External fee: All other participants	€ 600

Fee includes study and training material.

Cancellation condition

You may cancel free of charge up to four weeks before the start of the course. After this date you will be charged the University fee. Unless:

• You can find someone to replace you in the course and supply the course coordinator with the name and contact information of your replacement.
  In this case you will only be charged a € 50,- cancellation fee.
• You (PhDs and postdocs of Wageningen University) have a valid reason to cancel (illness or death in the family 1st or 2nd degree).
  In this case you will be charged the reduced fee and your supervisor/PI must send a mail indicating the reason for cancellation.

Information

For more information please contact Juliane.Teapal@wur.nl