Scientific presentation and graphic design

Graphs are central in scientific communication but most scientists are not trained in graphic design. It is therefore not surprising to see a large scale in the quality of the figures and slides that are shown in papers and presentations.

The same way as for critical thinking I had to teach myself the basic in graphic design. The guru in information design is Edward Tufte (http://www.edwardtufte.com). His books are often considered the pinnacles in statistical graphic design and I warmly recommend them. He convinced me that scientific graphs can be as beautiful as a piece of art.