Graphic design know-how for social researchers

Description:

Introduction/overview

To communicate their findings social researchers rely on outputs like reports, presentations, posters and social media posts. Some graphic design know-how applied to your outputs will increase your audience’s engagement with and understanding of your findings. Clear and engaging communication is something clients increasingly expect and demand.

Effective graphic design rests on principles concerning text, colour, imagery and layout. They can be applied to stand-alone elements like tables, diagrams or text boxes, to individual pages or slides, as well as across outputs as a whole. Done well, this work helps an audience to access and understand key points, navigate through an output, and do this all with ease. For these reasons, social researchers will also find graphic design know-how useful when designing other formats including proposals, consent forms, questionnaires or elicitation tools.

Please note: if you want to focus on designing data visualisation or infographics, two specific elements that can be incorporated into many different outputs, please consider booking onto the course ‘data visualisation and infographic design’, also offered by the SRA.

This course involves learning about and then practically applying the principles of graphic design across a whole output, as well as to individual elements within it. Participants are encouraged to bring a work-in-progress output of their own to apply their learning to. However, please only bring work that you are happy and able to discuss with other people attending the training, for learning purposes. Do not bring work that is commercially or ethically sensitive. Alternatively, on the day the trainer can provide undesigned content for you to work on if you prefer.

Participants must bring a laptop that runs the software they usually use to produce their outputs, eg. Word and PowerPoint, though those familiar with other software are welcome to use that.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will:

• Understand how some graphic design know-how can support better communication
• Know what needs to be in place before you start designing
• Acquire practical graphic design skills
• Feel more confident to take design decisions

Topics

The course will cover:

• What (good) graphic design is and why it is important
• Establishing context and story before starting to design
• Design features in the tools you use
• Images
• Design style guides
• Accessibility
• Common pitfalls
• Resources for ongoing support

Who will benefit?

This course is for anyone responsible for communicating research findings.

Course Tutor

Lulu Pinney is a freelance trainer, collaborator and designer. Her work primarily focuses on getting practical know-how that relates to working with design, data and visuals into the hands of those working to improve our public and social worlds.

Lulu’s current practice is the result of a career that has seen her gain experience as a business analyst, graphic designer, visual journalist, data visualisation and infographic trainer, as well as a social researcher focusing on the role of data and its visualisation in society.

Cost:

£220 for SRA members, £290 for non-members

Website and registration:

Region:

Greater London

Keywords:

Frameworks for Research and Research Designs, Data Collection, Data Quality and Data Management , Qualitative Data Handling and Data Analysis, Quantitative Data Handling and Data Analysis, Mixed Methods Data Handling and Data Analysis, ICT and Software, Research Management and Impact, Research Skills, Communication and Dissemination

Related publications and presentations from our eprints archive:

Frameworks for Research and Research Designs
Data Collection
Data Quality and Data Management
Qualitative Data Handling and Data Analysis
Quantitative Data Handling and Data Analysis
Mixed Methods Data Handling and Data Analysis
ICT and Software
Research Management and Impact
Research Skills, Communication and Dissemination

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