Infographics are a mix of words and images to provide further information about a topic. Infographics can be used as graphical abstracts to describe research papers. Infographics can be picture heavy, with text adding extra information. Conversely, infographics may have a lot of text with some images to help explain the point.

Below are samples of some of my work. However, further pieces can be shared upon request. Jump to:

Simple Infographics

Simple infographics usually portray a single concept or small related ideas. The often contain largely images and a small amount of text.

The first two graphics are for more advanced audiences. The images assume the reader has a basic understanding of words like DNA, protein, and amino acids. Additional text in a figure legend or lecture is helpful to more fully understand the content.

The third graphic is for a more general audience. It shares basic information about plastics in the environment. This graphic does not need a figure caption to help explain the message.

How Do Proteins Form?

DNA codes RNA, which in turn codes amino acids. The amino acids then fold together and help determine the protein’s primary structure. Typical shapes include alpha helices and beta sheets. Then the protein folds in on itself to create the 3D tertiary structure.

Four panels showing protein structure. First a double helix of DNA is unwound as it transcribed to RNA. Amino acids are translated from the RNA and formed into proteins.

How Do Enzyme Reactions Work?

An enzyme reaction where the substrate (lactose) attaches to the active site of the enzyme (lactase). The reaction is cyclical with a change in the substrate to the product (sugar) and the enzyme returning to its original state.
Enzymes are proteins that help reactions take place. Enzymes are reused and returned to their original form after the reaction. In this example, the enzyme (lactase) binds the substrate (lactose) at the active site. The enzyme then forms the sugar products. After the sugar products are released, the enzyme may be used again.

Why Are Ocean Plastics a Problem?

An ocean cartoon drawing with plastics surrounding the fish, hermit crab, and birds. Text: The Problem: Plastic in the Ocean Great Pacific Garbage Patch: 1.6 million km2 with 70,000 tons of plastic Floating microplastics: 93 to 236 thousand metric tons
Plastics are a problem in the ocean.
This infographic highlights some key facts about plastics and the problems. Watch a related video Clean Air Clean Water that explains why the animals care, without going into the details.

Detailed Infographics

Detailed infographics contain more information and more text. They usually are explaining several related points about a topic. These infographics do not usually need a figure legend.

Please see the accompanying video that Dr. Gordon wrote the script for as well.
*Graphics drawn in collaboration with artists.
For additional study information please visit the Fresno State Transportation Institute.
*Graphics drawn in collaboration with artists.
This infographic has an accompanying article that expands the ideas further:
Destroying Coronavirus, published by Lifeology.

Fact Sheets

Fact Sheets often take the reader through a several page topic exploration. Here are two examples (first page only) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) long-term study that Dr. Gordon wrote and worked with an illustrator to produce the final products.

Research Abstracts and Figures

Graphics can be used for figures within articles and books. In addition, graphics may be used to create a graphical abstract for a research article. Below are some samples from Dr. Gordon’s research about the glassy-winged sharpshooter.

Brief Summary: A pest insect, the glassy wing sharpshooter, lives on a grapevine. These insects use vibrations to talk with each other; using speakers to play the female song back disrupts mating.

Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Mating and Control

These two figures were published as part of a book chapter (Gordon and Krugner, 2020). More details are described in the text and during presentations.

The mating of glassy-winged sharpshooters. Each phase has distinctive vibration patterns.
This simple graphic illustrates the steps needed to use vibrations to control leafhoppers. 1: describe their calls and biology; 2: identify signals that may control them; 3: execute the signals in field trials to stop matting.

Graphical Abstracts

This two panel figure shows how vibrations played on a grapevine disrupts mating.
Gordon and Krugner, 2018
These panels describe the duration of mating and how glassy-winged sharpshooter remate with new partners.
Gordon and Krugner, 2021

Cactus Communication Infographics

Dr. Gordon worked with Cactus Communication to help them create infographics for research articles. Her role was summarizing the primary literature, creating the text, and suggested images. For these projects different artists were used to create the final piece (2019, 38 infographics).

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