frequently asked questions

Before starting any project, we will agree on a project due date that suits you. Turnaround times will vary depending on the amount and complexity of the work requested, and your required due dates.

The more information you send us the easier it is for us to complete your project quickly. The Design Brief Form, accompanying images, a concept sketch for the project, and specifications for data plots you need enhanced or used in visualisations will all help us. Raw data to be plotted/visualised should be sent after we have discussed with you how you want us to use these data sets.

That’s okay. You may prefer to describe your project in words or send an example image from a journal or website.

Absolutely. It will still help us start a conversation with you about your project’s requirements.

No, if you prefer we can do this for you following a conversation via email, video chat or phone to discuss the project.

You should tell us if any of the images, data or text you want us to use directly in a project are subject to copyright. For example, you may want an old figure from a published article to be incorporated or redrawn. In such cases permission to use the material may need to be sought from the publisher. Please confirm you have received all permissions for these materials when you send us your data, text and images.

Establishing the copyright status of material can be tricky. If you are unsure a good starting point is to contact the publisher. Whether you need permission to use images, text or data in a project depends on (1) their source, and (2) how you want us to use them. 1) Some images on the internet and open access journals are free to reproduce or adapt. You are often able to check the copyright status of images and publisher’s procedures for applying to use copyrighted material on journal websites. 2) Whether permission is needed in relation to a copyrighted image depends on whether the image will be Reproduced, Adapted or Redrawn. Reproduction is the use of an image unchanged. Adaptation refers to where an image is used but with information added to it or subtracted from it. To reproduce or adapt a copyrighted image you will need permission to do so. Redrawing involves using an image as a reference to create a new figure, which may resemble the original figure but does not use elements of the original directly. What constitutes redrawing rather than adapting an image is a grey area. If you are unsure we advise seeking permission if you want an image to be redrawn directly from a copyrighted source image.

You will need to contact the publisher directly and ask for written permission to use or recreate the material. The publisher may grant you permission with conditions such as crediting or referencing the image, some may ask for a fee. Many publishers have automated systems (e.g. Rightslink) for requesting permission to use a figure. If you cannot establish the copyright status of an image, or find its publisher, it may be better to look for a different image.

As a general rule you do not need to provide the copyright status for example images. We treat these images as indicative of the figure you want. However, if you request an image to be reproduced, adapted or redrawn we may ask you to provide us with the material’s copyright status.

How we store the data and images you send us depends on the file size and type. Data will generally be sent to us using email, and will be stored on an encrypted hard drive for the duration of a project. If the data file is too large for email, a third-party cloud-based service (Dropbox or One Drive) will be used. Any project specific data sent to us will be deleted immediately after completion of the project. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information on data collection and storage.

We can send your image in the following formats: .ai, .pdf, .jpg, .tiff, .png, .esp, .ppt. If you require an alternative format please let us know.

Once you receive a draft of the illustration you may want to make changes. We only make an additional charge if changes are substantive. Small changes (e.g. changing a font, changing colours, line thickness) are an integral part of our service. Please see our User Agreement and Terms of Service page for more details on revision.

It’s our priority is to deliver an image that satisfies your brief. In cases where you feel the final image is not what you requested, we will work with you to carry out any necessary changes. To avoid ambiguity, it is important that your design brief instructions are as detailed as possible. We may ask you for extra information that will help us to better define your design requirements before the illustration process begins. Please see our User Agreement and Terms of Service page for more details on revisions and cancellation policies.

Once a project is complete you own the image and are free to use it and authorise others to use it and adapt it at your discretion. Under most common law systems the images you own are protected by copyright.

Yes, we can arrange this on a project specific basis.

Yes, we are happy to discuss large scale projects and working on retainer.

We send invoices to you using PayPal, which can be paid using a debit/credit card, or a PayPal account.

Yes, if these changes are requested before the project is complete. If you request these changes after a project has been finalised and received we will have to treat this request as a new project. You can if you wish request your finalised images include an Adobe Illustrator .ai format file (or another vector file format) so small changes can be made by you, independently at a later date.

Yes, we are happy to plot raw data for you. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.