[rolnor]

I am doing a graphical abstract for my manuscript and to get inspired I look on others in JOC and I must say I dont like when authors use to much colors or flasks och hands doing som magic trick or whatever "fun stuff" to make it "better", I think its optical noice that takes focus from the actuall science, the structures. Am I boring?

[blackcat]

Academia nowadays is not solely about science but also presentation. How you convey your science in an oral presentation (i.e. ppt slides and the way you talk, like sense of humor) can make a part of your career. Your paper "presentation" (i.e. your language/organisation/use of table and graphs) is also important.

I do understand some people do not like spending much time on TOC graphic, especially if one is not an art person (me too).

Maybe you need to ask yourself what your ambition is. Do you want to pursue career in academia? Or you are already working in industry and wanna publish? I think good presentation is more important in the former than latter.

[kriggy]

Some graphical abstracts are really terrible... same goes for cover arts (yes im still pissed that ourd did not get picked when the one that did is super bad...)
tbh Im still not surprised there is non profi-servise for this kind of work, pretty sure people would pay for it.

anyway, I really prefer the simple graphical abstracts, that mostly show a reaction scheme without much stuff around or those that somehow describe whats the whole paper about. No need to go fancy with graphis IMO

[hypervalent_iodine]

Some graphical abstracts are really terrible... same goes for cover arts (yes im still pissed that ourd did not get picked when the one that did is super bad...)
tbh Im still not surprised there is non profi-servise for this kind of work, pretty sure people would pay for it.

anyway, I really prefer the simple graphical abstracts, that mostly show a reaction scheme without much stuff around or those that somehow describe whats the whole paper about. No need to go fancy with graphis IMO

Scientific illustrators are a thing, and you can definitely commission them for cover art, and probably TOC graphics. I completely agree that a lot of the cover art that makes it on to journals is awful, and far too crab-centric for my liking. Pick a different animal!

[rolnor]

So, I am not alone in this feeling, good! I have been working in the industry since 1986 so I am not trying to pursue a career, thats behind me now. I think for me chemistry is exciting enough in itself, no crabs needed...

[wildfyr]

Just don't do anything like this https://tocrofl.tumblr.com/

[hypervalent_iodine]

I take everything back, we should stick to crabs. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2020/cs/d0cs90045a#!divAbstract

[rolnor]

Just don't do anything like this https://tocrofl.tumblr.com/

Is that a penis? Is it ejaculating?? I will not make this kind of abstract wildfyr, dont worry.

[wildfyr]

Oh keep scrolling, it ranges from the phallic, to the terrible art, to the memed, to the plain strange.

Nanorod chemistry suffers the worst though, its all images that the human mind cannot not see