Transcript Poster Basics for Humanities Projects

Poster Basics
Sherry Wynn Perdue
Oakland University Writing Center
212 Kresge Library
(248) 370-3120
www.oakland.edu/ouwc
Rhetorical Purpose
 Who is my audience?
 Mixed-discipline
 What is my purpose?
 To get my audience to read my paper and/or ask for more
information
 For what situation/context do I compose?
 A setting ripe for information overload. Don’t give viewers
additional distractions.
 What are the conventions of the genre?
 Visual short-hand. Less is more.
Pivotal Design Question
Acknowledge the limits of your influence:
You have 30 seconds at a distance to convey your
message.
Ask: If the viewer remembers only one thing about
my work, what will it be?
Entitlement
 Convey a tangible, purpose-oriented message with as
few words as possible.
 Consider adding a sub-title if presenting a complex
message
 Consider forming a provocative question in lieu of
statement title
Headers
Headings serve two purposes:
 Provide order to the message
 Convey key points or sections, such as Research Design/Methods,
Findings, etc.
To be effective, consider:
 Typeface: Sans Serif
 Helvetica, Avant Garde, Franklin Gothic
 Size: Readable from a distance (4 feet away)
 Color: Contrast but clear and readable
Layout Concerns
 Clear progression, usually by columns from left to
right
 Sectioned: Avoid one long stream of text
 Ample white space between items
 Cropped with straight edges (don’t “eyeball
alignment)
Resources
The Dos and Don’t s of Power Presentation by Steven
M. Block
Poster Presentations by The University for WisconsinMadison
Creating Effective Poster Presentations::Create Your
Poster:: Headings by Hess, Tosney, and Liegel
Designing Conference Posters by Colin Purrington
PPT Poster Presentation Templates
 http://www.posterpresentations.co
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


m/html/free_poster_templates.ht
ml?gclid=CKnG8NKNwrICFeUW
MgodgwgATw
http://colinpurrington.com/wpcontent/uploads/2011/09/posterte
mplateppt.zip
http://www.posterpresentations.co
m/html/free_poster_templates.ht
ml
http://www.genigraphics.com/oth
er/poster_templates.asp
http://colinpurrington.com/tips/a
cademic/posterdesign
 Instead of hand-constructing
your poster, you can use
PowerPoint to create one that
you then have printed by a
professional company.
 In the alternative, you can use
PPT to print sections of the
poster, which you hand
position on poster-board.