Transcript Slide 1

How to make a
Good Poster Board
An effective poster is a visual
communications tool.
An effective poster will help you ...
... engage
colleagues in
conversation.
... get your main
point(s) across
to as many
people as
possible.
An effective poster is ...
Focused
Focused on a
single
message.
Graphic
Lets graphs
and images tell
the story; uses
text sparingly.
Ordered
Keeps the
sequence wellordered and
obvious.
Use organizational cues: consider the alternatives
Do this ...
... not this
Supply cues to help viewers follow Let viewers guess the sequence.
your presentation.
 Organize visually (revisit the
VISUAL GRAMMAR discussion) and
in columns (revisit the USE
COLUMNS discussion).
 Organize your poster in a
"unique" manner that defies reader
gravity and gives the readers no
idea of your organizational flow.
 You can also use numbers,
letters, or arrows to help guide
viewers through your poster.
 Avoid helping viewers figure out
where to start or where to go next.
Use visual grammar: consider the alternatives
Do this ...
... not this
Use a graphic hierarchy that visually reflects the relative Use a text-heavy, publication-style format.
importance of elements.
 If it's important, make it BIG. Use type size
proportional to importance.
 Use 12-point font for just about everything. Actually,
you could just staple up your manuscript - why not?
 Show, don't tell. No need to write down every detail.
 Include every detail as you would for a journal article
 Use simple figures and graphs, which should
dominate the poster visually.
 Use complex, difficult to understand graphics, which
are only a small portion of the poster.
 Make all graphic elements large enough to be visible
easily from one meter away.
 Make sure your figures are all small enough to fit on a
small portion of a journal page.
Focus: consider the alternatives
Do this ...
Edit ruthlessly! Simplify. Supply details in person, and
only as needed.
... not this
Emphasize methods rather than the main message.
 Remove all but the most essential information about
your methods.
 Identify every detail of your methods, just in case
you're not in front of your poster when someone comes
by.
 State your results with headings, and focus on results
and conclusions.
 Even in the results and conclusions, be sure to
emphasize your methods over your findings.
 Convince viewers (potential employers) that you are a  Convince viewers (potential employers) that you are a
thoughtful, results-oriented researcher.
task- and methods-oriented technician.
Text: consider the alternatives
Do this ...
Make text simple, direct, and large enough to read so
that your message comes through loud and clear!
... not this
Make text convoluted, impenetrable, and small enough
that viewers will go away.
 Title and major headings should be readable from 2m
away. Headings carry your main message and can
attract viewers to your poster.
 Headings are to be small, so you can fit everything in.
 Supporting material should be visible from 1m away.
 Only text that lacks intrinsic content - like "Results" should be readable from 1m away.
 Details should be kept to a minimum, and still visible
from 1m away.
 Make text tiny, as in a published paper, so you can
squeeze in all the detail.
 Avoid long lines of text.
 Make lines of text so long that the readers lose their
place when trying to find the next line.
 Keep text blocks compact - single spaced and 50
words or fewer - and separate with white space.
 Create long text blocks and word hard to fill all
available space.
 Use straightfowrard left-justified text, with ragged right  Center-, right-, or full-justify large blocks of text, to
Use color to attract attention, organize, and emphasize - but don't overdo it.
Use a light color background and dark color letters for contrast.
 Avoid dark backgrounds with light letters - very tiring to read.
 Stick to a theme of 2 or 3 colors - much more will overload
and confuse viewers.
 If you use multiple colors, use them in a consistent pattern otherwise viewers will spend their time wondering what the
pattern is rather than reading your poster.
 Overly bright colors will attract attention - and then war out
readers' eyes.
 Consider people who have problems differentiating colors,
especially when designing graphics - one of the most common
is an inability to tell green from red.

Use of Color
Mount poster materials on colored art, mat, or bristol board:
1.Mat board is available in a large range of colors.
2.Mat board is heavier, making it more difficult to crease the poster while traveling.
3.Mat board has a more durable surface than other art papers.
4.Mat boards is, however, heavier and more difficult to attach to display boards in the
poster session.
Use a colored background to unify your poster:
1.Muted colors, or shades of gray, are best for the background. Use more intense colors
as borders or for emphasis, but be conservative - overuse of color is distracting.
2.Two to three related background colors (Methods, Data, Interpretation) will unify the
poster.
3.If necessary for emphasis, add a single additional color by mounting the figure on
thinner poster board, or outlining the figure in colored tape.
Color can enhance the hues or contrast of photographs:
1.Use a light background with darker photo; a dark background with lighter photos.
2.Use a neutral background (gray) to emphasize color in photos; a white background to
reduce the impact of colored photos.
3.Most poster sessions are held in halls lit with harsh fluorescent light. If exact colors are
important to the data, balance those colors for use with fluorescent lighting. Also, all
colors will be intensified; bright (saturated) colors may become unpleasent to view.
Illustrations
The success of a poster directly relates to the clarity of the
illustrations and tables.
Self-explanatory graphics should dominate the poster.
A minimal amount of text materials should supplement the
graphic materials.
Use regions of empty space between poster elements to
differentiate and accentuate these elements.
Graphic materials should be visible easily from a minimum
distance of 6 feet.
Restrained use of 2 - 3 colors for emphasis is valuable;
overuse is not.
If it doesn't provide critical support for your main message, ELIMINATE IT!
Edit! Edit! Edit ruthlessly! to reduce text.
 Edit all text to simplify verbiage, to reduce sentence complexity,
and to delete details.
 If it's not relevant to your message, remove it!
 Have colleagues comment on drafts. Print a small version and
circulate for comment, or hang a full-size draft with pens and invite
them to critique.
 Evaluate your wok - try the 60 second evaluation.
 Are your objective and main message obvious?
 Will readers be able to contact you?