GUIDE FOR AN EFFECTIVE POSTER What can a Poster be or include? Poster Art Piece Video Other Form of Media.
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Transcript GUIDE FOR AN EFFECTIVE POSTER What can a Poster be or include? Poster Art Piece Video Other Form of Media.
GUIDE FOR AN
EFFECTIVE POSTER
What can a Poster be or include?
Poster
Art Piece
Video
Other Form of Media
Submitting a Proposal
http://www.stmarysca.edu/poster
Proposal submissions due
April 23rd
What’s an Abstract?
Short summary of your
project; should include
your findings
Title
Be Descriptive!
An Effective Poster is:
Focused: focuses on a single message
Simple: avoid saturating the viewer with text
Graphic: don’t tell, show; graphics dominate
Ordered: use a visual hierarchy for emphasis
Design for the Overall Audience not
Someone from Your Field
Use
context
Avoid jargon and uncommon abbreviations (that you
don’t identify)
Explain your work or findings
Otherwise:
Only
people in your field will understand your poster
Design for Three Audiences
Attract more than just
competitors
Competitors take no
effort to attract
Viewers who know your
area need context and
accessibility
Viewers outside area
need problem/purpose
explained
If you develop context,
you reach a larger
audience
Layout
Lay out poster in columns, not rows:
Otherwise,
viewers who read the top row will be
unable to return back to the beginning of the second
row.
Do not do rows (as pictured):
Organize Poster in Columns:
Indicate the Sequence
Supply Clues:
Use numbers, letters and
a logical sequence
Order the panels visually
in units/columns
If the sequence is clear,
viewers won’t have to
search to find your
evidence
Use a Visual Hierarchy
Visually reflect importance:
If
something is important, make it BIG
Title is biggest, then headings, then explanations
If your message is visually emphasized, viewers will
get your message at a glance
Vital Information=Big Type
Put the take home messages in BIG
HEADINGS
Use headings to identify results,
explicitly
State message instead of saying
“Results”
Viewers can get message from a
distance
Use Readable Text
Think of text as just another visual aid
Keep text brief, compact and single spaced
Titles: Read for 6 ft
The Rest: 3 ft
Avoid using all caps
Organize Visually
Maximize order and emphasis with color:
Keep
panels in similar shape, conformation and
orientation
Group elements to form conceptual units
Use color for emphasis and use consistently
If the evidence is organized and emphasized, your
message will be obvious
Do NOT Overstimulate the viewer (What to
avoid)
Make Graphics Dominant
Emphasize material
visually:
Use
graphics, figures and
cartoons, avoid boring
tables
Use color to emphasize and
link words/graphs
Don’t use keys, write
explanations on figures
Make Conclusions
specify the major points
summarize data
Do not ONLY conclude that your topic needs further
research. Analyze the results you did get, otherwise viewers
assume your research was pointless.
go beyond merely stating results
Differentiate
among data, summaries and conclusions
State interpretations and conclusions
Make the strongest statement you can
have a “take home message”
Be concise . . . Discard Details
Otherwise you make your presentation unbearable for
viewers to read
Edit ruthlessly
Omit all you can, simplify verbiage
If you MUST have details, talk about them/use a handout
Simple messages are most memorable
If viewers are undistracted by detail they can focus on
message
Presentation Skills:
When presenting, focus
on the graphics
Start with the context
Don’t read poster, use
the figures as visual aids
Try have a 5 and 2
minute version
If you focus on what is
important, viewers can
understand why it’s
important