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?
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Poster
Art Piece
Video
Other Form of Media
Submitting a Proposal
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http://www.stmarysca.edu/poster
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Proposal submissions due
April 23rd
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What’s an Abstract?
 Short summary of your
project; should include
your findings
Title
 Be Descriptive!
An Effective Poster is:
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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
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Otherwise:
 Only
people in your field will understand your poster
Design for Three Audiences
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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
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If you develop context,
you reach a larger
audience
Layout
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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
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Supply Clues:
Use numbers, letters and
a logical sequence
 Order the panels visually
in units/columns
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If the sequence is clear,
viewers won’t have to
search to find your
evidence
Use a Visual Hierarchy
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Visually reflect importance:
 If
something is important, make it BIG
 Title is biggest, then headings, then explanations
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If your message is visually emphasized, viewers will
get your message at a glance
Vital Information=Big Type
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Put the take home messages in BIG
HEADINGS
Use headings to identify results,
explicitly
 State message instead of saying
“Results”
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Viewers can get message from a
distance
Use Readable Text
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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
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Organize Visually
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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
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If the evidence is organized and emphasized, your
message will be obvious
Do NOT Overstimulate the viewer (What to
avoid)
Make Graphics Dominant
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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
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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.
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go beyond merely stating results
 Differentiate
among data, summaries and conclusions
 State interpretations and conclusions
 Make the strongest statement you can
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have a “take home message”
Be concise . . . Discard Details
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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
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If viewers are undistracted by detail they can focus on
message
Presentation Skills:
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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
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If you focus on what is
important, viewers can
understand why it’s
important