Problem: Your paper doesn t fit on a 3x4 foot posterboard. Basics of Research Poster Design Nikki Dudley, The University of Iowa Digital Studio for Public Arts and Humanities Adapted by Bridget Draxler, Monmouth College
A poster is not a craft project
A poster is not a research paper copied onto posterboard
A research poster Presents your research concisely and visually. It can back up your talk AND stand on its own. It addresses a broader audience than a paper.
When sharing your poster, you have 11 seconds to get their attention 3-5 minutes to get your message across
LESSON #1: YOUR AUDIENCE IS SMART, BUT NOT SUBJECT EXPERTS (MOSTLY)
What s the context of your presentation? Posters take a lot of time and $$$, so you may reuse it or post it online. Who are your audiences in different possible contexts? Will you always be presenting with your poster, or will people read it without you there to explain it?
Avoid jargon & & & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & && && & & & & &&?????
Explain the background Maps can explain geographic context. A paragraph biography or life timeline can let us get to know the poet whose work you re dissecting. A few examples of different kinds of brushstrokes can help non-artists understand how different these two painter s techniques are.
Why should I care? What s the impact of the issue you re addressing? How might your research connect to the daily life of the person you re explaining it to? Is there a call to action implicit in your message?
Have a clear message.
LESSON #2: POSTERS ARE VISUAL WRITING
Required elements 1. A title 2. Your name 3. The name of your institution 4. Attribution to sources of significant materials or assistance and/or literature review
Remember that time something awesome got adapted into something terrible? Don t just copy/paste your paper onto a poster!
Visual Writing Structure with blocks Guide the eye Be brief Balance of visual and text elements Use color intentionally Let your topic inspire you Emphasize what s most important
What s your point? Think of your poster a little like you would an elevator speech. If someone comes up and asks what your poster is about, you should be able to answer clearly in one sentence. Since you re not going to be there all the time, your poster should probably do the same.
Structure with blocks of info What is the shape of the message or argument you are trying to communicate?
Comparison? Then Now How it was How it is
Cause and effect? History Current effects Future implications
Clouds form A cycle? Ocean water evaporates Rain falls Water flows to the sea
Image from IKEA Strip your argument down to its most basic logical structure, then build it back up in easily digestible pieces.
This is the standard template for a scientific poster
but not all research looks like this. For instance, you might be creating a poster based on a 3-point essay.
Your paper probably looks like this: Introduction Hook Thesis Overview of points Body Point 1 Supporting evidence/examples Point 2 Point 3 Conclusion Summary of points Reiteration of thesis Wrap-up Linear reading
But unlike while reading a paper, when viewing a poster the reader sees the entire picture at once. Highlighting points is accomplished by making them visually distinct, not through written repetition. Try one of these options
Context Thesis Point 1 Point 2 Highlight Point 3
Context Highlight Thesis Point 1 Point 2 Point 3
Thesis Point 1 Context Point 2 Point 3 Highlight
Guide the eye from left to right, and top to bottom
Are there points other than your start point, such as calls to action, that you want to draw special attention to? directing attention
directing attention A visual element, larger font size, or pop of color can highlight what s important.
Specific ways to guide the eye The natural direction of reading for the language (in English, down and to the right). Numbering Color blocking or gradients Arrows
Brevity Poster space and attention spans are limited. Don t waste either. Because the poster isn t really all that big when you think about meeting the basic requirements of legibility and the length of the same research in a journal article or research format, be mindful that the way you state things on your poster are clear and concise. It s also important not to bore your audience! Often when you present a poster at a session people will want to read your poster first and then talk to you, in which case you will be sitting there awkwardly in silence for long periods of time while they shovel through your long tiny-texted paragraphs, or else they ll just not really read the whole thing and it might as well not even be there.
Brevity What s on the poster What more you know about the subject
You can have too many words
but the solution isn t as easy as adding more pictures.
Balance text and image in an organized way and remember that visual elements doesn t have to mean only pictures. Graphic use of text Graphic arrangement of text blocks Timelines, graphs, bubble charts, color blocking, etc. Take inspirations from your subject!
Color!
Does it really matter what it looks like if my content is good? Unfortunately, yes. (though your content IS more important.)
Brain chemistry and media culture both train us to assign certain meanings to certain colors and color combinations.
Which is a political ad, and which is a Barbie ad?
Which communicates stability and trustworthiness, and which conveys innovation and excitement?
How do you want your audience to feel about the topic of your poster? Serious? Concerned? Excited? Comfortable? Uncomfortable? What color combinations might evoke that feeling?
In addition to supporting the feel of your poster topic, your color palette should make your poster easy to read and interesting to look at, as well as help draw attention to the parts of the poster that are most important.
Contrast and Highlighting Title Title Title If colors are too similar, the sections of the poster blend together.
Contrast and Highlighting Hello world! Hello world! Hello world! If you have a background photo or pattern, make sure text is still legible over it!
Avoid color vibration Title Title Color vibration is that odd effect you see at the edges between colors in the first image. Putting two highly saturated bright colors next to each other often causes this effect.
Colorblindness If you cannot see the 74 in this Ishihara color test, you may be red-green colorblind. A non-negligible percentage of the population is colorblind.
So how do I apply color on my poster?
To highlight important text or heading Here Is Some Title Which is Really Descriptive Other stuff, not as big and flashy, name etc and institution, department so on and so forth Background Random words random words random words random words random words random words random words random words random words Literature Random words random words random words random words random words random words random words random words random words random This is my main point or question, which is concise and intriguing. Methods Findings Call to action! First thing I did Second thing I did Another thing I did You get the idea I mean come on First thing I found Second thing I found Another thing I found You get the idea I mean come on First thing we should do Second thing we should do Another we should do
To delineate sections and underscore their relationships Here Is Some Title Which is Really Descriptive Other stuff, not as big and flashy, name etc and institution, department so on and so forth Background Random words random words random words random words random words random words random words random words random words Literature Random words random words random words random words random words random words random words random words random words random This is my main point or question, which is concise and intriguing. Methods First thing I did Second thing I did Another thing I did You get the idea I mean come on Findings First thing I found Second thing I found Another thing I found You get the idea I mean come on Call to action! First thing we should do Second thing we should do Another we should do
To indicate two blocks are related to each other without explicit statement Here Is Some Title Which is Really Descriptive Other stuff, not as big and flashy, name etc and institution, department so on and so forth Background Random words random words random words random words random words random words random words random words random words Methods First thing I did Second thing I did Another thing I did Literature Random words random words random words random words random This is my main point or question, which is concise and intriguing. Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Here would be elaboration or bullet points for Step 1; random words random etc words you get the idea Here would be elaboration or bullet points for Step 2; random words random etc words you get the idea Here would be elaboration or bullet points for Step 3; random words random etc words you get the idea
Get inspired by your topic! Think about your topic. Are there colors, patterns, or distinctive visual markers that make you think about that topic?
LESSON #3: THE DEVIL S IN THE DETAILS
Legibility use clear, easy to read fonts in legible sizes (at least 24pt) that contrast with the background color and stand out against background images.
Use print quality images avoid sizing images bigger
Spelcheck.
Is your formatting consistent? Consistent border weights Consistent font sizes Colors match up Same kinds of bullet points
Are your margins lined up? Context Highlight Thesis Point 1 Point 2 Point 3
Are there bald patches? Context Highlight Thesis Point 1 Point 2 Point 3
LESSON #4: PRACTICAL TIPS AND TRICKS
Start with a pencil and paper. or markerboard, or chalk just start drawing!
Look at infographics for ideas on organizing information visually. http://designtaxi.com/news/34675/infographi c-a-copywriter-on-copywriters/ http://designtaxi.com/news/35378/google-s- Most-Expensive-Ad-Keywords/ http://www.fedtechmagazine.com/article/20 12/04/history-space-shuttle-discovery http://guides.lib.uiowa.edu/infographics
Get feedback from everyone and anyone. I don t get it
Do NOT start at the last second.
If you can, print a mini version first. (Sometimes colors don t look the same in print as on your computer screen.)
Font size guide (for a 36 x48 poster) <20pt avoid 20-24pt good for captions ~36pt general text ~48pt section headers/emphasized sentence ~72pt title
Required elements 1. A title 2. Your name 3. The name of your institution 4. Attribution to sources of significant materials or assistance and/or literature review
Making Posters in PowerPoint In Page Setup Set width =56 in. Set height=42 in. In Options Format for Poster_Printer (or similar label like HP Designjet, or Poster Printer) Paper Size: While in Page Setup, go to Options>Paper Size>Manage Custom Sizes and hit the "+" sign to define a new size. Set the WIDTH = 42 in. and the HEIGHT = 56 in. (I know, this seems backward.) Hit OK. Choose OK/Save to leave the Options window You may be prompted to "FIX" the poster. If this happens, choose FIX