1. How to Design an Effective Poster
Content
Production

2. The Anatomy of a Poster Title Abstract (check requirements)
Introduction
Hypothesis
Purpose
Methods
Results
Summary
Conclusion
References
Acknowledgments

3. Posters should quickly orient your audience to your content
Lots of images help
Grab them with a snappy title
SC2K/eunokpix.html
conference/photos.htm

4. Grab attention with your title
Make it assertive, clear and interesting
Questions often work well
For example:
Why do dogs scratch flea bites?
Not so good:
Studies of the effects of Siphonaptera bites on canine motor neurons.

5. Introduction No more than 3 brief paragraphs
1st paragraph lays out the problem
2nd paragraph gives background/history
3rd paragraph gives justification for work (“Therefore this study was designed to…”)

6. Hypothesis and Purpose
State the testable question (“Proteases are involved in ovulation.”)
Purpose
- The specific problem that you tested (“We tested for the presence of a specific protease in the ovulatory process.”) (will overlap with last paragraph of intro)

7. Methods Subcategories (keep these brief and to the point!) Animals
Tissue extraction
Real-time PCR (include diagram of the portion of the sequence that you used in your work), immunocytochemistry or other specific technique that was employed (acknowledge the source of specific reagents)
Statistical analysis

8. Results Report your major findings as Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc.
Use graphs, pie charts or other good visual presentation methods.
Avoid tables, if possible.
Include a one to two sentence “punchline” (legend) under each figure.
Check with Joel to see if there are special printing issues you need to address with any symbols you have typed in PowerPoint.

9. Summary
Prose version of the Results listed in three or four bullets

10. Conclusions
How did your findings address your hypothesis? (conceptual rather than descriptive)
What is the BIG PICTURE (clinical relevance, etc.)?
Two to four bullets max. (i.e., overall concept and clinical relevance)

11. References
What are the key papers in this area? (most will be in the Introduction, perhaps a few in the Methods section of your poster)
Format:
In text: can be numbers or authors.
In the Reference Section: list authors, journal, date of publication. Title may or may not be included, as you prefer.

12. Acknowledgments
Recognize those individuals not included as authors on your poster
Lab technicians
Animal technicians
Joel Ito
Anyone who donated reagents, protocols by name and affiliation
Funding sources (Murdock Trust, NIH grants, Saturday Academy, etc.)
Any personal acknowledgments (not usually included in scientific meetings).

13. Content should be easy to find
People do not read word for word or even linearly, they skip around.
Scientists and engineers are most likely to read goals and results.

14. Your poster design should be simple and engaging
Thomas Curtis 2004
How long will your poster be up?
Can your audience read it in sections as they pass by?

15. Leave plenty of blank space (up to 50%)
People won’t stop to read a poster that looks too crowded and complex

16. Aligning objects makes them easier to follow
Align objects along sight lines
The eye looks for edges

17. Arrows or numbers indicate how to read your poster
You can use numbers or arrows to indicate the order

18. Dress up your poster!
Use colored borders, drop shadows or three-dimensional mounting to make elements stand out

19. Make your text visible Title should be visible from 15 to 20 feet
Main headings should be visible from 8 to 10 feet
Supporting text should be visible from 6 to 8 feet
swfsc.nmfs.noaa.gov/.
Titles should use a large font that differs from the main text, and should be a unique color

20. Graphs, diagrams & images are an effective way to telegraph your data
district_rain_board.gif
Here’s where we can talk about the balance between graphical elements and text, the choice of graph type (bar, pie, etc). We should point out that graphs should have legends and both axes should be labeled. I think simple schema goes in content, and the resolution of images goes in production.

21. Your choice of color can attract (or distract) your audience
Avoid bright colors
Restrict the color palette
Use colors of similar value & saturation
Use a color wheel
Experiment with different backgrounds

22. Harmonious colors are easy on the eye
Use analogous colors (they are side by side on a color wheel)…

23. Or complementary colors
…(any two colors which are directly opposite each other on the color wheel, such as red and green and red-purple and yellow-green)…

24. Colors can unify your poster
Bright colors attract attention but can detract from your message
A limited number of colors unifies
Use colors of similar value and saturation

25. Background intensity can affect image appearance

26. Background color can affect image appearance

27. Mixed cases and serif fonts make scanning easier
Use caps and lower case -- Mixed Cases ARE EASIER TO READ THAN ALL CAPS
Serif font is easier to scan than sans serif font

28. Here are recommended fonts
Distance reading
20pt not bolded
Times New Roman
Garamond
Palatino
Century Schoolbook
Courier
Times New Roman
Garamond
Palatino
Century Schoolbook
Courier
Times New Roman
Garamond
Palatino
Century Schoolbook
Courier
Times New Roman
Garamond
Palatino
Century Schoolbook
Courier
Times New Roman
Garamond
Palatino
Century Schoolbook
Courier
Note the difference between serif and sans serif fonts

29. The text and image can reinforce each other
The example above provides visual evidence to support text message

30. Remember the three “C”s of writing: content, clarity, and cohesion
There are a few rules of writing that can improve your poster presentation.
Sentences orient the audience much better than phrases do.

31. Content: your poster should convey the results of your research
Make sure content is appropriate for the audience.
Get to the major point of your work right away.
neuroseries.info.nih.gov

32. Clarity: make sure your audience can comprehend your brilliant ideas!
Keep sentences short.
Don’t use jargon and minimize use of abbreviations.
Keep subjects and verbs close together.
Viewers can quickly grasp a simple subject-verb construction.

33. Keep subject and verb close together
It should be noted that these studies with apomorphine in DARPP-32 mutants, for practical reasons, that is, the requirement for multiple groups of ‘knockouts’ so as to include a range of challenge doses, had to be confined to a single gender, in this case females.
These studies on apomorphine in DARPP-32 mutants were confined to female rats to meet the requirement for including a range of challenge doses in multiple groups of knockouts.

34. How to produce your poster

35. Posters need OHSU Visual Identity
Posters from OHSU units should include graphic elements specified by University News and Publications
Graphic elements can be downloaded from
OHSU logo
OHSU word mark
Where Healing, Teaching and Discovery Come Together

36. Software Options
Macromedia FreeHand 10
Adobe CS
Microsoft PowerPoint

37. Images should be clear
Make sure any bitmap files you use will be at least dpi at finished (print) size.
Many page layout programs will not allow you to build a page larger than, say, 40". In this case, build the page proportionate to its final printed size.
For instance, if you create an 8"x 10" file, you can print it at 16"x 20", 32"x 40" or any other size that maintains proportions.
Make any graphic alterations to images in a program like Photoshop not in the publishing program itself.

38. How to present your poster
Be enthusiastic and HAVE FUN!
If someone appears interested in your poster, ask “Would you like me to walk you through this?” Don’t just stand quietly by the poster!
If the person says no, fade back, but remain available for questions.
Stop when you have finished, let people move on if they want to: People like to maneuver quickly at poster sessions. Don’t be offended at quick comings and goings.
If you become very engaged with someone, and other people come to see the poster, let everyone know that you are aware of them, and will get to them as soon as possible.

39. Resources