1. Scientific Poster Design
How to keep your poster from resembling an “abstract painting”

2. A poster can be better than giving a talk
More efficient because:
• you totally bomb at giving talks
• can be viewed while you nap
• can hang in the department for years
• can reach folks not in your field of research

3. Posters serve as… Kool, wow!, check this out!, you must be smart!
An advertisement of your hard work
Kool, wow!, check this out!, you must be smart!

4. It’s just an illustrated abstract

5. Is my abstract effective?
Why should anyone care?
What am I adding to current knowledge?
Do I need to explain methods?
Have I told them what I found and recommend?

6. A portrait of a grad student

7. @#&%!@#$, I have 12 hours to throw this thing together and get it printed before it’s due.

8. How do I get months and years of research onto my poster?
Your poster is a short story
Describe a few major points
Arouse the reader’s interest to read on
Limit it to 250 words

9. Recite after
me,
Less is best!

10. Simplify your paper into poster format
Find out the size required!

11. Who’s my audience?
Competitive coworkers
Specialists?
Wide ranging

12. Remember, most of these “scientists” come for the free food

13. Start putting together your 2 main elements

14. 1) Simple, effective data displays
Don’t make them stand on their heads to read your data!
Focus on relationships, exact values are usually not important
Eliminate “chart junk” - not needed.
Label data directly.
Message is now loud and clear!

15. Keep it simple
but effective

16. The need for chairs in front of your poster will not go over well
2) Small blocks of supporting text
The need for chairs in front of your poster will not go over well

17. Your copy should answer…
Why?
Methods?
What do I recommend?
What did I find?
What am I adding?

18. I could actually read this

20. Pick a software program
Although you’ll probably gravitate towards PowerPoint, consider a true design program.

21. PowerPoint OK, but the colors will fool you Easy to use
Somewhat Inflexible
Designed for overhead projection
(be sure to print a color proof to see actual colors you have chosen)
Power point is an overhead program for talks
Colors are much more saturated than the screen shows

22. Adobe Illustrator or InDesign
Excellent
More difficult to learn
What you see is what you get
Others: Canvas, Publish-It, Corel Draw,

23. Let’s design a poster!

24. Your poster title: Think BIG! Really Big!
Your biggest impact!
Boldface type
Not all caps!
Readable from 5-7 meters
Conclusion
Draw viewers closer to see your imaginative and exciting study
Group authors names and affiliations

25. The Secrets of Readable Text:
Never Don’t overcrowd your poster
Arial Helvetica
Times
Univers
Columns stay the same size

26. Leave breathing space around your text
Serif font works great here for the small text
Same size and style in all blocks of copy

27. Conclusions first! Put the most important part first!
Short and to the point!
Upper left hand corner
If they like it, they will stick around!

28. Utter chaos will make folks dizzy!
Design it easy for the eye to follow
Utter chaos will make folks dizzy!

29. This is the goal for easy reading

30. Can anyone read your poster?

31. Text sizes: Title: 85 point Authors: 56pt Sub-headings: 36pt
Body text: 24pt
Captions: 18pt

32. Images and graphs say much more than words
Try for 50 50
Should be readable from 1-2 meters

33. Keep posters visual!

34. Picture perfect photos
Avoid resolution overkill! At least 150 dpi, but no more than 300 dpi
Save photos as jpg or png Line art as a png (graphs)
Web images are usually poor resolution 72 dpi

35. Line art is best displayed as a “png”
jpg (not as crisp)
png

36. Your cool images mean nothing without a scale bar or description
This is a biological something that is…

37. Don’t forget your funding acknowledgements
Eng, ECE, BME, etc
Your department can provide you with the required wording

38. Your contact info!!!
Without it you’ll become “ya know, those guys with the awesome poster”
Include all
contact info:
Mail address
Phone

39. Using color to engage your readers
2-3 colors, no more!
Dark type on
light color background

40. Whoa! Where’s my sunglasses?
This attracts attention but tires out the eye

41. Be carefull with the primary colors

43. Be aware of busy backgrounds

44. This is an award winning poster, too the point,
simple images, easy to read in a couple minutes.

45. A little background color added

46. Edit, Edit, Edit and Evaluate!
Have your best friends
Worst friends
See if you can ace the 60 min evaluation

47. Print out a letter size draft
Can you read the type?
Are these the colors you really want?
Does it look too busy?
Do my main points pop?
Keep it simple

48. You’re not done yet… Prepare a 3-5 minute verbal explanation
Is he ever going to
SHUT UP???

49. Prepare mini size poster handouts
Provides a written record for interested folks
Makes you look “smart”
Be sure to include complete contact information
Might even get you a job!
Have this available at your poster

50. Let’s judge some designs and see what you’ve learned

51. A bit text heavy but not too bad.

52. Nice poster

53. Where do I begin?
Very unorganized
No flow to text
Very poor layout

54. I’m feeling sleepy Background images are distracting No graphics
White text on dark background

55. OK, but copy needs to be cut!
Flow of text is a bit unorganized
Great graphics
Some blocks of text are way too long

56. Perfect!

57. Oh my gawd! Nice graphics
White type on orange - what were they thinking
Where is the title!
Oh my gawd!

58. Nice flow, but a lighter background for reading
Nice flow of text
Graphic are nice and simple
Background is a little dark in spots

59. I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up
Where’s the title
We see allot of this style
Way to much text
Images are great but that’s all I see
White text on dark background
I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up

60. Gorgeous!

61. Welcome to the 80’s
Fer sure!
Test columns too wide
Trippy

62. This works!

63. LiLynn Graves College of Engineering Webmaster Cornell University engineering.cornell.edu/poster-design Great Resources