1. Creating Conference Posters in the Humanities
A (fairly) simple how-to
Alima Bucciantini

2. Why do we do these?
It’s a simple and exciting way to present research.
Not just another paper
You can connect to other researchers, find collaborators and new ideas for work in progress
It also gives experience in condensing ideas and presenting them to non-expert audiences
Great skills for the job search for students!

3. Inspirations for the poster
Museum labels
Get ideas across in simple language, and in a minimum of text.
Shop windows
Advertising your research

4. Aims Present research in a vibrant, new, interactive format
Draw people to your poster, and have it able to speak for itself when you are not there to explain it.
So, it should combine text and relevant images to be clear, alluring, and not overwhelm readers.
People’s attention spans are short, so keep that in mind!

5. How to get it done! Go to file menu
Working in PowerPoint, first decide how big you want it. Usual size is 36”x48”.
Go to file menu
select ‘page setup’
under ‘size’ select ‘custom’
Fill in the size you want – for example, 36 and 48
You now have a
large-format slide
that you can work
with.

6. Things to remember Have a snappy, understandable title.
This is maybe not the time for something with a semicolon and 3 commas in it.
Use readable font sizes
Depending on size, title maybe , headings 48-72, body text Remember people are standing back from it to read.
Think about color choice.
The easiest to read is light text on a dark background
Just be sure to avoid clashes and craziness
No academic jargon. Use clear, simple language

7. What about images? ALWAYS use images!
But, use images to help tell the story, not just to illustrate it.
Maps, historical images, charts, etc. all help us understand the context of humanities work at a glance.
Image selection will depend entirely on your subject and the story you are telling
Good places to look include
Library of Congress Digital Collections
Digital Public Library of America
Flickr Commons
Wikimedia Commons
Google Image Search with usage rights ‘for reuse’

8. How to start work
What are the main three or four points that you want to make in this poster?
Give each a subheading, and see how they can be arranged to work together
Write each into paragraphs, or bullet points – whichever works best for the concepts
Some will be larger than others
These are the central ideas

9. Title Name, Affiliation Major Point One Major Point Two
Needs to stand alone, be understandable without the rest of the poster
Major Point One
Text, broken up into paragraphs
some bullet points, maybe some images.
Don’t put a big wall of text!
Major Point Four
Summary, conclusion, but again, stands alone without needing to read the rest of the poster
Major Point Three
Some additional details, interesting anecdote, data, evidence
Selected Bibliography