Introduction

"Entice the viewer with clarity, simplicity, and pictures." (Briscoe, p. 140)

A poster session is visual, interactive forum. The research topic is conveyed graphically in a informal setting with each presenter standing next to her/his poster prepared to answer questions or clarify information. The poster itself IS NOT your enlarged paper. so analyze your research and identify the central, key issues you need to convey to your audience.

• Microsoft PowerPoint - familiar tool, assemble individual "slides" on a poster board
• Adobe Illustrator - a graphic design program (intended for designing posters)

• Use color to inform, not detract.
• Use simple shapes.
• Use the "white space" to isolate and emphasize.

Layout

You will usually be given the overall dimensions of the poster board. Sketch a rough layout to visualize how your information will be arranged. In general, our eyes scan left to right and top to bottom, with the top left hand corner the most important location of the poster. Take this behavior into account when you plan your layout.

Possible layout for a horizontal poster:

Possible layout for a vertical poster:

Fonts

Your poster should be readable from 3 to 5 feet away. Resist the temptation to squeeze in more information by making the text or illustrations smaller. Use a plain font such as ARIAL, HELVETICA, or other "sans serif" font.

• Title - all caps, font size=36+ point. Can be >BOLD.
• Text - caps and lower case, font size=24 to 30 point. Use a plain font.

Graphs and Charts

Use charts and graphs to convey information. Enlarge to a minimum of 8.5 X 11 inches. Keep axis labels short and simple.

• To quantify, use bar graphs. Use different colors or patterns to separate bars.
  
• To represent change over time, use line graphs - no more than four lines. Line graphs will draw the eye in the direction of the line, so watch for placement on the poster.
  
• To show percentages or parts of the whole, use pie charts - no more than ten slices.
  

Color

Use color to emphasize and make the poster interesting, but don't overdo it. Yellow does not display well from a distance. Take into consideration red/green deficiency ("color-blindness") when blending colors and avoid using colors that are opposites on the color wheel.

Internet Sites

• Workshop schedule and materials: "Creating a Poster for a Conference" and "Creating a Poster in Adobe Illustrator". Center for Instructional Materials and Computing (CIMC) (accessed 6/29/07)
• Guidelines/Resources on Poster Printing. Digital Media Center@Biotech (accessed 6/29/07)
• Advice on Designing Scientific Posters. http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/cpurrin1/posteradvice.htm (accessed 5/30/07)
• PhD Posters: Gallery of Customer Work: http://phdposters.com/gallery.php (accessed 5/30/07)
• Mandoli, Dina F. How to Make a Great Poster. http://www.aspb.org/education/poster.cfm (accessed 5/30/07)
• Designing Effective Posters. http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/bio/posters.html (accessed 5/30/07)
• Preparing Effective Posters. http://faculty.washington.edu/scporter/INQUAposters.html (accessed 5/30/07)
• UW-Madison Writing Center. http://www.wisc.edu/writing/index.html (accessed 5/30/07)

Articles and Books

1. Briscoe, Mary Helen. Preparing Scientific Illustrations. Springer-Verlag: New York, 1995. (Biology, Geology, Physics, Steenbock: Q222 B75 1996)
2. Endicott, Jim. For better presentations, avoid PowerPoint pitfalls, Presentations. 1998, June, 36-37.
3. Goldsborough, Reid. Put zing in your presentations. Reading Today. 1998/1999, 16, 11+.
4. Hanke, Jon. The psychology of presentation visuals. Presentations. 1998. May, 42-51.
5. Miracle, Vickie A. Poster presentations with style. Nursing Management. 1999, 30, 15.
6. Morgan, Scott; Whitener, Barrett. Speaking about science : a manual for creating clear presentations. Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2006. (Steenbock: Q223 M67 2006)
7. Pineda, Rodley C. Poster sessions: Enhancing interactive learning during student presentations Journal of Management Education. 1999, 23 , 618-622.