Creating Effective Poster

Presentations
An Effective Poster

An Effective Poster Is a Visual

Communications Tool.
An effective poster will help
you ...
... engage
colleagues in
conversation.
... get your main point
across to
as many
people as
possible.

An effective poster is ...

Focused on a
single message.
Lets graphs
and images tell the story;
uses text sparingly.
Keeps the
sequence well-ordered
and obvious.

An Effective Poster Operates on

Multiple Levels ...

source of information
conversation starter
advertisement of your work
summary of your work
An effective poster is not just a standard
research paper stuck to a board. A poster uses a
different, visual grammar. It shows, not tells.

Many Ineffective Posters Suffer

From Easy-to-fix Problems,
Including ...

objective(s) and main point(s) hard to find

text too small
poor graphics
poor organization

All Visuals and Text Should Relate

to a Succinctly Stated Message.
Your goal is to convey a clear message and support it
with a compelling combination of images and short
blocks of text.
Know your message!
What is the one thing you want your audience to learn?
Focus on your message throughout the poster.
If it doesn't reinforce your message, leave it out!!

Cont
Be bold & be explicit.
If you have an interesting result, state it explicitly in
the title. The Effect of X on Y
Substance X Induces Y-cells
Make the strongest statements your data will
support. Why soft-peddle exciting findings?
Rather than merely repeating the results, state your
interpretations in the conclusion section.

Example
Note how the poster title and the titles of the
graphs provide key messages.

Define Your Message:

Consider the Alternatives

Do this ... Be bold and be explicit!

... not this!!!

Hedge wherever you can.

Know Your Audience(s)

You should make your message accessible to a diverse
audience.
There are three categories of readers in most audiences
(Woolsey 1989). People in ...

your field of specialization

fields closely related to yours
unrelated fields
To satisfy them all, you should ...

Know Your Audience(s) Cont

Provide context for your work. Explain the big picture
and why the problem is important.
Use plain language to present your work.
Avoid jargon and acronyms unless you're really
positive that yours will be a specialist-only audience.
Interpret your findings so that readers in all
categories can understand how your work helps solve
the problem you've described.

Consider the Alternatives

Do this ...
Design for all three audience categories.

Consider the Alternatives

... not this

Design only for specialists in your field.

Audience Category

Requirements

People in your field of

specialization, including your
competitors.

No special efforts are required to

attract them. They will read whatever
you present, no matter how well or
poorly you present it.

People in fields closely related to

yours are worth capturing, because
they can have interesting insights and
perspectives about your work.

They will require that you supply

context for your work. They are likely
to be unfamiliar with your jargon.

People in unrelated fields can be

attracted by an accessible message,
and provide valuable insights and
links to distant fields

They require you to explain the

problem and the solution. They will
not understand your jargon.

An Effective Abstract Is Your First

Opportunity to Hone Your Message.
An abstract is a succinct description of your work. It should ...
Explain why your work is important - set the context and pre-empt the
question "So what?"
Describe the objective(s) of your work. What are you adding to current
knowledge?
Briefly explain the methods. Unless the research is about methods, this
should not be a major focus of your abstract (or your poster).
Succinctly state results, conclusions, and recommendations. This is
what most people want to know. Do not say "We present the results of our
study and recommendations for action" - tell them what you found and
recommend!

Creating Effective Posters Requires

Planning, Art, Science, and Attention to
Detail.
Each of the following aspects of poster creation is
considered in detail ...
Planning Before starting work on your poster,
consider message, space, budget, format (single sheet
or multi-panel), and deadlines.
Focus Stay focused on your message and keep it
simple. Create a mock-up and dispense with unneeded
details.
Layout Use a clearly defined visual grammar to move
readers through your poster.

 Headings Use headings to orient readers and convey

major points.
Graphics Clear graphics should dominate your poster.
Text Text should be minimized in favour of graphics,
and large where used.
Colours Colours can make a poster attractive and
improve readability, but be cautious.
Editing Edit ruthlessly to reduce the amount of text
and focus on a results-oriented message.
Software There are many packages you can use to
create your poster.

Planning
Creating an effective poster requires time and planning.
What's my message? Everything you put on your poster
relates to a carefully crafted message.
You must be able to state your main point(s) and
conclusion(s) clearly and succinctly.
All visuals and text should relate to those points and
conclusions.

Planning Cont

How much room do I have? Determine specific

size requirements - visit conference web site or
otherwise consult with conference organizers.
Area available determines, in part, ...
what you can fit,
what you'll have to leave out,
layout (landscape vs. portrait orientation),
and how things will be organized.

Planning Cont

How much money do I have? Your budget will

determine, in part, whether you will ...
plot your poster or print it on standard sheets of paper.
use glossy or draft quality paper.
use cardboard or foam core for mounting (if printing
on standard sheets of paper).
create the poster yourself or contract it out.

Planning Cont
What milestones should I establish?
Especially important if the poster is multiauthored.
Start with the due date and work back to create
milestones.
Allow time for peer review and heavy editing.

Suggested Schedule.
When
What
0 Present poster
-1 week Final print
-1 week Make changes suggested by peers
-1 week Distribute draft for peer review (round 2) -2 weeks
Make changes suggested by peers
-2 weeks Distribute draft for peer review (round 1) -3 weeks
Edit your draft ruthlessly
-3 weeks Create first draft of poster
-4 weeks Plan out poster on scratch paper
-4 weeks Define message and write an abstract (if
you haven't
already done so)

Focus
Stay focused on your message. And keep it simple!!
Simple messages are more memorable.
Details detract from the main point, and can be
supplied in person as needed.

Focus Cont
Create a mock-up poster focused on your main message.
Ask yourself which details are absolutely essential for
conveying your message. The most common problem is
too much focus on methods. [ An exception is if your
poster is about a new method. ]
Omit anything that is not essential.
Edit text carefully - simplify verbiage, reduce sentence
complexity.

Focus: Consider the Alternatives

Do this ...
Edit ruthlessly! Simplify. Supply details in person, and only as
needed.

... not this

Emphasize methods rather than the main message.

Layout
A clear visual grammar guides readers through your
poster.
Your poster should ...
use a visual grammar to guide readers to the
important parts of your poster.
use a column format to make your poster easier to
read in a crowd.
use organization cues to guide readers through your
poster.

Layout Cont
use "reader gravity" which pulls the eye from
top to bottom and left to right (Wheildon 1995).
use headings intelligently to help readers find
your main points and key information.
balance the placement of text and graphics to
create visual appeal.
use white space creatively to help define the
flow of information.

Visual Grammar
Visual grammar is a graphic hierarchy that
helps readers identify the most important parts
of your poster.

Consider the Alternatives

Do this ...
Use a graphic hierarchy that visually reflects the relative importance of
elements.

... not this

Use a text-heavy, publication-style format.

Columnar Format
Organize your poster in columns so that it's
easy to read when there's a crowd in front of it.

Consider the Alternatives

Do this ...
Use a columnar format. It allows readers to read the entire poster as they
proceed from left to right.

... not this

Use a row-oriented layout. This format moves readers past
your poster very quickly.

Use Organizational Cues

Another way to make sure readers know how to
navigate your poster is to use cues - numbers,
letters, arrows - to guide them.

Consider the Alternatives

Do this ...
Supply cues to help viewers follow your presentation.

... not this

Let viewers guess the sequence.

Reader Gravity
There are language-specific ways in which most
people read. In English, it is top-to-bottom and
left-to-right. Wheildon (1995) called this "reader
gravity." You should not use organizational
constructs that defy reader gravity - it will
confuse viewers, which is not what you want to
happen.

Balance and White Space

Your poster should have a good visual balance
of figures and text, separated by white space.
Balance occurs when images and text are
reflected (at least approximately) across a
central horizontal, vertical, or diagonal axis.
This axis is know as the axis of symmetry.

Horizontal Symmetry

Diagonal Symmetry

Horizontal & Vertical Symmetry

Asymmetry (text-heavy on left, imageheavy on right)

Headings
Use headings to orient readers and convey
major points.
Headings - including the title, section titles, and
figure captions - should ...
Summarize Use headings as opportunities to
summarize your work in large letters. A hurried
reader should be able to get the main points
from the headings alone.

Headings Cont
Organize Good headings are part of the visual
grammar that helps move readers through your
poster.
Be Hierarchical The more important the point,
the larger the type.
Be Bold Make the strongest statements your
research allows.

Graphics
Simple, clean graphics communicate relationships quickly.
Good graphics - graphs, illustrations, photos - are the
centrepiece of your poster.
Good graphs communicate relationships quickly.
Graphs should be Simple and clean.
Write explanations directly on figures, instead of referencing
from elsewhere.
Use simple 2-dimensional line graphs, bar charts, pie
charts.

 Avoid 3-dimensional graphs unless you're displaying

3-dimensional data - and then proceed carefully, as
many 3-D graphs are difficult to interpret.
Text on graphs must follow same guidelines as all
other text so that it will be visible.
Use photos that help deliver your message.
Use spot art - but not too much - to attract attention.

No!

Better!

 Here's a very simple example showing the

relationship between two populations through
time. The main point to be made is that the lynx
(predator) and hare (prey) populations oscillate
through time in a somewhat predictable manner.
[ This is a classic example of predator-prey
oscillations from the ecology literature, and has
been interpreted as evidence of the regulation of
prey populations by predators. ]
Straight out of Excel, here's what you get:

There's a Lot of Ink Here That Doesn't

Convey Information Relevant to the Main
Point You're Trying to Make. Plus It's Ugly.

It's Easy to Make a Graph That Looks

Cleaner and Has a Higher Ratio of
Information-to-total Ink:

Without all the distractions, the relationship comes

through loud and clear.

Text

Text should be simple, direct, and large

Posters are a visual medium.
Minimize text - use images and graphs instead.
Keep text elements to 50 words or fewer.
Use phrases rather than full sentences.
Use an active voice.
Avoid jargon (depends somewhat on the audience).

Text Cont
Left-justify text; avoid centring and right-justifying text.
Use a serif font (e.g., Times) for most text - easier to
read.
Sans-serif font (e.g., Helvetica) OK for titles and
headings
Text should be at least 24 point in text, 36 for headings.
Pay attention to text size in figures - it must also be large.
Title should be at least 5cm tall.

Minimize Text and Make It Large!!

Consider the Alternatives

Do this ...
Make text simple, direct, and large enough to read so that your
message comes through loud and clear!

... not this

Make text convoluted, impenetrable, and small enough that
viewers will go away.

Colours
Use colour to attract attention, organize, and emphasize
- but don't overdo it.
Use a light colour background and dark colour letters
for contrast.
Avoid dark backgrounds with light letters - very tiring
to read.
Stick to a theme of 2 or 3 colours - much more will
overload and confuse viewers.

Colours Cont
If you use multiple colours, use them in a consistent
pattern - otherwise viewers will spend their time
wondering what the pattern is rather than reading your
poster.
Overly bright colours will attract attention - and then
wear out readers' eyes.
Consider people who have problems differentiating
colours, especially when designing graphics - one of
the most common is an inability to tell green from red.

Colours Cont
Consider people who have problems differentiating colours, especially when
designing graphics - one of the most common is an inability to tell green from red.

Strawberries as they appear to a person

Strawberries as they appear to a person
with full-colour vision who cannot tell red from green

NOTE: need a simple list of safe colour combinations to use, or combinations to

avoid.

.
.

Editing
If it doesn't provide critical support for your main
message, ELIMINATE IT!
Edit! Edit! Edit ruthlessly! to reduce text.
Edit all text to simplify verbiage, to reduce sentence
complexity, and to delete details.
If it's not relevant to your message, remove it!
Have colleagues comment on drafts. Print a small
version and circulate for comment, or hang a full-size
draft with pens and invite them to critique.

Editing Cont
Evaluate your work - try the 60-second
evaluation.
Are your objective and main message obvious?
Will readers be able to contact you?

60-second Poster Evaluation

Rating Criteria - Circle rating that applies. Overall
Appearance
0 Cluttered or sloppy appearance. Gives the
impression of a solid mass of text and
graphics, or
pieces are scattered and
disconnected. Little white
space.
1 Pleasant to look at. Pleasing use of colours, text,
and graphics.
2 Very pleasing to look at. Particularly nice colours
and graphics.

 White Space
0 Very little. Gives the impression of a solid mass
of text and graphics.
1 OK. Sections of the poster are separated from
one another.
2 Lots. Plenty of room to rest the eyes. Lots of
separation.
Text / Graphics Balance
0 Too much text. The poster gives an
overwhelming impression of text only. OR
Not
enough text. Cannot understand what the graphics are
supposed to relate.

 1 Balanced. Text and graphics are evenly

dispersed in the poster. There seems to
be
enough text to explain the graphics.
Text Size
0 Too small to view comfortably from a
distance of 1-1.5 meters.
0.5 Main text OK, but text in figures too
small.
1 Easy to read from 1-1.5 meters.
2 Very easy to read.

 Organization and Flow

0 Cannot figure out how to move through
poster.
1 Implicit. Headings (Introduction, Methods, etc) or
other device implies organization and
flow.
2 Explicit numbering, column bars, row bars, etc.
Author Identification
0 None.
1 Partial. Not enough information to contact author
without further research. This includes
missing zip
codes on addresses.
2 Complete. Enough information to contact author
by mail, phone, or e-mail without further research.

 Research Objective
0 Can't find.
1 Present, but not explicit. Buried at end of "Introduction",
"Background", etc.
2 Explicit. This includes headings of "Objectives", "Aims",
"Goals", etc.
Main Points
0 Can't find.
1 Present, but not obvious. May be imbedded in
monolithic
blocks of text.
2 Explicitly labelled (e.g., "Main Points",
"Conclusions",
"Results").
Summary
0 Absent.
1 "Summary", "Results", or "Conclusions" section present.

Software
There are many software options for creating your
poster.
MicroSoft PowerPoint is a relatively easy-to-use tool
for creating posters see instructions. One benefit of
PowerPoint is that many people already know how to
use it.
Adobe Illustrator and InDesign have more features and
can provide very professional results - especially for
posters including lots of high-resolution images - but
are more complex and expensive.

Software Cont
MicroSoft Excel can create graphics and export them for
PowerPoint - but you'll need to clean them up. DeltaGraph
is also a nice tool, but keep your graphs clean.
OpenOffice offers no-cost alternatives to MS Office.
Impress is the PowerPoint alternative, and Draw is a
vector graphics software package. See the OpenOffice
web site or their documentation section for further
information.
Adobe Photoshop is great for manipulating images, but is
also complex and expensive.

Present Your Poster

Use the graphics on your poster to support
conversations with colleagues.
Focus on the evidence: your graphics.
Arrive early at the display site.
Unless you're confident the organizers will have proper
supplies, bring a poster hanging kit with you.
Hang your poster square and neat.
Make sure you're at your poster during your assigned
presentation time.

Present Your Poster Cont

You want people to remember you and your work!
Bring copies of a handout for your readers. It should
include a miniature version of your poster and more
detailed information about your work, in an illustrated
narrative form. Consider doing this on an 11x17-inch
sheet of paper, folded in half. This allows three pages
of information, in addition to the miniature of your
poster.
Put handouts, business cards, reprints nearby - on a
table or in an envelope hung with the poster.

Present Your Poster Cont

Restock supplies periodically, if poster is up for
a long time.
Consider leaving a pen and pad inviting
comments from viewers.
Use your poster as a visual aid - don't read it!
Prepare 0.5-, 2-, & 5- minute tours of your
poster.

Present Your Poster Cont

Tell viewers ...

1. the context of your problem and why it is important
(Introduction),

2. your objective and what you did (Objective

& Methods),
3. what you discovered (Results), and
4. what the answer means in terms of the context
(Discussion).

Consider the Alternatives

Do this ...
Use the graphics when you talk and focus on
your evidence.
Use your poster as a visual aid.
When people ask you for a tour of your poster,
use the graphic elements to explain your work.

Consider the Alternatives Cont

Face your audience and tell them the context: identify
the big problem, explain why the problem is important,
and tell what you did to answer it, what the answer is,
and what the answer means.
As you talk in an audible, measured pace, point to the
graphic features that demonstrate your message.
Glancing at the figure as you point to it will direct your
viewers' eyes to the figure.

Consider the Alternatives Cont

... not this
Give a detailed tour and be compulsively complete.
Read carefully every line.
Read all the text, trace every line on every graph, and
dwell especially on the details of the methods.
If you stand with your back to your audience, many
people will find it easier to escape. Glance over your
shoulder periodically to see if you can stop reading yet.

Consider the Alternatives Cont

Speak in a low and hesitant tone - a whisper is
ideal - and don't help viewers see what you're
trying to show them.