Documentation:Poster Presentations

A PowerPoint presentation on creating poster presentations:

File:PosterPresentations.pdf

Purpose and Elements of an Effective poster

What is a Poster?

A poster is a VISUAL representation of your work.
It is a source of information
It is an advertisement of your work
It is a summary of your work
It engages your colleagues in conversation
It gets your main point(s) across to as many people as possible

An Effective Poster …

Delivers a clear message
Is highly visual
Can be easily read from 1-2 meters away

Common Mistakes

Objective(s) and main point(s) hard to find
Text too small
Poor graphics
Poor organization

Planing Your Poster, Content and Design

First . . .

READ THE INSTRUCTIONS supplied by the meeting organizers! Having an idea about these details before you begin will make the whole process much easier.

For the 2010 Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference the dimension are 6' by 4'.
The poster must be a PDF.
Keep in mind that this is a multidisciplinary conference. Be sure that your presentation is understandable to a wide audience.

General format

Determine the one essential concept you would like to get across to the audience.

Re-read your abstract once again - are those statements still accurate?

Words of Wisdom

Preparing a poster will take as much time as you let it. Allocate your time wisely.
There are always things that go wrong, so do not wait until the last minute to do even a simple task.
This is a public presentation; by planning carefully, striving to be clear in what you say and how you say it, and assuming a professional attitude you will avoid making it a public spectacle.
If you have little experience making posters, it will take longer (estimate 1 week at the very minimum).
Too much lead time, however, encourages endless fussing about. Do the poster to the best of your ability, then go do something else.
Sketch it out - what is going to go where.

Use of Color

General Notes on colour:

Use a colored background to unify your poster:
Muted colors, or shades of gray, are best for the background. Use more intense colors as borders or for emphasis, but be conservative - overuse of color is distracting.
Two to three related background colors (Methods, Data, Interpretation) will unify the poster.
If necessary for emphasis, add a single additional color by mounting the figure on thinner poster board, or outlining the figure in colored tape.

Color can enhance the hues or contrast of photographs:

Use a light background with darker photos; a dark background with lighter photos.
Use a neutral background (gray) to emphasize color in photos; a white background to reduce the impact of colored photos.
Most poster sessions are held in halls lit with harsh fluorescent light. If exact colors are important to the data, balance those colors for use with fluorescent lighting. Also, all colors will be intensified; bright (saturated) colors may become unpleasent to view.

Sequencing contents

The poster should use photos, figures, and tables to tell the story of the study. For clarity, it is important to present the information in a sequence which is easy to follow:

Determine a logical sequence for the material you will be presenting.
Organize that material into sections (Methods, Data/Results, Implications, Conclusions, etc.).
Use numbers (Helvetica boldface, 36 - 48 points) to help sequence sections of the poster.
Arrange the material into columns.
The poster should not rely upon your verbal explanation to link together the various portions.

Edit Ruthlessly!

There ALWAYS is too much text in a poster.

Posters primarily are visual presentations; the text materials serve to support the graphic materials.
Look critially at the layout. If there is about 20% text, 40% graphics and 40% empty space, you are doing well.
When in doubt, rephrase that text or delete it. (Keep chanting this mantra: There always is too much text. Always too much text.)
Use active voice when writing the text; It can be demonstrated becomes The data demonstrate.
Delete all redundant references and filler phrases, such as see Figure ...
Remove all material extraneous to the focal point of the poster.
Since the abstract is usually published, there is no need to repeat it in the poster. The brief introduction should be sufficient to identify the purpose of the study.
Since graphs & figures will have explanatory captions, there is no need to label the graphic with Figure 1, Table 2, etc.
The poster is not a publication of record, so excessive detail about methods, or vast tables of data are not necessary. This material can be discussed with interested persons individually during or after the session, or presented in a handout.

Illustrations

The success of a poster directly relates to the clarity of the illustrations and tables.

Self-explanatory graphics should dominate the poster.
A minimal amount of text materials should supplement the graphic materials.
Use regions of empty space between poster elements to differentiate and accentuate these elements.
Graphic materials should be visible easily from a minimum distance of 6 feet.
Restrained use of 2 - 3 colors for emphasis is valuable; overuse is not.
Show no mercy when editing visual materials!

Once again, ruthless editing is very important.

Visual distractions increase fatigue and reduce the probability of viewers giving the poster a thorough read.

Restrained use of large type and/or colored text are the most effective means of emphasizing particular points.
Use short sentences, simple words, and bullets to illustrate discrete points.
Have the left edges of materials in a column aligned; center alignment produces ragged left & right edges. This makes reading the poster more difficult.
Avoid using jargon, acronyms, or unusual abbreviations.
Remove all non-essential information from graphs and tables (data curves not discussed by the poster; excess grid lines in tables)
Label data lines in graphs directly, using large type & color. Eliminate legends and keys.
Artful illustrations, luminous colors, or exquisite computer-rendered drawings do not substitute for CONTENT.
Lines in illustrations should be larger than normal. Use contrast and colors for emphasis.
Use colors to distinguish different data groups in graphs. Avoid using patterns or open bars in histograms.
Use borders about 0.5 inches all around each figures. Border colors can be used to link related presentations of data.
Colored transparency overlays are useful in comparing/contrasting graphic results

Plan ahead!

You have probably heard this again and again. That is because it is IMPORTANT!

With an increasing reliance placed upon poster presentations for information transfer at meetings, there comes an increased impatience with poorly presented
materials.

Although the poster preparation will expand to fill whatever time you allow it, don't be caught with an unfinished poster!

Planning ahead is particularly important if photographs are to be used.

Allow time for at least two rounds of photographic processing to take place, just in case.
Custom photo processing may be more expensive, but offers rapid turn-around and precise color balancing.
Use sufficient enlargement to allow details to be seen at a distance of 6 feet or more.

Font Size Guidelines

Double-space all text, using left-justification; text with even left sides and jagged right sides is easiest to read.
The text should be large enough to be read easily from at least 6 feet away.
Title 72-120 point
Subtitles (author name, school) 48-80 point
Section headings (Introduction, Methods, etc.) 36-72 point point
Body text 24 point (boldface, if appropriate)
Acknowledgements: 14-18 point
Options for fonts include Helvetica, Arial, Geneva, Times Roman, Palatino, Century Schoolbook, Courier, and Prestige. Note that these fonts represent a range of letter spacing and letter heights.

Finally, be consistent. Choose one font and size, then use those throughout the poster. Add emphasis by using boldface, underlining, or color; italics are difficult to read.

Designing in PowerPoint

Convert feet to inches
6' x 4' = 72 x 48
Power point allows a maximum of 56
You may need to create it at half size
It can be converted to the correct size using CutePDF writer
In order to convert a half-sized powerpoint to a full-sized PDF:
- Download and install "CutePDF".
- In PowerPoint go "file" then "print".
- Select "CutePDF" as the printer and select "advanced"
- In the size selection drop-down select "Custom PostScrip".
- You should now be able to change the output size to 6 x 4

Download a design template to simplify

Closing thoughts

Since a poster is essentially a visual presentation, try to find ways to show what was done - use schematic diagrams, arrows, and other strategies to direct the visual attention of the viewer, rather than explaining it all using text alone.
Design the poster to address one central question. State the question clearly in the poster, then use your discussion time with individuals to expand or expound upon issues surrounding that central theme.
Provide an explicit take-home message.
Summarize implications and conclusions briefly, and in user-friendly language.
Give credit where it is due. Have an acknowledgements section, in smaller size type (14 - 18 point), where you acknowledge contributors and funding organizations.
Hang poster square and neat
Vary the size and spacing of the poster sections to add visual interest, but do so in moderation.
Have a 3-5 presentation on your topic prepared for those who ask you
Do not wander too far away from your poster during the session; be available for discussion!

Acknowledgements:

http://www.kumc.edu/SAH/OTEd/jradel/Poster_Presentations/110.html http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/present.html