How to Design an Effective PosterHow to Design an Effective Poster

Production

Content

Design

The Anatomy of a Poster

• Title• Abstract (check requirements)• Introduction• Hypothesis• Purpose• Methods• Results• Summary • Conclusion• References• Acknowledgments

Posters should quickly orient your Posters should quickly orient your audience to your contentaudience to your content

Grab them with a snappy title

Lots of images help

www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/ conference/photos.htm

www.csm.ornl.gov/ SC2K/eunokpix.html

Grab attention with your titleGrab attention with your title

• Make it assertive, clear and interestingMake it assertive, clear and interesting• Questions often work wellQuestions often work well

– For example:For example:

Why do dogs scratch flea bites?Why do dogs scratch flea bites?– Not so good:Not so good:

Studies of the effects of Studies of the effects of SiphonapteraSiphonaptera bites bites on canine motor neurons.on canine motor neurons.

Introduction

• No more than 3 brief paragraphs– 1st paragraph lays out the problem– 2nd paragraph gives background/history– 3rd paragraph gives justification for work

(“Therefore this study was designed to…”)

Hypothesis and Purpose

• Hypothesis– State the testable question (“Proteases are

involved in ovulation.”)

• Purpose- The specific problem that you tested (“We

tested for the presence of a specific protease in the ovulatory process.”) (will overlap with last paragraph of intro)

Methods

• Subcategories (keep these brief and to the point!)– Animals– Tissue extraction– Real-time PCR (include diagram of the portion

of the sequence that you used in your work), immunocytochemistry or other specific technique that was employed (acknowledge the source of specific reagents)

– Statistical analysis

Results

• Report your major findings as Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc.– Use graphs, pie charts or other good visual

presentation methods.– Avoid tables, if possible.– Include a one to two sentence “punchline”

(legend) under each figure.– Check with Joel to see if there are special

printing issues you need to address with any symbols you have typed in PowerPoint.

Summary

• Prose version of the Results listed in three or four bullets

Conclusions

• How did your findings address your hypothesis? (conceptual rather than descriptive)– What is the BIG PICTURE (clinical relevance,

etc.)?– Two to four bullets max. (i.e., overall concept

and clinical relevance)

References

– What are the key papers in this area? (most will be in the Introduction, perhaps a few in the Methods section of your poster)

– Format: • In text: can be numbers or authors. • In the Reference Section: list authors, journal, date

of publication. Title may or may not be included, as you prefer.

Acknowledgments

• Recognize those individuals not included as authors on your poster– Lab technicians– Animal technicians– Joel Ito

• Anyone who donated reagents, protocols by name and affiliation

• Funding sources (Murdock Trust, NIH grants, Saturday Academy, etc.)

• Any personal acknowledgments (not usually included in scientific meetings).

Content should be easy to findContent should be easy to find

People do not read word for word or even linearly, they skip around.

Scientists and engineers are most likely to read goals and results. http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/printerready/

science/results/lunarice/eureka.html

Your poster design should be Your poster design should be simple and engagingsimple and engaging

How long will your poster be up?

Can your audience read it in sections as they pass by?

Thomas Curtis 2004

Leave plenty of blank space Leave plenty of blank space (up to 50%)(up to 50%)

People won’t stop to read a poster that looks too People won’t stop to read a poster that looks too crowded and complexcrowded and complex

Aligning objects makes them easier Aligning objects makes them easier to followto follow

• Align objects along sight linesAlign objects along sight lines• The eye looks for edgesThe eye looks for edges

Arrows or numbers indicate how to Arrows or numbers indicate how to read your posterread your poster

You can use numbers or arrows to You can use numbers or arrows to indicate the orderindicate the order

Dress up your poster!Dress up your poster!

Use colored borders, drop shadows or Use colored borders, drop shadows or three-dimensional mounting to make three-dimensional mounting to make elements stand outelements stand out

Make your text visibleMake your text visible

• Title should be visible Title should be visible from 15 to 20 feetfrom 15 to 20 feet

• Main headings should be Main headings should be visible from 8 to 10 feetvisible from 8 to 10 feet

• Supporting text should be Supporting text should be visible from 6 to 8 feetvisible from 6 to 8 feet

swfsc.nmfs.noaa.gov/.

Graphs, diagrams & images are an Graphs, diagrams & images are an effective way to telegraph your dataeffective way to telegraph your data

http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/printerready/science/results/lunarice/eureka.html www.sfwmd.gov/newsr/

district_rain_board.gif

Your choice of color can attract Your choice of color can attract (or distract) your audience(or distract) your audience

• Avoid bright colors• Restrict the color palette• Use colors of similar value &

saturation• Use a color wheel• Experiment with different

backgrounds

www.realcolorwheel.com/final.htg/RCWautog500x513.jpg

Harmonious colors areeasy on the eye

• Use analogous colors (they are side by side on a color wheel)…

Or complementary colors

…(any two colors which are directly opposite each other on the color wheel, such as red and green and red-purple and yellow-green)…

Colors can unify your posterColors can unify your poster

• Bright colors attract attention but can detract Bright colors attract attention but can detract from your messagefrom your message

• A limited number of colors unifies A limited number of colors unifies • Use colors of similar value and saturationUse colors of similar value and saturation

Background intensity can affect Background intensity can affect image appearanceimage appearance

Background color can affect Background color can affect image appearanceimage appearance

Mixed cases and serif fonts make Mixed cases and serif fonts make scanning easierscanning easier

Use caps and lower case -- Use caps and lower case -- Mixed Cases ARE Mixed Cases ARE EASIER TO READ EASIER TO READ THAN ALL CAPSTHAN ALL CAPS

Serif fontSerif font is easier to scan is easier to scan than sans serif fontthan sans serif font

Here are recommended fontsHere are recommended fontsTimes New RomanTimes New RomanGaramondGaramondPalatinoPalatinoCentury SchoolbookCentury SchoolbookCourierCourier

Times New Times New RomanRomanGaramondGaramondPalatinoPalatinoCentury Century SchoolbookSchoolbookCourierCourier

Times New RomanTimes New RomanGaramondGaramondPalatinoPalatinoCentury Century SchoolbookSchoolbookCourierCourier

Times New RomanTimes New RomanGaramondGaramondPalatinoPalatinoCentury Century SchoolbookSchoolbookCourierCourier

Times New RomanTimes New RomanGaramondGaramondPalatinoPalatinoCentury SchoolbookCentury SchoolbookCourierCourier

Distance readingDistance reading20pt not bolded20pt not bolded

The text and image can reinforce The text and image can reinforce each othereach other

The example above provides visual evidence to support text message

Our goal is to test a fillet design for turbine blades and vanes downstream of the combustor

The purpose of the fillet design is to reduce vortices that disrupt the film cooling of the blades and vanes

[Pratt&Whitney, 2000]

Combustor

Remember the three “C”s of writing: Remember the three “C”s of writing: content, clarity, and cohesioncontent, clarity, and cohesion

There are a few rules of writing that can improve your poster presentation.

Sentences orient the audience much better than phrases do.

Content: your poster should convey Content: your poster should convey the results of your researchthe results of your research

• Make sure content is appropriate for the audience.

• Get to the major point of your work right away.

neuroseries.info.nih.gov

Clarity: make sure your audience can Clarity: make sure your audience can comprehend your brilliant ideas!comprehend your brilliant ideas!

• Keep sentences short.

• Don’t use jargon and minimize use of abbreviations.

• Keep subjects and verbs close together.

Viewers can quickly grasp a simple subject-verb construction.

Keep subject and verb close togetherKeep subject and verb close together

• It should be noted that these studies with apomorphine in DARPP-32 mutants, for practical reasons, that is, the requirement for multiple groups of ‘knockouts’ so as to include a range of challenge doses, had to be confined to a single gender, in this case females.

• These studies on apomorphine in DARPP-32 mutants were confined to female rats to meet the requirement for including a range of challenge doses in multiple groups

of knockouts.

How to produce your posterHow to produce your poster

Posters need OHSU Visual IdentityPosters need OHSU Visual Identity

Posters from OHSU units should Posters from OHSU units should include graphic elements specified include graphic elements specified by University News and Publicationsby University News and Publications

Graphic elements can be Graphic elements can be downloaded fromdownloaded fromhttp://www.ohsu.edu/newspub/visid.http://www.ohsu.edu/newspub/visid.shtmlshtml OHSU word markOHSU word mark

OHSU logoOHSU logo

Where Healing, Teaching and Discovery Come TogetherWhere Healing, Teaching and Discovery Come Together

Software OptionsSoftware Options• Macromedia FreeHand 10Macromedia FreeHand 10

• Adobe CSAdobe CS

• Microsoft PowerPointMicrosoft PowerPoint

Images should be clearImages should be clear

• Make sure any bitmap files you use will be at least Make sure any bitmap files you use will be at least 150 150 dpi at finished (print) size.dpi at finished (print) size.

• Many page layout programs will not allow you to build Many page layout programs will not allow you to build a a page larger than, say, 40". In this case, build the page page larger than, say, 40". In this case, build the page

proportionate to its final printed size. proportionate to its final printed size.

• For instance, if you create an 8"x 10" file, you can For instance, if you create an 8"x 10" file, you can print print it at 16"x 20", 32"x 40" or any other size that it at 16"x 20", 32"x 40" or any other size that maintains maintains proportions. proportions.

• Make any graphic alterations to images in a program Make any graphic alterations to images in a program like Photoshop not in the publishing program itself. like Photoshop not in the publishing program itself.

How to present your poster• Be enthusiastic and HAVE FUN!• If someone appears interested in your poster, ask

“Would you like me to walk you through this?” Don’t just stand quietly by the poster!

• If the person says no, fade back, but remain available for questions.

• Stop when you have finished, let people move on if they want to: People like to maneuver quickly at poster sessions. Don’t be offended at quick comings and goings.

• If you become very engaged with someone, and other people come to see the poster, let everyone know that you are aware of them, and will get to them as soon as possible.

Resources

• http://www.kumc.edu/SAH/OTEd/jradel/Poster_Presentations/PstrStart.html

• http://www.asp.org/education/Howto_onPosters.html