HOW TO DESIGN AN EFFECTIVE POSTER

…the DOs and DON’Ts.

Help The Reader

Title Images Layout

Help The Reader

Quickly orient your audience to your content

Scientists and engineers are most likely to read goals and results.

Title Hypothesis

Results Experimental Design

Avoid Easy Mistakes

Proofread. Have some one else proofread Affect/Effect Proofread Their/They’re/There Proofread Two/Too/To

Grab attention with your title Make the title assertive, clear and

interesting. A question can work well.

◦ For example: Why do dogs scratch flea bites?

◦ Not so good:

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

Tell A Story…

Introduction 1st paragraph - lays out the problem Include both the “what” and the “so

what”.

2nd paragraph - gives background/history 3rd paragraph - gives justification for work

(“Therefore this study was designed to…”)

Purpose

The specific problem that you tested “We tested for the presence of a specific

protease in the ovulatory process.”

Yes, this will overlap with last paragraph of intro

Methods

Subcategories (keep these brief and to the point!)

Highlights of the major pieces of your research

Avoid jargon and unexplained acronyms

Briefly explain any specific procedures that may be less commonly known

Help The Reader

Poster design should be simple and engaging

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

Results

Report your major findings as Put in an Example Here of “how to” Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc.

Use graphs, pie charts or other good visual presentation methods.

Avoid “raw data” tables.

Include a one to two sentence “punch line” (legend) under each figure.

Summary & Conclusion

Summary Prose version of the Results listed in three or

four bullets

Conclusion How did your findings address your hypothesis?

Make the connections between your assumptions and what you found

References What are the key papers in this area?

Most of this is probably in your introduction

Other citations may be in your methods section

Provide a bibliography of cited sources on board

Use proper APA format

Leave plenty of blank space (up to 50%)

Align objects to make them easier to follow

Align objects along sight lines The eye looks for edges

Help The Reader

Help The Reader

Help The Reader

Help The Reader

Help The Reader

Help The Reader

Arrows or numbers indicate how to read your poster

Help The Reader

Dress up your poster!

Make your text visible

Title should be visible from 15 to 20 feet

Main headings should be visible from 8 to 10 feet

Supporting text should be visible from 6 to 8 feet

Colors can unify your poster

Bright colors: attract attention or detract from message

Limit number of colors to create theme Use colors of similar value and saturation

Background intensity can affect image appearance

Background color can affect image appearance

Serif -or- Sans Serif Fonts?

Serif fonts can be easier to scan quickly Serif fonts can be easier to scan quickly Serif fonts can be easier to scan quickly Serif fonts can be easier to scan quickly

Sans Serif fonts can be less distracting Sans Serif fonts can be less distracting Sans Serif fonts can be less distracting Sans Serif fonts can be less distracting

Neatness Counts

If you can – make your poster one, big PowerPoint slide Expensive to print Need to allow time to get it printed!!!

Use a paper cutter, not scissors Use ruled lines to make sure all sections are

straight and aligned Print graphs & photos on photo paper, not

copy paper

The text & image should reinforce each other

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