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Creating the Most Powerful Learning Environment: Great Tips for Making Posters

Learn how to create a great poster that effectively communicates information and ideas, stimulates interest and discussion, and grabs and retains your audience's attention. This guide covers essential tips for designing, organizing, and presenting your poster, including font choices, layout, and size considerations.

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Creating the Most Powerful Learning Environment: Great Tips for Making Posters

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  1. KelvinSmithLibrary Creatingthe engine todrivetheworld’s most powerfullearningenvironment. Making Great Posters Amanda Koziura Digital Learning & Scholarship Librarian KelvinSmithLibrary March 2015 Adapted from a presentation by Ann Holstein

  2. Purpose of a Poster • Tocommunicate informationand ideas • Tooutlinea pieceof work ina form thatis easilyassimilated • Tostimulate interest anddiscussion

  3. AGreatPosterIs… • Readable • Easyflow of ideasfromoneitemtothenext • Avoid grammaticalerrors,complexorpassive sentence structure,and misspellings whichmake aposter "hardtoread"

  4. AGreatPosterIs… • Legible • Ifatext is legible,itcan be “deciphered” • Common errorsinclude: • Useoffontsthatare too small tobe readfrom 4-6feetaway,the typicaldistanceforreading aposter • Poortextcolorselection

  5. AGreatPosterIs… • WellOrganized • Spatialorganizationmakesthedifference betweenreaching95%ratherthan just5%ofyouraudience • Timespenthuntingforthenextideaor pieceof datais time taken away from thinkingaboutthescience

  6. AGreatPosterIs… • Succinct • Studies showthatyouhave only10 secondsto grabandretain youraudience'sattention • Makethetitle prominent • Keep theamountoftext usedthroughoutyour postertoa minimum • Donotattempttoincludeallthe details!

  7. MakingaPoster–2easysteps! • Designingthe PosterElements • Mostpostersare made usingsome kindof design software • Werecommendusing MicrosoftPowerPoint

  8. GiveYourselfEnoughTime • Time • Ittakestimetomake a greatposter • Allowyourself2-3 days to designand create yourposter • Lastbits of data you rush aroundtoget atthelast momentwillgo completelyunnoticedifyourposter ismessyanddisorganized

  9. Getting Started

  10. Getting Started • DecidewhattheMain Messageis • Keep itshort andsweetand make this yourtitle! • Your postershouldcoverthe keypointsofyour work • Makeyourposter as self-explanatoryas possible • Donotattempttoincludeallthedetails!

  11. Getting Started • CaptureyourAudience • Donotoverwhelmthereaderwithtext! • Main points mustcome through clearly • Ifadetailedexplanationis required,prepare a handoutofthis information • Include lesstext,and more graphs,chartsand images

  12. Getting Started • Layoutyour Images Crudely • Beforespendingtimemakingthefinalelements oftheposter,takepiecesofpaperthat are about therightsizeand see ifyou can actuallymake it all fit physically

  13. Getting Started • ELIMINATEall ExtraneousMaterial • Theaveragepostergazerspendsless than10 minutes on yourwork • Youhave10 secondstotraptheviewerbefore theymove on • Onlyshowdatathat addstoyourcentral message • Whenindoubt, editout–crowdedclutteredpostersare difficultand tiringtoread

  14. Getting Started • Whatyou DONeed • Title • Principalinvestigatorsname • Otherauthors if applicableand affiliationof each • Department andschoolname, addressesof school andother institutions • AdditionalItems • Abstract,introduction,materials & methods,results, discussion,conclusion,futuredirections,references, acknowledgements,logos

  15. PosterLayout • ArrangingPosterElementsandText • Peopleapproachnewinformationin a known spatial sequence:we trackverticallyfromcenter totoptobottom,andhorizontallyfrom leftto right

  16. PosterLayout • ArrangingPosterElementsandText • Putthe mostimportantmessage inthecenter toppositionfollowedbythe topleft,andfinishin thebottomrightcorner • Inthecentertoppositionshouldbe thetitle and your name so they • willbe seeninthefirst 10secondsthataperson looks attheposter

  17. PosterLayout • ArrangingPosterElementsandText • Aposterlayoutin columnsis mostcommon. • Arrange thecontents into 3,4, or5 columnsto facilitate theflow of • trafficpastthe poster • Organize thematerial • intosections(Introduction, • Methods,Data/Results,Conclusions,etc.) • Useblankspace tohighlightoroffsetinformation

  18. PosterLayout • SpaceisImportant • Withoutspace,yourreaderhas novisualpauses tothink • Allowspacebetweensectionsandaround images • Leave at leasta 1/2inch margin aroundalledgesof your poster

  19. PosterLayout • Size is Important • Size of poster elementsor thefontsin eachelement canserve toemphasize themainpoints • Making yoursubheadings inallcapitalsandtwofont sizeslargerthan therest ofthetext on the same panelwilldrawthe reader's eye first,andso beemphasized

  20. FontChoice • Font • Chooseabasicfont whose"e's" and"a's" stay open at allsizesand that is supportedbyyour printer • Arial,Calibri,Helvetica, and Tahomaare good choices • Avoiduse ofmultiplefonts whichcan be distracting

  21. FontChoice • Size • Fontsizesneedtobe bigtobe effective • Youshouldbe abletoeasilyread itfrom 4-6feet away • Testthisby viewinga portion ofyourposter on yourcomputer • Zoom in to100% • Stepback fromyour monitortosee if youcan stillread it 10

  22. FontChoice • Size • RecommendedMinimumFont Sizes • Title: 60pointbold • Researchersand affiliations:48 point • Section headings: colorofyourchoice,30 point bold • Text: black, 24 point • Figure, graphand tablecaptions: black,20 point • References andacknowledgements: black,20 point • Photo/image credit: black,14 point

  23. Formatting • Format • DONOTuse singlespacing! • Indentssettext apartand are greatforshort lists • Justifytext • Usebulletstoillustratediscrete points

  24. Images,Graphs,andTables • Images • Thesame ormore space on the postershould betaken up by imagesor graphsthan bytext • Agoodrule ofthumbis 30%text,40%graphics 30% emptyspace • Useofcolorin yourgraphics willenhanceyourposter • Don’tforgettoinclude explanatorycaptionson your poster Figure1. Feline DNA

  25. Images,Graphs,andTables • Images • Photosanddrawingsshouldbe ofsufficientsize tobe visiblefromadistance • 4"x 5"photos are a goodsize • Drawingsarebestif at least8"x 10" • Place relatedmaterials(e.g.photo with accompanyingtext)closetogether,then offsetit bysurroundingit withblankspace

  26. Images,Graphs,andTables • Images • Your imagesshouldhave a resolutionof at least 300dpi(dotsperinch)atthesize they willbe ultimately printedon yourposter • Savethem as eitherJPEG(orJPG),orTIFfiles • AvoidusingBMP&GIFfiles

  27. Images,Graphs,andTables • Graphs • Avoidcomplexgraphs andtables withexcessivenumbers • Usecolorstodistinguishdifferent datagroupsin graphs • Avoidusingfine patterns

  28. Images,Graphs,andTables • Tables • Ifyou do use a table on yourposter, itshouldbe verycompact • Usea tableonlyif it wouldsupportyourstory moreefficientlythan a graph

  29. AddColor • Color&Contrast • Propercolorcontrast willreduceeye strain and makethepostermorelegibleandinteresting visually • Becareful thatthecolordoes notoutclass the visualimpactofyourdata • Toomuch contrastis hardon theeyes and candistractthereaderfromyourdata • Usecolorfor highlightingandtomake your postermore attractive

  30. AddColor • Color&Contrast • Donotgo overboardwithcolor • Avoidpatternsormotifs • Darkbackgroundcolors areok, but KSLwillcharge anadditionalfee • $5 48” orshorter • $10 over 48”long

  31. SaveyourPoster • Saving • Savethe poster as a PowerPointPresentationor Adobe .pdf only! • Othersave options(.gif,.jpg) willreducethe quality ofyourposter

  32. BeforeYouPrint • FinalCheck • Have some peoplelookoveryourposter before youprint • Research advisor • Peers • Friends &family • Iftheyare confused,it is farbetterto fixit nowthan tolosepeopleatthe postersession • Payparticularattention tothingsthatmaynotbe necessary: eliminateeverythingthatyou can!

  33. BeforeYouPrint • TestPrint • Printyour posteron regularletter papertoproof readit • GotothePrintoption.Inthepop-upwindow, selecttheScaletofitpaperbox,andsetthe papersize toletter(8.5x11in.)andlandscape mode • DoNOTchangeanyofthe othersettings! • Afterprinting,you can tellthatthefontsizes are right ifyou can stillread the text

  34. What do you think of this poster?

  35. What do you think of this poster?

  36. Printing • Where to print? • KSL’s Freedman Center • Student Activities & Leadership • Campus Printing Services • Think[box]

  37. Printing • Costs • PosterprintingcostsattheKelvinSmith Library (KSL)forglossorsemi-glossposter paper • <42” in length= $25 43-48”in length=$35 49-56” inlength= $45 57-68” inlength= $60 • Youmaybecharged$70 or moreifyou printit elsewhere • Check tosee ifyourdepartment iscoveringthe printingcost

  38. PosterSession • BriefPresentation • Youmaywishtoprepare a short presentationof about 3-5 minutes thatyou can periodicallygive tothose assembledaroundyourposter

  39. PosterSession • HaveFun! • Goodluck andhave fun makingyourposter and showingit • Displayingyourfinishedwork is a big accomplishmentso taketimetoenjoyit and your interactions atthepostersession • Beon timeandenthusiasticaboutshowingyour poster– this is yourchancetoadvertise yourself and your work!

  40. PosterSession ThankYou!

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