Post on 31-Dec-2015
Creating Effective Posters
Forestry 544September 2013
Dr Sue WattsFaculty of Forestry
University of British ColumbiaVancouver, BC CANADA
sue.watts@ubc.ca
What is a poster?
• A VISUAL communication tool• A clear MESSAGE• Text supporting GRAPHICS• Something readable 1-2 metres away
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Usual problems
• Boring title• Objectives & main points
difficult to find quickly• Text too small, and too much• Poor graphics• Poor layout
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Your audience
Usually 3 types
• Specialists in your field• Related fields• Unrelated fields
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Abstract
• Required by most conference organizers• Tells why topic is important, what you
did, what you found• Poster becomes an illustrated abstract• Do not include on poster
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Titles should entice
• Keep title short• Be declarative• Use past tense (why?)• Avoid initialisms, acronyms
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Ineffective title
The effects of nitrogen on needle length in Douglas-fir trees in the upper Squamish Valley
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Declarative title
Nitrogen application increased Douglas-fir needle growth
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Message
• State main points succinctly• All visuals and text MUST relate to those
points and conclusions
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Layout
• Size of poster• Title across top• Intro top left• Conclusions lower right• Balance text and graphics (20/40/40)• Use columns
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FiguresLine graphsBar graphsPie graphsPictographs PhotographsDrawingsGazintasAlgorithmsMaps
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Graphs
• Show relationships quickly• Simple and clean• Label directly (no keys or legends)• Use colours to distinguish rather than
patterns• Avoid 3-D
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Graphs (contin)
• Use only one feature to distinguish lines (styles, colours or symbols)• Keep to standard symbols • Avoid • Separate axes if needed
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Photographs
Value to article can range from Ø to more valuable than any text!
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Drawings
Can show perspective and detail (insides, layers) not possible with a photograph
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Gazintas
Visuals that show hierarchy, organization or interaction
Tree gazintas show sub-assemblies of the same relative importance
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Text
• Max 1000 words per poster• Max 50 word text elements • Use phrases, active voice• Double space, left justify• Serif for text, sans-serif for titles• Titles should be sentence case
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Text
• Title panels min 36 point, text 24 point• Text readable from 2 m• Main title readable from 5 m
EDIT RUTHLESSLY
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Colours
• Use light background, dark text• Max 2 - 3 colours in theme• Bright is attractive but tiring to read
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Computer tools
• MS PowerPoint (templates)• Adobe Illustrator and InDesign• Corel Draw• MS Excel
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Reviewing
• Edit to reduce text• Remove anything not relevant to
message• Get colleagues to comment• Are your objectives and main message
OBVIOUS?• Can the reader contact you?
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Printing resources
Check the UBC Media Group web site for prices and for set up information from supported programs
www.mediagroup.ubc.ca
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Presenting your poster
• Know the location• Arrive early with supplies• Bring copies of poster as handouts • Stand at your poster when required• Have a 2-3 minute presentation
prepared for when people ask
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Writing your poster review
• Briefly describe the location, title, content and general layout of the poster
• Write a two-page report discussing the positive aspects of the poster and ways in which it could be improved
• Write in complete sentences and paragraphs with no spelling errors!
• Follow Strunk & White “Elements of Style” • Deadline is October 29/31, 2013
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