Poster Design

Nadia Barclay, Brooke EverettInformation Technology Lab

School of InformationUniversity of Texas at Austin

What is a Poster?

• A large, synchronous, visual presentation medium used to present research at conferences.– large: meant to be viewed from a distance

– synchronous (all at once): this means your point needs to be made quickly and succinctly

– visual: use images whenever possible and pay attention to layout

• An opportunity for you to present your work in a close, interactive setting.

Here’s a poster session… and here’s another one.

Capstone Poster Session

• Content Requirements– Objectives

– Methodology

– Outcomes

– Conclusions

– Advisor information

• Medium Requirements– No larger than 20x30 inches

– May use a laptop, but it is not required. Poster is required.

− The iSchool provides foam core for use during the session.

Poster-making Software

• A few different ways to put your poster together:• PowerPoint

• Adobe InDesign or Photoshop

• Visio / Omnigraffle

Tips for usingGraphics Software

• When editing images in Photoshop or Illustrator, use CMYK settings, rather than RGB.

• Screen Captures– Set the resolution high enough so that the image won’t

degrade when it’s enlarged.

– 400dpi should be high enough

− You can make Screen Shots in PowerPoint (2010 version)!

Tools

• Graphics Software: Photoshop, Illustrator

• Desktop Publishing Software (used for layout): InDesign, PowerPoint, Omnigraffle

• The Plotter: located in the lab

• A great poster can be made with nothing more than PowerPoint!

Getting Started with PowerPoint

• You can find poster templates online by searching for “poster templates PowerPoint.” There are also some links at the end of the presentation.

• Resize your slide immediately after opening PowerPoint (waiting until the end can create a formatting nightmare). DesignPage Setup

• You can also change your slide’s orientation through the same menu path

Color

• Remember color blindness. Don’t use color combos that people might not be able to see

• Use a light background with dark text

Visual Design

• Make sure the title and text are large enough to read from a distance.

− title ~ 25ft– text ~ 5ft (24 point font should be smallest)

• Use lists rather than text blocks

• Don’t underline, instead use italics

Tips for creating a poster

• Don’t overfill your poster with content

• Really. Take everything out that you don’t need, and then one more thing.

• Use images instead of words wherever possible.

• Don’t forget grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Proofread your poster before you print it out.

Visualization Inspiration

Visualization Inspiration

Ideas for Images

• Charts

• Graphs

• Diagrams

• Maps

• Timelines

• Textual visualizations

Textual Visualizations

• http://hermeneuti.ca/voyeur/tools#Bubblelines

Include a Map

• A nice way to illustrate place or compare places.

• Make your own maps with http://www.targetmap.com/.

Diagrams from Lists

• http://text2mindmap.com

QR Codes

• You can use a QR code to link to a website for your project at http://www.qrstuff.com/

• Your QR code can be plain…

or customized to match your theme!

Printing on theplotter

• Make an appointment.

• Be prepared to spend 10-30 minutes.

• Arrive with your file on a flash drive, CD, or on UT WebSpace.

• Try to save in PowerPoint or as a pdf.

• Usually costs between $2.00 - $4.00. Bring $1 bills or quarters. No change available.

Presenting your Poster

• Consider bringing handouts, business cards, or some other sort of takeaway.

• Memorize a couple of spiels that you can bring out depending on your viewers level of interest:

– Have an “elevator pitch”

– plus a more detailed explanation

• Don’t block your poster!

More Resources

• The School of Information IT Lab equipment, software and tutorials to help with your poster design needs.

• iSchool Capstone Poster Session Guidelineshttp://www.ischool.utexas.edu/programs/capstone/poster_session.php

• ALA Poster Tipshttp://www.lib.jmu.edu/org/ala/tips.aspx

• Poster Templateshttp://www.makesigns.com/SciPosters_Templates.aspx http://www.templateswise.com/http://www.free-power-point-templates.com/

• QR Codes http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ http://mashable.com/2011/04/18/qr-code-design-tips/