Posters Presentations

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Student Learning Centre, Centre f or Academic Development, 2008 1

Poster Presentations


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Student Learning Centre, Centre for Academic Development, 2008 2

Software

There are a number of software packages one could use to create a

poster. I recommend that students use Microsoft PowerPoint or

Microsoft Word for the following reasons:Most students have had some exposure to these programs

These programs are available on the majority of University

computers and students home computers

These programs are compatible with a range of other software

packages

These programs are very user friendly and easy to learn

Other packages you may consider using are:

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe InDesign

Adobe Photoshop

Paint Shop Pro

Microsoft Office Publisher

The instructions in the following handout will show you how to set up

your poster, add content, and print using Microsoft PowerPoint.


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Setting up your poster

1. Open Microsoft PowerPoint

2. Make a blank slide

Choose Home Layout,and select the Blank layout

3. Set up the page

Choose DesignPage Setup

Select between a Portrait or Landscape Slide Orientation.


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Select the appropriate ISO size. Select Custom if the

appropriate ISO size is not available and enter the dimensions of

the paper in the Width and Height box. The table below displays

common ISO A series formats.

Common ISO A Series FormatsA0 84.1 118.9 cm

A1 59.4 84.1 cm

A2 42.0 59.4 cm

A3 29.7 42.0 cm

A4 21.0 29.7 cm

Note: Your computer may be default set to inches ratherthan centimetres, so you may need to convert yourdesired poster dimensions accordingly.

Choose OK.


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Adding content

Text

Text in Microsoft PowerPoint is entered into text boxes. By default, text

boxes do not have any visible outlines or colours, but you may set howthe text boxes are to appear. The 'active' text box will have a thick line

around it. Recent versions of Microsoft PowerPoint have both horizontal

and vertical text box options.

Creating a text box

1. Select the Text Box button on the Insert tab.

2. Move your mouse cursor to the slide, hold down your left mouse

button, and draw the text box by moving your mouse cursor over

the slide. Note that there are both horizontal and vertical text

boxes, which can be rotated to any angle within 360 degrees.

3. Release the left mouse button when the desired size has been

reached.

4. Type in the text.

Modifying the text box

To change the size of the text move your mouse cursor over one of the

small circles that sit on the border of the text box. Hold down your left

mouse button and move your mouse until the text box is the

appropriate size.

By holding your left mouse button down over the green circle, you can

rotate your text to any angle within 360 degrees.

To modify any aspect of the text box, select the text box and the

Format tab is displayed. From here you can change the shape styles,

colours and outlines, layout and size.


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Formatting Text

To change the appearance of your text, first select it, and then use the

Mini toolbar to make the necessary changes. The Mini toolbar (see

below) will allow you to change formatting such as the font type and

size, alignment, bullets and so on. The Mini toolbar appears when the

text is selected and is activated when you move your mouse to it. You

may also use the commands in the Font, Paragraph and Styles

groups under the Home tab to format your text.

Be very careful when choosing font sizes. Suggested sizes (for A0/A1

poster) are below; these are simply to get you started. You will

want to adjust these to match your poster layout and size.

Suggested font sizes for A0/A1 poster

Main headings 96 180 pt

Secondary headings 48 84 pt

Section headings 24 36 pt

Text and captions 14 18 pt

Formatting Paragraphs

To change the line spacing of your paragraphs and the spacing

between paragraphs, select your text and choose the Home tab, click

the arrow icon in the bottom right corner of the Paragraph group, and


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modify the Line Spacing, Before and After properties in the

Paragraph dialog box.

Formatting Bullet Points

To change bullet points, select the text and choose the Home tab, click

the arrow beside the Bullets button, and then choose Bullets and

Numbering. Select a bullet point style from the Bullets and

Numbering dialog box.

Inserting an external image

Images that have been scanned or taken with a digital camera can be

easily inserted into your poster.

To insert an external image:

1. Choose Insert Picture2. Browse the file location of the picture

3. Choose the picture file

4. Click Insert


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Creating a diagram, graph or table

Choose Insert SmartArt Chart Table

OR simply copy and paste these in from Microsoft Excel or

Microsoft Word

Inserting WordArt

1. Choose InsertWordArt

2. Select a style of WordArt from the gallery.

3. Type in the text in the text box.4. With the text box selected and the Format tab displayed, you

may set the WordArt effect by clicking the Text Effects ( )button and make a selection from the list.


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AutoShapes

AutoShapes are ready-made shapes such as rectangles and circles,

lines and connectors, block arrows, flowchart symbols, stars, banners,

and callouts. Below are some examples of available AutoShapes.

Lines Basic Shapes Arrows Flowchart Stars andBanners

To draw an AutoShape:

1. Choose Insert

Shapes2. Select a shape from the list.

3. Take your mouse cursor up to the slide, hold down your left

mouse button and drag your mouse cursor until the shape is the

required size.

4. Once the shape has been drawn, you can use the drag handles to

resize the shape or the free rotate handle to rotate the shape.

Inserting a background

To insert a background image:

1. Choose Design BackgroundStyles, and click Format

Background. The Format

Background window will appear.

2. Click the Color button ( ) and

select a fill color.

3. You may also select Gradient fill

and do some advanced settings for

the background.


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To insert an easily-modified background picture:

1. In the Format Background window,

choose Fill Picture or texturefill.

2. Click the File button, and select the picture file from the Insert

Picture dialog box.

3. Make any desired settings, e.g. the Transparency, and click theClose button.


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Printing

The printing of your poster will depend on where you print it, and thetype of printer. Make sure you check well in advance with theprinting provider as to:

How much the print job will costWhich formats they accept e.g. PowerPoint, PDF, TIFFHow long the print job will takeWhat storage device your poster should be on e.g. CD, networkdrive etc.

Other Resources

Poster Templates

Microsoft provides many free poster templates. They are availableathttp://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT101439301033.aspx.

Browse the site and find one suitable for your subject. After youhave downloaded a poster template, you may freely modify thetext, layout, colour schemes etc.Graphics

A good place to get free graphics and animations ishttp://office.microsoft.com/en-us/clipart/default.aspx.

Effective Scientific Posters Quick Reference by George R. Hess

http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/NewSite/documents/QuickReferenceV2.pdf
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT101439301033.aspxhttp://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT101439301033.aspxhttp://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT101439301033.aspxhttp://office.microsoft.com/en-us/clipart/default.aspxhttp://office.microsoft.com/en-us/clipart/default.aspxhttp://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/NewSite/documents/QuickReferenceV2.pdfhttp://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/NewSite/documents/QuickReferenceV2.pdfhttp://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/NewSite/documents/QuickReferenceV2.pdfhttp://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/NewSite/documents/QuickReferenceV2.pdfhttp://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/NewSite/documents/QuickReferenceV2.pdfhttp://office.microsoft.com/en-us/clipart/default.aspxhttp://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT101439301033.aspxhttp://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT101439301033.aspx


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Student Learning Centre, Centre f or Academic Development, 2008 12

Dos and Donts of Poster Presentations

Allow plenty of time to prepare your poster.

Consider the audience and purpose of your poster. Determine the one main pointthat you want to get across, goal that you want to achieve, or central question that

you want to answer in your poster.

Plan the contents of your poster. Design the poster to address that one centralquestion or point. State the question or point clearly in the poster, and then use

your discussion time to expand on issues surrounding that central theme.

Gather together the materials and information that you need to construct theposter, including photographs. Exclude any materials that are beyond the focal

point of the pointer.

Determine the size and orientation of the poster based on the nature of theinformation that you wish to present. Posters are generally A0 or A1 in size, and

can be portrait or landscape in orientation.

Consider the alternative ways of presenting the information on your poster. Ensure

that the material presented on your poster has a logical structure and flow. Start bymaking a sketch of the poster. For example, you could arrange the material into

three or four columns with a title bar across the top. Alternatively, you could

display the sections in a mind-map, issue tree or concept map arrangement.

Remember that the human eye tends to flow naturally from top to bottom and left

to right.

Organise and divide the material into appropriate sections.

Provide an introduction and conclusion for your poster.

Remember a poster should sell your work.

The poster should have an informative and catchy, but concise, title which is inboldface and upper case with a font size of about 96 point.

Use heading numbers, arrows etc. to show sequence and to link the varioussections together.

Posters are primarily visual. Therefore, the success of a poster directly relates tothe clarity of the figures and tables. Self-explanatory graphics should dominate the

poster. A minimal amount of written material should support the graphic

materials.

The poster should comprise approximately 40 percent graphics, 40 percent empty

space and 20 percent text.

Vary the size and spacing of the poster sections to add visual interest. Use regions

of empty space between poster elements to differentiate and accentuate these

elements.Both the text and illustrations should be visible from at least two to three metres

away. The size of your text and visuals should reflect this consideration. Section


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headings should be 36 point boldface. Supporting text should be 18 to 24 point,

double-spaced and boldface if appropriate. Align the text to the left for ease of

reading. Most importantly, be consistent!!!

Use an easily read font such as Helvetica, Palatino, Times Roman or Arial.

Give each graph or figure an explanatory caption. There is no need to number

graphs and figures.Remove all non-essential items from graphs and figures, such as data curves that

are not discussed in the poster and excess grid lines.

Label all data lines in graphs directly, using a large font and appropriate colour.The data lines should be larger than normal so that the trend is easily visible.

Eliminate legends and keys.

Use short sentences, simple words, phrases and bullet points where possible toillustrate discrete points and reduce the amount of text. Exclude all redundant

references and filler phrases such assee Figure.

Avoid using acronyms, jargon or unusual abbreviations.

Use active voice when writing the text e.g.It can be demonstrated thatbecomes

The data demonstrate.Consider the use of colour. Use softer colours or shades of gray for the

background. Use different background colours to distinguish between different

sections or issues. Use more intense colours as borders for emphasis. Use a light

background with darker photos and a dark background with lighter photos. Use a

neutral background to emphasise colour in photos and a white background to

reduce the impact of coloured photos. Border colours can be used to both

distinguish between and link the various displays of information. Remember that

too much colour can be distracting.

Coloured transparency overlays can be used for comparing and contrasting

graphic results.

Ensure that your poster is self-explanatory.

Your poster should provide an explicit take-home message.

Include your name and contact details on the poster.

REMEMBER:A picture paints a thousand words


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Exposure07 Poster Judging

Poster presentation judging criteria:

Poster Title and Number ______________________

Judge: ______________________

Academic

Content

Total: / 10

Introduction:Did the researcher clearly identify his/hername, department, and the University of Auckland on

their poster?

Rationale:How well did the researcher state the

importance of the research and identify objectives?

Methods: How well were the methodology and methodsstated? Was the research positioned well among existingwork

Results Were the findings clearly stated and explained?

Conclusions: Were the conclusions clearly stated anddiscussed?

Layout, Creativity

and Visualisation

Total: / 10

Layout:Appropriate use of photographs, figures, andcharts? Font size clear?

Creativity:Are the visuals captivating?

Linkages:Balance of figures and text?

Structure: Are all necessary components present and dothey direct the reader from start to finish?

Visualisation: Does the poster present the research in aclear and concise manner?

Appeal to a broad

audience

Total: / 10

Comprehension: Were the main concepts easy tounderstand?

Appeal:Does the poster engage the viewer's interest?

Organisation: Was the poster coherent and wellstructured?

Interaction:Did the student provoke thoughtful insightand/or questions for viewers?

Overall: Was the poster effective, creative and

professional?

Overall Total / 30

Documents

Posters Presentations