This document provides guidelines and tips for creating effective academic posters. It recommends addressing conference themes for inspiration and following poster guidelines. Content should tell a story concisely using headings, images, and minimal text. Proper layout, typography, and color hierarchy are emphasized. Feedback should be considered to improve drafts. Examples of good and poor posters are shown to illustrate best practices.

1. Poster Presentations that get noticed
...for the right reasons!

2. Why a poster?
• Show your creative side
• Public speaking nervousness – allows you to engage on a
one-to-one basis
• Allows you to personally interact with people who are
interested in your topic
• Visible and accessible e.g. Slideshare, Twitter
• Reach more people
• Can be viewed any time at a conference

3. Everything starts with an idea...
Project New Service Innovative
Workflow
Look at the
conference
themes for
inspiration
Emerging
Roles & Skill
Set
Collaboration

4. Poster Guidelines
A&SL Conference 2015
• Address current challenges
in your library
• Research you are engaged
in
• Future projects
• First ideas, work-in-progress
and best practice
CONUL Annual Conference 2015
• The Digital Library
• Diversity and
Internationalism
• Emerging Roles and Skills
• Library Space
• Resource Discovery
• Partnerships
• Unique and Distinctive
Collections

5. Where to start?
• Browse online for inspiration
• Draft, draft and draft again
• Content, words, flow, clarity, font size and
type, spelling, layout, illustrative material,
photographs
• Follow the guidelines
• Quick impact and attract immediate interest

6. The Design Process
• Formulate and
articulate your idea
• Know your target
audience
• What do you want to
achieve with the
poster?
• Be brave!

7. Content and Words
• Your message
• First time viewers
• Be concise
• Title
• Ability to stand alone
• Use a logical pathway
• Not too much text
• Tell a story
• Author, affiliations and
contact details

8. Layout and Colour
• Try to create a ‘visual
sequence’
• No need to fill every
inch – white space is
good
• Two/three main colours
• Be consistent e.g. Use
one colour for all
headings

9. Typeface
1. This is a big one. You have to develop a
hierarchy in your design’s typography. Use a
hierarchy that makes sense. The headline should
always be the biggest, boldest text. The sub-
headline should be differentiated somehow. It
doesn’t have to be bold, but it should be larger
than the other headline sections, if you have
different body paragraphs. The body copy
should be smaller, while still being legible. Any
footnotes should be the smallest and placed at
the bottom of the page, below the text. Also
any asides should be made to stand out
differently as well. You could use a different
color, or you could italicize the text
2. This is a big one. You have to develop a hierarchy in your design’s typography.
Use a hierarchy that makes sense. The headline should always be the biggest,

10. Typeface
• Use one typeface, max. two – will distract
otherwise
• Be consistent
• Use ample spacing between lines
• Keep in mind spacing between subject areas
• Be concise – keep sentence length short
• Use ‘special effects’ sparingly e.g. Italic, bold
• Avoid acronyms

11. Illustrative Material
• Photographs
• Charts and Graphs
• Quotes
• Icons
• Good resolution
• Logos
• Reference any images
you use

12. Feedback
• Look for an honest
opinion
• Listen to the
constructive feedback
• Try out the suggested
changes...
• ...or get a second
opinion

13. Some Examples

14. Far too much text!
Background colour
distracting
Text boxes different
widths, not separated
from each other – no
white spaces
Graph illegible
No headings
Messy and unclear
heading
Clip art old-fashioned
No affiliations, author?
Posters should be a visual
representation not long
batches of text

15. Still too much text
Graphs too small
Title area is clear
NB contact information

16. What makes a good poster?
• Interesting and well thought out content
• Flow and clarity
• Easy to read typeface and size
• Correct spelling and nice layout
• Use of illustrative material to catch the eye

17. Maynooth University
Centre for Teaching and
Learning Annual Poster
Showcase

18. Maynooth University
Centre for Teaching and Learning Annual Poster Showcase

19. Maynooth University
Centre for Teaching and Learning Annual Poster Showcase

20. Centre for Teaching and Learning Annual Poster Showcase

21. Eye catching
Colour and white space
Layout
Heading
Use of pictures
Little text
Self-Service in UCD Library
by Christine Cullen
Winner of Best Poster at CONUL
Annual Conference June 2015

22. Continuing Professional
Development in Librarianship
by Laura Connaughton (MU)
Winner of Best Poster at Academic
and Special Libraries Annual
Conference February 2015
Eye catching
Use of colour
Layout
Heading
Use of icons
Little text

23. Picture Perfect Presentations
by Niamh O’Sullivan (IBTS)
Winner of Best Poster at Health
Sciences Libraries Group (HLSG)
May 2015
Eye catching
Use of colour
Layout
Heading
Logical flow
Clarity

24. Infographics
• Increasingly popular
• Visual
• Easy and free to create
• Lots more scope than
e.g. Powerpoint
• Templates already
designed – you just
need to populate it

25. Upcoming Conferences
• Academic and Special Libraries Annual
Conference 2016
– Call for posters (&papers)
• LILAC in UCD in 2016
– Great opportunity as it is local but with a large
international attendance

26. In Conclusion
• Try it out
• Follow the poster guidelines
– Size
– Orientation
– Professionally printed
• Ask for opinions – accept them graciously 

27. Useful Sources
• LAI CDG Blog
https://laicdg.wordpress.com/2015/03/24/designing-an-academic-poster/
• Scientific Poster Tutorials
http://www.makesigns.com/tutorials/poster-design-layout.aspx
• Graphic Design Tips
http://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/
• Designing conference posters
http://colinpurrington.com/tips/poster-design
• Example of poor poster design
http://colinpurrington.com/2012/example-of-bad-scientific-poster/

28. Guidelines and Tips
Poster Design: Guidelines & Tips by Helen Fallon and Brian Dempsey
http://eprints.maynoothuniversity.ie/4625/1/HF_poster_guidelines.pdf
LAI Career Development Blog – Designing an Academic Poster
https://laicdg.wordpress.com/2015/03/24/designing-an-academic-poster
Designing Conference Posters
http://colinpurrington.com/2012/example-of-bad-scientific-poster/

29. Free Software for Poster Design
• Piktochart – Infographic Creator
http://piktochart.com/
• Nerdgraph Infographics
http://www.nerdgraph.com/
• Visual.ly
http://visual.ly/
• Infogram
https://infogr.am/
MS Powerpoint

30. Thank You
Laura.Connaughton@nuim.ie / 01 708 3429
@lozconn

31. References
• https://laicdg.wordpress.com/2015/03/24/designing-an-academic-poster/
• http://eprints.maynoothuniversity.ie/
• http://education.byu.edu/identity/academic_posters.html
• http://colinpurrington.com/2012/example-of-bad-scientific-poster/
• CONUL Conference Posters on Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/conulconference
• Connaughton, Laura and Payne, Val (2015) The Summon Discovery Tool: Its Implementation and
Impact on Usage Statistics in Maynooth University. In: CONUL Annual Conference, 3rd/ 4th June,
2015, Radisson Blu Hotel, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. (Unpublished)
• Cullen, Christine (2015) Self-Service in UCD Library. In: CONUL Annual Conference, 3rd/ 4th June,
2015, Radisson Blu Hotel, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. (Unpublished)

32. Reference for Images Used
• Backhanded Compliment
http://www.chicagonow.com/lipstick-lollipops/files/2014/06/backhanded-compliment.png
• Standing out from the crowd (slide 1, apples)
https://www.clicky.co.uk/2014/03/standing-out-from-the-crowd-the-holy-grail-of-advice/
• Lightbulb, slide 2 (Fer Gregory)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/freg/4898274127/sizes/l
• The Design Process, slide 5
http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/2007/03/designers_are_t.html
• What to show picture (Austin Kelon)
https://medium.com/show-your-work/10-ways-to-share-your-creativity-and-get-discovered-7fb5fdfbc068
• Toast (Brittany Wright)
http://wrightkitchen.com/
• Good Typography, slide 8
http://www.creativebeacon.com/good-typography-essential-guide/
• Apples in order (Brittany Wright)
http://wrightkitchen.com/y2nw75k59pu5xp0rms8tuc6vjdsu90
• Happy apple, sad apple (Lukasz Holeksa)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/130659121@N02
• Poster Presentation PGCD WPP
http://www.glogster.com/nmp2012/wwp-academic-poster/g-6ljcd66c8dpumm1k4nkc1a0
• Professional Template
http://www.slideserve.com/nevan/professional-template-for-a-48x36-poster-presentation