Slides for an undergraduate research poster design workshop at St. John Fisher College, Rochester, NY, on 3/31/2015.

1. Ben Hockenberry
Systems Librarian | Lavery Library | St. John Fisher College
Slides available: libguides.sjfc.edu/tutorial/researchposterdesign
Portions of this presentation were adapted from
hsp.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/ScientificPosters.pdf
And www.makesigns.com/tutorials/poster-design-layout.aspx

2.  Create your file in PowerPoint, Publisher, or InDesign
(not Word)
 On the View Menu, show “Guides”
 Choose a template or layout that matches the size, orientation, and
shape that you need printed
(the printer can’t turn a square into a rectangle without distortion)
 Your final version should be saved as PDF with embedded fonts

3. Summarize
Communicate
Engage

4. No one will read your whole paper on a poster.

5. It’s kind of like an illustrated abstract.
Make your point clear
Keep it to-the-point

6. The audience
is there
for the free food.
Make them care.
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/regan_photography/5236892398/

7. Use language that assumes intelligence
but not expertise
Make your conclusions meaningful

8. Keep text sections short, and its size readable
Source: http://www.mindware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/optometrist1.jpg

9. Use lists instead
of paragraphs
when you can

10. Posters should communicate, not confuse.

11. A story follows a logical path.
Lead viewers through yours.
Source: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/08/29/beyond-wireframing-real-life-ux-design-process/

12. Organize in clear sections
Use short, meaningful titles for sections
(standard ones, if discipline-appropriate)
Order sections for logical flow

14. For scientific
posters:
Only deviate from
“top-left to
bottom-right”
with purpose.

15. Consider visual flow:
Where does the viewer look first?
Where next?
Are questions asked, and answered?

16. Images, white space, and contrast make it or break it.

17. Your poster should consist of roughly
20-30% text
30-40% figures
40% space l e a v e
b r e a t h i n g
r o o m

18. White space provides:
Rhythm or Flow
Unity
Readability
Balance
“Padding” keeps text from touching
borders, backgrounds, and other images
Image source: http://www.w3schools.com/css/css_boxmodel.asp

19. More text =
More time standing,
making sense of the work
Less time engaging
with you and others
Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GD09_Poster_Session.jpg

20. Posters are about sharing
and engaging.
If a reader is interested,
she can talk to you or
follow up.
Include contact
information!
Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GD09_Poster_Session.jpg

21. Keep text easy-to-read.
(“Edwardian Script” is not easy to read.)

22. Sans-serif fonts are generally
more legible from a distance.
Examples:
 Calibri
 Century Gothic
 Lucida Sans
 Tahoma
 Verdana
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sans-serif
Serif fonts can work if their size is
big enough. Headings!
Examples:
Centaur
 Garamond
 Georgia
 Rockwell
 Times New Roman

23. Choose 2 fonts
(maybe 3)
Use consistent
typeface and size
for all text of the
same type
Change fonts
with purpose Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/iampeas/2796154727/

24. Title: 85pt
Authors: 56pt
Sub-headings: 36pt
Body text: 24pt
Captions: 18pt
These are only suggestions; every poster is different. From:
http://www.makesigns.com/tutorials/poster-design-layout.aspx

25. Use charts
instead of text
when possible
Consider adding
a brief caption to
make a point 0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
January February March April May June July August September
Headcounts by Month and Time of Day
9:00am 11:00am 1:00pm 3:00pm 5:00pm 7:00pm
1:00 is our peak traffic timeslot, but close to Finals Week,
people stay in the library later.

26. Use 150-300 dpi (dots per inch)
images…
or they’ll
print like this.
(72 dpi is standard
on the Web)
Source: http://www.faithgraphix.com/basic-instructions.html

27. Paste your
images into the
document,
then ZOOM to
100% to check
resolution

28. Make sure text and
images pop
“The Squint Test:”
is text readable when
you squint?
Avoid distracting
backgrounds and
transparency Source: http://www.makesigns.com/tutorials/poster-design-layout.aspx

29. Keep colors consistent for
content of the same type
Use a color picker tool or
“theme” colors
Soft colors for most
information, and brighter
colors for highlights
Keep backgrounds light

30. Contrast aids readability
Colors differentiate
(Don’t forget colorblindness)
If data represents a scale,
use colors in visible order
Small data points (line
charts, scatter plots) need
brighter colors to be seen
The hardest text to read in this chart is the most important.
http://www.perceptualedge.com/articles/visual_business_intelligence/rules_for_using_color.pdf

31. Source: http://www.makesigns.com/tutorials/poster-design-layout.aspx

32. If you didn’t write it, cite it (Hockenberry, 2015).

34. Tutorials
 MakeSigns
Videos and text walkthroughs
http://www.makesigns.com/tutorials/
Color
 Adobe Color CC (was Kuler)
https://color.adobe.com/create/color-wheel/
Templates
 Genigraphics
http://www.genigraphics.com/templates/
 MakeSigns
http://www.makesigns.com/
SciPosters_Templates.aspx