This document provides guidance on designing effective scientific posters. It recommends including 2-3 main elements such as simple, effective data displays and small blocks of supporting text. Key points to focus on include using large, readable text sizes; high-quality images and graphs; and limiting the poster to key findings, methods, results, and recommendations. The document also suggests choosing 2-3 colors maximum, and testing readability from 1-2 meters away. Effective poster design clearly communicates the research in a visually engaging format.

1. Scientific Poster
Design
How to keep your poster
from resembling an
abstract painting

2. A poster can be better
than giving a talk
More efficient because:
• you totally bomb at giving talks
• can be viewed while you nap
• can hang in the department for years
• can reach folks not in your field of research

3. Posters serve as…
Kool, wow!, check
this out!, you must
be smart!
An advertisement of your hard work

4. It s just an illustrated abstract

5. Is my abstract effective?
• Why should anyone care?
• What am I adding to current knowledge?
• Do I need to explain methods?
• Have I told them what I found and recommend?

6. A portrait of a "
grad student

7. @#&%!@#$, I have 12 hours to throw this thing
together and get it printed before it s due.

8. How do I get months and years of
research onto my poster?
• Your poster is a short story
• Describe a few major points
• Arouse the reader s interest to read on
• Limit it to 250 words

9. Recite after me,
Less is best!

10. Simplify your paper into
poster format
Find out the size required!

11. Who s my
audience?

12. Remember, most of these scientists
come for the free booze

13. Start putting "
together your "
2 main elements

14. 1) Simple, effective data
displays

15. Keep it simple
but effective

16. 2) Small blocks "
of supporting text
The need for
chairs in front
of your poster
will not go
over well

17. Your copy should answer…
What am I
adding?
Methods?
What did
I find?
Why?
What do I
recommend?

18. I could actually read this

19. .;i Cornell Center for Materials Research -$

20. Pick a software program
Although you ll probably gravitate towards PowerPoint,
consider a true design program.

21. "
• OK, but the colors will fool you"
"
• Easy to use"
"
• Inflexible"
"
• Designed for overhead projection
PowerPoint

22. • Excellent"
"
• More difficult to learn"
"
• What you see is what you get"
"
• Others: Canvas, Publish-It, Corel Draw,
LaTeX, etc.
Adobe Illustrator or InDesign

23. Let s design a poster!

24. Your poster title: "
"
Think BIG! Really Big!"
Group authors
names and
affiliations
Your biggest impact!
Boldface type
Not all caps!

25. The Secrets of Readable Text:

26. • Leave breathing space
around your text
• Plain fonts even serif here
• Same size and style
• Left-aligned
The reason is…

27. Hi there, my name is mitch collinsworth
and I would like to tell you about myself and how
I got this job at cornell. Well you see, my
uncle had a friend who knew my cousin on
the other side and his daughter worked for
facilities. I was down on my luck and my sister
told me she knew a guy who s
nephew s
wife s kid worked for this guys
father
and what can I say , he hired

28. Hi there, my name is mitch collinsworth and
I would like to tell you about myself and
how I got this job at cornell. Well you see,
my uncle had a friend who knew my cousin
on the other side and his daughter worked
for facilities. I was down on my luck and my
sister told me she knew a guy who s
nephew s wife s kid worked for this guys
father and what can I say, he hired me with
no questions asked and just told me to keep
my mouth shut. So here I am at CCMR.

29. • Put the most important
part first!
• Short and to the point!
• Upper left hand corner
Conclusions first!

30. Easy for the eye to follow
Utter chaos
will make
folks dizzy!

31. - ;' Cornell Center for Materials Research -$
1. 3 4.
5.

32. Can anyone read "
your body text?

33. Title: 85 point
Authors: 56pt
Sub-headings: 36pt
Body text: 24pt
Captions: 18pt
Text sizes:

34. Images and graphs say much
more than words
Should be readable from 1-2 meters

35. Keep posters visual!

36. Picture perfect photos
• Avoid resolution overkill!"
At least 150 dpi, but no more than 300 dpi
• Save photos as jpg or png
Line art as a png (graphs)
• Web images are usually "
poor resolution

37. jpg
png

38. Your cool images
mean nothing
without a "
scale bar or
description

39. Don t forget your funding
acknowledgements
CNF-NSF-BMR, etc
Your department can
provide you with the
required wording

40. Your contact info!!!
Include all
contact info:
• Mail address
• Phone
• E-mail
Without it you ll become "
ya know, those guys with the awesome poster

41. Using color to engage your readers
2-3 colors, no more!
Dark type on
light color background

42. This attracts attention but tires out the eye
Whoa! Where s my sunglasses?

43. Be carefull with the "
primary colors

44. . ) Cornell Center for Materials Research -$
Yellow on white is hard to read

45. http://www.colorschemer.com/online.html

46. Be aware of busy backgrounds

47. !f;' Cornell Center for Materials Research -$
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48. A little different!

49. Edit, Edit, Edit and"
Evaluate!

50. Can you read the type?
Are these the colors you really want?
Does it look too busy?
Do my main points pop?
Print out a letter size draft
Keep it simple

51. CCMR has 2 poster printers!
Our wonderful computing facilities offers "
state of the art poster printing"
The secret of a good poster:
Ugly design print ugly poster
http://cf.ccmr.cornell.edu/cf_newsite/poster_print/index.html

52. You re not done yet… "
Prepare a 3-5 minute verbal explanation
Is he ever
going to
SHUT UP???

53. Prepare mini size poster handouts
• Provides a written record for
interested folks
• Makes you look together
• Be sure to include complete
contact information
• Might even get you a job!

54. Let s judge some designs"
and see what you ve learned

55. A bit text heavy
but not too bad.

56. Nice poster

57. Where do I
begin?

58. I m feeling
sleepy

59. OK, but
which way
do I go?

60. Perfect!

61. Oh my gawd!

62. Nice flow, "
but too
metallic

63. I ve fallen, "
and I can t get up

64. Gorgeous!

65. Welcome to "
the 80 s
Fer sure!

66. This works!

67. http://colinpurrington.com/tips/academic/posterdesign
http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/NewSite/
Helpful sites on poster presentations:

68. LiLynn Graves "
Web and Graphic Designer, CCMR