Graphics Deli The

How to Make a Better Poster

The flight leaves in 3 hours, You have 2 30"x 40" sheets of nice clean foamcore from the Art store sitting in front of you. You need posters of your project FAST! But hey, you've got 3 hours and you just finished printing out your conference paper on nice clean sheets of 8 1/2 x11 paper. It should only take a few minutes to slap these suckers down with some tape, or maybe a stapler. So sit back, finish the last piece of cold pizza in the box, and get to it.

WRONG!

If you have followed the above example, you have just created a really lame poster. But hey, you see ones just like those all the time at the conferences and no one seems to mind. It's the content not the flashy graphics you say, that really count. Really? Have you spent much time looking at ones like this? They're not easy to read, look sloppy, and don't have much impact.

Face it. These poster sessions are just like advertising for your project. And with any good advertising, you have to get their attention, or they'll never look in the first place. Cool looking, well organized, well presented posters get more attention and reflect better on you. It shows you take pride in your work.

So how do you get their attention?
Consider your poster not as a place to hang your entire life's work, but as a billboard advertising how great your work is. Keeping this in mind, get organized. Make an outline of the most important things. No matter how complex your project, keep it simple and easy to read and understand. Yes, gear it toward the level of your audience, but don't overwhelm them. If they want to know more, they will ask, or read your paper. The key is to just get them interested in the first place. Now Realize how much space you really have. It looks like a lot, but it really isn't. Your text is going to have to be BIG really BIG. Average reading text for a page is 8-12pt. your poster should have nothing smaller than 28pt. text with your titles running at about 200 pt! There should be lots of room around each of the different ideas presented. Don't smash everything in. Posters with more "white space" are easier to read. Now start laying out your page. Think of it as one big page instead of separate pieces of paper.


Yes, color is good. Too much color is worse than none at all. So start out in B&W only first, and when you are done, add color as accents only and to emphasize points. Keep in mind that just because you have 16, or millions of colors at hand, you don't have to use them. A few simple colors used wisely will look much better. Use color to clarify, group things together, accent, or distinguish. Don't use color because you can.

Now to the old adage "a picture is worth a thousand words".
A poster is a graphic medium. Use it! Graphs, charts and photos can really make a poster stand out, and can explain better sometimes than paragraphs of text. So instead of describing your system, make a diagram of it. Here's where color can be really helpful, but remember, use discretion or it will just confuse your viewer more. Color photos and copies also have good impact. An actual picture of your system is really useful.

So let's look at your poster.
It should have a nice big title, Your name, and where you are from. Maybe a subtitle, and then the basics: what, why, how. Here's where you get into the meat of the poster. Give them the basic facts first, then give them the details. Make it easy to read, appealing. The total time you should expect a person to read your poster is from 1-5 minutes. Make them count with the essentials. Lay everything out then print it out on the biggest paper your printer will handle (fewer seam lines). Now put it together step back and look it over. Is it easy to read? Is there too much text? Is everything spelled correctly? You should be able to easily read your poster without squinting from 3-4 feet away. If you can't, make the text BIGGER! They aren't going to hold this in their hands and read it like a piece of paper. Fix what needs to be adjusted and print out a final clean copy. Don't touch it! GO wash that pizza off your hands!

Putting the final poster together.

First, your hands and the surface you are working on should be clean. If you need to trim edges off your papers, your blade should be sharp. Use a straight edge, and follow the instructions below.

Now what?

Transporting your poster

Foamcore dents, and dings easily, especially the edges. it is best to buy 2 pieces of foamcore and use one to protect the surface of the other. Do not leave your poster in a warm area, as the adhesives might loosen and the paper might buckle. Protect your poster from rain and water, foamcore will swell in the area where water touched it.
Many people have had good luck, FEDEXing their posters ahead of time to the conference site or their hotel. This eliminates the need to carry your poster on board the airplane. DO NOT try to check your poster in as luggage.
If you have lots of posters to send, try to request the foamcore box they originally came in from where you bought them.

Final expert tips

Sound like a pain?

There are alternatives. There are now printers that can print up to 36" or 50" wide by 100' long. There are several service bureaus around that can handle this. The price depends on the length of the poster and the time it takes to print it out. These can run $50-100. They should be laminated and can be rolled easily for travel. They look great, but do require more advance planning on your part. If you are going to use this poster over and over again, this would be the way to go.

So go on, wow your colleagues at the next conference. Hope this information helps.

Mary Jo Dowling, Art Director,
The Graphics Deli
The Robotics Institute
Carnegie Mellon University