Poster Presentations
Purpose
Pros & Cons
Preparation
To present information visually, simply and clearly in order to:
 Catch and hold the attention of a known audience
 Ensure understanding of the topic
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Advantages:
Simple
Effective
Quick
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Disadvantages:
Limited space
Compete for attention
Ephemeral
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Aim
What’s the point of the poster?
e.g. to communicate the findings of project X
or, to explain the variability of x with y
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Audience
Who is it aimed at?
What do they already know?
What do they want to know?
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Subject
Why did you do it?
How did you do it?
What did you find?
So what?
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Resources
How much space is available?
How will the posters be displayed?
What production resources are available?
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Design
Keep it simple
Be bold
Be visual
Use colour
Poster Presentations
The Basics
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Your poster should be easy to follow and eye catching
Be sure you are clear who your audience is
Keep the layout straightforward or provide a way of leading your audience from one section
to another
Schedule enough time to prepare your poster!
Establish how much space you have
Buy poster board(s) and some coloured card for backing
Get creative!
Prepare text/graphics
Use colour in text and graphics if you can
Photos are very effective if large enough
Use large point size for the main heading (100+)
Keep point size above 20 for all other text
Lay it out to see how it fits
Check to see if it is legible from 1-2 metres
Remove anything irrelevant or unnecessary
Don’t fill every inch of the board!
Lay it out again…
Work out your colour scheme for borders using contrasting backing card for different
elements
Use Spraymount glue if possible (cover all nearby areas with old newspaper)
Make sure your name and contact details are on the poster
Check how the posters will be fixed on the display boards
Make sure you arrive early enough to get your poster in a prime position!