Creating Professional Posters
Nancy Clark, M.Ed
Director of Medical Informatics Education
Dennis Baker, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Faculty Development
FSU College of Medicine
1
Objectives
 Attendees will create posters that are





Attractive
Readable
Professional looking
Display rules of consistency
Effectively convey idea, messages, etc.
 Using either PowerPoint or Publisher
 Get them printed
 Transport them without damage
2
Hidden Agenda
 Represent the College of Medicine
well at national conferences
 If you do it right the first time, we
don’t have to fix it before we print it.
3
Steps to Creating Posters
1. Plan
 Size
 Words
 Images and graphics
2. Assemble
 In PowerPoint or Publisher
 Proof and Edit
3. Print
4. Transport
4
Planning Your Poster
Excellent resource:
Williams, Robin. 2004.
The Non-Designer’s
Design Book. 2nd Ed.
Peachpitt Press.
Berkeley, CA.
Thanks to Helen Baker for this
info.
5
What will you mount it on?
 Conferences: (3.5’ – 4’) x (6’-8’) cork board
and stand, pushpins, (read instructions to
authors) Cork boards have frames…not true 8’
 Foam Boards Sizes (easels)





40x60
30x40
24x36
20x30
Trifold 36x48, center panel 24x36
 Poster Board 22x28
6
7
8
9
What Size Do You Need?
Plotter Paper Sizes Available
42
Paper Roll Sizes
Finish?
Photo Gloss, Matte Finish and Canvas Finish
36
24
0
5
10
15
20
25
Inches
30
35
40
45
10
Posters Should be Visual Media
 Not an article printed really big
 No one reads paragraphs
 People look at pictures and want the
bottom line.
11
What Do You Want to Say?
 Research paper
Background
Hypothesis
Methods/Materials
Results
Conclusions
Discussion/Future
research
 References






 Educational program
 Patient Education
 Promotion
Trick
 Make a 15 minute PowerPoint
presentation
 Create charts, graphs
 Add images
 Rule of 6
 Convey your message
 Sequenced logically
 Use to copy and paste words,
charts, images into poster
12
Poster Session Details
 You will be there entire time?
 Verbal explanation necessary tolerated
 You will NOT be there entire time?
 1 Minute Rule: Target audience looking
at poster for 1 minute should be able to
completely understand your research
and outcomes- without explanation
 Ask yourself: “What is important?” …
“What is NOT important?”
13
Handouts
 Small version of poster?
 Every word must be readable on 8.5x11
 Put contact info on Poster
 More detailed write-up…
 Consider 2 sided with small poster one
side – write up on back
 Bring manila envelope to pin on board
to put handouts
14
How Many Columns?
 Three?
 Four?
Title
Title
Funky?
Dependent on size of bulletin boards
provided and content.
15
There is Always Too Much Text
20% Text, 40% Graphics, 40% Empty Space
Space
40%
Graphics
40%
Text
20%
16
What Images Do You Need?
 Photographs: Resolution
 72 DPI computer screen (too low)
 150-300+ DPI print
 Web images won’t work unless 1200 x
1000
 Find original digital pictures 1+ M
pixels
 Scan at 600+ DPI
17
Charts and Graphs
 What data can be best illustrated
visually?
 If data CAN be displayed in graph, it
SHOULD be.
 Use Excel to make charts/graphs
 Make friends with Excel expert
 Capture and paste as image
into Poster
18
Hints on Charts and Graphs
 Avoid sensory overload – too much
information on one chart
 1x2 to 3x8 matrix
 Avoid 3D -hard to interpret
 Avoid tables of raw
data
 Label everything -tiny legend not helpful
19
20
Rules of Consistency
 Pick 2-3 fonts. Use the same Font for
all… (size, color, capitalization,
alignment)
 Headings (i.e. 60 pt Goody Old Style,
Bold, Shadowed, Garnet, Centered)
 Body Text (i.e. 32 pt Verdana, Black,
Left justified)
 Labels (i.e. 20 pt Arial, black, centered)
 Pick two or three colors, use
throughout poster
21
Rules of Consistency
 Keep shading same (color and fade)
 Keep borders same (color, style and
thickness)
 Keep objects (text boxes, headings)
aligned to guidelines (vertically and
horizontally)
 Keep margins and gutters consistent
 Keep line spacing consistent, adjust
for readability
22
Rules of Readability
 Title banner read from 20 ft (Title 10
words or less)
 Body text read from 6 ft
 Suggested font sizes (depends on font)





Title of poster 96-120 pt
Author(s) and institution 60-72 pt
Headings 60-72 pt
Body Text 32-48 pt
Labels 20-32 pt
ALL
CAPS
 Test of readability – print 8.5 x 14
 Can you still read it?
23
Example Fonts – All 46pt
Verdana
Arial
Times New Roman
Goudy Old Style
Font as important as size
24
Conservation of Ink
 No solid dark color backgrounds
(ink is expensive)
 Use white or gradient of light color
 Compensate with decorative graphics,
small areas of solid color
Conclusions
Conclusions
25
26
Evaluate Some Posters
Actual posters presented at AAMC,
IAMSE, STFM, SGEA…
27
1
28
2
29
3
30
4
31
5
32
6
33
7
34
8
35
9
36
10
37
11
38
12
39
Pick Program to Use
PowerPoint
Publisher
P
r
o
s
Scale Prints without
distortion
Uses less memory
Most people know how to
use it
Actual size of poster (42 x 72)
Has full Word Processing
capabilities
Designed for creating print
materials
Has great graphic design tools
C
o
n
s
56x56 size limit
Text Boxes not WP friendly
Guidelines hard to
manipulate
Not designed for this –
designed for data
projection
Uses a lot of memory (hog)
Printing can be tricky
40
Scaling Dimensions for PPT
Actual Final
Poster Size
42x72
PPT Page Size
40x60
37x56
Smaller that 56”
(24x36)
Actual size
32x56
41
Create Your Poster
42
Options
A. Start from scratch
OR
B. Use Templates
 Intranet under Faculty and Staff Posters
 Adjust templates to fit your need
 Size
 # Columns
 Guidelines
43
Templates
Arch Background
New Website Colors
Mahogany
Black and Red
Taupe
44
Steps for Creating From Scratch
Start with new, blank page
Set size of poster
Create guidelines
Add Title banner words and images
Add Headers
Add text boxes
Add images, charts, photos, graphs, lines,
borders
 Edit







45
Set size of poster
 PowerPoint
 Design Tab
 Page Setup
 Publisher
 Page Design Tab
 Size
 Page Setup
PowerPoint
Publisher
46
Set up Guidelines for Columns
PowerPoint
2010: View tab > Show
Check Display drawing guides on screen
Hold down CTRL button
Grab and pull creates
new
 Set up margins and
gutters
 Snap to grid




47
Get out your calculator and use the ruler
to make them the same size.
48
Guidelines in Publisher
 Page Design >
Guides
 # columns
 Spacing = gutters
 Add horizontal lines
Arrange>Ruler
guides
49
Adding Text, Lines, Images, Etc.
 Home Tab > Objects
50
Adding Text, Lines, Images, Etc.
 Home > Drawing
 Insert Tab > Pictures, Shapes, Clip
Art, etc.
51
Working With Text
 Use bulleted lists if possible – quickly
read
 Align text boxes with guidelines
 Indent first line of paragraphs
 Keep font size as large as possible,
but be consistent
 Edit ruthlessly -- there is always too
much text
52
More Text Box Hints
 Centering Vertically
 Right click on Text Box
 Pick Format Shape >
Text Box
 Choose Text Box tab
 Under Vertical
alignment pick Middle
Results
53
Working With Images
54
Institutional Logos
 Official Logos Only
No Dots
On Intranet under Official University Seals (Save Target As)
55
Official Photographs
 Find originals in 3 Mpixel
 Intranet: Photo
Archive or Ask PR
people
 Do Not use web page
photos—too small
 Do not use
copyrighted images
without permission
56
Resizing
 Maintain Aspect Ratio (Shift-Corners)
 Do not distort photographs
Grab Here and drag
Not Here
57
Cropping
 Crop to fit space. Do Not Distort
Picture. Put a border around photos.
58
Picture Tools Tab 2007-10
 Click on Picture, then Picture Tools
tab
 Transparency under Recolor
 Borders
 Arrange
 Size with Crop
59
Capturing the Screen




Print Screen button on keyboard
Paste
Crop
Snipping Tool
60
Use Object Properties
 Right click on
image
 Select Format
Object
 Set size
61
Aligning Objects
 Align top (bottom, middle, left,
right, center)
 Distribute horizontally or vertically
 PPT – Draw > Align or Distribute
 Pub – Arrange> Align or Distribute
62
Aligning Objects
 Align top (bottom, middle, left,
right, center)
 Distribute horizontally or vertically
 Drawing Tool > Align or Distribute
63
Chart Strategy
 Create in Excel full sheet
 Display full screen (F11)
 Print screen (screen capture) or
Snipping Tool
 Paste image of chart
 Make background transparent
64
Chart Demo
65
Fill Color Options
(including text boxes)
 Fill colors (256 or 1M)
 Transparency
 Fill Effects (1 or 2 color)
66
Ordering/Arranging




Send to Back
Bring to Front
Bring Forward
Send Backward




Drawing Tool
Align
Right-click object
Suggestion: don’t put text on top of
pictures
67
Wrapping Text Around Objects
 Publisher only.
68
Zoom In and Out
 Keep overall look in mind
 Work zoomed in
 Back out and look at whole
69
Printing
70
Proofs
 Sorry, no full size proofs
 Print 11x17 and proof
 Alignment, balance, spelling (run
spellchecker), grammar, consistency
 Get second opinion
 Try out on someone not familiar with
project/research
71
Proof and Edit
 If PPT, print (scale to fit) letter/legal
or ledger 11x17 paper
 We really do not like to print on the
plotter a proof copy
 If Pub, Save As, .tif 92 DPI
 Print .tif graphic (scale to fit)
letter/legal using Photoshop
Elements, Windows Picture Viewer
72
Who Will Print Poster?





IT Help Desk
Intranet Posters page
Upload then send an email
1 Weeks notice
Tell date needed, size, & paper to use
73
Transporting
 We provide
tubes
 FedEx overnight
to Hotel before
you leave
 Carry on plane
 Don’t check
these
Tape ends – cut away before
removing poster
74
Make a Handout






Put details in Handout
Contact Information
The Paper
Small version of poster
Brochure
Bring a Manila Envelope or nice
plastic sleeve
75
Posting on a Web Site
Mouse
Over
76
In Summary
 Read Instructions for presenters
carefully
 Posters are VISUAL media
 There is ALWAYS too much text – EDIT
– use images, charts
 Planning is key – give yourself and us
time
 Use the correct Logos
 Submit poster presentations!
77
Will Consult for Chocolate
78