th

• what is a poster?
• design decisions
• poster sessions
• lessons from advertising research
• the P factor

• Wittich and Schuller (1973) define a poster as a ‘visual combination of bold design, colour and message intended to catch and hold the attention of the passer-by long enough to implant or reinforce a significant idea in his or her mind’ (cited in Hand, 2010, p. 56)

can

• a visual aid
• a focus for a discussion and feedback
• a networking opportunity
• an interaction occasion
– viewer - content
– viewer - you
• a foot in the door
• a rehearsal
• an overview of your project
• ‘selected highlights’
• a form of self promotion
• a fashion statement

• one piece design or an assemblage of pages?
– what are the guidelines?
– what do you want it to do?
• looking good counts:
– ‘It is clear that the perceived scientific merit and originality of posters correlates with visual appeal.’
(Goodhand, et al., 2011)
• lots of templates on the web. Powerpoint or Publisher?
• landscape or portrait?

• audiences interact with the poster, but more importantly with you
• do you have an ‘elevator pitch’?
– see http://www.alumni.hbs.edu/careers/pitch/
• can you prepare answers in advance to questions which the poster might spark?
• do you have handouts?
• do you have freebies?

Do’s
• Clear branding and ‘new!’ information
• Short headlines and a product shot
• Minimise clutter
• Logo in upper half
• Photographs (but be careful with people)
• Blue dominant colour
Don’ts
• Too much text
• Confusing pictures
• Humour
• Images of women
• Price information
• Red dominant colour
(van Meurs and Aristoff, 2009)

• Be clear what you want the poster to do
• Allow plenty of time for planning and production
• Make it look good
• Put yourself in the picture

• Goodhand, J.R., Giles, C.L., Wahed, M., Irving, P.M., and
Rampton, D.S. (2011) ‘Poster presentations at medical conferences: an effective way of disseminating research?’,
Clinical Medicine , 11 (2), pp. 138 – 41
• Hand, H. (2010) ‘Reflections on preparing a poster for an RCN conference’, Nurse Researcher , 17 (2), pp. 52 – 59.
• van Meurs, L. & Aristoff, M. (2009) ‘Split-Second Recognition:
What Makes Outdoor Advertising Work?’, Journal of Advertising
Research , 49 (1), March, pp. 82 - 91