Designing Posters
in Mathematics
Lillian Bridwell-Bowles,
Director, Communication across the Curriculum;
Professor, English
Just for fun…
Source:
http://mathematicianspictures.com/
Templates/
Commercial Production
http://www.postersession.com/templates.html
TITLE OF STUDY XXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
LOGO
LOGO
PEOPLE WHO DID THE STUDYCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
UNIVERSITIES AND HOSPITALS THEY ARE AFFILIATED WITH
BACKGROUND
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We hope you find this template useful! This one is set up to yield a 48x48 poster when we
print it at 200%. You can also use it for any poster that needs to be square, and we’ll scale
it to the size you need.
We’ve put in the headings we usually see in these posters, you can copy and paste and
change to your hearts content! We’ve left our text in red so you’ll know what text you
have brought in, and be sure to get rid of anything we put in. We suggest you use black
text against a light background so that it is easy to read. Background color can be changed
in format-background-drop down color menu.
The boxes around the text will automatically fit the text you type, and if you click on the
text, you can use the little handles that appear to stretch or squeeze the text boxes to
whatever size you want. You can simply delete the lines by going to format-colors and
lines and selecting no line.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxx.
The dotted lines through the center of the piece will not print, they are for alignment. You
can move them around by clicking and holding them, and a little box will tell you where
they are on the page. Use them to get your pictures or text boxes aligned together.
Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
yYyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
yyyyyyyyyyyy.
Word- select the text to be brought into PowerPoint, hit edit-copy, then edit-paste the text
into a new or existing text block. This text is editable. You can change the size, color, etc.
in format-text. We suggest you not put shadows on smaller text.
CHART or PICTURE
RESULTS
Bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbBbb
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbBbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
bbbbbbbbbbbbbb
Ccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
cccccccccCcccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
cccccccccccccccccccc.
Ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
ddddddddddddd
CHART or
PICTURE
CHART or
PICTURE
How to bring things in from Excel and Word
Excel- select the chart, hit edit-copy, and then edit-paste into PowerPoint. The chart can
then be stretched to fit as required. If you need to edit parts of the chart, it can be
ungrouped. Watch out for scientific symbols used in imported charts, which PowerPoint
will not recognize as a used font and may print improperly if we don’t have the font
installed on our system.
Scans
We need images to be 72 to100 dpi in their final size, or use a rule of thumb of 2 to 4
megabytes of uncompressed .tif file per square foot of image. For instance, a 3x5 photo
that will be 6x10 in size on the final poster should be scanned at 200 dpi. Remember that
this template is set up at half size, so anything that is 3x5 on the template will be 6x10 on
the final piece.
We prefer that you import tif images into PowerPoint. Images that are greater than 16
megabytes will show on the screen, but will not print. JPEG files are OK, but if you can
convert them to tif we prefer it. The 16 mb limit applies to the image size, and not the
compressed file size, of the JPEG.
CHART or
PICTURE
CHART or
PICTURE
Preview: To see your in poster in actual size, go to view-zoom-200%. This is a good
way to be sure your pictures are going to look OK.
CONCLUSIONS
Bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbBbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb.
Ccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
cccccccccCcccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
cccccccccccccccccccc.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
1111111
2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222
2222222
3333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333
444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444
5555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555
6666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777
888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
Instructions from host…
Helpful Links
http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/cpurrin1/posteradvice.htm
http://cxc.lsu.edu
students
[keyword: “poster”]
“communication examples, tips, guidelines and more”
Color
• Use a colored background (muted) or
shades of gray to unify your poster
• Typically, use white as the background
for text
• Black is best for text, except on graphs
• Don’t use too much color-it can emphasize or detract
Text
•
Use a consistent font
•
Set font size hierarchically for
•
headings
• Avoid big blocks of prose
• Avoid the continuous use of
CAPITALS
Graphics
• Try to balance words and images
• Aim for readability from 6 feet away
• Use no more than three or four charts, figures,
or tables
• Photographs should be relevant, mentioned in
text as figures, or captioned
• Include clear labels and captions on all charts,
figures, and tables
Layout
1
2
3
4
5
6
Sample Headings:
Combination 1
Author/Title/Affiliation
Objectives
Data Sources
Study Setting
Study Design
Combination 2
Data Collection
Principal Findings
Conclusions
Funding Source
Combination 3
Context
Objective
Design
Settings
Participants/Subjects
Author/Title/Affiliation
Objectives
Methods
Results
Conclusions
Funding Source
Combination 4
Intervention
Main Outcome
Measures
Results
Discussion
Conclusions
Funding Source
Combination 5
Author/Title/Affiliation
Background
Methods
Health Sciences
Author/Title/Affiliation
Introduction
Research Question
Background Importance
Methods
Study Sites
Study Population
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Findings
Conclusions
Implications
Funding Source
Combination 6
Results
Conclusions
Funding Source
Author/Title/Affiliation
Research Objectives
Background
Study Design
Results
Conclusion
Relevance
Future Research Funding
Source
Adapted from Health Services Module 590A, “Knowledge Management in the Health Sciences,” University of
Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
CxC:
Visual Communication Criteria
SAMPLE POSTER:
for discussion…
Source: Jacquelyn R. Hansen, MPH, International Health Program, Department of Health Services, University of
Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Beauty of Mathematics
Sources: http://www.arbelos.co.uk; The Beauty of
Mathematics, poster collection, A.K. Jobbings, 2004;
http://mathematicianpictures.com.
Additional References
The Most Useful of All (from which this list was taken): Purrington, C.B. 2006. Advice on designing scientific posters.
http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/cpurrin1/posteradvice.htm. Accessed 11/1/2006.
Block, S. 1996. The DOs and DON'Ts of poster presentation. Biophysical Journal 71:3527-3529.
Briscoe, M.H. 1996. Preparing Scientific Illustrations: A Guide to Better Posters, Presentations, and Publications, 2nd ed. SpringerVerlag, New York.
Day, R.A. 1994. How To Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 4th ed. Oryx Press, Phoenix.
Keegan, D.A., and S.L. Bannister. 2003. Effect of colour coordination of attire with poster presentation on poster popularity.
Canadian Medical Association Journal 169:1291-1292.
Matthews, J.R., J.M. Bowen, and R.W. Matthews. 1996. Successful Science Writing: A Step-by-Step Guide for the Biological and
Medical Sciences. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Pechenik, J.A. 2004. A Short Guide to Writing about Biology, 5th edition. HarperCollins College Publishers, New York.
Rigden, C. 1999. ‘The eye of the beholder’—designing for colour-blind users. British Telecommunications Engineering 17:2-6.
Tufte, E.R. 1983. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. Graphics Press, Connecticut.
Wolcott, T.G. 1997. Mortal sins in poster presentations or, How to give the poster no one remembers. Newsletter of the Society for
Integrative and Comparative Biology Fall:10-11.
Woolsey, J. D. 1989. Combating poster fatigue: how to use visual grammar and analysis to effect better visual communications.
Trends in Neurosciences 12:325-332.