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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

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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

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.

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Steps to Creating Posters

1. Plan Size Words Images and graphics

2. Assemble In PowerPoint or Publisher Proof and Edit

3. Print4. Transport

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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.

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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

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What Size Do You Need?

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36

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0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

Inches

Pap

er R

oll

Siz

es

Plotter Paper Sizes Available

Finish?

Photo Gloss, Matte Finish and Canvas Finish

Posters Should be Visual Media

Not an article printed really big No one reads paragraphs People look at pictures and want the

bottom line.

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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 presentationCreate charts, graphsAdd imagesRule of 6Convey your messageSequenced logicallyUse to copy and paste words, charts, images into poster

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?”

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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

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How Many Columns? Three? Four?

TitleTitle

Funky?

Dependent on size of bulletin boards provided and content.

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There is Always Too Much Text

20% Text, 40% Graphics, 40% Empty Space

Text20%

Space40% Graphics

40%

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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

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Test of readability – print 8.5 x 14 Can you still read it?

ALL CAPS

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Example Fonts – All 46pt

VerdanaArialTimes New RomanGoudy Old StyleFont as important as size

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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

ConclusionsConclusionsConclusionsConclusions

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Evaluate Some Posters

Actual posters presented at AAMC, IAMSE, STFM, SGEA…

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Pick Program to UsePowerPoint Publisher

Pros

Scale Prints without distortionUses less memoryMost people know how to use it

Actual size of poster (42 x 72)Has full Word Processing capabilitiesDesigned for creating print materialsHas great graphic design tools

Cons

56x56 size limit Text Boxes not WP friendlyGuidelines hard to manipulateNot designed for this – designed for data projection

Uses a lot of memory (hog)Printing can be tricky

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Scaling Dimensions for PPT

Actual Final Poster Size

PPT Page Size

42x72 32x56

40x60 37x56

Smaller that 56” (24x36)

Actual size

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Create Your Poster

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Options

A. Start from scratchOR

B. Use Templates Intranet under Faculty and Staff Posters Adjust templates to fit your need

Size# ColumnsGuidelines

Templates

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New Website Colors

Black and Red

Arch Background

Mahogany

Taupe

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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

Set size of poster

PowerPoint Design Tab Page Setup

Publisher Page Design Tab Size Page Setup

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PowerPoint

Publisher

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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

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Get out your calculator and use the ruler to make them the same size.

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Guidelines in Publisher

Page Design > Guides

# columns Spacing = gutters Add horizontal lines

Arrange>Ruler guides

Home Tab > Objects

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Adding Text, Lines, Images, Etc.

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Adding Text, Lines, Images, Etc.

Home > Drawing

Insert Tab > Pictures, Shapes, Clip Art, etc.

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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

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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

ResultsResultsResultsResults

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Working With Images

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Institutional Logos

Official Logos Only

On Intranet under Official University Seals (Save Target As)

No Dots

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Official Photographs

Find originals in 3 M-pixel

Intranet: Photo Archive or Ask PR people

Do Not use web page photos—too small

Do not use copyrighted images without permission

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Resizing

Maintain Aspect Ratio (Shift-Corners) Do not distort photographs

Grab Here and drag

Not Here

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Cropping

Crop to fit space. Do Not Distort Picture. Put a border around photos.

Picture Tools Tab 2007-10

Click on Picture, then Picture Tools tab

Transparency under Recolor Borders Arrange Size with Crop

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Capturing the Screen

Print Screen button on keyboard Paste Crop Snipping Tool

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Use Object Properties

Right click on image

Select Format Object

Set size

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Aligning Objects

Align top (bottom, middle, left, right, center)

Distribute horizontally or vertically PPT – Draw > Align or Distribute Pub – Arrange> Align or Distribute

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Aligning Objects

Align top (bottom, middle, left, right, center)

Distribute horizontally or vertically Drawing Tool > Align or Distribute

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

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Chart Demo

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Fill Color Options (including text boxes)

Fill colors (256 or 1M) Transparency Fill Effects (1 or 2 color)

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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

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Wrapping Text Around Objects

Publisher only.

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Zoom In and Out

Keep overall look in mind Work zoomed in Back out and look at whole

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Printing

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

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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

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Who Will Print Poster?

OME, Kenneth Biomedical Sciences, Daettia and

Tiffany Intranet Posters page Upload then send an email 1 Weeks notice1 Weeks notice Tell date needed, size, & paper to use

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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

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Make a Handout

Put details in Handout Contact Information The Paper Small version of poster Brochure Bring a Manila Envelope or nice

plastic sleeve

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Posting on a Web Site

MouseOver

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!

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Will Consult for Chocolate