3.-posters-with-an-artistic-flair.pdf

For many nurse educators, a posterpresentation is synonymous with aconference. Educators may presentstudent outcomes of an innovativeteaching technique or preliminaryfindings from a collaborative, clini-cally based study. Student-createdposters are sometimes used as analternative teaching method. Agency-based educators have discovered thatposters are a cost-efficient way to de-liver continuing education programs.Content for posters has been fairly wellprescribed. However, there is more tocreating an effective poster than placinginformation in a defined order.

Poster quality is as important asthe message to be conveyed. Althoughcontent is important, the way in whichthe information is presented influenceshow the information is perceived. Anartistically appealing poster is morelikely to attract viewers, even whenthe scientific merit may be consideredaverage.1,2 In contrast, an unattractiveor cluttered poster with high scientificmerit may be overlooked.3,4 The con-cept has been stated succinctly: ‘‘Iagood poster display cannot rescue abad idea, but a poor one can easilysink the best idea—as well as viewers’impression of the author.’’5(p11) Thisarticle will first discuss the underly-ing science and technical aspects, thenthe art, of creating a poster.

Technical Considerations

An effective poster will have a balanceof artistic and technical or scientificelements. The combination appeals toboth sides of our brain, each of whichprocesses information differently.Characteristics associated with the left

brain include logic, analysis, and ob-jectivity. Having poster elements in alogical sequence appeals to this sense.A left-brained person revels in all ofthe details given as text and will spotthe one misspelled word in the en-tire presentation. This person prefersgraphic elements with more, ratherthan less, detail.

The right hemisphere of the brain isthe visual side and processes informa-tion in a more holistic manner. Creativityand use of multiple senses are essentialfor learning. For the right-brained per-son, the overall impression (and pos-sibly the title) will determine whetherto review the rest of the information.This person will interpret the qualityof the work based on graphic and de-sign elements. For this person, a con-cept map is more meaningful than abulleted list.

These differences also impact thepresenter/designer of the poster. A per-son whose dominant side is the leftbrain may consider a single, detailedbar graph among lines of text as suf-ficient. A uniform appearance is pre-ferred with minimal or no variationbetween the size and shape of sec-tions. Pictures, whether clipart or photo-graphs, may not be seen as importantor may be inserted simply to have suchan element present. For a more crea-tive person, who primarily processesinformation using the right brain, visu-ally appealing elements may take pre-cedence over the written word. Theamount of text on the poster may beminimal. Therefore, having a second,or even third, person involved in thedesign process is a good idea.

An audiovisual or media special-ist or graphic artist may be the personto enlist.6-10 This specialist can assistwith the many elements of poster pro-duction, including overall design, lay-out, and color selection. He or she canalso facilitate the locating of differ-ent background templates and clipart.Check to see if a template using thesponsoring institution’s name andlogo is available.

Display Area

Confirm the size of the display area. Adisplay board may be provided; com-mon background colors are brown,dark blue, and dark gray. A commonsize is 4 feet wide or tall by 6 feetlong. If you must provide the displayboard, office or art supply stores sell‘‘science project’’ display board. Thesecardboard displays are available inprimary colors of red, blue, and yellowas well as green, black, and white. Sizeis usually a standard 48 inches wideby 36 inches tall, with 3 sections:a middle section (24 inches wide)flanked by two 12-inch sections(Figure 1). The side sections will bebent at an angle to allow the displayto stand on a table. The title may beattached separately or incorporatedwith other elements.

Other types of display boards aremore costly and must often be specialordered. Many organizations have ap-propriately sized displays, completewith carrying cases, for use by theiremployees. Additional considerationsinclude transportation, table size, andthe need for electricity. For air travel,

166 NURSE EDUCATOR Volume 31, Number 4 July/August 2006

NURSE EDUCATORVolume 31, Number 4, pp 166–169* 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.

Posters With an Artistic Flair

Susan M. Ellerbee, PhD, RNC, IBCLC

Posters are a popular medium used in the classroom and at conferences.

Most published and Internet resources focus on the technical aspects of

poster creation. The artist’s perspective has rarely been addressed.

The author fills that gap by presenting color theory and a balanced

appearance as important elements to be considered. Specific technical

and artistic considerations are presented.

Author Affiliation: Associate Professor,College of Nursing, University of Okla-homa Health Sciences Center, OklahomaCity, Okla.

Correspondence: University of OklahomaCollege of Nursing, 1100 N. Stonewall,Oklahoma City, OK 73117 ([email protected]).

Copyr ight © Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.

carrying page-sized pieces of foamboard or a cardboard poster tube ismore feasible than carrying a scienceproject-type cardboard display.

Background Color

Confirm or choose the backgroundcolor. Brown, dark blue, and dark grayare common colors when displayboards are provided at conferences.Color choices have both scientific andartistic bases. Dark color fonts on alighter background are easier to read.Red and green are often used to high-light critical information. Because ap-proximately 8% of males and 0.4% offemales have problems seeing red andgreen, these colors should be avoidedor used only in a limited manner.11

Some individuals may only have aproblem when a specific accent coloris placed on a specific backgroundcolor. To differentiate information ina single element (such as a pie chart),use red or green plus other colorsrather than using red and green to-gether. Placing red or green elementson white or off-white backgroundswill also minimize problems.

Cost Issues

A technical, but necessary, part ofposter production is the cost andavailable budget. Technical assistanceand/or the poster itself can range from$25 to $500.6,7,12 Single-sheet posters,printed on an oversized color laserprinter, cost $200 to $300.13 Thesespecialized printers are available atuniversity-based media departmentsor commercial reproduction and

graphics enterprises. A less expensivealternative is to print a large single-sheet poster as tiles (estimate = $10-$20).13 A similarly priced option is useof a background template from acomputer-based presentation pro-gram. With these options, print onheavy bond paper14 or photographicpaper using a high-resolution colorlaser printer for best results. Paperwith a preprinted design is slightlymore expensive but also very effec-tive. Colored construction paper canbe a background for white or off-white paper, then laminated for dura-bility. More sturdy than constructionpaper are foam-core boards, alsofound in art supply and hobby stores.

Content Issues

What content needs to go on a poster?In general, necessary content will besimilar to that found in written reports,but in an abbreviated form. For aresearch study, include the purpose,methods, subjects, results, and impli-cations. For a teaching innovation orquality improvement project, includethe trigger or impetus, decisions, andoutcomes.14,15 An abstract is oftenplaced on the poster, as well as beingavailable as a handout. Sample datacollection instruments are interestingadditions.

Font Factors

Fonts should be easily visible. Lettersof titles and headings should be 2 to3 inches high (96 points or more) andeasily visible from 3 to 6 feet away.16,17

All text should be three fourths to

1 inch high (24-36 points) and shouldbe readily visible from 2 to 4 feetaway.8,16,18 Use only 1 or 2 differentfonts on your poster. The choice offonts is also important. Roman-stylefonts, which are simpler, with a seriftype is recommended. Serif-type faceshave tails or feet, which means that it iseasier to differentiate similar-lookingletters and numbers.7,18 Too manyfonts and too many colors and designswill detract from the message that youare trying to convey. Include no morethan 5 minutes worth of reading mate-rial on your poster.18

Time Frame

A 6- to 8-week time frame has beensuggested for poster preparation. Thisallows for brainstorming and experi-mentation with various color, layout,and content combinations.7,10 Sampleworksheets and timelines are avail-able.7,19 When you have a draft ofthe poster, ask colleagues to critiqueit.7,17 A rating tool, such as the 10-itemResearch Poster Appraisal Tool (R-PAT-II),20 can guide these critiques.Review of the questions may also beuseful when you are developing theposter. Next, consider the artist’s view.

Artistic Considerations

Whatever method used to bring colorto the poster, consider the effects ofcolor. Warm colors, such as red oryellow, indicate power and happiness.Cool colors, such as blue, beige, andpastels, have a relaxing or soothingeffect.21,22 Choose 1 or 2 colors to ac-cent the single background color.2,5,8

A dark color with a bright accent colorrepresents a ‘‘powerful message.’’21

Red and green should be used care-fully, as noted earlier.

Color Schemes

To determine colors that go together,interior decorators and artists use acolor wheel (Figure 2), which can bepurchased at art supply or hobbystores or downloaded from the Inter-net.23 The color wheel begins with the3 primary colors: red, blue, and yel-low. By combining colors, new colorsare created, such as green, purple,and orange, then red-orange andyellow-green. Color schemes are based

Figure1. Project display board.

NURSE EDUCATOR Volume 31, Number 4 July/August 2006 167


on the proximity of one color to an-other. Adjoining colors, such as greenand blue-green, create a harmoniouscolor scheme. Complementary colors,colors that are directly opposite eachother on the color wheel, such asyellow and violet, make a bold state-ment. Such contrasts are visually ap-pealing and attract attention.19 Drawinga triangle between 3 evenly spaced col-ors, such as violet, orange, and green,is called a triadic scheme23 (Figure 2).A split-complementary color schemeuses any color and the 2 colors adja-cent to its complement (eg, red, yellow-green, and blue-green). Use one coloras background and its complementsfor emphasis.

Title Ideas

Does the project title or content bring apicture, or theme, to mind? If so, thistheme may determine the choice ofbackground and accent colors. Con-sider a ‘‘catchy’’ short title (in largeletters) to get the attention of viewerswith a longer version in smaller printbelow.10,16,17 The title should be infor-mative, have no more than 10 words,and include an action verb.7,12 How-ever, witty phrases or innovative titlesmay not reflect the true subject matterof the poster.18 An example of aninnovative title and theme is ‘‘Teach anurse to fishI.’’24 Based on a Chineseproverb, the poster described a pro-gram to teach mid-level nurse manag-ers how to critique research studies. Afish-print border surrounded a bluebackground and fish-shaped cutoutsdirected the reader from one sectionto another.

Graphic Elements

As the next step, ask, ‘‘What contentcan be presented in ways other thantext?’’ By varying the composition andcontent, both the visual and verbalsides of the brain are addressed.Charts, graphs, or data tables condenseinformation. For an easily interpretedgraph, frame it, use visually prominentsymbols, place tick marks outside thedata region, and choose an appropri-ate scale.25 Bar charts or line graphsshow trends over time or comparevariables. A series of 2 or 3 pie chartscan describe demographics of thestudy population. Show relationshipsor steps of a process in a flow chart.Photographs can be framed by usingmat borders.17 Icons, symbols, clipart,and cartoons illustrate specific points.Posters of qualitative studies are espe-cially suited to a variety of visualmessages, as long as the visual ele-ments do not overpower the mes-sage.3 Think of the poster as a seriesof printed slides with varying layoutsand elements.

Charts, graphs, and clipart can bedesigned using computerized pre-sentation programs. Many presentersuse stock clipart and backgroundtemplates provided with computersoftware. Using other backgroundtemplates available on the Internet ordesigned by an audiovisual/mediaspecialist specifically for your presen-tation enhances the look of the poster.Check the copyright status of eachgraphic element because you mayneed to ask permission or pay a fee.

Clipart is adaptable for multiplepurposes, whether to create a cultur-ally sensitive image or to add a humor-ous touch. If appropriate, use peopleof varying racial and ethnic groups anddo not use stereotypical images. Forexample, one presentation used animage of a woman using a computer.The woman’s skin color was changedfrom the pale pink of the originalclipart to a brown tone. Adapting clip-art can also be fun—a baby’s skin colorwas changed to bright yellow for aposter about jaundice in newborns.

Layout Suggestions

Each computer-based presentationprogram has a standard set of slidelayouts. Think of the poster as a set ofslides being shown on a single screen.

Principles for creating effective slidesapply here, too. Each ‘‘slide’’ shouldhave only 5 to 6 lines of text with 25 to30 characters per line. Use bullets andshort phrases in the text sections,especially on posters of qualitativestudies.3,26 Think about other mean-ings of a word or phrase that maybring a picture to mind. For example,a clipart picture of a baseball player‘‘sliding’’ into base added emphasis ona how-to poster about creating slidesfor presentations.

Strive for balance in the layout ofcontent on the poster (Figure 1).Content should flow from top tobottom of each section.26 Additionaltips include: align sections, place themost important information in thecenter of the poster and at eye level,use ‘‘white space,’’ and include arrowsor sequential numbers to direct thereader.12,19 Using panels that are of asimilar size and shape are advocatedby some.26 However, an item willstand out if it is different from thesurrounding items. Varying the orien-tation of the pages (landscape, 11inches wide � 8 2 inches long, orportrait, 8 inches wide � 11 incheslong) is a simple method of providinginterest. Balance is the key; a 4- � 6-inch rectangle on the left side of theposter should be balanced with acorresponding 4- � 6-inch rectangleon the right side of the poster.

Another way to add graphic inter-est is by inserting text ‘‘on top of’’ a pic-ture. This is accomplished by using the‘‘text box’’ feature of word-processingprograms. Figure 3 is an example ofinserting text into clipart.

Stand back and look at your postercritically. Is there enough informationfor viewers to know what your projectwas about? Is there a balance of color,text, and graphic or pictorial elements?Are all elements easy to read andinterpret? If so, you are ready for finalpreparations, which also fall into thetechnical realm.

Final TechnicalConsiderations

When a poster is complete, a few finalpreparations are necessary. For a con-ference, take copies of the abstract orcreate a bifold or trifold brochure to dis-tribute at the poster session.3,10 Hand-outs can include more informationFigure 2. Color wheel.

168 NURSE EDUCATOR Volume 31, Number 4 July/August 2006


than what is available in the abstractprinted in the conference program. Tosimplify and limit information on aposter of a qualitative study, presentersmay want to bring a notebook withadditional examples.3 The ‘‘thick, rich’’description inherent in qualitativestudies is thus accessible without hav-ing too much text on the poster. Beavailable during poster session times toanswer questions and convey excite-ment about your project. Your presencemay be required at certain times. Haveyour business card available to providecontact information.

Summary

Creating the perfect, or near-perfect,poster is possible. By achieving abalance between visual and textualelements, you will draw people to yourposter. Then, you can further impressthem with the message contained inthe poster, which represents science,technology, and art combined.

Acknowledgments

The author thanks her husband, JerryEllerbee, a graphic illustrator, for inspi-

ration and input about artists’ use ofcolor and Dr Renee Leasure, associateprofessor of nursing at the Universityof Oklahoma College of Nursing, forher support and encouragement.

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