Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental Engineering
How to prepare a good poster
Paweł Wawrzyniak
What the posters are for ? • Attract attention
Joanna Gorska, Jerzy Skakun, 2009 Casablanca, Director: Michael Curtiz Starring: Humprey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman
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What the posters are for ? • Attract attention • Convey a message
Jan Mlodozeniec, 1981 Ordinary People, Director: Redford Robert Starring: Sutherland Donald
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What the posters are for ? • Attract attention • Convey a message
• Inspire to action
Tomasz Sarnecki, 1989 General election, 4th June 1989 4
What they have in common ?
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Introduction Introduction
Poster Acceptance
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
• The acceptance of a poster is not an endorsement of your work,
• There are a small number of speaking slots compared with attendees, • To get endorsement, do good science and present it well on the poster.
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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Introduction Introduction
The purpose:
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
• How many times the poster will be presented ? • What do you want someone passing by to do ? - Discuss the content, - Learn enough and go off, - Want to collaborate, - All above, - Something else.
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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Plan Introduction
Compose your content:
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
• Choose the one particular research area you wish to highlight. Select and optimize the relevant figures. Write the accompanying text. • You should have a very good idea of the story you are going to tell before you start thinking about how to lay it out visually.
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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Plan Introduction
Be quick
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
• You will have to fight for attention, • The first impressions is crucial, • You will have only few seconds to peak someone's interest,
• Good approach is to well address the title. Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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Plan Introduction
The title
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
• The title can help to sell your work, • Good approach: - addressing a decisive question - define the scope of your work - hint at a new finding, • Short and comprehensible to a broad audience.
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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BUP Workshop Rogow 2013
Plan Introduction
Title #1
Plan Design
Images Assessment
Descriptive noun with no relationship or causality
Pressure effect in the nozzle on PSD standard deviation and mean particle diameter Not a sentence
Print Practice
Title #2
Active verbs showing a relationship or causality
Increase of pressure in the nozzle decreases PSD standard deviation and mean particle diameter A complete sentence
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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Plan Introduction
Title #1
Plan Design
Images Assessment
Topic title
Pressure effect in the nozzle on PSD standard deviation and mean particle diameter
Print Practice
Title #2
Message title
Increase of pressure in the nozzle decreases PSD standard deviation and mean particle diameter Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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BUP Workshop Rogow 2013
Plan Introduction
Title
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
• Title should describe the poster’s main point, • Write title as a complete thoughts that cue the reader to the meaning of your poster, • Use message titles for your poster and in your figures as well – avoid topic titles,
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
• Poster titles do not necessarily have to be sentences. 13
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Plan Introduction
Rules for Writing
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
• Many of the rules for writing a good paper apply to posters,
• Succinct summary of the motivation, hypothesis to be tested, major results, and conclusions, • A paper is usually conventionally dry and impersonal, poster should be different.
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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Plan Introduction
Remember
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
• You do not need duplicate the full text of your work on poster,
• Hit the high points! • Clarity, precision of expression, and economy of words will help to sell your work,
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
• You may provide hard copies of your paper or other handouts to read after the event. 15
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Plan Introduction
Overriding rule: make
Increase of pressure in the nozzle reduces particle Sauter diameter and your textPSDskimmable reduces standard deviation
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
• Change sentences to phrases and bullets, • • •
pressure in the nozzle: Devide Higher text into ~200 paragraphs, Highlight the key categories withthesubtitle boldface, decreases Sautertodiameter give 3-4–word bolded each – reduces PSD standard deviation Use a word count, if you have more than Use a lot of empty/white 1000, think space, about cutting. A good sequence of figures, with explanatory carry on the most of your story; Let your figures telltitles, theshould story. keep additional narrative to a minimum
• Have a clear and obvious set of conclusions Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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Adobe Illustrator
Corel Draw
GIMP
Inkscape
Tools
Apple Pages
Introduction
Microsoft Powerpoint
Design
Vector graphics support
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Bezier Drawing tools
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Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
LaTex equation editor
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
Layered image support
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Control of export resolution
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Free, open-source software 17
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Design Introduction
Color Palette
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
• Choosing colors for your poster, be careful. Chartreuse and pink? Not so much.
• Avoid dark backgrounds with light letters - very tiring to read • Certain colors when side-by-side “vibrate” making text difficult to read:
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
Headache 18
Yikes BUP Workshop Rogow 2013
Design Introduction
Color Palette
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
R G B
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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Design Introduction
Color Palette
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
C M Y K
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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Design Introduction
Fonts and Sizes
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
Studies show that serifed fonts are easiest to read for long blocks of text
• Pick one font for the text, and one for the titles and headings, and stick to it, • The text should be readable from a distance of about two meters,
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
• Never use less than a size 24 point font, 21
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Design Introduction Plan
12 points
16 points
Design
20 points
Images
24 points
Assessment
32 points
Print Practice
36 points
144 points 96 points 88 points
48 points
54 points Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
72 points 60 points 22
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Design Introduction
Layout and Format
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
• Guide the passerby's eyes from one succinct frame to another. Use arrows, numbering, or whatever else to guide the reader from one logical step to another. • Make sure the main points can be read at eye level.
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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Design Introduction Plan Design
Title / Authors
Abstract Data 3
Images Assessment Print
Data 1
Practice
Data 4 Data 2 Conclusions Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
Credists / Logos 24
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Design Introduction
Title / Authors
Plan Design
Images Assessment
Abstract
Data 3
Print
Data 2
Practice
Data 1
Conclusions
Credits / Acknowledgment Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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Design Introduction Plan Design
Title / Authors
Images Assessment Print
Data 1
Abstract
Practice
Data 2 Conclusions
Data 3
Credits / Acknowledgment Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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To assist readers, number your key sections and figures, create distinguishing headers, and thin rules to separate sections
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Images Introduction
Content and Conciseness
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
• One carefully produced chart or graph often says more than hundreds of words,
• The figures can be viewed in both a superficial and a detailed way, • A photo of you on the poster can help someone to find you at the conference,
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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Images Introduction Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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Images Introduction
Bitmap vs. Vector
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
• A bitmap image consists of a fixed number of dots or pixels. Bitmaps are tricky to resize but are a must for photos and scanned images. • A vector image consists of instructions to draw its component shapes, can be scaled to any size with no loss of quality. Use vector images for your charts, graphs, and other graphical elements when possible. 30
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Images Bitmap image Introduction Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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Images Vector image
0,25 Serie1
0,20
Serie2 Serie3
Introduction
0,15
Plan
0,10
Design
0,05
Images
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Serie2 15
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Serie3
distance , m
Assessment Print
Serie1
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Practice
0,10 0,05 0,00 Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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Assessment Introduction
Draft print
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
• At least a month before the meeting draft print the poster, spell check. Proofread.
• Get feedback, bribe people to critique your poster when you are out, • They can leave all their suggestions on small Post-Its that you provide for them. Ask them to comment on content, word count, idea flow, figure clarity, font size, spelling, etc. 33
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Print Introduction
Final print
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
• Prepare full size copy of your poster, • Check again the text, colors, test the reading from 2 m distance, • Ask your friends to read your poster again in the hunt for errors (one beer for one error).
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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Practice Introduction
The Poster Session
Plan Design
Images Assessment Print Practice
• Do not blow your effort on presentation day, • Work to get a crowd by being engaging, • Do not badger people, let them read, • Work all the audience at once, • Do not leave visitors waiting for your attention.
Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental BUP Workshop 2013 Engineering
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Ryszard Kaja: 2013
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Lodz University of Technology Faculty of Process and Environmental Engineering
Thank You for your attention
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Jan Sawka, 1981 The Tempest, William Shakespeare
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Jan Mlodozeniec, 1986 Once Upon a Time in America, Director: Sergio Leone Starring:Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
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Henryk Tomaszewski, 1971 Julius Cezar, William Shakespeare
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