Poster Presentations that get noticed
...for the right reasons!
Why a poster?
• Show your creative side
• Public speaking nervousness – allows you to engage on a one-to-
one basis
• Allows you to personally interact with people who are interested
in your topic
• Visible and accessible e.g. Slideshare, Twitter
• Reach more people
• Can be viewed any time at a conference
Everything starts with an idea...
Project New Service Innovative Workflow
Look at the conference themes for inspiration
Emerging Roles & Skill
Set
Collaboration
Poster Guidelines
A&SL Conference 2016• Working in non-traditional
roles / sectors• Embedded librarianship• Information jobs of the
future• Skills development and
transferable skills• Promoting your skills • Radical librarianship • Advocacy & Marketing
CONUL Annual Conference 2015
• The Digital Library• Diversity and
Internationalism• Emerging Roles and Skills• Library Space• Resource Discovery• Partnerships• Unique and Distinctive
Collections
Where to start?
• Browse online for inspiration• Draft, draft and draft again• Content, words, flow, clarity, font size and
type, spelling, layout, illustrative material, photographs
• Follow the guidelines• Quick impact and attract immediate interest
The Design Process
• Formulate and articulate your idea
• Know your target audience
• What do you want to achieve with the poster?
• Be brave!
Content and Words• Your message• First time viewers• Be concise• Title • Ability to stand alone• Use a logical pathway• Not too much text• Tell a story• Author, affiliations and
contact details
Layout and Colour
• Try to create a ‘visual sequence’
• No need to fill every inch – white space is good
• Two/three main colours• Be consistent e.g. Use
one colour for all headings
Typeface1. This is a big one. You have to develop a hierarchy in your
design’s typography. Use a hierarchy that makes sense. The headline should always be the biggest, boldest text. The sub-headline should be differentiated somehow. It doesn’t have to be bold, but it should be larger than the other headline sections, if you have different body paragraphs. The body copy should be smaller, while still being legible. Any footnotes should be the smallest and placed at the bottom of the page, below the text. Also any asides should be made to stand out differently as well. You could use a different colour, or you could italicize the text
2. This is a big one. You have to develop a hierarchy in your design’s typography. Use a hierarchy that makes sense. The headline should always be the biggest, boldest text. The sub-headline should be differentiated somehow. It doesn’t have to be bold, but it should be larger than the other headline sections, if you have different body paragraphs. The body copy should be smaller, while still being legible. Any footnotes should be the smallest and placed at the bottom of the page, below the text. Also any asides should be made to stand out differently as well. You could use a different colour, or you could italicize the text
Typeface
• Use one typeface, max. two – will distract otherwise
• Be consistent• Use ample spacing between lines• Keep in mind spacing between subject areas• Be concise – keep sentence length short• Use ‘special effects’ sparingly e.g. Italic, bold• Avoid acronyms
Illustrative Material
• Photographs• Charts and Graphs• Quotes• Icons• Good resolution• Logos• Reference any images
you use
Feedback
• Look for an honest opinion
• Listen to the constructive feedback
• Try out the suggested changes...
• ...or get a second opinion
Some Examples
Far too much text!
Background colour distracting
Text boxes different widths, not separated from each other – no
white spaces
Graph illegible
No headings
Messy and unclear heading
Clip art old-fashioned
No affiliations, author?
Posters should be a visual representation not long
batches of text
Still too much text
Graphs too small
Title area is clear
NB contact information
What makes a good poster?
• Interesting and well thought out content
• Flow and clarity
• Easy to read typeface and size
• Correct spelling and nice layout
• Use of illustrative material to catch the eye
Maynooth University
Centre for Teaching and Learning Annual Poster
Showcase
Maynooth University Centre for Teaching and Learning Annual Poster Showcase
The Impact of Colour & Layout
Some winning examples...
“What would I tweet?” by Michelle Dalton Winner of Best Poster at A&SL 2014
Eye catching
Colour and white space
Layout
Heading
Use of pictures
Little text
Self-Service in UCD Library by Christine Cullen
Winner of Best Poster at CONUL Annual Conference June 2015
Continuing Professional Development in Librarianshipby Laura Connaughton (MU)
Winner of Best Poster at Academic and Special Libraries Annual Conference February 2015
Eye catching
Use of colour
Layout
Heading
Use of icons
Little text
Picture Perfect Presentationsby Niamh O’Sullivan (IBTS)
Winner of Best Poster at Health Sciences Libraries Group (HLSG)
May 2015
Eye catching
Use of colour
Layout
Heading
Logical flow
Clarity
Infographics
• Increasingly popular• Visual• Easy and free to create• Lots more scope than
e.g. Powerpoint• Templates already
designed – you just need to populate it
Upcoming Conferences
• Academic and Special Libraries Annual Conference 2016– Call for posters (&papers)
• LILAC in UCD in 2016– Great opportunity as it is local but with a large
international attendance
In Conclusion
• Try it out
• Follow the poster guidelines
– Size
– Orientation
– Professionally printed
• Ask for opinions – accept them graciously
Useful Sources• LAI CDG Bloghttps://laicdg.wordpress.com/2015/03/24/designing-an-academic-poster/
• Scientific Poster Tutorialshttp://www.makesigns.com/tutorials/poster-design-layout.aspx
• Graphic Design Tipshttp://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/
• Designing conference postershttp://colinpurrington.com/tips/poster-design
• Example of poor poster designhttp://colinpurrington.com/2012/example-of-bad-scientific-poster/
Guidelines and TipsPoster Design: Guidelines & Tips by Helen Fallon and Brian Dempseyhttp://eprints.maynoothuniversity.ie/4625/1/HF_poster_guidelines.pdf
LAI Career Development Blog – Designing an Academic Posterhttps://laicdg.wordpress.com/2015/03/24/designing-an-academic-poster
Designing Conference Postershttp://colinpurrington.com/2012/example-of-bad-scientific-poster/
Free Software for Poster Design• Piktochart – Infographic Creator http://piktochart.com/
• Nerdgraph Infographicshttp://www.nerdgraph.com/
• Visual.lyhttp://visual.ly/
• Infogramhttps://infogr.am/
MS Powerpoint
References• https://laicdg.wordpress.com/2015/03/24/designing-an-academic-poster/
• http://eprints.maynoothuniversity.ie/
• http://education.byu.edu/identity/academic_posters.html
• http://colinpurrington.com/2012/example-of-bad-scientific-poster/
• CONUL Conference Posters on Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/conulconference
• Connaughton, Laura and Payne, Val (2015) The Summon Discovery Tool: Its Implementation and Impact on Usage Statistics in Maynooth University. In: CONUL Annual Conference, 3rd/ 4th June, 2015, Radisson Blu Hotel, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. (Unpublished)
• Cullen, Christine (2015) Self-Service in UCD Library. In: CONUL Annual Conference, 3rd/ 4th June, 2015, Radisson Blu Hotel, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. (Unpublished)
Reference for Images Used• Backhanded Compliment http://www.chicagonow.com/lipstick-lollipops/files/2014/06/backhanded-compliment.png
• Standing out from the crowd (slide 1, apples)https://www.clicky.co.uk/2014/03/standing-out-from-the-crowd-the-holy-grail-of-advice/
• Lightbulb, slide 2 (Fer Gregory)https://www.flickr.com/photos/freg/4898274127/sizes/l
• The Design Process, slide 5http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/2007/03/designers_are_t.html
• What to show picture (Austin Kelon)https://medium.com/show-your-work/10-ways-to-share-your-creativity-and-get-discovered-7fb5fdfbc068
• Toast (Brittany Wright)http://wrightkitchen.com/
• Good Typography, slide 8 http://www.creativebeacon.com/good-typography-essential-guide/
• Apples in order (Brittany Wright)http://wrightkitchen.com/y2nw75k59pu5xp0rms8tuc6vjdsu90
• Happy apple, sad apple (Lukasz Holeksa)https://www.flickr.com/photos/130659121@N02
• Poster Presentation PGCD WPPhttp://www.glogster.com/nmp2012/wwp-academic-poster/g-6ljcd66c8dpumm1k4nkc1a0
• Professional Templatehttp://www.slideserve.com/nevan/professional-template-for-a-48x36-poster-presentation