Guidelines
for Making a Good Poster
Every year UCSF students have several opportunities to present their global
health research, project work or service on posters at local or national
meetings. UCSF Research Day in January, and in spring, the GHEC Annual
meeting, the Bay Area Regional International Health Conference, the UCSF
Global Health Symposium, and the Areas of Concentration Symposium, to
name a few. A panel of judges usually reviews and rates the posters, with
the top ones receiving well-earned recognition and prizes. Poster content
is, of course, central in making these assessments, but there are other
considerations that also weigh importantly in the review. In sum, if the
design and visual appearance of the poster do not attract viewer attention
and hold it long enough to convey the message, the content will not count
for much.
Based on past experience, we offer here are some suggestions we hope
you will consider. Global health projects can cover a wide range: from
travelogues to surveys, to internationally-based laboratory or bench research.
Your central objective in any kind of presentation, verbal, written, or
poster, is to convey a message. You are asking an audience, not under
your control, to commit time to listening to or viewing your message.
We hope these guidelines will make it easier to capture and hold viewer
attention. However, they are only suggestions. We encourage your creativity!
As in life, one size does not fit all. Your poster, whether viewed by
a conference participant or judge, will be evaluated on the basis of your
project's content (i.e., what you did, what you found, why it is significant).
Make it as easy as possible for your viewers to access that content.
Does your poster make a pleasing presentation from a distance? In essence,
does your poster present a "hook" that invites the reviewer
to look more closely?
Place the poster so that the average viewer will have about 60% of the
poster above eye level and 40% below. Looking up is easier than looking
down, and if viewers have to bend down or squat to see the lower portion
you will likely lose them.
If relevant to your project, provide an abstract. Use bullets and very
abbreviated, telegraphic text, and list only the main points.
Use a short primary title, followed if necessary by a longer subtitle.
If possible, word the title to "hook" the reviewer into looking
at the poster. Avoid long, all-inclusive titles as might be appropriate
for a journal article.
Give clear attribution to the names and study years of the authors, and
to faculty support if relevant.
List headings for major sections which, in the case of a research study,
might include hypothesis, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions.
In each section use the minimum text consistent with clarity and subject
matter; prefer telegraphic style whenever possible, and minimize use of
full language prose as would be appropriate in an article. Make maximum
use of bullets or numbered items for ease of quick review. Prefer use
of the active voice, eg, "we found," rather than "it was
found," and declarative prose.
Use a background color that is in good contrast to the font color used
for text. Avoid a background color that transitions over the panel from
light to dark since it will reduce the contrast between some of the text
and the background.
Make sure font size makes your poster easily readable from about five
feet since you may have multiple viewers at any one time and you don't
want to exclude those with more limited visual acuity. Use the same font
size throughout except for titles and headings, which can be larger, and
for references, which can be smaller. Avoid unnecessary changes in font
style; don't be "cute" by shifting styles. Occasional use of
italics, bold, or underline for emphasis may be appropriate, however.
Use self-explanatory graphics that do not require reference to other parts
of the poster and be sure to have complete legends and scales on the X-
and Y-axes. Use bright, contrasting lines and symbols, that is, don't
have dark red lines against a dark blue background, etc. If appropriate,
you can include a one-sentence interpretation of a graph's significance
in the text portion of the poster.
Arrange the various sections of your poster in a logical sequence so your
reviewer can proceed through your presentation as you intended. Do you
expect your viewers to proceed left to right, and then down a row, as
in a book, or to read down as in a column, or some other sequence? If
there is any doubt as to sequence, provide arrows or numbers that lead
the reviewer from one block to the next one.
Make sure your pictures of persons, buildings, scenery, etc., actually
are relevant to your central message by providing context, etc. Use photos
to reinforce content, and not solely as decoration. Place pictures in
proximity to the relevant text and graphs.
Consider the merits of providing viewers with a one-page handout that
summarizes the key elements of your project (beyond what is presented
in the program abstract) and provides author names and contact information.
The annual IHMEC conference has two central objectives - to learn from
others, and to network - and an attractive handout will facilitate both.
Finally, submit your poster to the "two-minute test" with friends
unfamiliar with your project. Ask them if they can, after a two-minute
review, grasp the basics of your project and accurately summarize your
core message.
Good luck with your project, and we look forward to seeing your poster
presentation!
Prepared for the International Health Medical Education Consortium by
Thomas L. Hall and Anvar Velji. Corrections, suggestions for improvement
and additions are welcome; send them to thall@epi.ucsf.edu. Updated Jan
9, 2004.
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