Undergraduate Engineering Research Day

Poster Design for UnERD 2013

Your poster …

Communicates your research

Is a visual presentation of your work- Is not a research paper in poster size!

Should be understandable without verbal explanation

Information organization

• Introduction: describe your research question and say why it needs to be addressed.

• Methodology: not a lab report – make it brief• Results: use figures, arrows, and visuals as

much as possible.• Conclusion: significance of results. Refer back

to your gap.• References, acknowledgments, etc. (if needed)

Poster design:

• Reading path

Top to bottom

Left to right

Reading path

• start from top left and go bottom right

• No one really looks at the bottom right, so put less important stuff here !!

• Use arrows and lines to guide the reader

• Divide into chunks

Things to consider:

• Reading path• Color scheme

Color scheme

• Use colors to separate sections

• Do not try to overwhelm the reader with color scheme

• Use color to direct attention to related information

Things to consider:

• Reading path• Color scheme• Visuals– Graphs– Charts (flow charts, Pugh chart, etc.)– Diagrams– Prototypes

Visuals

• Show your data – not distorted!

• Graphs, charts, tables, and figures makes it easier for reader to understand. Use them as much as possible.

• Make large datasets coherent

Remember to

• Mechanics:– Establish the gap, your purpose or motivation

quickly– Discuss significance of your findings

• Design:– Guide the reader through your poster– Use graphics and visuals

Other resources• http://

www.ga.lsu.edu/Effective%20Poster%20Design%20for%20Academic%20Conferences.pdf

• http://colinpurrington.com/tips/academic/posterdesign

• http://www.posterpresentations.com/html/free_poster_templates.html

• http://www.slideshare.net/muir31/designing-a-poster-for-conference-display-oct11