Sooner or later, almost everyone will encounter the creation of a poster. It is a way to present the results of your project and your work in the most clear and engaging way. However, its creation has its own rules. Here's a look at what to look out for when creating a poster and how to make it as eye-catching as possible.
What is a poster and what are its advantages
The term poster could most easily be translated as poster. But that would not be entirely accurate - there is no such thing as a poster. A poster is not a way to attract people to see the latest Marvel movie, it is a way to present your work and its results.
What is the poster's main purpose?
First of all, the poster has:
- To attract attention
- Clearly present the results of the work
- To provoke discussion
Posters that summarize and display the work discussed have many advantages. Among the most notable ones is that they can become a supporting tool in the speaker's actual presentation. Because they are prepared in advance, they also reduce the stress of the actual presentation. Another great advantage is the fact that posters partially replace the presence of the presenter - interested parties can learn essential information even if the presenter is not available at the time.
On the contrary, one of its biggest drawbacks is the limited space of the poster and therefore the limited amount of information it can contain.
What must the poster contain?
If we want posters to fully perform their function, they must meet the rules. The main ones include following the basic structure of posters.
What a poster cannot do without is a title. Under this falls:
- Name,
- author's name,
- workplace,
- place of research,
- the place where the poster is presented.
The introduction continues. In the introduction it is useful to explain the basic issues. The objectives of the thesis should not be missing. However, the general rule for all introductions is that it should be brief and concise.
The next point in the structure is devoted to materials and methods. Also due to the limited space of the poster, it is a good idea to communicate these issues in a bullet point format, ideally in the form of a flowchart.
In any case, results should not be missing in any poster. A graphical format, such as charts or short tables, is ideal for the overall design of the poster.
At this point it is time for one of the most important parts of the poster - the summary. Here, the conclusions of greatest importance and answers to the questions that were asked in the introductory section are presented. Once again, brevity and punctuality are appreciated.
We come to the end of the poster. The last two parts of the structure are:
Literature, where the most important sources are mentioned,
support, where the source of funding for the project is mentioned.
How to make an eye-catching poster design
A poster is a graphic matter. It is therefore necessary that it is design-engaging and tasteful. However, first and foremost it must be functional - that is, it must be easy to read.
Posters and design - what font to use?
It is even recommended for the headline to be easily readable from 5-10 meters (this corresponds to a font size of 70-80 points). The rest of the poster can be in a smaller font, but a font size of -16-18 points is still recommended. This will ensure that the poster is readable from up to two metres away.
The choice of font is important overall, even if the size of the font itself is ignored. You are now talking about two main types of font - footer and non-footer. Non-footer type is good for headings, while footer type is particularly suitable for regular text - the footer makes it easier to guide the eye along the line and the reader gets less lost in the lines.
Posters and design - general principles
As is clear from the previous section on structure, posters are not about long texts. On the contrary, the less text the better.
Long texts are replaced by:
bullet points, headings,
diagrams, graphs and pictures.
When creating posters, it is important to think about the reader and how to make it as easy as possible for them to understand the poster. The main aids include highlighting the most important parts - that is, what you want the reader to notice should be the most visible.
There are several ways to highlight the text:
bold
italics
in colour
by changing the font
by holding down
Posters can be created in many different formats. The most common ones are A2, A1 and A0.