Poster Design
Effective posters use visual design strategies to communicate science. Use the resources below to learn how to structure and build a strong poster. After you have created your poster, use the Rubric for Evaluating Scientific Posters (PDF) to assess your work.
The Art and Science of Designing a Poster
This 50-minute session from the Effectively Communicating Research course focuses on using visual strategies to enhance the communication of your science. The lecture is divided into two parts: overall poster design and data visualization, providing practical tips for creating clear and impactful visuals. Presented by Cheryl Vaughan, PhD, the session offers valuable insights for effectively conveying your research through design and visual elements.
Three Key Elements from Cheryl Vaughan’s Presentation:
- Attention: Design a poster that will capture an audience’s attention and make it easy for viewers to process the information without guidance from a presenter.
- Scaffolding: Incorporate information that builds on what your audience already knows and connects to your science.
- Color and Content: Illustrate points with images, charts, and thoughtful text. Display only the most relevant information and use color intentionally to highlight important elements.
Toolkit
Handout: Qualities of a Strong Scientific Poster (PDF)
This handout summarizes the key qualities of strong scientific posters. The document includes information on font choice, text size, poster layout, and more.
Rubric: Evaluating Scientific Posters (PDF)
Use this rubric to evaluate the organization, data visualization, layout, and content of your scientific poster. Distribute the rubric to your mentors and colleagues to collect feedback on your draft poster before you present it.
Harvard Medical School (HMS) Research Imaging Solutions
HMS Research Imaging Solutions offers seminars and comprehensive resources to support researchers to create figures, images, posters, and presentations. Their library of slides and handouts provide detailed, step-by-step instructions on a number of topics.
Making Posters with PowerPoint and Photoshop (PDF)
This in-depth guide was created by Beth Beighlie at Harvard Medical School Research Imaging Solutions. The document details poster-building strategy including workflow, poster layout, text, figures, and printing.
Creating Posters with IMPACT
Presenters: Beth Beighlie and Graham McMahon, MD, MMSc, MRCPI
This 55-minute session, from Harvard Catalyst’s Effectively Communicating Research course, shows how to design scientific posters with a focus on layout and effectively using images.
Next Step
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