Creating posters to present scientific data
Target group
Who will be looking at and judging your poster with what intention?
It makes a huge difference whether your target group is a single person or groups that might even be heterogeneous (scientific conference bringing together professors, doctoral students, students from different disciplines and perhaps even participants from the private sector). If your target group is a class of 14-year-old school pupils, you can certainly design less formally, whilst in scientific settings your poster should always make a professional impression.
It makes a huge difference whether your target group is a single person or groups that might even be heterogeneous (scientific conference bringing together professors, doctoral students, students from different disciplines and perhaps even participants from the private sector). If your target group is a class of 14-year-old school pupils, you can certainly design less formally, whilst in scientific settings your poster should always make a professional impression.
- The structure,
- the colour scheme,
- the language,
- the choice of fonts and
- all figures including their captions and legend or key texts need to live up to this requirement.
How do I get at a poster layout that is appropriate for the target group?
Use all the specifications given. Usually the dimensions (maximum width and length based on the poster boards used) are pre-set. Many institutions have a corporate design. As an employee or representative of such an institution, I am expected to use this.