course code: pd0701 poster design using powerpoint€¦ · poster design using powerpoint page 3...

Centre for Learning and Academic Development

IT Skills Training

Course Code: PD0701

Poster Design using PowerPoint

Version 1.0

www.skills.bham.ac.uk

Poster Design Using PowerPoint

Author: Paul Foxall

Version: 1.0, July 2009

© 2009 The University of Birmingham

All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be photocopied, recorded or otherwise reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any electrical or mechanical means without permission of the copyright holder.

Trademarks: Microsoft Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All brand names and product names used in this handbook are trademarks, registered trademarks, or trade names of their respective holders.

Poster Design using PowerPoint

Contents

Poster Design Using PowerPoint............................................................................................................... ii Author: Paul Foxall ............................................................................................................................... ii Contents ....................................................................................................................................................... i

About the workbook ............................................................................................................................... 1 How to do something ................................................................................................................................. 1 Tip .............................................................................................................................................................. 1 Danger! ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 Before Getting Started. ............................................................................................................................... 2 Starting PowerPoint .................................................................................................................................... 2

Windows 7.......................................................................................................................................... 2 Understanding the PowerPoint Program Screen ..................................................................................... 3

Understanding the Ribbon .................................................................................................................. 4 Selecting a layout ............................................................................................................................... 5

Setting up PowerPoint for A0 size ............................................................................................................. 6 Displaying Drawing Guides ................................................................................................................... 7 Changing the Background Colour of Your Poster .................................................................................. 8

Applying a Gradient ........................................................................................................................... 9 Adding Text to Your Poster ..................................................................................................................... 10

Using WordArt to Create a Title .......................................................................................................... 10 Using a Text Box to Insert Text ........................................................................................................... 12 Inserting Text from another Program ................................................................................................... 12

Using Diagrams and Images ..................................................................................................................... 14 Creating a Diagram .............................................................................................................................. 14 Aligning and Grouping ......................................................................................................................... 16 Applying a Background Image ............................................................................................................. 17 Changing the Fill Colour of Text Boxes .............................................................................................. 18 Using SmartArt .................................................................................................................................... 19

The Basics ................................................................................................................................................ 20 Examples of possible combinations of Heading/Sections: ............................................................... 21

Summary .................................................................................................................................................. 23 Guidelines for Posters ...................................................................................................................... 23 Viewing distance .............................................................................................................................. 23 Viewing time .................................................................................................................................... 23 General tips on how to present your poster ...................................................................................... 23 Try to avoid ...................................................................................................................................... 24

Poster Design Using PowerPoint Page 1

About the workbook The workbook is designed as a reference for you to use after the course

has finished. The workbook is yours to take away with you so feel free

to make any notes you need in the workbook itself

The workbook is divided into sections with each section explaining

about a particular feature of the program or how to do a particular task.

Sections that take you through a particular procedure step-by-step look

like this:

How to do something Do this first.

Then do this.

Then do this to finish.

There are also a number of text boxes to watch out for throughout the

workbook. These will help you to get the most out of the course.

Tip

The thumbs-up symbol in the margin indicates a tip. These tips will help you

work more effectively.

Danger!

The thumbs-down picture in the margin indicates common mistakes or

pitfalls to be avoided.


Before Getting Started.

Clear design starts with clear thinking. Before you begin shuffling

charts, graphs and photos, ask yourself this question: if the viewer

carries away only one idea, what do I want it to be?

Now write down your answer. This is the theme of your poster, the

focal point. Everything you choose to include on your poster should

support this theme.

Posters tell stories. Your poster tells the viewer what you did, why you

did it and what you learned from doing it. The poster should include a

statement of the problem investigated, a description of the research

methods used (if relevant), results or findings, and a summary.

Keep your poster simple and visually uncluttered. Someone standing

three feet away should quickly understand what each component is and

why it is there. On a poster, columns are easier for the eye to follow

than information laid out left to right.

Effective communication starts with knowing who your audience is. At

poster sessions there is intense competition for audience attention. In

their first 3 seconds your audience will determine whether to stay and

explore your content or leave. If they stay you have 30 seconds to

secure their attention by conveying an overall understanding of your

subject matter.

Starting PowerPoint

Windows 7

1. Click the Windows Start button.

The Start menu appears.

2. Click All Programs.

The left pane of the Start menu displays the programs and menus

installed on your computer.

3. Click Microsoft Office.

4. Select Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007/2010.

The PowerPoint program screen appears.


Understanding the PowerPoint Program Screen The PowerPoint program screen may seem confusing and

overwhelming at first. This lesson will help you become familiar with

the PowerPoint program screen as well as the new user interface.

Office Button: Replaces the File menu found in previous

versions of PowerPoint. Notes pane: Type any notes you

want to use during a presentation

here.

Quick Access Toolbar: Contains common commands such

as Save, Undo, and Print. You can add more commands as

well.

Zoom slider: Click and drag the

slider to zoom in or out of a slide.

You can also use the + and – buttons.

Title bar: Displays the name of the program you are using

and the name of the presentation you are currently working

on.

View buttons: Use these buttons to

quickly switch between Normal,

Slide Sorter, and Slide Show views.

Close button: Click here to close the current presentation.

If only one presentation is open, clicking this button will

close the PowerPoint program as well.

Status bar: Displays information

about your presentation, such as your

current location in the presentation.

Right-click the status bar to specify

what information is shown.

Ribbon: The tabs on the Ribbon replace the menus and

toolbars found in previous versions of PowerPoint. Outline tab: Focuses on the content

of your presentation rather than its

appearance. Use the Outline tab when

you want to add large amounts of text

to a presentation.

Slide pane: Displays the slide you are currently working on. Slides tab: Contains a thumbnail

image of every slide in the

presentation. Click a thumbnail to

jump to that slide.


Understanding the Ribbon

PowerPoint provides easy access to commands through the Ribbon,

which replaces the menus and toolbars found in previous versions of

PowerPoint. The Ribbon keeps commands visible while you work

instead of hiding them under menus or toolbars.

The Ribbon is made up of three basic components:

Tabs

Commands are organized into tabs on the Ribbon. Each tab contains a

different set of commands. There are three different types of tabs:

Command tabs: These tabs appear by default whenever you

open the PowerPoint program. In PowerPoint, the Home, Insert, Design,

Animations, Slide Show, Review and View tabs appear by default.

Contextual tabs: Contextual tabs appear whenever you perform

a specific task and offer commands relative to only that task. For

example, whenever you select a picture, a Picture Tools tab appears in

the Ribbon.

Program tabs: If you switch to a different authoring mode or

view, such as Print Preview, program tabs replace the default command

tabs that appear on the Ribbon.

Groups

The commands found on each tab are organized into groups of related

commands. For example, the Font group contains commands used for

formatting fonts. Click the Dialog Box Launcher ( ) in the bottom-right

corner of a group to display even more commands.

Buttons

One way to issue a command is by clicking its button on the Ribbon.

Buttons are the smallest element of the Ribbon and change color when

clicked.

Command tab

Button

Contextual tab

Group Dialog Box Launcher


Selecting a layout

If you don’t like the layout that has been assigned to the new slide by

default, choose a new one. PowerPoint gives you nine different layouts

to choose from, and you can even create your own custom layouts

(more on this later).

The layout name tells you which types of text and/or object

placeholders are included in the layout; for example, the Title and

Content layout contains a title placeholder and a body text placeholder.

1. Click the Home tab on the Ribbon and click the Layout button

in the Slides group.

The Layout gallery appears.

2. Select the Blank layout.

The new layout is applied to the slide.


Setting up PowerPoint for A0 size

It is very important to set the poster size first! Otherwise, if you work in

A4 (default size) and scale up to A0, the print quality will be poor,

especially for any image included.

1. Go to the Design tab on the Ribbon and click Page Setup dialog

box will appear.

2. In the Slides sized for: box select Custom

3. In the Width: enter 90 and in the Height: box enter 120. In the

Orientation section, make sure that Portrait is selected under

Slides and click OK.

Table 1: PowerPoint Slide Layouts

Title Slide

Title and Content

Section Header

Two Content

Comparison

Title Only

Blank

Content with Caption

Picture with Caption


4. Go to the View tab and click Zoom. Change the Zoom level to

20%

5. Save your poster as PowerPoint presentation

If working to a different size, the standard international metric paper

sizes are:

AO 118.9 x 84.1 cm

A1 84.1 x 59.4 cm

A2 59.4 x 42 cm

A3 42 x 29.7 cm

Displaying Drawing Guides

Guides should be used to ensure text and images are aligned. They will

not be printed and are not displayed in Slide Show view. For example,

you can use vertical guides to create margins on the left and right or a

horizontal guide to align your title and graphics at the top.

1. Right click on the blank part of the slide and select Grid and

Guides. The Grid and Guides dialog box will appear.

2. select the Display drawing guides on screen option and click

OK


To move the guides, drag them with the mouse. The distance from the

centre of the slide will be displayed as you drag the guide.

To duplicate the guide, hold down the Ctrl key as you drag. To delete a

guide, drag it off the screen.

Changing the Background Colour of Your Poster

PowerPoint offers you a variety of options for backgrounds for

presentations. You can simply change the colour, or you can add

shading, patterns, textures or pictures. The background of your poster

should not detract from the content and careful consideration should be

given to the choice of colours and/or images so as to ensure that your

poster is still legible. Remember that slide colour schemes that are

suitable for projection are not always suitable for printing.


Applying a Gradient

You can use any of the predefined PowerPoint colour schemes for your

poster, or you may prefer to design your own.

1. Make sure that the Design tab is selected and move your mouse

over the different options in the Themes group to see how your

poster would appear using each of the themes.

2. In the Background group on the Design tab, click Background

styles and select Format Background. The Format background

dialog box will appear. Select Gradient fill

3. Make selection from the Preset colors, Type and Direction

options. You will see the result of your selections on your slide

behind the dialog box

4. Adjust the Stop position and Transparency sliders and make

sure that your background will not make any text difficult to

read. Click Close when you have finished.


Adding Text to Your Poster

The title of your poster is your first communication with the viewer and

should clearly convey the essence of your message. As well as

containing the title of your project, the poster title may also include the

names of the people involved and their affiliation. The title should be

readable from about three metres away and therefore should usually

have a minimum font size of 40 points.

Using WordArt to Create a Title

WordArt allows you to create high impact text and offers a variety of

styles. You can stretch, curve or rotate your text, or you can even make

it 3-D or vertical.

1. Go to Insert tab and in the Text group click WordArt and

choose a WordArt style from the gallery

2. A textbox will appear in the centre of your poster containing the

text Your text here. Replace this text with the following title:

The influence of family relationships on adolescent siblings’

alcohol use

Click Bold button and change the font size to 72 (or larger)


3. Click the title to select it. use the four headed arrow to drag the

title to the top of the poster, making sure that it is centred. If you

wish to resize it you can use the “drag handle” that appears on

the corners and sides of the WordArt.

When the WordArt is selected, you will notice a Format tab under

Drawing Tools will be added to the Ribbon

4. Select your text and click on the Format tab. Experiment with

the different options in the WordArt Styles group or click the

dialog box launcher in the WordArt Styles group to open the

Format Text Effects dialog box

5. Adjust various features of your WordArt to ensure that the

colours and styles used will make the text easy to read.


Using a Text Box to Insert Text

Although WordArt is useful for creating fancy text, it is not suitable for

large amounts of text. Another way of inserting text is to use a Text

Box.

1. Go to the Insert tab on the Ribbon and click Text Box and then

click below your main title. Enter the following text:

Dr Hooky & Dr Stella Artois

CLAD, University of Birmingham, UK

2. Centre the text box horizontally on the poster.

3. select the names of the authors within the text box and make

them bold

4. Select all the text in the text box, make it font size 72 and centre

it. Click outside of the text box to deselect it. Save your changes

Inserting Text from another Program

1. Insert a new text box on the left of the poster.

2. Minimise the PowerPoint window and start the Word

application by either double clicking on the Word desktop icon

or go through the program menu.

3. Open the PosterText file from the network drive (the IT trainer

will instruct you how to find the file). Select the first two

paragraphs entitled Introduction and Sample and copy them to

the clipboard (CTRL+C)

4. Minimise the Word window and maximise the PowerPoint

window again

5. Click within the empty text box and press CTRL+V to paste the

copied text.


6. Select all the text in the text box by clicking inside the text box

and pressing CTRL+A and change the font size to 32. Make the

titles Introduction and Sample font size 40. Resize and

reposition the text box so that it fits within the first quarter of the

poster.

7. Repeat the above procedure to copy and paste the Method and

Procedure paragraph into a text box in the bottom left quarter of

the poster. Make sure the text has the same formatting as

outlined above.

8. Position the Results paragraph in the top right quarter and the

Summary and Discussion and Conclusions paragraphs in the

bottom right quarter, applying the same formatting as before.

9. Copy the Reference section and paste it into the poster. Make

the text size 24 and resize the text box so that it spans the width

of the bottom of the poster. The poster should resemble the

picture below!


Using Diagrams and Images

As space is limited on a poster presentation, you should use images and

diagrams to explain processes or results where possible.

Creating a Diagram

You are now going to create a diagram in the space in the middle of the

right column of your poster using the Shapes gallery.

1. Adjust the Zoom in your PowerPoint window so that the space

in the right column of your poster most of your screen.

2. Go to the Insert tab on the Ribbon and click Shapes. Choose

the Rounded Rectangle shape.


3. Click when you want to place the first rectangle and drag it out

to an appropriate size.

4. Go to the Home tab and change the size in the Font Size box to

40 and type Parental Alcohol Problems using the Enter key to

place each word on a new line. Resize the rectangle as

necessary.

5. With the rectangle still selected, go to the Format tab under

Drawing Tools. Use the options in the Shape Styles group to


adjust features of the shape like the fill colour.

6. Right-click on the rectangle and select Copy. Right-click and

select Paste. A copy of the rectangle will appear over the top of

the first. Drag the new rectangle below the first, click inside it

and replace the text with Poor Martial Quality.

7. Repeat this process to recreate the other rectangle as shown

above.

8. Click the Arrow button on the Insert Shapes group on the

Format tab and click and drag an arrow from the Parental

Alcohol Problems rectangle to the Parenting OS rectangle.

9. With the arrow still selected, use the Shape Styles gallery to

increase the thickness and colour of the arrow.

10. To create the other arrows, copy and paste the first arrow,

resizing and repositioning each as necessary

11. To change an arrow from a solid to a dashed line, select the

arrow and click on the Shape Outline button in the Shapes

Styles group. Point to Dashes and choose a dash style

12. When you have finished your diagram, save your changes

Aligning and Grouping

You may wish to include an image such as a digital photograph on your

poster. You can do this as follows:

1. from the Insert tab, select Picture in the Illustrations group

2. Navigate to the course folder and select the alcopops.jpg file

and click Insert.

3. position the image above the heading Introduction and resize it

as appropriate

4. Go to the Format tab under Picture Tools and in the Picture

Styles group click Picture Border and select a colour for the

border. A thin, dark border tends to work best around a picture

Some images may become distorted when enlarged for posters. Images

taken from the WWW and pictures saved as a gif file tend not to scale well.

Images with a higher resolution will look better when printed so always try to

use the best quality image you can.


Applying a Background Image

Images can also be used as the background to your poster however this

feature should be used with caution as it may be difficult to find an

image that allows your text to be read easily.

1. In the Background group on the Design tab, click Background

styles and select Format Background. The Format Background

dialog box will appear.

2. select Picture or texture fill and click the File button under

Insert from

3. In the Select Picture dialog box, navigate to the course folder

and select alcohol.jpg image and click Insert.

4. click Close in the Format Background dialog box and save

changes


Changing the Fill Colour of Text Boxes

To make your text easier to read you can apply a fill colour to the text

boxes or make them semi-transparent.

1. Right-click on the first text box and select Format Shape. The

Format Shape dialog box will appear.

2. Make sure that Fill is selected in the list on the left and select

Solid fill.

3. Select white in the Color: box and set the Transparency: level

to 50%. Click Close and view the result.

4. Click on the next text box and then click again on its border to

select it. Press and hold down the Ctrl key and click on the

remaining text boxes to select them all simultaneously.

5. Select the Format tab under Drawing Tools and click the dialog

box launcher in the Shapes Styles group to open the Format

Shape dialog box. Change the Fill Colour to white and the

Transparency to 50% and click and click OK. All the text

boxes should now be semi-transparent.

6. View your presentation in Slide Show view by clicking the

Slide Show icon in the Status bar to see the finished effect. Press

the Esc key to return to Normal view when you have finished.

7. Save your changes


Using SmartArt

A quick way to create basic diagrams such as flowcharts, cycle

diagrams, pyramids and so on is to use the new SmartArt feature.

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button and select New.

Make sure that Blank Presentation is selected and click

Create.

2. Click Layout in the Slides group and change the layout

to a Blank layout.

3. Go to the Insert tab and in the Illustrations group, click

SmartArt. The Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog box

will appear.

4.


The Basics

Each poster should have a title. The poster title is the first level of

communication with the viewer. It should clearly communicate the

essence of your poster. It should be readable from 15 feet away and

should be bold and bright print.

Background materials and graphics should have straight edges and even

margins. If you are pasting separate components onto your poster, use a

ruler and sharp knife to cut out charts, graphics, photos and text.

Whenever possible, reinterpret text as charts, graphs or illustrations.

People are able to process images an amazing 60,000 times faster than

text, so aim for 30-40% of your poster to be graphic content.

Illustrations and photographs should be clear and properly proportioned.

Image files should be high resolution (150 dpi or higher), and tiffs or

gifs are best. Using the “drag-and-drop” method to adjust the width or

height of an image can result in distortion. It’s better to resize images

using commands such as, “image size,” “scale” or “fit content

proportionally.”

Connect you text to the graphic elements. If a paragraph refers to a

diagram off to the side somewhere, say so! For example, “Winds

blowing over ocean generate waves Fig. 1). Viewers can’t read small

captions from a distance. Use 24-point (24pt) type or larger (captions

can be 18pt; titles should be at least 85pt).

Divide your information into main sections. These sections typically

include: Title, Authors, Affiliations, Introduction, Materials & Methods,

Results, Conclusions, References, Acknowledgements and perhaps a

photo of the author(s), and the I.D. You may also wish to provide a

handout version of your poster with detailed contact information, and

references.


Examples of possible combinations of Heading/Sections:

Combination 2

Author/Title/Affiliation

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Combination 1


Objectives

Data Sources/Settings

Study Design

Data Collection

Principle Finding

Conclusions

Funding Sources


Objectives

Data

Sources/Settings

Study Design

Data

Collection

Principle

Findings

Conclusions

Funding Sources


Objectives Methods

Results

Conclusions


Combination 3


Abstract

Methods

Descriptive Issues

Statistical Analysis

Conclusions

Relevance

Funding Source

Combination 4

Author/Title/Affiliati

on

Background

Information

Research Question

Methods

Conclusions

Future Research

Questions

Funding Sources

The flow of your poster should be from top left to the bottom right.

The movement of the eye over the poster should be natural (down

columns or along rows). Use arrows, pointing hands, numbers or letters

to clarify the sequence or flow of the poster. Some presenters will

number the sections in sequence to guide the reader through the poster.


Abstract

Statistical

Analysis

Conclusion

Funding

Sources

Methods

Descriptive

Issues

Relevance


Background

information

Conclusions

Future

Research

Questions

Research

Question

Methods

Funding

Sources


Summary Guidelines for Posters

Your poster should be designed to convey the essence of your research

in a clear and eye-catching way, to appeal to colleagues as well as non-

specialists.

The ideal poster will:

Attract passers-by to stop and take an interest

Make a good impression.

Enable the viewer to remember key details of your research

(what, why, how who?)

Encourage viewers to contact you for more information about

your research.

Viewing distance

You should ensure that your poster can be read clearly from a distance

of 2 metre or more.

Viewing time

It should be possible for the viewer to absorb the general information in

your poster in a short time (up to 3 minutes)

General tips on how to present your poster

Title Should be meaningful but not complicated. Try not to baffle

the readers (especially the non-specialists

Clarity Your display should be visually clear and easy to follow, with

a clear description of the aims and method.

Colour Good use of colour is helpful. Even if the majority of material

is in black and white it is important to highlight with colour.

However, bear in mind that too much colour can be visually

confusing

Message Ensure that the general overview of the poster is clear, and

that the more detailed information is not too complex.

Relevance Demonstrate how your research fits in with the world as a

whole, to help viewers relate to it.

Images Make sure the images you use are clear and of good quality

Graphics These must be sharp and relevant to the presentation. Charts,

drawings and illustrations should be simpler and more heavily


drawn than those you would use for slides. Use colour is

encourages to add emphasis effectively.

Font-style and size

Be constituent in your choice of font, limiting yourself to one

or two. Ensure that the font size is legible from the indicated

viewing distance

Grouping Text and graphics should be grouped together in relevant and

visually stimulating sets

Layout/flow Guide the viewer’s eye in an orderly way. Ensure that there is

a logical path of items to be followed. It may be appropriate to

link sections with lines and arrows

Borders Adding an outer border to your poster, and bordering any

sections contained within, generally helps define your display

clearly.

Contributors Identify any contributors other than those shown at the top of

your display

Contact point Provide your contact details to encourage people to find out

more about your research. This could involve adding leaflets

or cards for readers to take with them.

Summary A concise summary may be useful. This could be done by

giving a set of key points

Try to avoid

Window pane effect

Straight rows and columns of information are not visually

stimulating especially if the size and content of each

appears similar, giving a window-pane effect. Use a

pattern of sections – this need not be regular.

Sparseness Make sure that enough information is included on the

poster. Don’t make up for lack of information by using

exceptionally large fonts and figures.

Clutter Conversely, avoid having so much information that the

sections presented are unable to stand apart.

Too much detail Don’t be tempted to include all you know on the subject –

remember that the viewer has a limited time to look at

your poster.

Irrelevant detail Try to avoid inappropriate side issues that may detract

from the main subject

course code: pd0701 poster design using powerpoint€¦ · poster design using powerpoint page 3...

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