A scientific poster is a great way to showcase your research and connect with peers and others interested in your work. This medium—whether printed or digital—facilitates in-person discussions about research and related projects whenever people gather at conferences, funding defenses, and other academic events.
Poster Clarity
Are you a researcher looking to learn how to visually present your findings but unsure where to start?
Check out my beginner poster design course, Poster Clarity. In less than one day, I’ll show you how to design your first poster and make it easy for you to get started!
Email me: mail@shau-chung-shin-not-ching-chang-chong.com
What’s the difference between a scientific poster and an advertising poster?
Maybe you have never asked yourself this question, and I’m not surprised—there are many differences between these two types of posters, such as:
- The audience:
A scientific poster is usually aimed at researchers in a related field, whereas an advertising poster targets often a broad audience which is much more diverse. - Fact-based content:
Scientific posters must be grounded in real data, whereas advertising posters are not always strictly fact-based. - Language and tone:
Advertising posters often use plain or informal language with active voice and second-person (“you”) phrasing. They can be direct, playful, emotional, and even exaggerated. In contrast, scientific posters rely on technical language, cautious wording, and a third-person perspective. - The creators:
Commercial advertising posters are typically designed by professionals in design and marketing, whereas scientific posters are created by researchers, who are usually non-experts in design and communication. - The amount of content:
A scientific poster often has more text, more content than an advertising poster.
What does a scientific poster have in common with an advertising poster?
Despite their differences, a scientific poster and an advertising poster DO share some key similarities:
- Targeted audience:
Both are designed with a specific audience in mind, whether it’s researchers in a field or potential customers. - Seeking connection:
Both want to connect with their audiences, and both want to inform and inspire their audiences. - Persuasion:
While advertising posters persuade consumers to take action, scientific posters persuade the audience of the research’s significance and validity. - Visual communication:
Both use design elements like layout, colors, imaging and typography to convey a message effectively. - Concise messaging:
Both aim to present information in a clear, structured, and visually engaging way. - Hierarchy of information:
Both prioritize key messages using headlines, subheadings, and visuals to guide the viewer’s attention. - Call to action:
While advertising posters may encourage a purchase, scientific posters often invite discussion, collaboration, or further inquiry. - Visual assertion:
Both must often grab the audience’s attention in the midst of a noisy, competitive environment.
When do you need a scientific poster?
You s poster when presenting at a conference poster session or defending a funding application.
Who is a scientific poster for?
At conferences PhD students, postdocs, PIs and potential collaborators will look at your posters.
During funding defenses, the audience is often broader and may include politicians, funding agency representatives, and scientists from various fields.
How does a scientific poster work?
Let’s go through the process using two use cases:
When your poster speaks for itself
Your poster is hanging in a large hall with at least 300 other posters. Conference attendees walk the aisles of poster walls and look at the posters to see if they find something relevant and interesting.
- Your poster attracts attention with a relevant, easy to read and understand title, a familiar institutional logo, and impressive data figures.
- Once your audience has categorized your poster as relevant and interesting, they will want to take a closer look.
- If they understand and are inspired by your research, they may look forward to discussing further details or a possible collaboration with you. If the poster includes your photo and contact information in the footer, they will look for you at the conference or contact you via email.
When your poster complements your presentation
You are invited to present a poster on your latest research. You will have 10 minutes plus 10 minutes for discussion.
- Your audience is looking at you as you stand next to your poster and begin a brief introduction of your research topic. They look at the figures as you point to them and listen to your explanation.
- Your audience is looking at your numbers that validate your process and results. They are easily recognizable from a distance and work well with your verbal explanations.
- As you continue your storytelling and reveal a very interesting detail, you invite your audience to take a closer look at your figure, which adds a certain dynamic to your presentation and will help your audience remember you and your topic.
- A strong and clear closing with a question or invitation to discuss your topic or collaborate with you, while pointing to your conclusion, next steps or questions for the community, and your contact information on the poster, will help your audience think about your project and come back to you with a possible response.
How much time does it take to design a scientific poster?
As a rule of thumb, designing a poster takes as much time as you can devote to it. It can take a few days (and nights) to select, polish, and organize the content on the poster.
When designing your first poster, I recommend starting early and taking small steps. Once you have designed your first poster, it will be easier because you can use it as a template for future posters. See the “How do I get started?” section for a possible design process.
How do I start designing a scientific poster?
Start with the end in mind
WHAT is my poster FOR? What do I want? Do I want to gather experience and ideas from my peers? Am I looking for collaborators? What action do I want my audience to take and what transformation do I want them to experience? How can I make it easy for them?
Then think about your audience
WHO is my poster for? Who do I address on the conference? My peers? Potential employers? Potential collaborators? What are they interested in? What information do they need to be convinced?
Select the content that will help you achieve your goal and meet the needs of your audience.
Implement in small steps
Assign everything to the poster without worrying about how it looks. This step isn’t about beauty, it’s about getting started and organizing the content.
Print the poster in a small size—A4 or A3. Hang it on the wall and look at it:
- What can be improved?
- Is the title easy to understand?
- Does it contain the key words that will attract your audience?
- Which figures are critical to your message, which aren’t necessary and can be omitted?
- Can the text be shortened? Do bullet points help your audience understand your content better than a paragraph?
- What is the best structure for the content? Where do I want my audience to start reading? What should draw them in?
- Decide on the next steps and write them down on your poster printout.
Repeat these steps until you’re ready to show it to your supervisor and it’s ready to print.
Poster Clarity
Are you a researcher looking to learn how to visually present your findings but unsure where to start?
Check out my beginner poster design course, Poster Clarity. In less than one day, I’ll show you how to design your first poster and make it easy for you to get started!
Email me: mail@shau-chung-shin-not-ching-chang-chong.com
