Why scientific posters suck and what to do about it. Part 2

So you are brave and/or foolish and have set out into the adventure of designing and producing a scientific poster. Here are my thought and advice.
  • Fuck it, hire a graphic designer! Seriously, you are a researcher, not an artist, not a designer. Instead focus on the storytelling of your poster.

    Why does your research matter?

    Are your methods innovative, and could other people benefit from knowing about them?

    What are your results?

    Where does it go from here? In order words, what are the open questions?

    In these times of cinematographic universes, think of the last question as a sequel (Note to self: idea for the  open question slide "Iron Man 2"). Moreover, if you think about "related research" as other heroes in your research field.
  • Make a very high quality, high resolution CV-like photograph of you in Black and White. Say what,  Juan? In case you must add a picture of you in a poster be prepared by having a professional image that you are not ashamed of. Black and White is your best bet as it could be tuned to fit in the color palette of your poster. 
  • Find out the requirements for the poster, namely minimum and maximum size and the orientation. Not only will a graphic designer ask you for this information, but also if a landscape poster is allowed, pick that orientation. It makes the experience more immersive. 
It is not worth it doing a scientific poster by yourself if you don't have the graphic design skills and experience.  Don't let your content be buried by your design. Your research is worth a worthy design.

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