How to create a better research poster in less time (#betterposter Generation 1)

Every field in science uses the same, old, wall-of-text poster design. If we can improve the knowledge transfer efficiency of that design even by a little bit, it could have massive ripple effects on all of science.

Also, poster sessions tend to suck, so here's my pitch to make them more efficient AND more fun with a new approach to designing scientific posters/academic posters that is both more usable, and easier to create!

MY TWITTER (tag me in me your poster selfies!!):

PORTRAIT LAYOUT (alpha version)...

WAIT NEVERMIND: Ignore what I said about colors. Instead, use colors that trigger the right emotions to fit your punchline, when possible. Failing that, use colors that complement/repeat colors from a key graphic/image. Try to do something above defaulting to your school's bg color.

FAQ: HOW DID YOU MAKE THIS VIDEO?

FAQ: BUT IT'S MISSING [WHATEVER] THING I NEED
Add it! As in the video, I was aiming for a minimal base, with nothing to take away. There's plenty of stuff that can be added. Got an idea? Modify it and let me know how it goes! This is not the only way to do a poster well, nor is it perfect in all cases. Just one suggestion that, I think, is at least a step in the right direction from the wall of text. You can take it way further. It's more important that you experiment with lots of ideas than 'decide' on one layout.

FAQ: BUT MY FIELD IS VISUAL. I NEED A WALL OF VISUALS AND TEXT
In my experience, visual fields (e.g., org chem, robotics, planetary science) can actually go even more minimalist than this standard #betterposter layout. If that's you, think of your poster as a very brief visual story, that can be absorbed from 6 feet away. See how few images & sentences you can use to communicate your key methods and results.

THANKS

[MikeMorrisonPhD]

P.S. - Thank you all for being open to improving your posters!

[icrisologo]

Why traditional academic posters are bad 0:00-11:35
What is a good design 11:35-12:08
The redesign 12:08-16:14
Examples 16:14-17:28
Conclusion 17:28-19:31

[jasminezamora]

My PI would kill me if I used this but I love the concept lol

[RoseyVamp]

As someone about to go into my first poster session next week this is MASSIVELY HELPFUL! I was so nervous about presenting but now I know how I should be making my poster and I feel like I’m making it WITH A PURPOSE!! I’ll definitely be watching the updated video but so far I’m feeling a lot better about this

[gina]

This was terrific. I'm moving forward with many of the concepts in this video! Thank you for making this incredible video!

[joqinaau]

I LOVE this. I come from a communications background and am about to present my first clinical psych poster at a conference (of my own research, rather than someone else's) - I always wondered why posters were so user-unfriendly. I'm going to try a version of this, perhaps not as bold and brave as these here, but I will take a step into what is a more engaging and memorable sharing space using your tips. Thank you!

[erynpblock]

WHOA! I am blown away by how useful and important this video is. Thank you so much! Definitely going to use it for my next poster.

[unwmmfm]

My goodness - what a better way to make a poster and get your message across. I'm sold! Will always use this approach. Thanks, Ian

[alisonl]

@MikeMorrison. THANK YOU so much for your generosity of sharing, and to those of your friends and colleagues who have done the same. For years I have hated Poster sessions, hated making them, hated doing them, bored to death looking at walls and walls of fine print and indecipherable graphs. A total waste of time - might as just write the bloody paper and go through the journal submission process. Posters do have their place - and someone has FINALLY developed a way to make Posters shine - reflect the important work presented, while not pretending it's anything other a Poster.

[edwardruthazer]

Thank you for putting this out there.  
This video was a bit slow to get to the point.... Ironic. But still nicely done.
The ideas are good, especially the QR code, but the Twitter approach to posters seems to go too far.  
Here's what I tell my students: 
1. Always end your poster with simple, clear bullet point conclusions in a super-large font that can be read from 5 feet away. I think that captures the main spirit of your video.
2. When presenting your poster ALWAYS be respectful of your audience's time. Your presentation should take no more than 3 min to go through without questions. Use the extra time for those who might have questions.

[mirkosadi]

Just love this poster design. You are teaching to focus on essentials and good organization of content instead of just stuffing as much information as possible into one poster. Great video.

[mariagraziaerausquinruiz]

I am designing my dissertation poster using the "traditional way" and I found out this while looking for tips for designing a poster. This is a simple and creative idea! I want to apply it but I am worried it will fell out the marking criteria of my university. Either way, I think this idea has lots of potential for future academia, at least I hope so.

[fhaist]

Simply brilliant. You've changed how I will present my posters from here on out. A well spent year in creating this. Thank you!

[artnoveau]

"Maybe the research in your field isn't really important - and I'm in Psychology, so I get that..."
As a fellow psychologist I can agree whole heartedly.

[daniellesweitzer]

This is a really awesome and entertaining video. Thank you for making it and answering all my frustrations towards scientific posters. My next one is going to be better because of this.

[arpuneetkaur]

This was wonderful, every bit of it is as motivating and entertaining as it could be! God bless Mike Morrison. Thank you so much!

[SomosSimon]

Thank you! The humor and honesty of this video was so refreshing got me excited about doing a better job on the poster I procrastinated and need to produce this weekend.

[robertdavis]

As someone who has both presented at and been an attendee at many poster sessions in several unrelated fields, this idea is great. Your description of how it feels to attempt to find interesting posters is spot on. All the times I have been wandering around I inevitably end up getting stuck at a handful of posters, and only realize later I'm out of time and can't see anything else. Plus standing there silently reading while the presenter tries not to be awkward is like pulling teeth. If my PI is willing, I think I'll be trying out something akin to this the next time I do a poster.

[janinejones]

This is so brilliant!!! Revolutionary! Sharing with all of my students! eternally grateful to you!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[FionaC]

A wise psych professor told me 25 years ago “you can never have too few words on a poster” and I’ve always stuck to that. So I’ve been using minimal words plus QR codes for a while now, it’s definitely the way to go. I hardly ever stop at a wall-of-text poster and can never believe that people really still do that!

I like this idea but have two fears: now everyone uses the same template and it becomes hard to stand out (possible); and the other I have already seen on your RTs, which is people are making the side bars too big (splitting into thirds instead of narrow bands at the side) - this seems to defeat the purpose and makes it look like a wall-of-text with engineering issues 😉

The practice definitely is long overdue a shake-up though and if this even gets people thinking twice about their design your job is done.