Presentation Board Tips and Layout Guidelines

Required Elements

Title of your Project – What is your snappy title or catch phrase that will draw our attention to your board?

Role Background Information – Who is writing/presenting/sharing information with us? Why are they an important/notable during the time surrounding the Industrial Revolution?

Illustrations - graphics (photos, drawings) that are informative, not merely decorative

Sources - works cited list

Audience – Purpose – Who are you presenting this information to? Why is their point of view important for us to understand?

Topic/Purpose of Presentation - Why should we as the audience care? If we are to see your point of view, we should buy into your viewpoint.

Focus/Format – Product

Tips to Remember when designing your presentation board…

Quality
Is the project neatly and carefully done?
Are the lines straight?
Are words spelled correctly?
Are all graphics identified and related to the topic?
Did I choose good colors for text, framing of pictures, theme of presentation?

Creativity
Did I create instead of copy and paste lists and pictures?
How does my use of color enhance my project?
How does the arrangement of text and graphics improve my project?
Did I include elements beyond those required?
What makes my project different from others created by my classmates?

Posters should be easy to read. The message should be clear and understandable without oral explanation.

Initial Sketch: Plan your poster early. Focus your attention on a few key points. Try various styles of data presentation to achieve clarity and simplicity. Does the use of color help? What needs to be expressed in words? Suggest headlines and text topics.

Rough Layout: Enlarge your best initial sketch, keeping the dimensions in proportion to the final poster (see diagram). Ideally, the rough layout should be full size. A blackboard is a convenient place to work. Print the title and headlines. Indicate text by horizontal lines. Draw rough graphs and tables. This will give you a good idea of proportions and balance. If you are working with an artist, show him/her the poster layout. Ask associates for comments. This is still an experimental stage.

Final Layout:  The artwork is complete, the text and tables are typed but not necessarily enlarged to full size. Now ask, is the message clear? Do the important points stand out? Is there a balance between words and illustrations? Is there spatial balance?