Advanced Display Board Design and Tips

Another way to emphasize information is to use a "buddy board." This is a small, but separate board.

• At the high school level projects are likely to be judged by professionals in each particular area of science. The judges will judges will expect your display to resemble a scientific journal.
• Number your graphs and figures, and give each a caption.
• Make sure you properly cite all your sources.
• Use the jargon (terms and vocabulary) specific to the field of science you are researching.

Figures and graphs should be captioned similarly to a scientific journal.

• If you have a complex project, a prominently located layman's summary will be appreciated by many people at your event.

A layman's summary, like this one, can be placed directly on your project display board or housed on a buddy board.

The title on this display board casts a shadow on the main information, making it hard to read.

The title on this display board casts a shadow on the main information, making it hard to read.

• You want your display board to invite people in for a closer look at your project. If you make your display too deep and/or make the sides perpendicular to the back of the display, a person has to twist his or her neck to see your information.

The side panels on this display are too deep and too perpendicular to the back board.

The side panels on this display are too deep and too perpendicular to the back board.

• Generally, people want to read at a height close to eye level. For boards standing on a typical table, we recommend that you keep your board to a height of about 48" (1.2 m), not counting the table. A little taller than that is OK if you must have the room, but if your board gets too high, people have to crane their necks, which is something you don't want them to do. Additionally, the farther they are from the text, the smaller it appears, making it hard to read.

This display board towers over people's heads and is too tall to read the top sections.

• Many fairs allow floor-standing displays. These make sense if you have a large apparatus that you want to display. However, don't put text below table height. People aren't going to sit on the floor to read it, and if they cannot read it, don't bother putting it there

The photos and text at the bottom of this display board are too low to the ground for anyone to read comfortably.