How to make your board look professional

[Gizmogirl]

I am qualified to go to the Texas Science and Engineering fair but to me my board looks too childish rather than the other senior division boards that I see and get awards. So what should I do to make my board look more professional. For example, most of the boards that win are not a double board (like mine) and they do not have all of the information that I have and most do not have any color and most are all printed out on one sheet instead of in separate sheets. Please tell me what would be best to have on my board so I can get something at the state science fair and progress on to nationals for the first time.

[Louise]

I am qualified to go to the Texas Science and Engineering fair but to me my board looks too childish rather than the other senior division boards that I see and get awards. So what should I do to make my board look more professional. For example, most of the boards that win are not a double board (like mine) and they do not have all of the information that I have and most do not have any color and most are all printed out on one sheet instead of in separate sheets. Please tell me what would be best to have on my board so I can get something at the state science fair and progress on to nationals for the first time.

Printing on a single sheet can be very expensive. I believe Kinko's can do such a thing, but I believe this service costs about $100-$200 depending on the amount of colors, graphics, etc. I think nicely matted sheets on a double board is okay too. I present posters at professional conferences, and I see both styles. So, I would not assume that people will think your board is childish because of that. If you use color, use it sparingly. I personally think blues and greens look more professional than reds and yellows and oranges, so I tend to use those colors. I think the most important thing is not to use too many colors- your poster probably should not look like a rainbow.

Obviously, you have looked at many boards and have a strong idea of what a professional board looks like. I would use that.

BUT, advancing to nationals isn't based on who's board is prettiest. If your project isn't good, then having a fancy board won't help.

Why don't you look at:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentorin ... oard.shtml

for some ideas.

You should also make sure you know what the requirements are for the poster at the state fair- size, etc.


Louise