CALL FOR ENTRIES

If you can’t make it to the 2006 Conference or are too shy to present, posters are an excellent way for you to share a process or technique with everyone! This year our poster session will be hung along with the annual exhibit. That means they will be highly visible and will remain on exhibit from July through September, so not only would your poster be a contribution to the conference, it would educate the public (and show off your skills) for some time afterward. What’s not to love?

So what exactly is a poster, and how do you make one? A poster is a 32x40 inch piece of paper with illustrations and/or photos and text that describes a project or technique in a step-by-step process. The poster session is NOT for displaying a poster we have illustrated, like a beautiful art poster or the fern life cycle. However, a poster presentation explaining how the project was constructed and showing an image of the final poster as a product of this process is OK. Showing how a piece of artwork is developed from concept to final artwork is great, especially since the posters will be on display for so long and the lay public will be the audience. More than one person can author a poster. Chapter or company posters would be fun! Teaming up will make it less labor-intensive and less expensive. View this as your chance to educate your peers and the general public about what scientific illustration is and how we do it!

People are visual animals. Try to tell your story with pictures, using text to support and further define what is going on in the images. Information should be condensed and suitable for quick survey viewing. Remember, your audience will be standing and reading. A text-heavy poster is less likely to be read than one that allows the images to speak for themselves. Think of how much more enjoyable it is to read a children’s picture book about bugs that has LOTS of illustrations and photos than a scientific tome without pictures. That’s what we’re going for.

Posters may be created through traditional or digital means. If you are creating a poster digitally, make sure you call your service bureau before you begin to find out their file requirements and how they’d like the final file to be delivered. Costs vary, but figure around $10-$20 per square foot.

A Step-by-Step Guide for Creating Your Poster

1. Write an abstract and mail it to Mary Reynolds. An abstract is a summary – no more than 300 words – of your poster. Once she has received your abstract your poster is registered as exhibiting.

2. Poster Specifications: Posters must be 32 x 40 inches (81.3 x 101.6 centimeters), either horizontal or vertical format. They must be one piece of paper. They may be laminated for durability. They will be placed in frames so there will be some protection, but it is a high-traffic area.

Make sure the poster is readable from a distance. A standard lettering format is:

• Title: San Serif font (Helvetica or Arial are examples), bold, 60 point type
• Subtitles: Bold, 36 point type
• Text: Serif font type (like Times or Bookman), bold, minimum 14 point type.
  

These are only guidelines! Do what you need to make your poster look great and read well.

3. Mail your Poster. Send the poster to Mary so she and the exhibit crew can hang it with the rest of the exhibit. Since the exhibit will be hung well before the conference begins you may not bring your poster to the conference with you. You are responsible for shipping and insurance to and from the exhibit. You MUST include a prepaid return shipping label with your poster. Neither the Madison organizers, the University of Wisconsin nor the Guild is responsible for damage incurred in delivery, handling or exhibition of the posters.

Deadlines
Abstracts are due to Mary by May 15, 2006. You may email them to Mary at mjreynolds@wi.rr.com, or snail-mail them to:

Mary Reynolds
2168 N. 58th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53208

Mailed Posters should be received by Mary between June 12th and 22nd, 2006. Please send posters to the above address.

I certainly hope you’ll be attending, but if you can’t please consider sending a poster! It is a wonderful way to contribute to the conference and to the public’s understanding of scientific illustration. We are fortunate to have a wonderful display opportunity this year, ensuring that many people will have a chance to view your creation. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me, Julie Kulak, at (630) 428-9537; juliekulak@netzero.com.

- Julie Kulak, with many thanks to Kris Kirkeby