As a researcher, you have an important story to tell, one that can have a positive impact on society. Whether it’s a public health message or a novel technique to share with your peers, everyone is better off when your work is visible.

But academic articles are a tough read and discourage most people. So how do you engage your peers and the public while shining a light on your research?

A well-designed scientific poster tells everyone in the hall a lot about you: about the way you present your work, about your skills in graphic design, about the amount of effort you put into your story. Your poster is your story!

Making an effective scientific poster is about standing out from the crowd and presenting your hard work in the best light. But choosing a cohesive, eye-catching and stylish colour scheme is easier said than done. With no help from your design software’s default colour palette, and infinite colours to choose from, it can be overwhelming.

New research papers are being published every day. In fact, 2.6 million papers are published every year. But let's face it; nobody has the time to read abstract after abstract to dig out what you need from all the papers out there. So how can we digest a large amount of information in a shorter span of time? Here's where “graphical abstracts” come in to make every researcher’s life easier.