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How do you create memorable poster for top tier conferences ( ICML/ICLR/NEURips ect…) [D] : r/MachineLearning
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• 2d ago
DazzlingPin3965

# How do you create memorable poster for top tier conferences ( ICML/ICLR/NEURips ect…) [D]

Discussion

Hello everyone,
Presenting at a top-tier conference for the first time and having a very hard time coming up with an appropriate design for my poster.
Everything I do seems basic and banal. My paper is more theory-oriented, and apart from putting math formulas in bold in the middle, I am not sure what the best way is to design the poster. Even the sizing choice is complicated as ICML gives 3 different recommendations to pick from, and somehow from my computer, I can’t see how the PowerPoint slide will look like printed on those dimensions.
And
Printing a poster is nearly $100 CAD, so there’s no room for trial and error.

So
If anyone has any tips on how to do it properly,
I have been using PowerPoint, but perhaps I should go to Canvas? Or
Does anyone have another software to recommend?

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temporal_guy
• 2d ago

These are my observations for which posters tend to garner attention, sorted from most to least important:

1. Get the biggest allowable poster size

2. No more than three columns, let central column be biggest

3. Less words is better. Less math is better (sorry): Focus on takeaways and plots. It’s okay if there’s a lot of white space, but too dense makes it too intimidating.

4. During the session, people tend to flock. If you’re already talking to one person, then it’s very easy to entice a crowd. If you have a friend attending too, asking them to come during a lull can help!

5. Speak loudly and with a big smile

Honestly, it’s fine if your poster doesn’t attract that many people. Most importantly, your paper was accepted. Most people walking around won’t be related to your field, and most will forget about your specific paper. The people who it’s relevant to will generally find your poster and your paper anyways.

Informal-Hair-5639
• 2d ago

Clear plots that are explain intuition are useful.

pannenkoek0923
• 2d ago

I'll add to this- results and key takeway message matters far more than the methods

Major-Humor249
• 2h ago

pretty much, nobody is stopping for the methods block unless the main result is already interesting

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DazzlingPin3965
• 2d ago

Hello !! Thanks for these great tips! I actually was not even thinking about the actual conference day where I will stand next to the poster and talk about it. My mind was just focused on making something “pretty”. I will keep these in mind, thank you !!

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Worth_Cap838
• 2d ago

Watch this video https://youtu.be/1RwJbhkCA58?si=EMDIOqkTvDfAQ6t4

Insert a QR code to let people easily see/download your paper

DazzlingPin3965
• 2d ago

Helloo!! Thanks for sharing this very helpful

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nonlinearliv
• 2d ago

I use Inkscape:) If you have time (and your institute is willing to pay) and you wanna make a good one, there's an online course called Visualise Your Science (4.5 ECTs) that a lot of Scandinavians take where the posters really turn out stunning imo. You basically learn the software of your choice from scratch, the final outcome is your poster, and you get feedback along the way.