Future Trends

Abstract

Predicting the future is notoriously unreliable. However, it seems reasonable to extrapolate current trends to consider likely developments in the foreseeable future. The 1980s and the 1990s have seen the emergence of scientific posters and have seen their popularity to grow to such an extent that they now represent the most frequently used means of communicating scientific information at many meetings. Over this time, the standards of poster design and quality of production have improved in leaps and bounds. This is partly due to the developments in, and availability of, desktop computers and the software supporting them, which has developed over the same period. The gap between the quality of amateur-produced posters and those professionally prepared is closing, but there is still much room for improvement. For many, the gap still remains a chasm. The desktop computer is already a most valuable asset in poster production, allowing text and graphic representation of scientific data to be readily prepared in color. Photographs and other illustrations may be scanned and incorporated directly into the poster design. It is probably only a matter of time before a computer software program becomes available specifically to cover all aspects of poster design and production. If this becomes available, poster modules could easily be transported via a floppy disc, and printed on arriving at the meeting venue, and subsequently constructed on the display board.