4-H Poster and Notebook Guidelines

All 4-H poster exhibits MUST meet the following guidelines:

  1. All posters must be 22” x 28” and must be exhibited horizontally. 
  1. Posters must be mounted on a firm backing. Any thin, lightweight material that will keep the poster from bending forward will work. Examples are very stiff cardboard, thin paneling, thin luan board, or foam coreboard.
  2. All posters must be covered with clear plastic or other transparent material to protect the exhibit. This is required to keep the poster clean before judging and when touched by fairgoers.
  • Clear plastic comes in various thicknesses, in rolls or sheets, and may be purchased at most hardware and variety stores.
  • Do not use plastic food wrap. It is not heavy enough to protect the poster properly.
  • Posters may be professionally covered.
  • Foam core board and plastic envelopes may be purchased at the Newton County Extension Office.
  1. All posters must have a title.
  • Some exhibits require a specific title, and others allow the 4-Her to use creativity in choosing a title.
  • Check exhibit guidelines for your particular project.
  1. A small label is to be placed in the lower right corner on the front of your poster under the plastic covering. This label should include the following information: Name, Project, and Division or Level.
  2. ALL POSTERS, NOTEBOOKS, AND DISPLAY BOARDS-All posters, notebooks, and display boards must include a reference list indicating where information was obtained, giving credit to the original author, to complete the 4-H exhibit. This reference list should/might include web site links, people and professionals interviewed, books, magazines, etc. It is recommended this reference list be attached to the back of a poster or display board, be the last page of a notebook, or included as part of the display visible to the public. A judge is not to discredit an exhibit for the manner in which references are listed.

EXAMPLES:

BOOK:  

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle.

Location: Publisher.

 

Alfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991). APA guide to preparing manuscripts for journal

publication. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

WEBSITE:

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Online Periodical, volume number (issue number if available). Retrieved from http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/

                              

Bernstein, M. (2002). 10 tips on writing the living Web. A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites, 149. Retrieved from http://www.alistapart.com/articles/writeliving

  1. Exception: Exhibit tag on Photography Salon Print may be mounted on top of the plastic. In addition, write your name on the back of the mount under the plastic for identification.

 

Planning the Poster

  1. A good poster does not happen by accident. Plan the poster ahead of time, make several rough sketches, and experiment.
  2. The poster should have one main idea.
  3. The poster should be self-explanatory.
  4. The message of the poster should be brief and direct.
  5. The poster should grab the viewer’s attention immediately, help the person to focus on the main idea, and cause that person to take action.
  6. Be sure the poster follows specific project guidelines.

 

 

Color

  1. Use white poster board when required; experiment with other colors when not required.
  2. Colors can create the desired mood or atmosphere for your poster. Colors have meaning, so use the appropriate color for your subject. For example: earthy colors (light brown, natural, greens, rusts) work well for forestry and wildlife posters.
  3. Limit the poster to two or three colors so that color does not become too obvious to the viewer.
  4. Choose color combinations that make your message easy to read. The following color combinations are listed from most legible to least legible: black on yellow; green on white; red on white; blue on white; white on blue; black on white; yellow on black; white on red; white on green; white on black; red on yellow; green on red; red on green; and blue on red. Reminder: marking pens may change color, depending on background color.

 

Lettering/Methods

  1. Lettering should be large enough and dark enough to be easily seen.
  2. Leave the same amount of space between letters.
  3. Spaces between words should be about the size of a full letter.
  4. Lower case letters are easier to read than capital letters. Use capital letters or other novel lettering methods only for emphasis. Straight, simple letters are easiest to read.
  5. Hand Lettering – Looks appealing if done neatly.
  6. Stencils – Give a very neat appearance if used properly.
  • Close the gaps on stenciled letters to make them solid letters, which are easier to read.
  • Use a pencil to trace the letters directly onto the poster and then color them. Do not attempt to color through the stencil.
  • If colored pencils are used, the best are soft leaded ones. They are easy to use and blend, and strokes will not show. Hard leaded pencils are less expensive, but are more difficult to use.
  • Stencil letters can also be traced onto construction paper, fabric, contact paper, or colored paper and then cut out. Tracing the letters on backwards to the wrong side of the paper will help eliminate pencil marks.
  1. Self-Sticking Letters – Are very neat but are more expensive to use. Adhesive on the letters sticks the letters to the poster, and they cannot be reused. Some adhesive letters may be repositioned and some are permanently attached once they are placed on the poster.
  2. Computer Generated Letters – Entire words or groups of words may be mounted on poster.

 

Mounting Adhesives

  1. Rubber Cement – Leaves no marks and won’t wrinkle paper.
  2. Double Stick Tape – Good for attaching leaves.
  3. White Glue – Use only if item being attached is thick enough that wrinkling or damage will not occur.
  4. Glue Sticks – Work well in many instances.
  5. Spray Adhesives – Good choice for attaching leaves and other items to poster.

 

Extra Touches

  1. Colored Tape – This is not necessary, but is an easy way to attach poster to backing and makes an attractive border. It is available in many colors (cloth or plastic) and is available at discount and craft stores. Tape 1” to 1 ½” wide gives the poster a nice border.
  2. Colored “Frames” for pictures or labels.
  3. 4-H Clover somewhere on a poster and/or 4-H in title.

 

Notebook Guidelines:

  1. Needs to be a sturdy 3 ring binder (with stiff covers) or a bound type notebook (with stiff covers). No report cover or                      similar styles.
  2. Make sure the notebook accurately meets the guidelines and objectives of the activities in the manual.
  3. Information printed directly off the web will not be accepted.
  4. Materials included in the notebook need to be educational, both for the youth and the audience, and should demonstrate that the youth was able to take what they learned from their research (experiment, or on web, in library, etc.) and/or activities to create the notebook.
  5. Work should include references where appropriate.
  6. Pictures, graphics, and artwork are encouraged.

                                  

Don't forget title, subtitles, or numbers, if needed, and use creativity within the bounds of the project rules.