https://derekcrowe.net Derek Crowe Tue, 25 Mar 2025 17:31:03 +0000 https://derekcrowe.net en https://derekcrowe.net/Home Fri, 18 Nov 2022 20:48:27 +0000 Derek Crowe https://derekcrowe.net/Home <img width="3024" height="4032" width_o="3024" height_o="4032" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a07071a28ce2df6ff162b07f31b61f833352e3717ce43b80ba48844910474d50/Photo-from-Google-Photos.JPG" data-mid="210991929" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a07071a28ce2df6ff162b07f31b61f833352e3717ce43b80ba48844910474d50/Photo-from-Google-Photos.JPG" /> &nbsp;Hello!&nbsp;I’m a biologist and designer currently working as a quantitative analyst with The Center for Government Excellence, where my team helps governments connect the dots between local data and resident needs.&nbsp; I’m available for consulting and facilitation of workshops about scientific poster design, the intersection of graphic design and SciComm, and interdisciplinary SciComm training for scientists. During&nbsp;my PhD work I studied the genetics of cancer biology. I have also spent meaningful time in fields such as graphic design,&nbsp;web development, letterpress printing, and education.&nbsp;Feel free to poke around other&nbsp;projects I’ve worked on and don’t hesitate to&nbsp;reach out&nbsp;if you’d like to chat! ︎ https://derekcrowe.net/Projects Mon, 26 Nov 2018 20:37:52 +0000 Derek Crowe https://derekcrowe.net/Projects https://derekcrowe.net/Gurb-Slonk Tue, 25 Mar 2025 17:31:03 +0000 Derek Crowe https://derekcrowe.net/Gurb-Slonk Gurb Slonk&nbsp;at the Chomp Open Some friends and I designed and built a mini golf hole for the 2024 Monster Mash Putt Putt event; The inaugural Monster Mash Putt supporting Friends of 26th Street Corridor was a monsterous success! Across 3 days, over 700 people came through and played the course, which was made by 12 teams of local artists, tinkerers, and weirdos. The event raised $4,000 for the Friends of 26th Street Corridor, which we will use to maintain the 26th Street Green pocket park, throw block parties, and improve quality of life along 26th Street Corridor.Artists Duffleblor, Ushka Dara of Ürgüp, Gragnap Pilfer, Thwartmaw the Contaminated, and Clarq Artist StatementGrrrwagh… THIS hole for the brave swinkers. We make! Sculpted crang-blunk from grizzle-grass to make booleys floop-thwack through fang-pins. Fear-hear the Bogey-Chugger! Crafty hungy fungles placed scrigs in the prodler, all funtish and yhed for a bowel growl. Our art — it moons. Skill Level Hex-pertInstructions Fwoosh-whiff go! Then gurf-tap to the plong-flag, for the ultimate glurch-ploop. 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https://derekcrowe.net/Rats Tue, 25 Mar 2025 17:07:20 +0000 Derek Crowe https://derekcrowe.net/Rats Rats! I had the pleasure of serving as a design lead for A Computer That Loves, a Baltimore Rock Opera Original in 2024. Over the course of months, 17 volunteers spent over 200 combined hours creating 4 full-body rat costumes that served as some comedic relief in the first act.&nbsp; <img width="1440" height="1800" width_o="1440" height_o="1800" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1f2d2c850d9ce7e2826f19bcc03249004880c8dcf6a2ab54b57f29b9eb02ca86/Instagram-Image-1440x1800.jpg" data-mid="228782066" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1f2d2c850d9ce7e2826f19bcc03249004880c8dcf6a2ab54b57f29b9eb02ca86/Instagram-Image-1440x1800.jpg" /> <img width="1000" height="1250" width_o="1000" height_o="1250" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f9bff9767929e3c734dfa94a4978b1bb25dcadc4d9fd3f5c7bbaf1beba2c2133/Instagram-Image-1000x1250.jpg" data-mid="228782067" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f9bff9767929e3c734dfa94a4978b1bb25dcadc4d9fd3f5c7bbaf1beba2c2133/Instagram-Image-1000x1250.jpg" /> <img width="1440" height="1800" width_o="1440" height_o="1800" 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data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/afcb6603638ca3bffcb50cbf4433f542ef147cf3cdf3324892c87e8512eb99d7/IMG_5485.jpeg" data-mid="228782091" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/afcb6603638ca3bffcb50cbf4433f542ef147cf3cdf3324892c87e8512eb99d7/IMG_5485.jpeg" /> <img width="3024" height="4032" width_o="3024" height_o="4032" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/acc6fecb3e30d086a610f462dba820770ff8c52001220cd5c455788b1c3aa018/IMG_5477.jpeg" data-mid="228782092" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/acc6fecb3e30d086a610f462dba820770ff8c52001220cd5c455788b1c3aa018/IMG_5477.jpeg" /> <img width="3024" height="4032" width_o="3024" height_o="4032" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6e65e0f6199738d2536f4e484d50874de4c3bca016f73e9a8cd69313619a6cc9/IMG_5472.jpeg" data-mid="228782093" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/6e65e0f6199738d2536f4e484d50874de4c3bca016f73e9a8cd69313619a6cc9/IMG_5472.jpeg" /> <img width="3024" height="4032" width_o="3024" height_o="4032" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7af3969eb2c2761f6c68c26df2872d3164127b54b17fe59093cbc302149bb869/IMG_5471.jpeg" data-mid="228782094" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7af3969eb2c2761f6c68c26df2872d3164127b54b17fe59093cbc302149bb869/IMG_5471.jpeg" /> <img width="3024" height="4032" width_o="3024" height_o="4032" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/eaa5ee85e564732206bbbbcdc29446e08fea21a551cb43ce57ea397cf6503d20/IMG_5469.jpeg" data-mid="228782095" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/eaa5ee85e564732206bbbbcdc29446e08fea21a551cb43ce57ea397cf6503d20/IMG_5469.jpeg" /> <img width="3024" height="4032" width_o="3024" height_o="4032" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7247095c965907ebdeeb6056a8860501784ff4ec340360ee029c3e3a285fdbd3/IMG_5452.jpeg" data-mid="228782097" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7247095c965907ebdeeb6056a8860501784ff4ec340360ee029c3e3a285fdbd3/IMG_5452.jpeg" /> <img width="3024" height="4032" width_o="3024" height_o="4032" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/57b01ea1089a0292c4fbcbe228d72f2583c97d16d1be2a7c9bf2b89d20c6be90/IMG_5412.jpeg" data-mid="228782098" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/57b01ea1089a0292c4fbcbe228d72f2583c97d16d1be2a7c9bf2b89d20c6be90/IMG_5412.jpeg" /> <img width="3024" height="4032" width_o="3024" height_o="4032" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b806bc2fc77364a7c842fcb9fe04ce3aac1f426eab34d0d36e826542a81224b7/IMG_5411.jpeg" data-mid="228782099" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b806bc2fc77364a7c842fcb9fe04ce3aac1f426eab34d0d36e826542a81224b7/IMG_5411.jpeg" /> <img width="3024" height="4032" width_o="3024" height_o="4032" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d20c05a7c08cf7cba23412ca5626eeff9954e6c4311bdfff2e4c3f216fcb849c/IMG_5259.jpeg" data-mid="228782100" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d20c05a7c08cf7cba23412ca5626eeff9954e6c4311bdfff2e4c3f216fcb849c/IMG_5259.jpeg" /> <img width="4032" height="3024" width_o="4032" height_o="3024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b0260252fc3e5f78face9f5ef8b7259c8b6b01250062a1c7ff693521d068adea/IMG_5258.jpeg" data-mid="228782101" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b0260252fc3e5f78face9f5ef8b7259c8b6b01250062a1c7ff693521d068adea/IMG_5258.jpeg" /> <img width="4032" height="3024" width_o="4032" height_o="3024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/00af24c4de2c5acaa53bccc78545ca99ddf825535e753f5eb668f820dfe97d3d/IMG_4969.jpeg" data-mid="228782102" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/00af24c4de2c5acaa53bccc78545ca99ddf825535e753f5eb668f820dfe97d3d/IMG_4969.jpeg" /> <img width="3024" height="4032" width_o="3024" height_o="4032" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/07ef5b0220aaac6f88525517666e3ffa9ac9c67b6964455b9f2b0cde2b55255e/IMG_4864.jpeg" data-mid="228782103" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/07ef5b0220aaac6f88525517666e3ffa9ac9c67b6964455b9f2b0cde2b55255e/IMG_4864.jpeg" /> <img width="3024" height="4032" width_o="3024" height_o="4032" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/59355bc68a4ee470ee3d53ef3edcc66d8a02f39cc79cf6d9e615d0ba7d8bcaa5/IMG_4863.jpeg" data-mid="228782104" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/59355bc68a4ee470ee3d53ef3edcc66d8a02f39cc79cf6d9e615d0ba7d8bcaa5/IMG_4863.jpeg" /> https://derekcrowe.net/Thesis Thu, 02 Feb 2023 20:36:19 +0000 Derek Crowe https://derekcrowe.net/Thesis PhD thesis work Transcriptomic Subtypes of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Share Patterns of Dysregulated Gene Expression and Survival Dependencies Derek Crowe • Land Lab, University of Rochester • January 2023 What does that mean? Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers because it is very difficult to cure and often returns after treatment. Scientists know that not all pancreatic cancers are the same—there are different subtypes between people and even within a single tumor, which can make treatment less effective. Still, even with this knowledge, finding treatments that work for everyone is a major challenge. In our study, we created a version of pancreatic cancer in animals that let us observe what happens when the cancer comes back after treatment. We found that, even though the subtypes looked different and acted differently, they shared some common weak points that help them survive. By testing which genes cancer cells rely on to stay alive, we discovered a group of genes that almost all of the cancers might depend on, no matter their type. These findings suggest that new treatments should focus on these shared weak spots, which could lead to therapies that work for more patients and make it less likely for the cancer to return. Said differently...Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly lethal malignancy characterized by frequent recurrence and resistance to both standard and targeted therapies. Transcriptomic profiling has defined distinct PDAC molecular subtypes with clinical significance; however, therapeutic strategies targeting subtype-specific vulnerabilities have seen mixed success. The coordinated dysregulation of non-mutated gene networks, a concept central to hallmark cancer behaviors, may underpin common genetic dependencies across molecularly distinct tumors. This study aimed to determine whether phenotypically diverse PDAC subtypes converge on shared transcriptomic programs and survival mechanisms. MethodsA controlled model of PDAC recurrence was established by ablating oncogenic Kras expression in primary tumors, generating matched pairs of primary and recurrent tumors. Transcriptomic heterogeneity was characterized by bulk RNA sequencing and independent component analysis. A targeted in vivo pooled loss-of-function CRISPR screen was performed to functionally interrogate candidate genes identified as components of shared transcriptomic programs. ResultsPrimary and recurrent PDAC tumors exhibited transcriptomic profiles spanning classical and basal-like subtypes, mirroring human disease. Independent component analysis identified gene expression signatures conserved across subtypes, indicating the presence of shared molecular programs. Functional screening revealed a set of genes that may be essential for tumor cell survival irrespective of subtype or treatment history, demonstrating the possibility of core genetic dependencies in PDAC. ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate that molecularly distinct PDAC tumors converge on common genetic dependencies, suggesting that targeting shared survival mechanisms may provide a broadly effective therapeutic strategy for refractory disease. KeywordsPancreatic cancer; Molecular subtypes; Transcriptomics; Recurrence; Genetic dependencies; CRISPR screen. Read the full text https://derekcrowe.net/DIY-Wireless-Optogenetics Wed, 06 Dec 2017 17:42:10 +0000 Derek Crowe https://derekcrowe.net/DIY-Wireless-Optogenetics DIY Wireless Optogenetics This accompanies and supports wireless optogenetic implant fabrication as detailed in Montgomery KL, Yeh AJ, Ho JS, et al. Wirelessly powered, fully internal optogenetics for brain, spinal and peripheral circuits in mice. Nature Methods. 2015;12(10):969-974. doi:10.1038/nmeth.3536. Originally published in November of 2015 by the lab of Ada Poon, Integrated Biomedical Systems Group at Stanford University. Last updated in June of 2016 by Derek Crowe (derek.crowe@urmc.rochester.edu) while working in the Minsoo Kim lab at the University of Rochester. A copy of the original DIY document published by the Poon group can be found here. <img width="1694" height="1298" width_o="1694" height_o="1298" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/752ef0a2977124f8deb62ca1816b74522745f39bc33028579de1b51162659e8f/Screenshot-2025-03-25-at-12.59.44.png" data-mid="228778591" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/752ef0a2977124f8deb62ca1816b74522745f39bc33028579de1b51162659e8f/Screenshot-2025-03-25-at-12.59.44.png" />Figure 1: System Overview MATERIALS A complete parts list with source links and price estimates has been compiled for your use. Feel free to comment on it with suggestions for better sources, cheaper prices, questions, or changes. I suggest you create a copy on your local account and share it with your purchaser. Communicate the status of parts via the color key. The Poon Group resource page with CAD and Gerber files and their assembly videos can be found here. (If for whatever reason that page is dead, I uploaded a local copy of those files on 6/26/18. The assembly videos are on YouTube.) ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS AND NOTES Signal GenerationThe signal is generated, amplified, divided, phase shifted, and delivered to the cavity. The general layout is outlined above. You’ll need to run the software through Windows. As of May 2016 the Windfreak signal generator seemed to be less stable than the Vaunix solution. For the price, it was good enough for our application. If you have more stringent power delivery requirements, you’ll want to invest in the Vaunix. The cables I listed are short and stiff. They are also the cheapest. If you want a bit more flexibility, get thinner or longer wires. Power AmplificationTutorial for soldering Tamiya connectorsHeat shrink is more elegant than electrical tape for sealing off the connections to the power amp. The power amp will get warm pretty quickly. Make sure you’re cooling it down with a fan if you’re running it for a significantly-lengthy experiment. CavitySpeak with someone at the Poon lab before you send the linked files for fabrication. They may have an updated design that’s cheaper to manufacture and easier to tune. You may get push-back from the folks fabricating the cavity about the top and middle interfering. The files the lab provided are accurate; proceed without editing them. The top is made to have a slight bevel that will touch the middle and create a strong connection when tightened. Do not remove the top once you’ve tightened it down the first time. Access the cavity from the bottom if you really need to get in. Tuning If you have access to a HF network analyzer (any EE dept. should probably have one) you don’t really need the power sensor. They both accomplish the same thing. If you have access to a network analyzer AND you know how to use it, you win. In short, you need to optimize S-Parameters at your particular frequency of interest. If you’re replicating exactly this situation, that’s 1.497 GHz. ImplantThe Poon Group’s soldering video is a great place to start. A circuit diagram and component layout schematic is included in the figures below. Have the manufacturer add a solder mask on your PCB boards. This will save a step. Use as little solder paste as possible. You will be surprised how far a few beads go. The solder paste on the parts list is specific. We’ve tried others and they are drier and less capable of holding the components in place before soldering. Store it in the fridge and heat it up in a water bath before you use it. Place the components on the pcb from left to right. I find the middle pad the most difficult to access when you do go to solder (if you know how to edit .gbr files, you could add more pad to the top for solder tip) but it’s not too bad once you get the hang of it. Solder all the components EXCEPT the 10nF loading cap, make sure they are stable, THEN place and solder it. The coil wire ends need to be stripped with a knife (or a 34 AWG wire stripper) and pre-soldered before attempting to solder them. Once the coil is attached, check to see that the circuit is powered with an antenna, which you can construct with the end launch solder attachment. Solder wires to the middle and the side. If you have a network analyzer, you can just clip off the wires until their lengths optimize the signal at your frequency. If you’re using 1.497 GHz, make them 4.7cm long. See the image of the antenna, below. Flip the implant over and solder wires to the pads. You’ll attach the leads of an oscilloscope or voltmeter to these and power the antenna. If you get a change in voltage, you win. Take care to also watch the change in voltage that happens to the system when the wires are NOT attached to the leads. The antenna will induce power in the wires without the circuit. Once you have confirmed that you have a working circuit, fill the coil with enough epoxy to coat the board and the components and wait 24hrs. After 24hrs, pre-solder the LED leads and place them as shown on the other side of the implant. Put it on the cavity and power it up, if it turns on, you win. Keep in mind that this implant is optimized to function in tissue. You may need to hold it in your fingers to couple enough energy. You may also need to try to move it around. The orientation of the coil and its location above the cavity are all variables in its ability to couple energy. I made about 7 of these before I got one to work. Surgery Follow the protocol for your particular situationTIPS: only clear fascia where the implant will be placed, use lint rollers to pick up shaved hair, silk sutures.&nbsp; <img width="1236" height="1572" width_o="1236" height_o="1572" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9635eb9904a08f546842605518e1a2012ff0294f68550451b492f391e7851340/Screenshot-2025-03-25-at-13.03.15.png" data-mid="228778621" border="0" data-scale="68" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9635eb9904a08f546842605518e1a2012ff0294f68550451b492f391e7851340/Screenshot-2025-03-25-at-13.03.15.png" />Figure 2: Implant Layout and Circuit Diagram <img width="688" height="898" width_o="688" height_o="898" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/feb1a5defe6ef6c1510c55319b8c2d86482f4ea0c28a2a6af0f6f3155405b8a1/Screenshot-2025-03-25-at-13.04.16.png" data-mid="228778669" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/688/i/feb1a5defe6ef6c1510c55319b8c2d86482f4ea0c28a2a6af0f6f3155405b8a1/Screenshot-2025-03-25-at-13.04.16.png" />Figure 3: Antenna for checking implant circuit https://derekcrowe.net/butterposter Tue, 07 May 2019 20:55:02 +0000 Derek Crowe https://derekcrowe.net/butterposter Visual and UX design principles can improve the effectiveness of poster sessions︎Derek Crowe, May 2019 <img width="2082" height="1560" width_o="2082" height_o="1560" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/608c1d4b680c5b5f5539a3ea6dde9a933e0db4aacc8117741d2645ec84b34552/Screenshot-2020-04-07-11.22.55.png" data-mid="66042228" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/608c1d4b680c5b5f5539a3ea6dde9a933e0db4aacc8117741d2645ec84b34552/Screenshot-2020-04-07-11.22.55.png" /> These posters were designed to facilitate multiple different poster session interactions. A concise title, highlights, and a summary section allow the poster to function completely autonomously; the inclusion of a graphical abstract makes it easy to give a short summary to help your audience gauge how much time they wish to spend; and the remaining space can accommodate enough data to fill a 20-minute presentation. See a timeline and running updates on this conversation here. Downloads Butter poster templates (“Better” is a hard name to top, so I went with Butter) Landscape.v3 There’s no need to request access, just click on the download button in the upper right-hand corner. Updated to version 3 in 3/2020. See the timeline link above for some details about the changes if you’re interested. I’ll be back again soon to explain them more thoroughly, add more color options back in, and get a portrait version up. For now there’s one slide illustrating how my actual data fit in, and one empty one for you to start with. I recommend you let your data tell you how to lay it out. How many main sections (separated by thick lines) do you need? How many subsections (separated by thin lines) do you need? What’s the best way to make them flow?&nbsp; Fonts Source Sans Pro (Latin, Cyrillic, &amp; Diné bizaad (Navajo) characters)Source Han Pro (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, &amp; Vietnamese characters)For either, click “latest release” on the GitHub page and download the .zip file. Wondering how to install fonts on your PC&nbsp;or Mac? HighlightsA well-crafted message is more important than any layout design.&nbsp;Posters are performances and audience members should have a voice in their experience.Visual design principles can help make poster sessions more effective. All academic disciplines can help us approach our world with curiosity. SummaryMike Morrison’s better poster style encourages scientists to distill their message, a critical step in creating effective posters. Dramatic physical layout constraints are the primary mechanism employed to help users consolidate their story, though this strategy costs a significant portion of the available poster space. Principles of visual design can guide users to achieve the same effective communication as intended by Morrison without sacrificing valuable poster real estate, as demonstrated here in a series of new poster layouts. These designs also incorporate user experience (UX) considerations of realistic time and social expectations during audience interactions at poster presentations. Multiple variations are offered in attempt to accommodate a wide variety of preferences and use cases. (Also, science jargon aside they’re just some free powerpoint templates on a website; you monsters can do whatever you want with them.) &nbsp; How to make and use a butter poster <img width="1699" height="837" width_o="1699" height_o="837" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/23eea916353e8266221484e19d701c16b7af79277ef3e4f8673794406f782b41/Screen-Shot-2019-05-16-at-2.54.33-PM.png" data-mid="42421901" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/23eea916353e8266221484e19d701c16b7af79277ef3e4f8673794406f782b41/Screen-Shot-2019-05-16-at-2.54.33-PM.png" />(A) Plan, cut, edit, and distill your message. Write a brief, descriptive title. Use a layout that takes advantage of the whole poster. Prepare two versions of your poster intro: a short one and a long one. (B) When another human seems like they might be interested in your work, ask to be sure. Then ask if they want the short intro or the long intro. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to learn about your audience first. Use their background to change your talks up on the fly; they’re not elevator pitches. (C) Oblige them. Use the graphical abstract for the short version and get into your data figures for the long version. (D) Listen to their verbal and non-verbal responses as you continue the conversation. Morrison’s better poster is a breath of fresh airRecently introduced by Mike Morrison, the better poster is a powerpoint poster template designed to increase the effectiveness of poster sessions; a communication modality common among academic scientists. The better poster style is different from the accepted style in two fundamental ways: First, it limits the amount of poster space available for content. Second, it centers a large, concise title. Fundamentally, both changes encourage presenters to omit superfluous content. In order to use the better poster one must pare down—or distill—their message and identify the minimum amount of content required to tell their story. This is perhaps the most critical and time-consuming step in crafting effective communication. That the style has encouraged scientists to engage in this difficult work is remarkable. The better poster achieves this feat through one simple—albeit nuclear—mechanism: it mandates that 60% of the space previously allocated for content be used instead for a more thoughtful title. The growing popularity of the style demonstrates that blunt-force design constraints can be an effective way to encourage presenters to better distill their message. This popularity also begs a dumb question: if effective posters can be built after restricting content to a box that’s ⅔ of the poster size, why don’t we just start with smaller paper? This possibility might actually be worth entertaining, but on the surface it fails to address a key takeaway from Morrison’s UX-centered evaluation: audience members need a way to quickly assess their interest in posters while walking by. This is why he proposes a large, concise title. Another relatively simple design constraint has helped us remember what a title is: one readable sentence that clearly states a research finding! <img width="1000" height="667" width_o="1000" height_o="667" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7160b1632fee3f83218c69024ef2134abdf0098af16185d94d1d62c270f6cc09/the-poster-2.0-templates-final.jpg" data-mid="42425435" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7160b1632fee3f83218c69024ef2134abdf0098af16185d94d1d62c270f6cc09/the-poster-2.0-templates-final.jpg" />Morrison’s better poster structure. The center is for a title and the white blocks are reserved for data. Speaking of titles, please end the practice of bolding random words or phrases in titles. It makes for a very choppy read. Bold the whole thing if you’d like; it is a title. Also, keep the text left-aligned (why?) and avoid too much space between lines (what?) for improved readability. These are the most common typesetting issues I see with better poster use.&nbsp; Mike helped us come to realize that in order to make posters more effective, we need 1) a large readable title and 2) much, much less content. His proposed solution, however, costs the majority of the available poster space. Well-established visual communication strategies can offer an alternative: a style that encourages distillation and takes advantage of the totality of available poster space. Tools such as a grid, visual hierarchy, white space, and typography can be used to prompt distillation and help readability without sacrificing space. Carefully applied design principles have the power to heighten the effectiveness of the better poster. Before we can design an effective layout, however, we must retrace Mike’s steps and ask what we want the user experience to be like. The answers to these questions will create a sandbox of constraints in which we can play with our design tools. One question I like to start with in these exercises is: what do you want your communication to accomplish?&nbsp; Posters are actually presentations&nbsp;That question has lots of answers, but to me the main task of a poster is to serve as a visual aid in my presentation. Which... is a presentation. Like, exactly the same thing as a talk except without a projector. Just me and my slides, which happen to be printed on paper, which happens to be tacked to a board right next to me, a presenter, in front of an audience. I’m giving a presentation. You get it. From that perspective, I should apply to my poster design the same constraints I apply to building a talk.&nbsp; <img width="963" height="559" width_o="963" height_o="559" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f8f9fe2647231564b633d0c18e2f3ba53194c773982bf78599bdce4a42ce609e/What-s-the-longest-amount-of-time-you-d-want-to-spend-talking-with-someone-at-your-poster_-2.png" data-mid="42422365" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/963/i/f8f9fe2647231564b633d0c18e2f3ba53194c773982bf78599bdce4a42ce609e/What-s-the-longest-amount-of-time-you-d-want-to-spend-talking-with-someone-at-your-poster_-2.png" /> One person would prefer all their conversations to be 5 minutes or less. I love that.&nbsp; First, I need to know how long the talk is going to be. So how long should a poster be? I asked over 1,000 graduate students from all kinds of disciplines to tell me the longest amount of time they would prefer to talk with someone at their poster. I chose to word it that way to capture the upper-limit for how much time we might plan. Of the 47 who responded, roughly half said they would prefer to spend no more than 6-10 minutes with any one person (or group). Another quarter said 11-15, and yet another quarter said 16-20. So a good portion said 20 minutes but most said 6-10. At the risk of introducing artifacts from focusing on ‘data’ from the upper-limit of my upper-limit ‘survey,’ for the sake of this let’s play it super conservatively and plan for a 20 minute talk.&nbsp; Next, I must determine how many slides I need to communicate my story in the time I have. So how many slides of data do I need for a 20 minute talk? A mostly-made up but seemingly reasonable estimate is 10, which corresponds to roughly two minutes per slide. Let’s also assume each slide has one main piece of data. We’re not talking about bullet points of text here (which you should eradicate from your slides ASAP); we’re talking one finding per slide.&nbsp; <img width="2080" height="1560" width_o="2080" height_o="1560" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/62dd0559a8648420af566b974b8cec13c7a0984ef4ca2836c072cbd4c753d1f2/Screenshot-2020-04-07-11.25.36.png" data-mid="66042695" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/62dd0559a8648420af566b974b8cec13c7a0984ef4ca2836c072cbd4c753d1f2/Screenshot-2020-04-07-11.25.36.png" /> This title is actually very large when printed... and look at all that space for other stuff! &nbsp; The magic of powerpoint presentations comes from the fact that only one slide is shown at a time. This talk is being printed, though, so I have to think about how much poster area I need for 10 slides. At the distance most folks will be viewing your poster, I think its safe to print two slides (that’s two figures or images) on one 8.5x11″ sheet of paper. This corresponds to 5 sheets of paper, or roughly 470 sq in. The first two butter poster layouts give 550 sq in., and there’s even more built into the third. Remember this is the most conservative scenario of a 20 minute presentation. Most people reported preferring a 6-10 minute talk, which would require even less space. So if you’re one of those people, don’t be afraid of leaving empty space on your poster! Say what you need to and nothing more. In the better poster video, Morrison acknowledges: “If you’re trying to put so much into that [space] that it doesn’t fit, they won’t have time to read it anyway.” And nor will you have time to present it in the time you reportedly want to spend! &nbsp; Presentations are actually performances So we can accommodate up to 20 minutes, or 10 slides worth of presented data, but what about the more typical use cases involving frequent, brief interactions? Mike lovingly calls-out these wonderful moments in his video and this is how they go: someone comes up, says “hello,” and avoids eye contact at all cost while scanning your poster. After about 15 seconds, you muster the gall to inform them that you are, in fact, standing just over here... about 12 inches away... in case they have any questions. They respond with “ok, great,” feign interest for another 10 seconds, nod, say “thanks,” and walk away. What about those situations? <img width="2074" height="1554" width_o="2074" height_o="1554" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4baa7e3e0de49546c97454967692d8e4818bd7cacb9b9de07b951b4b8f37d30f/Screenshot-2020-04-07-11.50.16.png" data-mid="66046599" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/4baa7e3e0de49546c97454967692d8e4818bd7cacb9b9de07b951b4b8f37d30f/Screenshot-2020-04-07-11.50.16.png" /> A graphical abstract, highlights, and summary section all help to accommodate different types of interactions. Even without any data, these sections provide a very clear understanding of the work. If I’m not standing next to the poster, you can easily read the highlights and summary to decide whether you want to come back. And if you ask for a 30 second version of my story, I can use the graphical abstract to quickly lead you through it.&nbsp; Assuming, for the sake of argument, that you would very much prefer to avoid that whole thing entirely, how about simply asking what they want!? Some folks are going to know they’re interested from the title and some need some more time. Instead of weird reminders of my presence while I let them figure it out, what if I proactively ask a question and pre-plan for two possible responses? “Hi, I’m Derek. Would you be interested in a short 30 second version or longer 2 minute version of my story?” Critically, the main function of this question is to establish consent. It gives the situational power to the audience member by giving them a choice. They might be feeling awkward because they haven’t yet figured out how much they care. Even if I’m feeling uncertain, though, I can agree to a 30 second committment. After, I can easily say “thank you” and dip, or I can stay and ask more questions. Alternatively—and perhaps most importantly—I can also say “no thanks!” and move along. And if conflict-avoidance prevents you from saying “no thanks,” you only lose 30 seconds.&nbsp; Storytelling in front of an audience—even for 30 seconds—is a performance. If I invest the time to make a graphical abstract, that 30 second performance is just about rehearsed. My two minute version requires some practice, but it also gives me more room to read and engage with my audience before starting. If someone is confident that they want the long version, I can ask what they already know so I can tune the amount of jargon I use to guide them through my work. And that’s when I’ll start to look to my data for help. A butter poster <img width="2082" height="1560" width_o="2082" height_o="1560" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/608c1d4b680c5b5f5539a3ea6dde9a933e0db4aacc8117741d2645ec84b34552/Screenshot-2020-04-07-11.22.55.png" data-mid="66042228" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/608c1d4b680c5b5f5539a3ea6dde9a933e0db4aacc8117741d2645ec84b34552/Screenshot-2020-04-07-11.22.55.png" /> Now that I’ve established the constraints on the interactions, I can design some layouts that meet all my needs. Here are the butter poster layouts I’ve built around these considerations. First and foremost, they have room for a ton of your data and they feature a huge title that signals easily to passers-by. Additionally, all the content sits on an invisible grid that facilitates fast parsing of the content. There is ample white space, which keeps things from feeling cluttered, reduces eye fatigue, and also physically restricts the amount of content you can add. &nbsp;Next, I took notes from Cell Press and worked in a graphical abstract, bulleted highlights, and a short summary. These are the bread-and-butter of the short, 30 second performace I’ll practice. Additionally, these elements are critical for another use case: standalone mode. I want my poster to function when I leave to be an audience member, visit friends, or use the bathroom. Folks can quickly read the highlights and summary in lieu of my 30 second spiel.&nbsp; I utilized one, freely-available, professionally-designed typeface family with wide language support (latin, cryllic, CJK, and Navajo characters are included) called Source Sans Pro. It has six upright and italic weight variants that allow me to establish a typographical hierarchy, which subtly guides a reader through the content. I chose a handful of delightful (to me) and accessible color palettes to include in this release, but many variations are possible.Finally, I’ve layed it out with room for authors, affiliations, contact info, and a spot for a photo. I’ve also included a QR code because I’m with Mike on this one: even if underutilized, they’re a wonderful way to link to a publication, website, or more info! No app needed; just use your phone camera. All of these elements are nice to have and also critical for the poster to function properly well when I’m not there. The data you include will obviously change... unless you’re presenting my thesis. When laying this section out, please for the love of Science just give your figures some room to breathe. Try to keep them on a grid, give clear titles, and include detailed captions. Ask yourself if a rando could tell your story using just your poster. If not, edit your titles and captions until they could. Fundamentally, distilling your work up front and deciding what you do(n’t) need to say matters so, so, soooooo much more than the layout. Hopefully these designs will continue to encourage that practice. Final notes These layouts are for everyone and anyone to use and remix. Not that you need encouragement, but do your worst. Let me know if you want some specific use cases considered and I’ll do my best to add a version. I’ll get some portrait layouts up soon. Huge thanks to Mike Morrison for busting open this conversation, and additional appreciation to Colin Purrington, the&nbsp;Better Posters blog, and countless other communicators (also see updates below) for their contributions to this topic—they all have really cool valid things to say that are different and important for this ongoing conversation. Please don’t hesitate to&nbsp;reach out with comments, questions, or suggestions!&nbsp; If you want to make graphical abstracts outside ppt (and are in the life sciences) I recommend using BioRender, which is what I used to build the one for these posters. And if you can spare some $$$, take this wonderful class to learn about how to make them! If you want to pick your own accessible color palettes, use CloudFlare’s awesome tool. If you want to play around with different font choices, I recommend you&nbsp;skip the fonts preloaded on your computer and look here for free options that aren’t terrible (or get real fancy here or here). QR codes can be generated here.&nbsp;And lastly, if you find this useful, consider how STEM-focused rhetoric necessarily excludes the contributions of fields like design—disciplines that work to facilitate our ability to perform the scientific process, which includes communication. Words matter. This world is weird AF and we need all the help we can get in approaching it with curiosity. If we desire for others to learn from our work, let’s demonstrate what that takes by listening to theirs.︎See a timeline and running updates on this conversation here. https://derekcrowe.net/Colleen-Buzzard Tue, 21 Mar 2017 13:53:55 +0000 Derek Crowe https://derekcrowe.net/Colleen-Buzzard <img width="4096" height="2508" width_o="4096" height_o="2508" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2a27e7005b5bf6e82986893ce2cf63d8dff9362069d625dec833b3d466e410a6/Crowe4_o.jpg" data-mid="29319370" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2a27e7005b5bf6e82986893ce2cf63d8dff9362069d625dec833b3d466e410a6/Crowe4_o.jpg" /> <img width="4096" height="2730" width_o="4096" height_o="2730" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/10f74371de0970207d75c560a841398e40f54e1481171ecf6c1d6f4f311f0db6/Crowe5_o.jpg" data-mid="29319371" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/10f74371de0970207d75c560a841398e40f54e1481171ecf6c1d6f4f311f0db6/Crowe5_o.jpg" /> <img width="4096" height="2730" width_o="4096" height_o="2730" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1e3c36b0435ef611449fff3d7ef415342e50054e254064d2341a26d72015241e/Crowe6_o.jpg" data-mid="29319372" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1e3c36b0435ef611449fff3d7ef415342e50054e254064d2341a26d72015241e/Crowe6_o.jpg" /> Business cards for Rochester artist Colleen Buzzard. Laser-cut from western blot exposures from the Land Lab https://derekcrowe.net/Gothic-540-Revival Tue, 21 Mar 2017 13:53:26 +0000 Derek Crowe https://derekcrowe.net/Gothic-540-Revival &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; <img width="2448" height="3264" width_o="2448" height_o="3264" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a6996964392b614f1c47e492406c5b5270f1edc4d9c04d2f007e570a37dbc60b/IMG_8337_o.JPG" data-mid="29319333" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a6996964392b614f1c47e492406c5b5270f1edc4d9c04d2f007e570a37dbc60b/IMG_8337_o.JPG" /> <img width="670" height="559" width_o="670" height_o="559" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/acdf9ddca63391bb5f8df2d3d8d02d58214b20ae5f356a52bf2e798f58a12aac/Gothic540-InUse-670x559_o.jpg" data-mid="29319335" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/670/i/acdf9ddca63391bb5f8df2d3d8d02d58214b20ae5f356a52bf2e798f58a12aac/Gothic540-InUse-670x559_o.jpg" /> <img width="453" height="665" width_o="453" height_o="665" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/149f0960c524926b09300f20c916a66ebb00256bf60e87f1eb6eb10b9934a026/Screenshot-2014-09-30-11.09.44_o.png" data-mid="29319336" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/453/i/149f0960c524926b09300f20c916a66ebb00256bf60e87f1eb6eb10b9934a026/Screenshot-2014-09-30-11.09.44_o.png" /> <img width="2448" height="3264" width_o="2448" height_o="3264" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7d4a0563f70bdaefc6d5ac85dd8d0a08e7074ce6052660b6447610c228497a52/IMG_8339_o.JPG" data-mid="29319334" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7d4a0563f70bdaefc6d5ac85dd8d0a08e7074ce6052660b6447610c228497a52/IMG_8339_o.JPG" /> Letterpress printer Amos Kennedy loves wood type. When Virgin Wood Type was just getting it's beginnings, Amos visited and bought a box of old stuff full of what turned out to be Gothic 540. Fast forward a few years and there's Amos, looking for more of the same. I redrew this face in vector form using old American Wood Type specimen catalogs as reference. We laser-cut birch patterns to trace on our pantograph router, which mills end grain maple into wood type. Purchase&nbsp;Gothic 540 at Virgin Wood Type https://derekcrowe.net/Thinkers-Drinkers Mon, 31 Aug 2020 18:03:09 +0000 Derek Crowe https://derekcrowe.net/Thinkers-Drinkers <img width="1500" height="1003" width_o="1500" height_o="1003" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/62d6d939edd2e31ac4f0f9e2e4539f3dfc268dc56770d134c2cab2cea04a126d/2020-04-19-UR_TD0018_1500.jpg" data-mid="81427607" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/62d6d939edd2e31ac4f0f9e2e4539f3dfc268dc56770d134c2cab2cea04a126d/2020-04-19-UR_TD0018_1500.jpg" /> <img width="1500" height="1942" width_o="1500" height_o="1942" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/de27813bc5d25a7dc7f4ea5d86405c743645691214cfae24ed818ca39176798c/2020-04-19-UR_TD0020_1500.jpg" data-mid="81427609" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/de27813bc5d25a7dc7f4ea5d86405c743645691214cfae24ed818ca39176798c/2020-04-19-UR_TD0020_1500.jpg" /> <img width="1640" height="1640" width_o="1640" height_o="1640" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bb125f47d223afb2514f119fd71633fab08ade370c963aa2a090edbc34663c3f/IMG_0285.jpg" data-mid="81427677" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/bb125f47d223afb2514f119fd71633fab08ade370c963aa2a090edbc34663c3f/IMG_0285.jpg" /> <img width="3024" height="3024" width_o="3024" height_o="3024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e735341c5216120b9ea803aabc25fc8e63cef416fe090e2d5db500a3b5db7323/IMG_1151.jpg" data-mid="103399399" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e735341c5216120b9ea803aabc25fc8e63cef416fe090e2d5db500a3b5db7323/IMG_1151.jpg" /> Merch design for Thinkers &amp; Drinkers, a communication club that celebrates the uncertainty, paradox, and humility at the heart of science research&nbsp;