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Design
How to design your exhibit
Exhibits should be designed to be as widely visually and intellectually accessible to visitors of all ages, levels of education and interest as possible, and should include hands-on, interactive features. Concentrate on making a few key points effectively. Useful resources:
- Picking a good exhibit title, examples from previous exhibitions
- BBSRC guide to planning science exhibits (PDF)
It is also important to consider the dimensions of your exhibit, safety measures and set-up time, details for which are on the logistics page.
Exhibit plan
Your final exhibit plan is due on Friday 1 May.
- PowerPoint, PDF or jpg formats preferred
- Your plan should be clearly labelled and include a front, top and side view of your exhibit stand
- Please include approximate dimensions where appropriate
- When you are designing your exhibit, keep in mind the flow of visitors around your stand
Examples of exhibit plans (Example 1, Example 2, Example 3).
Branding
Royal Society charter mark
The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition charter mark is a seal of excellence. It is intended to mark clearly that the exhibits were chosen for the quality of their science, from a large field of proposals. The charter mark does not imply that the science is supported by or in partnership with the Royal Society.
You are strongly encouraged to incorporate the charter mark into any materials you produce for the Exhibition, including your exhibition stand itself, team t-shirts etc. The charter mark should always be associated with information about your exhibit at the Summer Science Exhibition; it should not be used on its own or in a commercial context. It should be used at the same size as logos from any other organisations, and you cannot alter the colour, formatting or shape in anyway.
The Charter mark can be downloaded below. We would prefer you to use the red, if possible, but have listed a black version should that work better visually.
Red Chartermark: EPS, JPEG, WEB
Black Chartermark: EPS, JPEG, WEB
Exhibition image
For the design of your website, you may wish to include the 2020 exhibition logo and dates. Below you will find some standard website sized images.
Sponsorship guidelines
We allow sponsorship branding on the stand they are contributing towards, but please note that product placement on exhibition stands is not acceptable.
We do also not allow fundraising at the exhibit, for example, for charities associated with the research or exhibit. Information leaflets are acceptable, but no direct fundraising is acceptable.
Design tips from the experts
Exhibit building secrets 1: what exhibit builders do
Exhibit building secrets 2: what visitors do
A brief guide to exhibit labelling and graphics
If you have any questions about the design of your exhibit, please do not hesitate to contact us, we have years of experience in developing these exhibits.
Giveaways
If producing printed materials or giveaways, we advise allowing 1,000-2,000 for the duration of the exhibition.
Please give some thought to your giveaways, some things to consider are below:
- Giveaways should reinforce your key messages
- Should be obtained ideally by interaction with your exhibit
- Should not make a noise, or otherwise be particularly distracting for other exhibitors and members of the public
- Consider quality vs. quantity - perhaps visitors could compete for better giveaways, rather than giving one to every visitor
- Consider what is useful/interesting/novel
- Can you incorporate a next step into your giveaway i.e. a signpost to more information about your research or a way to engage online
- Know that we are happy to advise, if you are unsure, contact us
You may also wish to use our exhibit flyer template when designing flyers for your exhibit. These can be downloaded in both single sided and double sided versions.
Suppliers
The below suppliers have been recommended by previous exhibitors taking part in the Summer Science Exhibition. The Royal Society is not responsible for these companies or the content of their websites.