Display like a pro.

The Display Board

Most science fair exhibits have three sides. They are hinged so they fold. At the science fair, they stand on tables. You can buy a display board that is already put together, Elmer's® Project Display Board. If you are good at building things, you can build your own display.

If you build your own display, don't make it too heavy. Someone will have to carry it! Make sure it is stable. You don't want it to fall over. And don't make it too big to fit in the car or on the bus. Don't put anything on the display that will stop you from folding it. Instead, wait till you get to the fair to attach anything three-dimensional.

Organizing Your Display

Make a small drawing of your display first. Plan how it will look before you make the real display. Make sure you have a place for everything. Elmer's Self-Sticking Letters or Stencils can help give a professional look.

Write out the words you plan to put on your display. Ask someone to read them and tell you about your experiment. If they don't understand it, you need to make your story clearer. Keep rewriting until it is easy for anyone to understand.

Design Tips

Focal point. Your display needs a focal point. This is the place you want people to look first. (Focal comes from the same root word as focus.) Use an Elmer's Header Card to describe the title of your project.

Usually the focal point is the biggest picture or biggest words. Sometimes the focal point is the brightest color. If your display has a moving part, that will be the focal point. Movement attracts the eye more than size or color.

You can control the focal point by making words or pictures bigger or smaller. Don't be afraid to make words and pictures big. They will make your display look better from a distance, so the judges will like it even before they get close enough to read it.

Color. Color can make a display easier to read. You can use black type with different background colors. Or you can use different colors of type (printing). Background colors should be light colors, like yellow, orange or light blue. Type colors should be dark colors, like blue, green and purple. You can test this yourself. Try different colors and see which are easy to read. Use Elmer's 3D Washable Paint Pens to spice up your display.

Type (printing). Don't make the judges squint! Be sure the type is big enough to read from at least four feet away. Use a thick marker, not a thin one. Use plain type, not fancy printing. If you are using computer type, keep it big and simple. Elmer's makes professional section titles ("HYPOTHESIS", "RESULTS", "CONCLUSION", ETC.).

Gluing. To attach items to your display, use Elmer's Glue Sticks for lighter objects and Elmer's Rubber Cement for heavier ones.