CUTTING 4′ × 8′ PLYWOOD OR HARD BOARD FOR MAXIMUM ECONOMY BACK WALL PANEL 34″ × 48″ TITLE BOARD OR “HEADER” 6″ SIDE WALL PANELS (2 ea.) 28″ × 48″ OVERHEAD PLAN OF TYPICAL SCIENCE FAIR EXHIBIT STRUCTURE BACK WALL PANEL SIDE WALL PANEL SIDE WALL PANEL BASE UNIT 30″ (allowable) LIGHT BEHIND HEADER 48″ (allowable) SIDE PLAN OF SAME STRUCTURE CONCEALED LIGHT HEADER BACK PANEL SIDE PANELS ELECTRICAL OUTLET BOX BASE UNIT TABLE _Lighting and Wiring._ Fluorescent lighting is bulky and hard to conceal in the average science fair exhibit. Incandescent showcase lamps work well, take up less space, and are less expensive. If you need shielded light, consider inexpensive clip-on bed lamps. Most fairs have rigid rules on electrical wiring and you should study them and those of the National Science Fair-International. If you will install a fused entry-outlet box on your back wall or base unit, as shown in Figure 3, you can run all fixture cords to that one location. Most fairs provide power cords reaching to the exhibitor’s electrical inlet, but don’t depend on it. Procure 25 to 50 feet of heavy-duty extension cord and keep it handy, just in case. PRESENTING INFORMATION After determining the shape and size of your structure, you can decide how best to present the information needed to explain your project. Some exhibitors prefer to build their structure first, so that they may try out different arrangements of illustrations and three-dimensional items on the finished display space. Or, you can measure off your back wall, side walls, and interior base areas, and then “try out” the size and placement of your display items on matching-size sheets of tracing paper. There are many good ways to present the same information. Exhibit design is an art with some established principles but with few fixed rules. Here are some guidelines which may help you. _Preliminary Sketches._ Make sketches of all possible layout ideas and study each for clarity of content and visual effect. _Text._ Keep all text to a minimum number of words. Viewers come to see an exhibit, not to read it! A good illustration, specimen, or a graphic representation (see Figure 4) can save many words. Where text is needed, letter it clearly and large enough for easy reading. But avoid unnecessarily large or garish lettering—titles and text should only explain your exhibit, never dominate it! [Illustration: Figure 4] _Text Placement._ Some exhibitors place captions uniformly over or under all illustrations, but text blocks placed at the side may communicate as clearly, and help prevent visual monotony (see Figure 5). _Points of Emphasis._ If you use a series of illustrations or specimens to tell a running story, consider enlarging or featuring one of the most significant items so it can serve as the focal point of the series, as in Figure 5.