Layout:
- Arrange content in the order that people naturally read. In English, we read left to right, top to bottom
- Arrange content in 2-4 columns
- Leave white space around the entire poster and between content, keeping spaces even
Image Credit: Compiled from Hess, G.R., K. Tosney, and L. Liegel. 2014. Creating Effective Poster Presentations.
Color:
- Stick to 2-3 colors
- Use dark text on a light background
- Do not use excessively bright colors
- Be aware of color schemes that may cause issues for those with problems differentiating colors (e.g. red and green next to each other)
Fonts:
- Use sans serif (e.g. Arial) fonts for titles and headings
- Use serif (e.g. Times New Roman) fonts for text
- Font size depends on the size of your poster. Some guidelines:
- Title: 80-120 point
- Names/Affiliations: 60-90 point
- Headings: 44-80 point
- Text: 32-52 point
Graphics:
- Graphics should be large enough to be read from a few feet away
- Do not use clipart or generic graphics
- Give all graphics (charts, tables, graphs, photographs) a title
