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Poster Presentations

• Size, Layout, and Text

Elements of a Poster

Change size in powerpoint, using the ruler, grid, and guides in powerpoint, more powerpoint training, template resources, font choice, text alignment.

• Colors and Images

Your poster should include these elements:

• Author(s), with affiliations and emails

If your poster is a representation of a research study, you will want to include the following sections:

• Introduction or objective
• Conclusions and/or discussion
• Acknowledgements

If your poster is a representation of an event or other kind of project, you may want to forego formal abstract sections in favor of the 5 Ws:

• Who (introduce the author, organization, or community)
• What (what did you do? how did you do it?)
• Where (where did you do it?)
• When (when did it take place?)
• Why (what are the outcomes, implications, or future possibilities?)

To change the size in Powerpoint:

• Go to the Design tab and choose "Slide Size" (it's on the right size of the ribbon)
• Choose "Custom Slide Size"
• Change "Slides sized for:" to "Custom"
• Fill in your desired width and height. 

Click the View tab to see checkboxes that will allow you to turn on the Ruler, Grid, and Guides (click the image below to see a screenshot).

Ruler : Allows you to see the dimensions of your slide. You'll see a vertical and horizontal ruler.

Grid : By default, the gridlines are 1 inch apart. Right click in white space of your poster to get more options for spacing. This enables precise alignment.

Guides : By default, you'll get one horizontal and one vertical guide placed in the center of your poster. Right click on a guide to add more guidelines, or to delete one. You can use Guides to invisibly define columns of your poster, margins, and more. This gives you manual control, alternatively, you can use Smart Guides (see below).

Smart Guides : Powerpoint has a built-in system for showing you alignment as you move objects around. The video below demonstrates what Smart Guides look like.

Once you've got your slide layout set, you'll want to start creating Shapes and Text Boxes. Here are some tips and tricks for working with objects:

• Use Ctrl+D to duplicate any object.
• Then you can format them all at once, identically!
• You can also group them, for easier movement and alignment (right click to see the Group option).

Most posters are landscape (horizontal) orientation. The title/author(s) will be across the top, with 3–4 columns below that contain the rest of the poster elements. Make sure you leave plenty of white space in your design—a poster crammed full of text and images is very difficult to read.

Here is an example of a 2 column poster layout using the 5 Ws for headings (who, what, where, when, and why):

Use the links below to download this template and other similar templates in two sizes: 24x36 and 36x48. These templates include a variety of placeholder elements for photos and figures.

• 2 column Powerpoint template, size 24x36
• 3 column Powerpoint template, size 24x36
• 3 column Powerpoint template, size 36x48
• 4 column Powerpoint template, size 36x48

Below are some additional web resources where you can search for templates. Keep in mind that you may need adjust the size of a template for your own poster. Alternatively, you can use the resources on this page to design your own layout in Powerpoint.

• David Geffen School of Medicine poster templates Although this is labeled for the sciences, the information can be used in many disciplines.
• Penn State poster template
• PhD Posters
• MakeSigns.com poster templates
• The body of your poster should have a minimum 24 point font . Viewers should be able to read your smallest text from a few feet away.
• The title of your poster should have a 50+ font size, depending on the size of your poster and the length of the title.
• Do not use all uppercase letters for the title or body of the poster.
• Avoid using more than 2 or 3 different fonts in one poster.
• Stick with basic fonts like Times New Roman or Georgia for serif, or Arial or Helvetica for sans-serif. Avoid elaborate, difficult-to-read, or cartoon-like fonts.

• In general, left-align your text boxes (with the possible exception of your title and any image captions). Avoid centering the text on your whole poster.
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• Last Updated: Nov 9, 2023 2:31 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.ucla.edu/posters

Customer Reviews

How big is the text going to be on the poster.

What size should I make my fonts? When you create a poster, especially for the first time, you may be asking the questions: - Is my font size too small to read? - Is it too big? What size to make the title? - What size to make the body text? The quick answer is that it depends on how much content you want to add to your poster. There is no hard rule, but at the same time, you want your audience to be able to read what you wrote comfortably. On the other hand, you don't want your text to be so big, as if you did not have enough to write. The easiest way to find out is to start creating your poster using the default font sizes we provide on our templates. Then, as you add your content to the template, you will be able to determine if the default font needs to be enlarged or reduced to accommodate your layout. Do not waste time perfecting your layout as you work on your poster. Instead, do it at the end, after adding all your information. It will save you a great deal of time and frustration. It will also let you adjust the font sizes before tweaking everything to perfection. PowerPoint's little-known limitation PowerPoint has a page size limit of 56 inches (142.24 cm). So to create a poster larger than 56 inches, the poster document has to be built at half the size of the final printed poster. For example, a 48x72 poster will be printed from a 24x36 PowerPoint document doubled at printing time. That means that all the text on the original document is also at half the size of the final. So if you want a 24 point font on the poster, it should be set to 12 points. If your document is 56 inches or less, the file will be printed at 100% the original, which means that your fonts will print the same size as they are on the original document. These two charts will keep you from guessing. These two 8.5x11 charts will help you preview how big or small your fonts will appear on your actual poster. If your poster size can fit in a 48x56 inch space, download and print chart A on your desktop printer. Otherwise, download and print chart B. Place the chart of your choice on the wall and look at it from approximately 3 to 4 feet away. The numbers on the chart represent font sizes in both Arial and Times fonts. Sizes of other fonts may vary slightly.

PowerPoint font size reference cards

Download and print these to 8.5x11" pages on your desktop printer.

For posters UNDER 56 inches

CHART A: Use as reference with poster templates that when printed  will not exceed 56 inches (142cm) in either width or height.

For posters OVER 56 inches

CHART B:  Use as reference with poster templates that when printed  will exceed 56 inches (142cm) in either width or height.

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Scientific Posters

Characteristics of a scientific poster.

• Organized, clean, simple design.  
• Focused on one specific research topic that can be explained in 5-15 minutes.
• Contains a Title, Authors, Abstract, Introduction, Materials & Methods, Results, Discussion, References and Acknowledgements.
• Has four to ten high-resolution figures and/or tables that describe the research in detail.
• Contains minimal text, with figures and tables being the main focus.

Scientific Poster

A scientific poster ( Fig.1 ) is an illustrated summary of research that scientists and engineers use to present their scientific discoveries to larger audiences.   A typical poster is printed on paper with dimensions of 36-inches (height) by 48-inches (width).    

Figure 1. Scientific Poster

Posters are displayed at events such as symposiums, conferences and meetings to show new discoveries, new results and new information to scientists and engineers from different fields.   A large event can have hundreds of posters on display at one time with scientists and engineers standing beside their individual posters to showcase their research. A typical interaction between a poster presenter and an audience member will last 5-15 minutes.

Scientific posters are organized systematically into the following parts (or sections): Title, Authors, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments and References ( Table 1 and Fig. 2 ).   Organizing a poster in this manner allows the reader to quickly comprehend the major points of the research and to understand the significance of the work.  

Table 1. Characteristics of a Scientific Poster

The most important parts of a scientific poster will likely be its figures and/or tables because these are what an audience will naturally focus their attention on.   The phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words” is certainly true for scientific posters, and so it is very important for the poster’s author(s) to create informative figures that a reader can understand.   The “ideal” figure can be challenging to create.   Providing too much information in a figure will only serve to confuse the reader (or audience).   Provide too little information and the reader will be left with an incomplete understanding of the research.   Both situations should be avoided because they prevent a scientist from effectively communicating with their audience.  

Authors use different sizes of font for their poster text ( Table 2 ).   The general rule is to use a font size that can be read from a distance of 3-feet (1 meter), which is the approximate distance that a person will stand when viewing a poster.   The largest fonts (e.g., 40-120 point font) will be used for the title, author list and institutions.   Section headings will use 30-40 point font.   Section text, table captions, figure captions and references will typically use 20-30 point font.   Font sizes smaller than about 20-points can be difficult for an audience to read and should only be used for the References and Acknowledgements sections ( Table 2 ).  

Table 2. Poster Font Size and Style

A poster abstract contains all text (no figures, no tables) and appears at the beginning of the poster ( Fig. 2 ).   An abstract is one paragraph containing 200-300 words in length.   The Introduction section ( Fig. 2 ) appears after the abstract and typically contains 100-200 words of text, a figure(s) and/or table(s) and a caption for each figure and table consisting of 25-100 words for each caption.   The Material and Methods sections ( Fig. 2 ) appears third and consists of 100-200 words of text, a figure(s) and/or table(s) and a caption for each figure and table consisting of 25-100 words for each caption.   This is followed by the Results section and Discussion section ( Fig. 2 ).   Each of these sections contain 100-200 words of text, a figure(s) and/or table(s) and a caption for each figure and table consisting of 25-100 words for each caption. Sometimes these two parts of a poster are combined into one large section titled Results and Discussion.   Some posters contain a Conclusion section, which follows the Discussion section. The example shown is Figure 2 does not contain a Conclusion section.   The final parts of a poster are the References and Acknowledgements sections ( Fig. 2 ).  

Figure 2. Parts of a Scientific Poster

An audience will focus most of their attention on the poster title, abstract, figures and tables.   Therefore, it is important to pay particular attention to these parts of a poster.   A general rule is that less text is best and a figure is worth a thousand words.   The text contained within a poster should be reserved for the most important information that a presenter wants to convey to their audience.   The rest of the information will be communicated to the audience verbally by the scientist during their presentation.  

Its very important for a scientist to thoroughly understand all the data and information contained within their poster so that they can effectively communicate the research to an audience both verbally (i.e., during their presentation) and visually (i.e., using the figures and tables contained within the poster).   It is also important that the References section of a poster contains a thorough summary of all publications pertinent to the research presented in the poster.   This way, if an audience member wants more information on a particular topic (e.g., instrument, technique, method, study site) the presenter can direct the audience to the publication(s) where more information can be found.              

Scientific Posters: A Learner's Guide Copyright © 2020 by Ella Weaver; Kylienne A. Shaul; Henry Griffy; and Brian H. Lower is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Research Poster Presentation

• Planning & Preparation
• Layout & Content
• Color Scheme
• Images & Graphics
• Review & Printing

Beginning Graphic Design: Typography

Best Practices

Choose your fonts

For maximum impact, choose different fonts for the header and body of your poster. Select a serif font for your title and a sans serif font for the body. Serif fonts, such as Times New Roman and Garamond, have short lines at the ends of the strokes in a letter (as indicated by the arrows in the images below); sans serif fonts, such as Helvetica and Arial, do not. 

Some common font pairings and recommended font sizes can be found below.

Size appropriately

• 33 perfect font pairings
• The art of mixing typefaces - Google Fonts edition
• The ultimate guide to font pairing
• Poster Design And Layout: From Font Sizes To Color Contrast
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• Last Updated: Jun 15, 2023 4:50 PM
• URL: https://researchguides.wcu.edu/researchposter

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Home Blog Design How to Design a Winning Poster Presentation: Quick Guide with Examples & Templates

How to Design a Winning Poster Presentation: Quick Guide with Examples & Templates

How are research posters like High School science fair projects? Quite similar, in fact.

Both are visual representations of a research project shared with peers, colleagues and academic faculty. But there’s a big difference: it’s all in professionalism and attention to detail. You can be sure that the students that thrived in science fairs are now creating fantastic research posters, but what is that extra element most people miss when designing a poster presentation?

This guide will teach tips and tricks for creating poster presentations for conferences, symposia, and more. Learn in-depth poster structure and design techniques to help create academic posters that have a lasting impact.

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

• What is a Research Poster?

Why are Poster Presentations important?

Overall dimensions and orientation, separation into columns and sections, scientific, academic, or something else, a handout with supplemental and contact information, cohesiveness, design and readability, storytelling.

• Font Characteristics
• Color Pairing
• Data Visualization Dimensions
• Alignment, Margins, and White Space

Scientific/Academic Conference Poster Presentation

Digital research poster presentations, slidemodel poster presentation templates, how to make a research poster presentation step-by-step, considerations for printing poster presentations, how to present a research poster presentation, final words, what is a research poster .

Research posters are visual overviews of the most relevant information extracted from a research paper or analysis.   They are essential communication formats for sharing findings with peers and interested people in the field. Research posters can also effectively present material for other areas besides the sciences and STEM—for example, business and law.

You’ll be creating research posters regularly as an academic researcher, scientist, or grad student. You’ll have to present them at numerous functions and events. For example:

• Conference presentations
• Informational events
• Community centers

The research poster presentation is a comprehensive way to share data, information, and research results. Before the pandemic, the majority of research events were in person. During lockdown and beyond, virtual conferences and summits became the norm. Many researchers now create poster presentations that work in printed and digital formats.

Let’s look at why it’s crucial to spend time creating poster presentations for your research projects, research, analysis, and study papers.

Research posters represent you and your sponsor’s research 

Research papers and accompanying poster presentations are potent tools for representation and communication in your field of study. Well-performing poster presentations help scientists, researchers, and analysts grow their careers through grants and sponsorships.

When presenting a poster presentation for a sponsored research project, you’re representing the company that sponsored you. Your professionalism, demeanor, and capacity for creating impactful poster presentations call attention to other interested sponsors, spreading your impact in the field.

Research posters demonstrate expertise and growth

Presenting research posters at conferences, summits, and graduate grading events shows your expertise and knowledge in your field of study. The way your poster presentation looks and delivers, plus your performance while presenting the work, is judged by your viewers regardless of whether it’s an officially judged panel.

Recurring visitors to research conferences and symposia will see you and your poster presentations evolve. Improve your impact by creating a great poster presentation every time by paying attention to detail in the poster design and in your oral presentation. Practice your public speaking skills alongside the design techniques for even more impact.

Poster presentations create and maintain collaborations

Every time you participate in a research poster conference, you create meaningful connections with people in your field, industry or community. Not only do research posters showcase information about current data in different areas, but they also bring people together with similar interests. Countless collaboration projects between different research teams started after discussing poster details during coffee breaks.

An effective research poster template deepens your peer’s understanding of a topic by highlighting research, data, and conclusions. This information can help other researchers and analysts with their work. As a research poster presenter, you’re given the opportunity for both teaching and learning while sharing ideas with peers and colleagues.

Anatomy of a Winning Poster Presentation

Do you want your research poster to perform well?  Following the standard layout and adding a few personal touches will help attendees know how to read your poster and get the most out of your information. 

The overall size of your research poster ultimately depends on the dimensions of the provided space at the conference or research poster gallery. The poster orientation can be horizontal or vertical, with horizontal being the most common.  In general, research posters measure 48 x 36 inches or are an A0 paper size.

A virtual poster can be the same proportions as the printed research poster, but you have more leeway regarding the dimensions. Virtual research posters should fit on a screen with no need to scroll, with 1080p resolution as a standard these days. A horizontal presentation size is ideal for that.

A research poster presentation has a standard layout of 2–5 columns with 2–3 sections each. Typical structures say to separate the content into four sections; 1. A horizontal header 2. Introduction column, 3. Research/Work/Data column, and 4. Conclusion column. Each unit includes topics that relate to your poster’s objective.  Here’s a generalized outline for a poster presentation:

• Condensed Abstract 
• Objectives/Purpose
• Methodology
• Recommendations
• Implications
• Acknowledgments
• Contact Information 

The overview content you include in the units depends on your poster presentations’ theme, topic, industry, or field of research. A scientific or academic poster will include sections like hypothesis, methodology, and materials. A marketing analysis poster will include performance metrics and competitor analysis results.

There’s no way a poster can hold all the information included in your research paper or analysis report. The poster is an overview that invites the audience to want to find out more. That’s where supplement material comes in. Create a printed PDF handout or card with a QR code (created using a QR code generator ). Send the audience to the best online location for reading or downloading the complete paper.

What Makes a Poster Presentation Good and Effective? 

For your poster presentation to be effective and well-received, it needs to cover all the bases and be inviting to find out more. Stick to the standard layout suggestions and give it a unique look and feel. We’ve put together some of the most critical research poster-creation tips in the list below. Your poster presentation will perform as long as you check all the boxes.

The information you choose to include in the sections of your poster presentation needs to be cohesive. Train your editing eye and do a few revisions before presenting. The best way to look at it is to think of The Big Picture. Don’t get stuck on the details; your attendees won’t always know the background behind your research topic or why it’s important.

Be cohesive in how you word the titles, the length of the sections, the highlighting of the most important data, and how your oral presentation complements the printed—or virtual—poster.

The most important characteristic of your poster presentation is its readability and clarity. You need a poster presentation with a balanced design that’s easy to read at a distance of 1.5 meters or 4 feet. The font size and spacing must be clear and neat. All the content must suggest a visual flow for the viewer to follow.

That said, you don’t need to be a designer to add something special to your poster presentation. Once you have the standard—and recognized—columns and sections, add your special touch. These can be anything from colorful boxes for the section titles to an interesting but subtle background, images that catch the eye, and charts that inspire a more extended look. 

Storytelling is a presenting technique involving writing techniques to make information flow. Firstly, storytelling helps give your poster presentation a great introduction and an impactful conclusion. 

Think of storytelling as the invitation to listen or read more, as the glue that connects sections, making them flow from one to another. Storytelling is using stories in the oral presentation, for example, what your lab partner said when you discovered something interesting. If it makes your audience smile and nod, you’ve hit the mark. Storytelling is like giving a research presentation a dose of your personality, and it can help turning your data into opening stories .

Design Tips For Creating an Effective Research Poster Presentation

The section above briefly mentioned how important design is to your poster presentation’s effectiveness. We’ll look deeper into what you need to know when designing a poster presentation.

1. Font Characteristics

The typeface and size you choose are of great importance. Not only does the text need to be readable from two meters away, but it also needs to look and sit well on the poster. Stay away from calligraphic script typefaces, novelty typefaces, or typefaces with uniquely shaped letters.

Stick to the classics like a sans serif Helvetica, Lato, Open Sans, or Verdana. Avoid serif typefaces as they can be difficult to read from far away. Here are some standard text sizes to have on hand.

• Title: 85 pt
• Authors: 65 pt
• Headings: 36 pt
• Body Text: 24 pt
• Captions: 18 pt

If you feel too prone to use serif typefaces, work with a font pairing tool that helps you find a suitable solution – and intend those serif fonts for heading sections only. As a rule, never use more than 3 different typefaces in your design. To make it more dynamic, you can work with the same font using light, bold, and italic weights to put emphasis on the required areas.

2. Color Pairing

Using colors in your poster presentation design is a great way to grab the viewer’s attention. A color’s purpose is to help the viewer follow the data flow in your presentation, not distract. Don’t let the color take more importance than the information on your poster.

Choose one main color for the title and headlines and a similar color for the data visualizations. If you want to use more than one color, don’t create too much contrast between them. Try different tonalities of the same color and keep things balanced visually. Your color palette should have at most one main color and two accent colors.

Black text over a white background is standard practice for printed poster presentations, but for virtual presentations, try a very light gray instead of white and a very dark gray instead of black. Additionally, use variations of light color backgrounds and dark color text. Make sure it’s easy to read from two meters away or on a screen, depending on the context. We recommend ditching full white or full black tone usage as it hurts eyesight in the long term due to its intense contrast difference with the light ambiance.

3. Data Visualization Dimensions

Just like the text, your charts, graphs, and data visualizations must be easy to read and understand. Generally, if a person is interested in your research and has already read some of the text from two meters away, they’ll come closer to look at the charts and graphs. 

Fit data visualizations inside columns or let them span over two columns. Remove any unnecessary borders, lines, or labels to make them easier to read at a glance. Use a flat design without shadows or 3D characteristics. The text in legends and captions should stay within the chart size and not overflow into the margins. Use a unified text size of 18px for all your data visualizations.

4. Alignment, Margins, and White Space

Finally, the last design tip for creating an impressive and memorable poster presentation is to be mindful of the layout’s alignment, margins, and white space. Create text boxes to help keep everything aligned. They allow you to resize, adapt, and align the content along a margin or grid.

Take advantage of the white space created by borders and margins between sections. Don’t crowd them with a busy background or unattractive color.

Calculate margins considering a print format. It is a good practice in case the poster presentation ends up becoming in physical format, as you won’t need to downscale your entire design (affecting text readability in the process) to preserve information.

There are different tools that you can use to make a poster presentation. Presenters who are familiar with Microsoft Office prefer to use PowerPoint. You can learn how to make a poster in PowerPoint here.

Poster Presentation Examples

Before you start creating a poster presentation, look at some examples of real research posters. Get inspired and get creative.

Research poster presentations printed and mounted on a board look like the one in the image below. The presenter stands to the side, ready to share the information with visitors as they walk up to the panels.

With more and more conferences staying virtual or hybrid, the digital poster presentation is here to stay. Take a look at examples from a poster session at the OHSU School of Medicine .

Use SlideModel templates to help you create a winning poster presentation with PowerPoint and Google Slides. These poster PPT templates will get you off on the right foot. Mix and match tables and data visualizations from other poster slide templates to create your ideal layout according to the standard guidelines.

If you need a quick method to create a presentation deck to talk about your research poster at conferences, check out our Slides AI presentation maker. A tool in which you add the topic, curate the outline, select a design, and let AI do the work for you.

1. One-pager Scientific Poster Template for PowerPoint

A PowerPoint template tailored to make your poster presentations an easy-to-craft process. Meet our One-Pager Scientific Poster Slide Template, entirely editable to your preferences and with ample room to accommodate graphs, data charts, and much more.

Use This Template

2. Eisenhower Matrix Slides Template for PowerPoint

An Eisenhower Matrix is a powerful tool to represent priorities, classifying work according to urgency and importance. Presenters can use this 2×2 matrix in poster presentations to expose the effort required for the research process, as it also helps to communicate strategy planning.

3. OSMG Framework PowerPoint Template

Finally, we recommend presenters check our OSMG Framework PowerPoint template, as it is an ideal tool for representing a business plan: its goals, strategies, and measures for success. Expose complex processes in a simplified manner by adding this template to your poster presentation.

Remember these three words when making your research poster presentation: develop, design, and present. These are the three main actions toward a successful poster presentation. 

The section below will take you on a step-by-step journey to create your next poster presentation.

Step 1: Define the purpose and audience of your poster presentation

Before making a poster presentation design, you’ll need to plan first. Here are some questions to answer at this point:

• Are they in your field? 
• Do they know about your research topic? 
• What can they get from your research?
• Will you print it?
• Is it for a virtual conference?

Step 2: Make an outline

With a clear purpose and strategy, it’s time to collect the most important information from your research paper, analysis, or documentation. Make a content dump and then select the most interesting information. Use the content to draft an outline.

Outlines help formulate the overall structure better than going straight into designing the poster. Mimic the standard poster structure in your outline using section headlines as separators. Go further and separate the content into the columns they’ll be placed in.

Step 3: Write the content

Write or rewrite the content for the sections in your poster presentation. Use the text in your research paper as a base, but summarize it to be more succinct in what you share. 

Don’t forget to write a catchy title that presents the problem and your findings in a clear way. Likewise, craft the headlines for the sections in a similar tone as the title, creating consistency in the message. Include subtle transitions between sections to help follow the flow of information in order.

Avoid copying/pasting entire sections of the research paper on which the poster is based. Opt for the storytelling approach, so the delivered message results are interesting for your audience. 

Step 4: Put it all together visually

This entire guide on how to design a research poster presentation is the perfect resource to help you with this step. Follow all the tips and guidelines and have an unforgettable poster presentation.

Moving on, here’s how to design a research poster presentation with PowerPoint Templates . Open a new project and size it to the standard 48 x 36 inches. Using the outline, map out the sections on the empty canvas. Add a text box for each title, headline, and body text. Piece by piece, add the content into their corresponding text box.

Transform the text information visually, make bullet points, and place the content in tables and timelines. Make your text visual to avoid chunky text blocks that no one will have time to read. Make sure all text sizes are coherent for all headings, body texts, image captions, etc. Double-check for spacing and text box formatting.

Next, add or create data visualizations, images, or diagrams. Align everything into columns and sections, making sure there’s no overflow. Add captions and legends to the visualizations, and check the color contrast with colleagues and friends. Ask for feedback and progress to the last step.

Step 5: Last touches

Time to check the final touches on your poster presentation design. Here’s a checklist to help finalize your research poster before sending it to printers or the virtual summit rep.

• Check the resolution of all visual elements in your poster design. Zoom to 100 or 200% to see if the images pixelate. Avoid this problem by using vector design elements and high-resolution images.
• Ensure that charts and graphs are easy to read and don’t look crowded.
• Analyze the visual hierarchy. Is there a visual flow through the title, introduction, data, and conclusion?
• Take a step back and check if it’s legible from a distance. Is there enough white space for the content to breathe?
• Does the design look inviting and interesting?

An often neglected topic arises when we need to print our designs for any exhibition purpose. Since A0 is a hard-to-manage format for most printers, these poster presentations result in heftier charges for the user. Instead, you can opt to work your design in two A1 sheets, which also becomes more manageable for transportation. Create seamless borders for the section on which the poster sheets should meet, or work with a white background.

Paper weight options should be over 200 gsm to avoid unwanted damage during the printing process due to heavy ink usage. If possible, laminate your print or stick it to photographic paper – this shall protect your work from spills.

Finally, always run a test print. Gray tints may not be printed as clearly as you see them on screen (this is due to the RGB to CMYK conversion process). Other differences can be appreciated when working with ink jet plotters vs. laser printers. Give yourself enough room to maneuver last-minute design changes.

Presenting a research poster is a big step in the poster presentation cycle. Your poster presentation might or might not be judged by faculty or peers. But knowing what judges look for will help you prepare for the design and oral presentation, regardless of whether you receive a grade for your work or if it’s business related. Likewise, the same principles apply when presenting at an in-person or virtual summit.

The opening statement

Part of presenting a research poster is welcoming the viewer to your small personal area in the sea of poster presentations. You’ll need an opening statement to pitch your research poster and get the viewers’ attention.

Draft a 2 to 3-sentence pitch that covers the most important points:

• What the research is
• Why was it conducted
• What the results say

From that opening statement, you’re ready to continue with the oral presentation for the benefit of your attendees.

The oral presentation

During the oral presentation, share the information on the poster while conversing with the interested public. Practice many times before the event. Structure the oral presentation as conversation points, and use the poster’s visual flow as support. Make eye contact with your audience as you speak, but don’t make them uncomfortable.

Pro Tip: In a conference or summit, if people show up to your poster area after you’ve started presenting it to another group, finish and then address the new visitors.

QA Sessions 

When you’ve finished the oral presentation, offer the audience a chance to ask questions. You can tell them before starting the presentation that you’ll be holding a QA session at the end. Doing so will prevent interruptions as you’re speaking.

If presenting to one or two people, be flexible and answer questions as you review all the sections on your poster.

Supplemental Material

If your audience is interested in learning more, you can offer another content type, further imprinting the information in their minds. Some ideas include; printed copies of your research paper, links to a website, a digital experience of your poster, a thesis PDF, or data spreadsheets.

Your audience will want to contact you for further conversations; include contact details in your supplemental material. If you don’t offer anything else, at least have business cards.

Even though conferences have changed, the research poster’s importance hasn’t diminished. Now, instead of simply creating a printed poster presentation, you can also make it for digital platforms. The final output will depend on the conference and its requirements.

This guide covered all the essential information you need to know for creating impactful poster presentations, from design, structure and layout tips to oral presentation techniques to engage your audience better . 

Before your next poster session, bookmark and review this guide to help you design a winning poster presentation every time. 

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• UNC Libraries
• Design & Creation
• Designing Effective Posters
• Layout and Text

Designing Effective Posters: Layout and Text

• Classes and Tutorials
• Getting Started With PowerPoint and Adobe InDesign
• Images and Graphics
• Adding and Revising Content: PowerPoint
• Adding and Revising Content: InDesign
• Evaluation Checklist
• Before & After Examples
• Printing Your Poster
• Archiving Your Poster
• Poster Templates

Writing Tips

• Boil down information into bullet points where possible.
• Avoid wordiness and jargon.
• Use active voice. (The Purdue OWL has a great guide on active vs. passive voice)
• Use vocabulary that your audience understands.
• Spell Out Acronyms The First Time You Use Them (SOATFTYUT) -- always! Even if you think your audience will know the acronym, you should still spell it out at least once.

Is all the information in the poster  essential  to your message?

Posters are not the same as research papers. Posters are intended to boil down a project or topic to its bare essentials, not provide details or supporting documentation. If some of your information is relevant but not essential to your main points, don't include it. Consider putting non-essential "nice to know" information in a supplementary handout.

Media & Design Center

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Content Layout

You have a lot of room to be creative when making a poster, but there are some general rules you'll want to follow to ensure that your poster is as effective as possible. The layout of a poster can drastically impact how well it is received by others. There are a few key features you'll want to include in your layout. 

This is the section at the top which includes the title of the poster, the author(s), and the authors' affiliations. The title should be the largest text in the poster, and the author names should be the next largest. The title should be large enough for someone to read from several feet away. On a standard size print poster, this is somewhere between 96-120 pt. text .

Many researchers also put the logo of their institution or department in the banner. See our page on UNC logos for more information on using a logo in your poster. 

Below the banner, a poster usually includes three or four columns of content. There are exceptions; in some cases you may opt for a different layout. 

Alignment 

Headings, columns, and graphics should be aligned whenever appropriate. For example, a poster is typically broken into columns. the tops of the columns should be aligned with each other, and the sections in each column should be left justified so that each paragraph is exactly at the left edge of the column.

Align graphics where possible. For example, you could align the top edge of a photo in one column with the bottom edge of a diagram in another column.

Balance and Spacing

Distribute the content and images in the poster so that it looks balanced. Strive to achieve an aesthetically pleasing, uncluttered look. Include a margin of about an inch along all edges of the poster.

White Space

Be sure to include some white space. Too much content can actually make it difficult for viewers to read the poster. 

Organization

This is one feature that people often don't think about. The way you organize the content on your poster has a big impact on how easily viewers will be able to understand it. In general, you want your content to move from left → right and top → bottom. This is the way we learn to read, so the eye naturally follows this same trajectory when viewing a poster. This means you'll want to have introductory information at the top or left side of your side, and your concluding information at the bottom or right side. 

Remember, if you're presenting to an international audience, you might have to think more about how to organize your poster! Some languages don't read left to right, so those viewers might not ingest the information in the same way as a native English speaker. 

Consistency

Use the same fonts throughout the poster. Use similar dimensions for illustrations and photographs.  Use similar color and design elements throughout the poster.

Use color judiciously to add to the visual appeal of your poster. Consider using one or two accent colors (such as for shadows or or thin lines separating columns) or using a pale, solid background color. If you're using any images, charts, or other graphics, try picking accent colors that are already included in your graphics. 

Feel free to use either serif or sans serif fonts, but be consistent in what you use! Many people use one font for the headings and another for the body text, but it's perfectly fine to use one font for the whole poster. More people are using sans serif fonts for posters these days because it feels a little easier to read, particularly on a digital screen. However, it's entirely up to you which font(s) to use. You want to pick fonts that are readable and don't distract from the content of your poster. 

This is a serif font (Times New Roman).

This is is a sans serif font (Arial).

If you're creating a poster for a young audience or non-academic audience, you might want to incorporate a novelty font for headings just to keep things light and interesting. There are many websites that allow you to download fonts for free for non-commercial uses. 

Divide the poster into parts with major headings for each section. Make heading for each level distinct and consistent so that the viewer can easily see the structure of the content. You may also choose to add color to a level to set it apart. For example:

Good organization involves breaking down your content into logical categories. Organize your information into major sections. For example, a poster describing a quantitative study might include section headings such as:

• Background or Introduction
• Purpose or Objectives
• Methods or Procedures
• Conclusions
• Lessons Learned or Future Plans

Don't feel as though you need to include ALL of these headings. Many students use 3-4 headings for a simple research poster. On the other hand, don't be afraid to use a unique heading where applicable. Pick headings that fit into your research and allow viewers to synthesize your content easily.

It is important that your title and headings stand out so people can quickly see what your poster is about and how it is structured. The font sizes you should use depends on your overall poster size as well as the amount of content in your poster, and it is somewhat subjective. If you are doing a PRINT poster (48 in. x 36 in.) here are some suggested font sizes: 

• Title:  88 to 120 points 
• Names and Affiliations:  70 to 90 points
• Major headings: 54 to 80 points
• Sub headings: 48 to 72 points
• Text: 36 to 52 points

The above are only guidelines. When you have completed a draft, take a look at your font sizes and tweak them as needed to make them look good.

If you are doing a digital poster, disregard the font sizes listed above, unless you have increased the dimensions of your slide. PowerPoint slides default to 13.3 inches wide by 7.5 inches high. You don't  need  to increase the slide size if you are presenting a digital poster, since the computer screen will automatically adjust the size of your slide accordingly. 

Generally speaking, titles and headings should be bold . Text should not be bold. 

• Last Updated: Feb 21, 2024 11:06 AM
• URL: https://guides.lib.unc.edu/posters

• Thompson Rivers University Library
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• Creating an Academic Poster: Tips and Tricks

Typefaces and Font Sizes

• Academic Poster: Basic Components
• Orientation and Size
• Editing and Organizing Content
• Colour and Contrast
• Graphs, Charts, and Images
• Poster Templates
• Citing Your Sources

General guidelines:

• use one, or a maximum of two, typefaces
• choose suitable font sizes for titles, body copy, etc. (see suggested ranges below) and use them consistently
• if you use bold, italics, or underline, use them consistently
• check if the conference or event has specific guidelines for formatting posters and follow them

Suggested ranges for font sizes of different poster sections (Remember, a typical academic poster, when printed, is MUCH larger than a laptop screen!):

• poster title: 80-150 pts (bold recommended)
• author name(s): 54-60 pts
• headings: 36-40 pts
• body text: 24-32 pts
• figure captions: 18 pts

Example academic poster presented at the TRU 2020 Teaching Practices Colloquium

Serif vs sans serif typefaces

• << Previous: Colour and Contrast
• Next: Graphs, Charts, and Images >>
• Last Updated: Sep 19, 2023 10:24 AM
• URL: https://libguides.tru.ca/academicposters

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• Published: 25 January 2021

The ABCs of academic poster presentation

• Tulsi Patel 1  

BDJ Student volume  28 ,  pages 14–16 ( 2021 ) Cite this article

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Tulsi Patel , DCT1, Royal London Hospital, Barts NHS Trust

Academic posters are an excellent way to summarise and display your work

It is important to read the conference requirements carefully before preparing your poster

Adopt a clear, concise and easy to follow design

Preparing the poster in advance, practising your presentation and formulating answers to anticipated questions is essential

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Hamilton C. At a Glance: A Stepwise Approach to Successful Poster Presentations. Chest 2008; 134 : 457-459.

Daud D. How to make a scientific poster: a guide for medical students. Available from: http://cures.cardiff.ac.uk/files/2014/10/NSAMR-Poster.pdf (Accessed October 2020).

Birmingham.ac.uk. Tips for effective poster design. 2020. Available from: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/metallurgy-materials/about/cases/tips-advice/poster.aspx (Accessed October 2020).

Sousa B, Clark A. Six Insights to Make Better Academic Conference Posters. Int J Qual Methods 2019; 18 : 160940691986237.

Rossi T. How to Design an Award-Winning Conference Poster. 2018. Available from: https://www.animateyour.science/post/how-to-design-an-award-winning-conference-poster (Accessed October 2020).

Gundogan B, Koshy K, Kurar L, Whitehurst K. How to make an academic poster. Ann Med Surg (Lond) 2016; 11 : 69-71.

Shelledy D. How to make an effective poster. Respiratory Care 2004; 49 : 1214.

Wolfrom J. The magical effects of color. Lafayette, Calif. C & T Pub. 2009.

Beamish A, Ansell J, Foster J, Foster K, Egan R. Poster Exhibitions at Conferences: Are We Doing it Properly? J Surg Educ 2015; 72 : 278-282.

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Tips for Designing a Poster Presentation

Creating a compelling poster presentation for a scientific meeting can be intimidating but doesn’t have to be. Planning ahead and reviewing the advice on this page will help to guarantee that your poster engages your audience, accurately presents your research, and is ready for the meeting.

Know your audience

When preparing your poster, think about how you can clearly communicate with and catch the attention of your audience. Is your research specific to people in your field (e.g. materials science, industrial physics), or can you broaden your audience to include people in similar or unrelated areas of science? Remember to use clear language and avoid jargon, so that all readers can understand, regardless of their expertise.

Don’t forget to work on your elevator pitch. Having a concise and compelling summary of your work that also explains the importance of your research can help you to catch your audience's attention. It also ensures that you're prepared when someone at the meeting asks you about your poster.

Give your poster a clean layout

The preferred poster presentation size for APS meetings is four feet by eight feet (4'x8'). However, poster dimensions for other scientific meetings may differ, be sure to check the specific meeting information. Remember to include:

• An eye-catching title–use a 72-100 point font to make your title stand out
• Names of all authors, plus their institutions
• Section headings
• Plenty of visually interesting and relevant graphics

For maximum readability:

• Choose a font size in the 24-32 point range for the body text.
• Use bulleted lists instead of full paragraphs.
• Use a light background with dark letters.
• Pick one of the recommended fonts–Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, or Georgia are easy to read and widely available.
• Limit your fonts to two to three colors.
• Do not use background images underneath your text, as these will conflict visually with the text and make your poster more difficult to read.

What to include on your poster

• Introduction: Your introduction should answer the question, Why is this problem important? Provide clear background to draw the reader's interest and give context.
• Procedure:  What methods, tools, and additional resources did you use for your project? Include images, tables, or charts when possible.
• Graphics:  Use high-resolution images, label all charts and graphs, and include a legend if necessary.
• Results:  In most cases, it is not necessary to include all of your raw data. Show the data analysis that is applicable and briefly describe your results. Remember to avoid jargon. Your results should be the most prominent feature in the layout of your poster.
• Conclusion:  The conclusion is your opportunity to remind readers of the importance/relevance of your work. Use two to four bullet points to summarize your conclusion.
• Example: A. B. Smith, Phys. Rev. A 26 , 107 (1982)
• Acknowledgments:  Take the time to thank your collaborators (those who are not co-authors) as well as your sources of funding. Don’t forget to mention travel grants.

Should you include an abstract on your poster?

For APS meetings, it is not necessary to include your abstract on the poster. However, if you have made significant changes from your initial submission, you may wish to include a brief summary.

Still finalizing your abstract? Review our tips for writing a title and abstract .

Proofread, proofread, proofread

Make sure that everything is spelled correctly, and that your language is consistent. All co-authors should review and agree upon the content of the poster. Show your poster to friends both inside and outside of your department to make sure that your writing is clear. This is also a good way to practice answering questions about your work.

Practice makes perfect

Once your poster is ready, it’s time to start rehearsing your presentation. Get started by reading our guidelines for presenting your poster .

At the meeting

Put your poster up in its designated location at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the poster session and remove your poster immediately at the close of the session. Please note that AV is not allowed in poster sessions at the APS March and April meetings — posters should be designed using effective printed visuals. Your poster must correspond to the title and content of the abstract you submitted.

Tips for Presenting a Scientific Poster

A great poster will attract audiences, but a practiced, well thought out presentation will bring your research to life.

Best Practices for Virtual Presentations

Giving a virtual presentation can be just as compelling and engaging as an in-person presentation.

Speaker Tips and Guidelines

Follow the how-to's in presenting your research.

Meetings and Events

Share your research, broaden your network, and connect with new opportunities.

Join your Society

If you embrace scientific discovery, truth and integrity, partnership, inclusion, and lifelong curiosity, this is your professional home.

• Subject Guides

Posters with a Powerful Point: A practical guide to designing academic posters

• Preparation

The text content of an academic poster will generally be very important, so you need to make sure it is easily readable, and helps viewers follow the flow of ideas.

In this section we'll take a look at some basic principles of text layout for posters, and then we'll look at the process of adding and configuring text in PowerPoint.

Some basic principles

Readability can be improved by reflecting on some essential principles of text design. You'll find a lot about this on the web, but here are a few pointers.

The three-levels model

The three-levels model is a structural principle based around three levels of text: title(s), sub-headings and body content. If you design three distinctive appearances for these, it helps the reader find their way around the content.

At the very least, these should use different sizes, but it's worth giving consideration to colour and font choice too. For example:

This is a section title

This is a sub-heading

This is some body-text. Most of the writing on your poster will be body-text, naturally. But that text can be broken up into sections (e.g. thematic boxes) and then further sub-divided into sub-sections. This is a fairly basic example but it gives an idea.

This is another sub-heading

And this is some more body-text. All three levels of text in this example are using the same font, but with different weights, different colours, and different sizes.

How much text?

It may be that your brief specifies a minimum wordcount, but otherwise, how much text should you be writing?

A poster is not an essay. It's one of those situations where 'less is more'. Let visuals speak for themselves, and keep your written content as efficient as possible. Use shorter paragraphs than you would normally, and make good use of summary methods like bullet points.

As a rule of thumb, 300-500 words might be typical. Plus references. But practice varies from discipline to discipline. As ever, try to find some peer examples for inspiration.

Think about other forms of poster too, like street advertising. How do they convey a message? What text is being used? It's an extreme example, but sometimes there are opportunities to even forgo text altogether and let visuals do the talking...

For instance, here's a process being outlined... a methodology of sorts...

Think of your poster text more as an extended, illustrated abstract summary ... like the abstract you get with a journal article, only with the added advantage of illustrations. There won't be room for everything but there doesn't need to be. Let your visuals do as much work for you as possible, and concentrate on the "must know" elements for the text.

You might find it helpful to draft out the text for your poster in advance. Look at ways you can structure it and break it up into sections on your poster. It might help you to formulate your layout and your design as a whole.

Text characteristics

Font choice.

If you 'Google' about readability of fonts, you'll find all sorts of opinions, and even quite a bit of research. You can ignore most of this if you remember:

• Upper case ('capitals') does not make things easier to read — in fact it multiple lines of upper case text are much more difficult to read. Avoid fonts that have no lower case.

UPPER CASE IS NOT EASIER TO READ

• There are many 'fancy' or 'artistic' fonts around — these are extremely difficult to read, and are likely to encourage anyone reading your poster to give up!

'Fancy' or 'artistic' fonts can be tiring to read — ESPECIALLY IF YOU WRITE THEM IN UPPER CASE!

The best way to judge the readability of your poster is to ask someone else to read it.

In terms of font selection, University-managed computers have a broad range of fonts. If you're on your own computer and want a better variety of fonts, there are a number of free fonts available online. We got the fancy font above ("Arizona") from Google Fonts , and there's also Font Squirrel . As always, use caution if downloading fonts from unfamiliar sites.

As any optician's chart will demonstrate, size of font is important. Your poster needs to be readable from at least a metre away.

Font size in PowerPoint is in 'points' – a sizing convention which is consistent across different paper sizes: 14pt on a sheet of A4 paper is the same as 14pt on a sheet of A1, which means you can always print off a handy font-size chart in Word and use it as a guide. However, different fonts have different interpretations of points: one font at 14pt may be a different size to another.

>72pt for titles,

>50pt for other headings,

and >30pt for the main body text.

However, this very much depends on which font you choose, and even on the nature of the text you're writing (you might go as low as 18pt in some "smallprint" cases, though probably not much smaller). Size isn't everything, and there are other factors that can affect readability.

Line length

Academic posters have writing on them. And that writing is there to be read. One reason why a column layout is so often used is because it reduces the line lengths, making it less likely that you will accidentally skip a line or lose your place.

...is harder to scan than...

It's why newspapers and magazines used columns in the first place.

Character spacing

Introducing a bit of extra space into text, particularly headings, can make them more noticeable. It doesn't usually help for whole paragraphs of text, though.

'normal' spacing

expanded by 3pt

Paragraph alignment

Full justification, where word spacing is adjusted so both the left and right edges are straight, may look 'neat', but it is not considered good for reading at a distance.

Centrally aligned text is fine for headings or captions, but again it's a mess to read in any amount.

Right-aligned text has its occasional uses if you're wrapping around an image, but it's another one you wouldn't want to inflict on a reader for very long.

Use left-alignment for all significant blocks of text (unless you're writing in a script that reads right to left).

Line spacing

Squashing lines together is a sure way to make them difficult to read. A dense jumble of letters is just going to put people off. Your aim is to engage people, not give them a headache. Squashed-up text like this gets buzzy very quickly.

Increase line-spacing a little to add some 'fresh air'. This is often easier on the eye even with a reduced font size. For instance, this font size is 12pt, while the previous box was 14pt.

Paragraph spacing

Use fairly short paragraphs and make sure there is a bit of extra space between them.

Since posters are printed, it won't actually hurt to space paragraphs with blank lines (possibly at a different font size), but it's bad practice (it gets messy and difficult to consistently modify), and if you're doing several paragraphs it's worthwhile setting up paragraph spacing properly.

Setting paragraph spacing is also a good habit to get into for other uses.

Adding and configuring text

Adding text in PowerPoint

Text in PowerPoint can be entered into text boxes or shapes .

To insert a text box, choose Insert > Text > Text Box . However, when you adjust the width of a text box, the height is adjusted automatically to match the length of the text content. This is great for presentations, but less helpful for posters, where positioning is likely to be quite important.

You're therefore probably better off using shapes as your text container...

Any shape can be used to hold text, and the size remains as set, making them much easier to use with posters. They're particularly suitable for text boxes with fill or borders, but you can also make the border and background transparent if they're not required.

Shapes can be found at Insert > Illustrations > Shapes . There's several shapes to choose from. Rectangles (with or without rounded corners) are the easiest choice to work with for a box structure, but any shape can be used. With more complicated shapes, you may find the margins restrictive, and it may sometimes be easier to overlay a transparent rectangle.

Having selected the shape you want, drag to draw it onto the page (hold shift to create a regular shape). Select the shape and you will be able to start typing into it.

There is another form of text entry in PowerPoint... WordArt. It can do some nice things (not least being able to write in an arc), but be careful: WordArt can easily end up looking a bit... well... naff.

Configuring text

Changing text

Highlighting a section of text will allow you to format that section, but if you want to change all the text within a text box or shape, the best thing to do is to select the entire shape. The easiest way to do that (especially if the shape has no background fill) is to click the shape's border. It's quite a narrow target to hit so it may take a few attempts before you get the knack. Your cursor will turn to the "move" crosshair pointer as you hover over the selectable area, and once selected, the "expand" and "rotate" toggles will appear on the shape. You can now start formatting.

Paragraph attributes

You can get more precise control of your paragraphs from the dialogue launcher toggle at the bottom-right-hand corner of the Home > Paragraph ribbon group (on a Mac, click on any text then go to the Format menu, then Paragraph... ). Here you can configure settings such as line -spacing and paragraph -spacing:

The "Multiple" option in the line-spacing settings lets you express line spacing fractionally, as a multiple of the default line space. 1 gives single line spacing; 2 gives double line spacing, etc. So in the example above, 1.2 means there's an extra 20% of space for each line.

Text attributes

You shouldn't have any problems setting the font, size etc, but for other attributes there's a dialogue launcher at the bottom-right-hand corner of the Home > Font ribbon group. In addition to providing more font control options, it also has a tab for setting up character spacing:

Text positioning

When you first create a shape containing text, the content will be centred; there will also be a margin around the text. These attributes can easily be changed using Home > Paragraph > Align Text . The More Options section of this Align Text menu will open the Format Shape side panel where there are further settings, including margin options. We'll look at those in more detail in the next section...

Configuring text boxes and shapes

The text boxes and shapes used for text can be configured in various ways to help with presentation.

Shape Fill and Shape Outline

As with the background of the page itself , the background of a shape (its fill ) can be a solid colour, graduated, patterned or even a photograph. You can also set its transparency level, which allows some of the background to show through, though be sure to test this thoroughly as it can sometimes give poor results when printed.

A shape's border — its outline — can be solid or patterned, and can be of different widths.

Once a shape has been drawn, its attributes can be changed from the Shape Format > Shape Styles ribbon group:

When you select More Fill Colors... from the "Shape Fill" or "Shape Outline" dropdowns, you'll have the chance to set a precise colour (and transparency) using numerical values:

Shape Effects

A number of special effects can be applied from Shape Format > Shape Styles > Shape Effects — of these, the most commonly used with text boxes is the drop-shadow .

Employed with care, it can appear to lift the shape slightly off the page:

This box uses fill and outline but does not have a drop-shadow.

This box uses fill and outline and also has a drop-shadow.

This box has fill and a drop-shadow but doesn't bother with an outline.

• Select the shape first, then choose Shape Format > Shape Styles > Shape Effects > Shadow
• Usually the simplest Outer shadow will be suitable, but there are a few default options to choose from
• If you want to adjust the shadow, select Shape Format > Shape Styles > Shape Effects > Shadow > Shadow Options... — this will give a side panel for you to adjust the shadow.

Text Margins

This box has quite narrow margins. The text is right up against the sides. Sure, the box is longer than the text, so there's a bit of space to the bottom, and the text is left-aligned, so there's space to the right too, but potentially the text can go really very close to the edges.

This box has much bigger margins than the other box (four times the size). The wider margins mean there's a lot more blank space between the box border and the text itself.

• Select the shape
• Select Home > Paragraph > Align Text > More Options... to get to the "Text Box" settings in the "Format Shape" side-panel. You can also get to the "Format Shape" panel by right-clicking a shape and choosing Format Shape...
• The "Text Box" settings in the "Text Options" allow you to set the margins (along with various other features).

Textbox controls are rather straightforward for rectangular shapes. For other shapes you may find that the writing area is a little restrictive, even with margins set to zero. You may find it simpler to overlay a transparent rectangular shape to hold your text.

• << Previous: Images
• Next: Production >>
• Last Updated: Mar 25, 2024 5:30 PM
• URL: https://subjectguides.york.ac.uk/posters

Designing a Professional Poster

• Getting Started
• Using a Template
• Font, Layout, & Style
• Graphics & Logos
• Further Reading

Balance Content and Style

Have you ever walked up to a poster that looked like an encyclopedia entry? Did you want to stand there and read the entire poster? Of course not! The trick with posters is finding a way to get your information out there without being too wordy. Being concise and explaining your project simply  yet completely, is key. Typically, a poster should average about 1,000 words or less, but of course, abide by any guidelines set by your particular conference if there is a word limit. 

Your content should guide the design of your poster, but don’t forget about visual appeal.

Font choice and size is important to the overall look and readability of your poster. Be consistent with font choice and sizing. For example, all body text should be the same font and size throughout. All header text should be the same font and size throughout.   

• Use no more than 2 different fonts on a poster
• Do not use all uppercase letters or small caps
• Left justified text is easiest to read
• A dark font on a light background is easiest to read

There is debate about the use of serif vs sans serif fonts . Some points you may want to consider:

• Serif fonts work well for body text. Serif fonts such as Times New Roman   or Georgia have small strokes or “feet” on their ends that make them easier to read when grouped together.
• Sans serif fonts work well for titles and headings. Sans serif fonts such as Arial or Tahoma , are without the small strokes at their ends. Sans serif fonts are modern, minimal, and are good for drawing emphasis.

Don't underestimate how font size affects the overall look and feel of your poster. It factors greatly into the readability and approachability of your work. You want to avoid that 'encyclopedia entry' look, right? 

Keep in mind that the page/slide/screen you are working on will be blown up X times its current size for the final printout. While it may seem strange to use a 48pt font in the body of your poster, it will look normal when printed out full size. 

The final size of your poster will ultimately guide your choice of font sizes, but here are some recommended font sizes to try out by section:

• Title – 80-120pt (Should be readable from 15-20ft away)
• Authors – 60-90pt
• Headings – 44-80pt
• Body text – 32-52pt (Should be readable from 5-6 feet away)
• Captions on tables or photos – 28pt
• References or acknowledgements – 24pt

Content on a poster is typically arranged in three or four columns and read from top left to bottom right. 

• Section headings can help guide the reader from start to finish. Conference guidelines may require specific headings be included based on the type of poster you are are presenting, such as for research project or a quality improvement project. For example, typical headings for a research project may include Background, Purpose, Methods, Results, Conclusion.  

White space is your friend! Allowing for white space (i.e. unused space around an object) not only relaxes the viewer's eye, but draws attention to the important content on your poster. Basically, do not overcrowd the poster with unnecessary text and/or graphics. 

Additional Style Tips

• A light, solid color background with dark font is easiest to read. 
• Accent colors can add visual appeal, but remember to keep it professional looking. There are many online resources that can assist with choosing complementary colors and palettes such as Adobe Color  or Color-Hex  
• Even the most stylish poster can be ruined by grammatical and spelling errors, so check and double-check your writing, headings, tables...everything. Printing a poster at full size is expensive and you don't want to have to do it twice!
• All these awesome tips mean nothing if you don't follow the conference rules. Some organizations are more strict than others, so always check your conference guidelines for size, style, and content specifications. 
• << Previous: Using a Template
• Next: Graphics & Logos >>
• Last Updated: Mar 2, 2023 9:29 AM
• URL: https://henryford.libguides.com/posterdesign

Lynn University

Academic posters.

• APA Academic Poster Template & Formatting
• Humanities Posters
• Tips for Poster Planning
• Sample Posters (Scientific, Humanities, Aviation)
• Lynn Sample Posters & Templates
• APA Citation Help

Academic Poster Template

There is no APA Poster format, but this PowerPoint template uses APA citation and tables/figures format. There are other tools you can use to create a poster; just be sure to follow APA guidelines for figures/tables and citations.

• 48"x36" PowerPoint Poster Template Click to open the PowerPoint Poster Template!

Poster Headings/Sections

Typical poster sections .

See your professor or conference for your required sections. Typical posters follow the IMRaD format: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion/Conclusion. See the Humanities Poster page for more section ideas. 

Other sections include:

• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Research Question/statement/hypothesis
• Future Research
• Funding Acknowledgement

Academic Poster Setup

Powerpoint setup.

Most of these instructions are for Powerpoint on a desktop.

• Go to the Design tab > Slide size > Custom Slide Size > Set the width and height, and choose landscape (if a message pops up that "the current page size exceeds the printable area of the paper in the printer" just click OK)
• Standard Poster size is 48” wide x 36” tall - but check with your professor or with the conference and your printer (if you are presenting at a conference)
• The header in this poster is created with a rounded rectangle
• Go to the Insert tab > Shapes > choose a rounded rectangle (or other shapes) 
• This header box is 4" tall x 47" wide
• To see and manage box sizes, use the grab handles on the shape OR go to the Format tab > size
• Change the shape, fill color, and outline on the Format tab - this shape has Lynn blue fill
• Three columns are common but not required
• The columns in the poster template are rectangles
• Go to the Insert tab > Shapes > choose a rectangle (or other shapes) 
• The two side boxes are 30.5" tall x 14" wide; the center box is 30.5" tall x 17" wide
• On a desktop: on the Format tab
• On an iPad: click on the shape to select it, then on the "Shape" button near the top right
• Save your poster as a PDF (for printing). Go to the File tab > Save as Adobe PDF > choose "yes" to save the file, then name it and save

PowerPoint: change the size of the slide to poster size

Google Slides Setup

• Go to the File tab, select Page Setup > In the drop-down menu, choose custom, enter the numbers, and click apply.
• Go to the Insert tab > Shape > Shapes > choose a shape
• To see and manage box sizes, use the blue grab handles on the shape OR go to Format Options > Size & Rotation

Style: Fonts, Colors, & Sizes

Required font.

See the Lynn Style guide .

• Use Helvetica Neue Light, Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic.
• Ariel is an acceptable substitution if Helvetic Neue is not available.

Lynn Colors

• CMYK 100.68.2.2
• RGB 0.61.165
• Web (Hex)  #003DA5
• CMYK 0.0.0.0
• RGB 255.255.255
• Web (Hex) #FFFFFF
• PMS Cool Gray 5
• CMYK 13.9.10.27
• RGB 177.179.179
• Web (Hex) #B1B3B3

Suggested Font sizes

This depends on the size of your poster. Follow these suggestions for best accessibility.

• Main title: 72 point (minimum) - 158 point (ideal)
• Section headings: 42 point (minimum) - 56 point (ideal)
• Body text: 24 point (minimum) - 36 point (ideal)
• Captions: 18 point (minimum) - 24 point (ideal)
• See this article for examples of 24, 72, 150, and 300 dpi: DOI, Resolution, and Proportion
• See this article for more details about dpi and resolution: Resolution Explained
• For the best outcome, see Creative Services in the library before printing to ensure your images will print clearly.

Note that an image that looks good on the computer screen will not necessarily print well (Elements drawn with PowerPoint’s drawing tools will retain their sharpness at any size)

Compare 72 dpi (left) and 300 dpi (right)

Image Source:  https://alexanders.com/additional-resources/dpi-resolution-and-proportion/

About Tables, Figures, & Images

Tips for images, figures, and tables:.

• Follow copyright law  and university policies for the university logo and any images (do not use the university seal, that is reserved for official use only).
• Follow APA format for Figures and Tables . Graphics should have clear labels; if you did not make the table, figure, or chart, include an APA citation in a note below the chart (see sample image). 
• Insert images directly into PowerPoint, do not copy and paste.
• Do copy and paste excel charts and graphs into PowerPoint.
• Use the corner “grab handle” (the small box in the corner when an image is selected) or the size section on the format tab to resize images– this will avoid skewing or stretching the image out of proportion.

• Next: Humanities Posters >>
• Last Updated: Apr 10, 2024 11:58 AM
• URL: https://lynn-library.libguides.com/Academic_Posters

Poster Presentations

Steps for creating a poster presentation.

Making a poster presentation (or a research poster) can be daunting without proper guidance. This guide will walk you through the steps to take to make a professional and effective poster presentation.

The poster will concisely sum up the author's original research and present findings in visually pleasing fashion with minimal text. Posters tend to include images like charts, graphs, photos or illustrations.

1. Find a Powerpoint template

To get started, find a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation template.

• There are different types of templates depending on the subject. Be sure to choose one that best fits what you are trying to get across in the poster.
• A Villanova University branded PowerPoint template
• You can also insert Villanova branded graphics from the Office of University Communication and Marketing. 

Next, make sure to use an appropriate sized template.

• The most common and standard size for a poster is 36"x 48" . The Student Research Symposium lists 36"x 48"  as the proper size.
• Be sure to check any requirements announced by the conference at which the poster is being presented. Some conferences may accept larger or smaller sized posters.
• To check the dimensions in PowerPoint go to Design  -->  Slide Size  -->  Custom Size

• 2. Organize content

Most posters will contain the type of information that you would find in a journal abstract. Sections on the poster will be  organized into blocks that usually include:

• Introduction
• Methodology
• Section headings
• Charts or figures with data
• Conclusions
• Less text is more when it comes to posters. Aim for getting your word count under 800 words or less.
• Avoid copying and pasting sections of your research into the poster. Be sure to make an attempt to cut down on the words and focus more on providing important findings from your research to visually convey your results.
• It is a good rule of thumb to highlight the most important findings in your research and find ways to present the results in a visual or compelling fashion.
• Consider using bullet points or lists over using a straight paragraph of text in the poster.

Most viewers will not read your entire poster in detail. So try to help viewers understand its basic message by looking at the title, abstract or introduction, section headings, figures, and conclusions.

• 3. Visual aspect

Because the visual aspect of a poster is critical, it is important to use appropriate fonts and sizes .

• Use a font size that can be read from a distance.
• Choose a font that is easy to read like Helvetica or Arial.
• Use bold or underlined text for section headings.
• Keep the font consistent throughout the poster, and use the same size for section headings.
• The rule of thumb for font size is - Title as 72pt, Headings as 48 pt, Figures as 30 pt, and Body text as 28pt.
• 4. Using images

Use your own images

• Make your life easier and decide to use your own images in the poster such as photographs, charts, infographics, tables and other graphics that you created on your own.
• Adobe Express

Find freely available images

Consider using freely available images, like those licensed as  Creative Commons , or those in the  public domain . You don't need to request permission for these images but you still need to give the creator credit.

Most images are free of copyright (Creative Commons CC license) and do not require an attribution. Avoid using the sponsored images from Shutterstock that may come with fees & license restrictions.

Search for images with a Creative Commons license. If you want to alter the image or use it for commercial purposes, specify those types of licenses in your search criteria.

A specialized search within Flickr for images with Creative Commons licenses. Search results can be filtered by the type of license, such as commercial use and modifications.

A database of freely available media, including public domain and Creative Commons.

Narrow your results by "usage rights." Specify that you want images that are free to use.

Images with "no known copyright restrictions" from the archives of cultural institutions.

Images of works owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Filter results by "Public Domain Artworks" or check for a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) icon below the image.

• 5. Citing information

If referencing another person's work, you need to acknowledge citing it. Be sure to check whether your poster session expects formal citation and if there is a preferred style required. If there is no standard required, be consistent with formatting within the poster.

See the Falvey Library Frequently Used Style Guide for examples of APA, MLA and Chicago Styles.

By using photographs or images in your poster that you did not create, you should follow appropriate copyright requirements for use of the images.

Citing visuals in a poster means creating a label with the citation and permissions. 

For example, the basic format for images found on the web in APA style is as follows: Last Name, First Initial. (Year, Month Day of Publication). Title of image.  Title of Website.  URL

APA example for image from website

Figure 1.  Stahl, K. (2022, August 25). Library essentials [digital image]. Falvey Library .  https://blog.library.villanova.edu/2022/08/26/welcome-back-cats-heres-your-falvey-library-essentials-guide/ . 

• 6. Export PDF

Before exporting the file be sure to:

• Check for spelling errors and other mistakes.
• Check the dimensions and image used in the poster to make sure they do not become blurry or pixelated when viewed at 100%. Remember, when printed to scale, any blurriness will be apparent on the poster at full scale.

Make the PDF

In Windows, save the PowerPoint slide as a PDF and select standard size

On Macs, select Print --> Scale to fit paper --> Save as PDF.

Printing the poster

If presenting a poster at the Student Research Symposium , check their website for the most current guidance about printing on campus through iPRINT.

Otherwise, if presenting a poster at a conference outside of the University, check with your professor or look for a professional printing service like Poster Ninja, Staples or Kinkos.

• 1. Find a PowerPoint template

Suggested ebooks from the Falvey Library Catalog 

Better posters : plan, design and present an academic poster.

Zen Faulkes

Pelagic Publishing. 2021

Designing Science Presentations : A Visual Guide to Figures, Papers, Slides, Posters, and More

Matt Carter

Elsevier Science & Technology, 2013

Academic posters : A textual and visual metadiscourse analysis

Larissa D’Angelo

Peter Lang GmbH, 2016

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• Ann Med Surg (Lond)
• v.11; 2016 Nov

How to make an academic poster

Buket gundogan.

a University College London Medical School, London, UK

Kiron Koshy

Langhit kurar.

b Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, UK

Katharine Whitehurst

Academic posters are an excellent way to showcase your work at conferences and meetings. They can be used in poster presentations and serve as a summary of your project. In this how to article, we demonstrate how trainees can make and deliver a successful academic poster.

• • Academic posters are an excellent way for trainees to showcase their work at conferences and meetings.
• • When done effectively they provide a succinct and attractive summary of your project.
• • This guide aims to provide trainees with a practical and concise method to prepare their academic poster.

Academic posters, when done effectively, are a succinct and attractive way to showcase your work at conferences and meetings. Unlike oral presentations, your audience may not be static so clear design and distilled content are all the more important. Similarly to oral presentations, successful posters can generate discussion amongst the audience members therefore its important to have a clear plan of what to say when stood alongside your poster. In this article, we highlight the important aspects to creating an effective academic poster.

1. Why make an academic poster?

A poster presentation allows you to summarise your project into a concise and aesthetically pleasing format. It is one of the main ways you will present your work when at conferences [1] , [2] . For this reason, you need to make sure your poster is of good quality. This guide will serve to help you with this.

2. How to prepare a poster

There are many computer programs you can use to create your poster. Many use Microsoft Publisher or PowerPoint. It is important that you are comfortable using these programs as you will likely be doing a lot of editing. If you are not familiar with these programs, librarians that are present in most universities will be able and usually willing to help you out.

2.2. Design

It is useful to attend a variety of scientific meetings to collate ideas on how to create an informative and aesthetically pleasing poster. The most important concept for the overall design is not to overly embellish the poster with formatting and pictures, as this may distract from the content. The information should be minimal, as in a slide presentation, stating only key points rather than complete sentences.

The colour system should have effective contrasting backgrounds (e.g. blue and yellow, black and white) to ensure the text is easy to read. The flow of the poster should also be logical and ideally follow a longitudinal algorithm. This should begin with aims and objectives and flow downwards in columns to methods, results, conclusions and finally references. The same format is also adopted when writing scientific abstracts. Once the poster is drafted, it is important to adhere to the instructions provided by the congress you are attempting to submit to. Failure to comply to guidelines may result in your poster not being considered for a poster award, or perhaps even result in expulsion from the meeting altogether.

Prior to submission it is also important ask as many senior colleagues for feedback on your poster as possible. They will be able to provide feedback on the overall readability of the poster, including formatting. Start preparing your poster early – one month is sufficient time to allow for revisions to be made [3] .

3. Information to include in the format – our top tips

3.1. headings.

This should be clear in bold and grab the reader's attention. It is recommended you use a short, sharp heading relevant to your study. Long scientific titles can often bore the reader and distract from the main body of text. The heading should also include the centre at which the study was conducted and the main contributory authors (as per the authorship critera of International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)). Logos for the trust you are working at, as well as the conference/congress you are attending can be placed on either side of the title.

• • Title: this needs to have the largest font size of your entire poster to be eye catching. Keep the title as short as possible – it doesn't need to be a paragraph long [1] , [3] .
• • Type of manuscript: whether systematic review, research article or another manuscript type.
• • Authors: include everyone who has contributed [4] .
• • Affiliations: should come directly under authors. This should show which organisations are represented by the authors and/or where the research took place and also contact details.

3.2. Main body

This should follow a logical structure guiding the reader through the poster. The more concise your poster, the better – approximately 100 words per section is ideal [5] , [6] . It is very important that your poster is not wordy. Too much text can be off-putting for the audience. The structure should follow a simple abstract outline.

These are the following sections we recommend as a rough guide, but do check the requirements at your specific conference:

• • Introduction

This should include a short background of the topic to set the context and state the main aims and objectives of your piece of work. What differentiates your work from your competition? Why is your work novel in the field?

• • Methods

The methods section (poster space permitting) should include basic parameters including target sample, setting, duration of study, inclusion/exclusion criteria, statistical techniques, key interventions assessed and primary outcome measures.

• • Results

The results section should include data analysis and stratification and should only include the results which answer the stated hypothesis. Moreover, essential to the results section is the inclusion of pertinent and key graphs, graphics, images and tables. These need to be large enough for the audience members to see and be as attractive and clutter-free as possible.

• • Conclusion

The conclusions must derive directly from the results section and answer solely what has been proposed at the start of the paper. Obvious confounders and limitations should also be acknowledged. Key improvements as well as potential for project expansion should also be considered.

• • References

Only cite key references integral to your study, as references are wordy and space consuming. Use a smaller font to the main body text to reduce this.

3.3. Templates

Your host institution or the conference may require you to use a specific template for the poster. This may include a logo, colour scheme or a certain layout. You should check this before you start designing your poster.

Numerous templates for designing poster exist online and within your local trust library. Computer software may also have inbuilt templates to assist with the design process.

3.4. Tables and figures

It is a good idea to include graphs/images/tables as this will make your poster look more aesthetically pleasing [1] , [6] , [7] . They can also provide more information without crowding the poster with text. Make them colourful, though avoid colours that clash with the text colour [8] . Tables and figures can add new information or graphically present what has already been said in the poster. The arrangement of figures and tables varies and there is no universal rule, however figures interspersed within text is popular and looks attractive. Furthermore, ensure that the figures and images chosen are of a good resolution to avoid blurring when printed and presented.

3.5. Font size

The conference may specify this, however, generally for the main body, size 24 is used for text and size 32 for titles. The introduction section at the top of the poster should have a larger font than this [2] .

3.6. Colour

It is a good idea to stick to one or two colours for main text; anymore and your poster may look too busy. It is also important to check colours in advance at the place you wish to print your poster, as certain colours may come out in a different way to that expected [9] .

3.7. Printing

Make sure to factor in the time (and cost) of printing the poster if this is required. Some companies will print the same day, while others may take longer. Check with your host institution/conference if they use a specific company, as they may be able to provide a discount.

3.8. Electronic posters

A growing number of conferences are using electronic posters (e-posters), which are screens that display an electronic copy of your poster, rather than a paper version. These can either be static images which are laid out similarly to a paper poster, or they can be slide shows of your work, which are displayed like a PowerPoint presentation which then go on rotation at the conference. They may also include videos and animations, so bear this in mind when you are selecting content for your poster [7] , [8] .

4. On the day

Poster presentations are generally more relaxed than oral presentations. You will need to arrive on time to put your poster up – bring extra pins or Velcro tabs as these aren't always in supply. Many presenters also place a plastic pocket to the bottom or side of their poster on the day which provides a small version of their poster for readers to take away – this can be useful.

Delegates of the conference will usually be able to look at the posters throughout the day or during tea/lunch breaks. However, there will usually be a set time when judges will inspect the posters. During this time, you will need to stay with your poster, perhaps present it and answer the questions which the judges or audience members will have.

4.1. Presentation

While presenting, the intention is to guide the reader through your poster which if organised in a logical order, should not be read off but simply used to illustrate your point. What you say can then be substantiated by pictures which you can refer to for emphasis. Do keep your presentation succinct and highlight the salient points of your study. Moreover, its good practice to provide some background to your work at the start – it may sound obvious, but the audience may not necessarily know why this work is important and it is up to you to set the scene on the relevance of the project.

It's a good idea to refresh your memory on your project and be familiar with it before the presentation as the audience will likely have questions and there are often prizes for the best posters. Examples of common questions to prepare for include: how your work may be relevant to current clinical practice, how can it be developed further and what the limitations of your study were.

Attire is also often overlooked. You must maintain a professional appearance throughout and this can often add hidden points to your poster score under presentation. Be friendly and approachable and if there are any questions left unanswered, acknowledge this and offer to develop your study further.

• • Academic posters are a good way to showcase your work.
• • Preparing posters in advance is vital.
• • Stick to a clear format which is easy to read from 1 m away.
• • Practice your presentation in advance and think about questions you may be asked after your presentation.

Sources of funding

No funding received.

Author contribution

BG, KK, LK, KW contributed to writing the paper.

Conflicts of interest

Buket Gundogan.

Presentation font size: Dos and don’ts

• Categories: PowerPoint design , Google Slides
• Comments: 1

It’s no secret that at BrightCarbon we generally recommend keeping text on slides to a minimum . The main reason you need to avoid lots of text in presentations is because it’s virtually impossible to read and listen to someone speaking at the same time. In a presentation, you want to allow the audience to listen to the presenter while looking at an appropriate visual or diagram with minimal words, so that it all comes together seamlessly. Whereas, with documents like reports – while you can create them in PowerPoint – they aren’t presentations; there won’t be anyone talking over them. So you can (and possibly should) have a lot more text.

So, when you are using text in a presentation or document, how do you decide what size it should be? We’ve found there’s no hard-and-fast rule for how big or small text on slides should be. Each presentation has its own unique requirements – it all depends on what you’re using the slides for, what you’re hoping to achieve with them, and how your audience will be viewing them. Accessibility considerations also come into play, as well as readability across different typefaces and devices.

Determining appropriate text size

One way to decide on the right size for your text is to consider the height of each line of text in proportion to the total height of the slide . For example, in a sales or training presentation, the height of the title (per line) should take up approximately 4% of the slide’s total height; headers around 3%; and copy text around 2%.

This principle can be applied to text appearing in other types of presentation, too. For example, in a keynote presentation, the height of the text should take up around 6.5% of the slide’s total height. And in a document or report, aim for the height of the title text to take up around 4% of the slide’s total height; headers around 3%; and copy text around 1.5%.

When deciding on the right font size for a face-to-face presentation, it’s also worth considering how close audience members should be seated to the screen in order to be able to read the text easily. Check out presentation expert Dave Paradi’s table on comfortable viewing distances for text in presentation visuals [1] for more on this.

Our text size recommendations

We called upon our team of designers to determine what size they would make the text in a set of example slides. To create the slides, we used PowerPoint’s default widescreen slide size (19.05cm x 33.86cm, or 7.5”13.33”), and Arial – one of the most commonly used fonts.

The examples covered three different use-cases where text is sometimes used:

• A sales or training presentation. Small amounts of text can be used to point out key features and emphasise value and benefits.
• A keynote presentation. You want the audience to focus on the presenter during a keynote presentation, so the amount of text on each slide should be kept to a minimum. This means any text you do use can be much larger.
• A document or report. Text can generally be slightly smaller in stand-alone, static documents like reports, as readers will jump around the page to find the information they’re looking for.

Based on our team’s responses, we’d make the following recommendations:

Use-case 1: Presentation font size for a sales or training presentation

Top tip : As a general rule, aim to keep the number of different font sizes you use across your presentation to a minimum – ideally, no more than three different sizes per slide. And try to use font sizes consistently. For example, if you’ve used 20pt for headers on one slide, make sure headers on other slides are the same size.

Use-case 2:  Presentation font size for a  keynote presentation

Top tip : If you’re also using text labels or callouts in a keynote presentation, then make sure the font is slightly smaller than the rest of your text – ideally no smaller than 28pt.

Use-case 3: Font size for a document or report

Top tip : It’s also worth using visual hierarchies to help readers navigate documents like these – check out our blog post for tips on how to do this.

Hopefully, our recommendations help you to decide what size text on your slides should be. Remember, every presentation is different and will have its own individual requirements – for guidance on your particular use-case, get in touch and we’ll be happy to look over your slides. And if you want more help with upping your sales presentations’ font game, have a read of our article packed with typography tips and tricks!

[1] PARADI, D. 2008. Comfortable Viewing Distance for Text on Presentation Visuals [online]. Available from: https://thinkoutsidetheslide.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/ViewingDistanceTable16x9.pdf [Accessed 14 November 2022].

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It's Christmas! After a late night with too much eggnog and brandy snaps we set ourselves a challenge to see who could come up with the wildest PowerPoint Christmas card! So it's the day after the night before, and through blurry eyes we can reveal our efforts...

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• Mar 9, 2021

Which Fonts to Use on Your Scientific Poster

Choosing the right font (A.K.A. typeface) for your scientific poster is all about two things: readability and style.

But with thousands of fonts to choose from, it can be overwhelming.

So where do you start? You’ve come to the right place.

Here is what you need to know to choose a clear and stylish font for your scientific poster.

Serif or sans serif?

A serif font is one with those little bits on the end of the characters, the little moustaches. And, like a moustache, those little bits are just for style - they might be cool, but they’re not necessary.

What’s more, a serif font tends to give off a sophisticated, yet dated, vibe. As you want to your poster to reflect the innovative and contemporary research you’re conducting, it’s a good idea to stay away from serif fonts.

You need a font that is without serif, that’s sans serif. We recommend downloading your next favourite Sans Serifs fonts at Creative Fabrica . 👈

How many fonts?

Like so much of good design: less is more.

One or two fonts is all you need. If you have more fonts than this, your poster will look like a ransom note received in the mail.

As you know, it’s a good idea to make the headers clearly visible so help the viewer navigate the poster.

You can do this by making the headings bold or ALL CAPS. If you like the look of all caps, I strongly recommend against using any long headings. Long chucks of all caps is very difficult to read. So keep your headings short.

Decorative fonts

Look, I get it. You found the Disney font and you want to use it on your poster. A decorative font may be tempting, but it’s just not helpful - they’re very rarely easier to read than the standard sans serif fonts available. Take a look below to see what I mean.

Comic Sans?

Comic Sans is a sans serif font, it’s also fun - can we use it on our scientific posters?

Every time a scientist uses Comic Sans a graphic designer dies

BUT there is one exception. That is if your poster IS a comic!

If that’s the case, go for it! In this context Comic Sans is perfect and it would almost be a crime not to use it. Here’s a comic-style graphical abstract that is a perfect partner for the much maligned Comic Sans.

Bigger is better. At Animate Your Science, we believe posters are best served as a visual representation of your abstract. It’s about starting a conversation and that’s it - the rest is up to you.

So a poster with few elements, that can be seen from across the room, is perfect.

For this we recommend the following font sizes as a minimum for your text (based on an A0 size):

Headers : 40

Body text : 36

Your body text should be easily readable from 1 metre away.

To check that you have the right sizes, I suggest zooming in on your poster to 100 %. Then, take a step back to a metre or so. If you can clearly read the body text, then at a minimum, your text is big enough. You can use the same technique to test the sizes of your headers and title too.

Some suitable fonts

You have plenty of fonts to choose from. You’re not even limited to those default fonts installed on your computer. Check out Font Squirrel , Dafont , and 1001freefonts where you can download some new fonts for free.

For some ideas, check out these fonts:

That’s plenty of info dedicated to fonts for your scientific poster, so thanks for hanging in there with me.

But, we’ve only just scratched the surface on what makes a great scientific poster.

To properly cover this topic, we’ve developed a whole online course: How to Design an Award-Winning Scientific Poster. You can learn at your own pace and arm yourself with the tools, templates, skills and knowledge to create your own award-winning scientific posters. We’ve had excellent feedback on the 33 video lessons, 3 hours of learning and 8 templates & downloads included - so we’re confident that you’ll love it too.

Take-Away Points

One or two fonts

Sans serif is your friend

Make it large enough to be easily readable

Dr Tullio Rossi

Dr Flynn Slattery

#scicomm #poster #science

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How to design a great poster.

A  poster provides an overview of your project. The reader should be able to tell what you did,  why  you did it, and what the main  conclusion  is. Remember that most people at CCI will not be an expert in your area of study, so consider how you can make the information accessible to a general audience. You will also be standing near your poster during the event to talk with people, so you don't have to include every detail of your project on your poster. Most often, you'll find yourself giving an oral overview of your project while pointing to your poster both as a visual aid and as a point of reference, so your poster should be structured in a way that mirrors the sequence in which you would naturally present your project (see Organization section below). 

At a poster session, a viewer will likely pass right by a poster that is intimidatingly packed with dense text. Instead, present your project in bullet points or in short sentences. Clear images can help your poster be more concise. Keep the words to a minimum. Less is more. And allow for plenty of white space and a ½ inch border or more all around.

Visibility:

• The font size must be large enough for a viewer to read from a distance. Don't use a font size smaller than 24 point.
• Most posters use three font sizes (section headings, sub-headings, text, in decreasing order of size).
• Make sure that you have good contrast between the background color and the text color.
• Left justify; don’t full justify (like a newspaper column), as that is hard to read.
• Limit yourself to two fonts (e.g., one font on the title and headings, and another for the text). Sans serif fonts (such as Arial and Helvetica) work well for headings; many have a serifed font (such as Garamond, Century, or Times) for the text.
• Avoid all-caps, underlining, and italics, which are hard to read, unless content requires it. Use color or bold to make text stand out. Put your headings in a different color than the text so that they stand out.

Organization:

• A poster should have a logical organizational flow. For the typical elements and layout of a poster, watch this video by Ben Nargi.
• Adobe InDesign is ideally suited to poster design. All Gustavus computers have InDesign installed, and you can also install the program on your own laptop through the Managed Software Center . Watch  this video for a guide to creating a research poster using InDesign. 
• PowerPoint offers a more basic but perfectly good alternative option for making a poster. For a step-by-step guide on how to create a research poster in PowerPoint, watch this video by Tamara Swedberg.

Size: 

• Gustavus' Printing Services (located on the lower level of the Campus Center) offers large-formatting printing at reasonable rates. 
• The two most popular sizes for presentation posters are 24” x 36” and 32” x 40”. These currently cost $18 or $26.70 respectively (price current as of 2018). But check the specifications of the conference at which you are presenting, as many poster sessions give minimum/maximum size guidelines. If the cost of printing is a hardship for you, please email [email protected] to request support.
• Printing Services requires 3 business days to print your poster, so submit it by the Tuesday at the latest if you are presenting at the Celebration of Creative Inquiry, and don't forget to pick up your poster before closing time. 
• Posters are to be submitted online in PDF format. For full details, see their overview at  https://gustavus.edu/gts/Large_format_printing
• Visual aids (illustrations, photographs, charts, graphs etc.) can increase audience interest, understanding, and retention. Choose your graphic images carefully. They should be relevant to your message, rather than just being tangentially relevant or haphazardly chosen clip art. They should be clear and easily understood.
• When presenting data in graphic form, think carefully about how many data points or messages a graph contains. Elements should be labeled and figures should have an accompanying caption. This blog by Colin Purrington has some good tips, including specifics about presenting data and some examples of bad posters. 
• Wikipedia Commons is a great place to find images that are in the public domain and can be reused without copyright infringement. Flickr also has many photos in the public domain.
• Make sure that images are high enough resolution for large-scale printing. PowerPoint, Photoshop etc. allows you to view your image at 100% or “actual size.” If the images on the poster are clear at actual size, then you know that they won’t be fuzzy when printed. Pixelated, low-resolution graphics are one of the most common mistakes on posters. 

  Proofing:

• Spell check and proofread and have several other people proofread too. Typos on a poster are embarrassing. Proof read before sending to Printing Services (they don't do the proofreading for you).

Additional resources:

Design of Scientific Posters .  Virginia Tech . Provides guidelines for effective design, with several examples as well as a PowerPoint poster template. 

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Virtual IMMUNOLOGY2021™

May 10 - 15, 2021

ePoster Presentation Guidelines

Note:   no scientific sessions are scheduled during the poster session times, poster presentation best practices.

• Initial Sketch  – Plan your poster early. Focus your attention on a few key points. Try various styles of data presentation to achieve clarity and simplicity. Does the use of color help? What needs to be expressed in words? Suggest headlines and text topics.
• Rough Layout  – Enlarge your best initial sketch, keeping the dimensions in proportion to the final poster (see diagram). Ideally, the rough layout should be full size. A blackboard is a convenient place to work. Print the title and headlines. Indicate text by horizontal lines. Draw rough graphs and tables. This will give you a good idea of proportions and balance. Ask associates for comments. This is still an experimental stage.
• Text Layout  – Avoid abbreviations, acronyms, and jargon. Use a consistent font throughout. It is recommended that authors use a 20 pt. font size; this makes the text legible from five feet away.
• Final Layout  – The artwork is complete and the text and tables are typed, but not necessarily enlarged to full size. Now ask, is the message clear? Do the important points stand out? Is there a balance between words and illustrations? Is there spatial balance? Is the pathway through the poster clear?
• Balance  – Figures and tables should cover slightly more than 50% of the poster area. If you have only a few illustrations, enlarge them. Do not omit text, but keep it brief. The poster should be comprehensible without oral explanation.
• Eye Movement  – The movement (pathway) of the eye over the poster should be natural, down the columns or along the rows. Size attracts attention. Arrows, pointing hands, numbers, and letters can help clarify the sequence.
• Simplicity  – Resist the temptation to overload the poster. More material may mean less communication.

ePoster Dimensions and Style Guidelines

• Your poster should be composed in 16/9 ratio (wide screen) using PowerPoint or a page-layout program.
• Your poster should consist of one slide only.
• You’re welcome to build your poster by downloading and using one of our ePoster templates (sample pictured at right).

Submitting Your ePoster

When your poster is complete, follow these steps to upload it to our virtual conference platform:

• Make sure your poster file is not password-protected.
• If your poster was composed in PowerPoint, you can upload the native PowerPoint file (.pptx). If you used another program, please save it as a PDF file before uploading.
• Click the button below to submit your ePoster through our submission and review platform. Use your abstract submission email as your username.

Adding Audio Narration

You will be able to add audio narration to your ePoster sections during the final review step. To learn more about this exciting feature, watch the demo here .

Our virtual platform partner also has a tutorial on how to record your audio narration per section:

ePoster Submission and Audio Narrations FAQs

Is there a tutorial video demonstrating how to record narrations for my ePoster? Yes. The video can be viewed on YouTube .

Can an ePoster presenter upload the poster file, or is it only a submitter who can upload? Both the ePoster submitter and presenter can access the submission site to submit a poster file.

Am I able to re-upload my poster if I have new edits? Yes, unless expressly advised otherwise.

When can I add an audio narration to my ePoster? After you submit your original file, it will be processed into an ePoster. This may take from a few hours to a few days. You will receive an email once the ePoster is processed and ready for you to add audio narration.

If I re-upload my ePoster, are the audio files I recorded deleted? No. The audio narration will be retained unless you remove a section of the ePoster.

When will my ePoster be formatted and ready for audio recording? Formatting ePosters may take up to five days before narration can be recorded. Submit your poster file early to avoid missing your presentation deadline.

Is there a deadline for audio narration recording? No. The submission system where you upload and can record the audio narration will remain open at all time.

Can I submit pre-recorded audio files? The audio should be recorded using the online microphone tool so it can be uploaded in the correct format in the corresponding section. But you can also upload an mp3 audio file to each section.

Is there a limit on the number of narrations I can use? And is there a narration length limit? You are limited to one narration per section. Each section of your ePoster will accept up to 4 minutes of narration.

If you have any questions, please contact the MULTIEPOSTER Team: [email protected] .

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Poster Font Size Guidelines: What Is a Good Font Size for A Poster?

Standard poster layouts

Posters are one of the best advertising tools for companies. Although regularly used, companies need to be careful when creating and printing posters to attract attention.

Posters are usually viewed by individuals who are on the move. It should only take them one glance to recognize and understand a poster. If the poster takes a lot of time to read, there are very minimal chances its message will be understood.

Therefore, you need to determine the best font size for your poster to catch your readers’ attention . Here are a few things you need to consider when looking for your poster’s best font size.

Table of Contents

Poster Font Guidelines for a Professional and Easy to Read Poster

Other than being readable, a poster needs to use any available white space creatively . The controlling element in any poster has to be what the poster is advertising or marketing – there should be no confusion. To do this:

Think About Your Target Market

Although you can create a poster for a specific audience, you must create one that attracts a wider audience. As such, as you design the poster, think about the different types of people you want to convey the message to. Some of these peoples could include skimmers and readers. 

These are people who read a poster without reading every word. For instance, they can read the title of the poster and any other prominent text, and that’s it.

Readers generally spend more time on a poster because the text contains information that directly addresses their needs. People can only read the entire text of a poster if they are interested in the topic or converted skimmers. 

Creating an Easy-to-Read Poster

To create an easy-to-read poster:

• Ensure your company’s name or your name is prominent throughout the poster. 
• Pick a title that is relevant to your theme. The title also needs to have some level of creativity.
• Use as few words as possible to state your main point.
• Ensure the poster can be viewed under different resolutions
• Do not use caps because it makes you look like you are shouting.
• Avoid using more than two different types of font on a single poster.
• Avoid centering text.

Your font will largely depend on the amount of information or content you want to use. You need to ensure that everyone in your target audience can comfortably read the text in your poster. However, the font size should not also be too big.

To develop the right font size for your audience, create your poster using the available default size. The standard size will help you determine the extent to which you can resize your content depending on your amount of content and/or layout you use.

You should not create a layout or try to perfect an existing layout while adding more content to your poster. Creating/perfecting a layout and/or font size should come at the end – this will save you a lot of time.

What You Need to Know When Making a Poster Using PowerPoint

Since PowerPoint is readily available for most people, it can help you create a great poster within a short time. However, the program has a page size of 56 inches, making it challenging for those who want to create larger posters. The good news is that you can still create a poster that is larger than 56 inches.

If you want to create a more than 56 inches poster, you need to create a document that is half the final size of the poster. While sometimes you may make a poster size that is as small as 8.5 by 11 inches, on most occasions, you may need to create a poster that is as large as 48 by 72 inches. In this case, the 48 by 72 in will be printed from a 24 by the 36-inch document. 

Therefore, if you want to create a poster that is has a font of 36, it needs to be 18 on the PowerPoint document. The recommended minimum font for a poster includes:

• 18-point for captions
• 24-point for body text 
• 36-point for subheadings
• 85-point for the main title

Whichever style you may decide to use, the primary goal is to make sure the poster is easy to read. Font styles allow you to customize your text and determine how your text will appear on the poster. Here are a few tips to consider:

1. Use Fairly Standard Font Styles

PowerPoint has a wide selection of styles that can help you design a poster. To make the most out of your presentation, stick to a standard font for your text, and ensure your presentation is uniform. However, you can use two different font styles for visual interest. Some fonts you can try out include:

• Times New Roman

2. Incorporate Contrast

Irrespective of the font you select, readability may not be very easy if there is no adequate contrast. There should be a contrast between the text itself and the poster background. You can opt for a dark background with light text or a light text background with dark/black text.

When incorporating contrast, you need to consider the environment in which the poster will be used. 

3. Do Not Use Scripts

Although handwriting, novelty typefaces, and scripts may seem pretty and interesting, they are often hard to read. That’s because there is often not enough size or contrast to make handwriting, novelty typefaces, and scripts readable from a distance. 

Other Helpful Poster Formatting Tips

Spacing ad layout

•  Use a 1-inch margin when creating your poster
• Always use a ruler – found on the right side of the PowerPoint slide
• Use the grid and guides option if you wish to use a lot of pictures, graphs, or text boxes
• Use columns for content
• Ensure your text is evenly distributed between the margins
• Spacing within and between columns should be equal and consistent

Professional Poster Printing

Are you looking for professional large format poster printing services? At Custom Printing Inc., we take pride in offering high quality and durable custom poster printing services. We rely on modern technology to create oversize prints perfect for everything, from window graphics to framing.

Our prints let you make an impact on your training events, tradeshows, and presentations. We print large format of different sizes up to 64″ x 160ft. 

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How-To Geek

How to make a poster using microsoft powerpoint.

Microsoft PowerPoint isn't just for presentations--you can make posters with it, as well. Here's how.

Quick Links

Define the poster dimensions, design your poster.

Microsoft PowerPoint isn't just for presentations---it also provides all of the creative tools you need to design a beautiful poster. Just set the dimensions, design the poster, and print it out. Here's how to make a poster using PowerPoint.

Posters come in all sizes, but the first thing you need to know is PowerPoint's slide limit is 56-inches x 56-inches, so you'll need to plan accordingly. It's also important to note that you want to set your poster dimensions before you start designing your poster. Otherwise, you might end up having to rework parts of your design due to the size change.

Related: How to Reduce the File Size of a PowerPoint Presentation

Here are some of the standard poster sizes to get you started:

• Small poster: 11" x 17"
• Medium poster: 18" x 24"
• Large posters: 24" x 36" or 27" x 39"

Once you've decided on your poster size, set the dimensions in PowerPoint. To do this, open PowerPoint and navigate to the "Design" tab.

In the "Customize" group, select "Slide Size."

Select "Custom Slide Size" from the dropdown menu.

The "Slide Size" window will appear. Input the width and height specifications to match your required size. Keep in mind that if your height is larger in size than your width, the orientation of the slide will automatically change to "Portrait."

When you're finished, select "OK."

Once selected, a new window will appear giving you two scaling options: Maximize or Ensure Fit. If your slide already has content on it, you'll want to select "Ensure Fit."

Your slide will now be resized.

Your poster design is going to depend completely on you. You'll want to pay attention to the background of the poster, text and image arrangement, font size and style, etc. Essentially, you should treat this part exactly as if you were just creating another slide for a presentation.

Because the design and process of this step is going to differ for everyone, we'd like to offer some of our previous guides to get you started in the design process:

• Insert a picture or other object.
• Use an image as a background.
• Insert an image inside text.
• Get a picture behind text.
• Make a border or frame.

Once your design is ready, all that's left to do is print it out and hang it up!

Related: How to Troubleshoot Printing Issues in Microsoft Word