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How to Create a Poster Presentation

Best Practices

  • Don't be too wordy! Keep text concise and clear.
  • Organization is key. Think about what you want to say first and then carefully consider layout.
  • Consider your audience. What will they have questions about? What do you want them to learn from your poster?
  • Make sure your title is descriptive and large enough to be readable from far away.
  • Think about image and font sizes so the poster is readable from 5-8 feet away.
  • Use headings, bullets, and graphics to break up text.
  • Make sure your images and graphics have contrast so they pop on the page.
  • Think about including contact information for those who want more information.
  • Remember, your poster will read left to right just like a page.

Typography

General Guidelines:

  • Limit to one or two fonts. 
  • The title should be at least 72 pt. font.
  • All text should be at least 24 pt. font size and an easy-to-read font style.
  • Be considerate about the size of the font and be consistent in sizing. 
  • Be consistent with any use of italics, bold, or underline.
  • Check if the conference or event has specific guidelines for formatting posters and follow them

Serif vs Sans-Serif Typefaces:

Serif typeface

Serifs fonts include slight projections that finish off the strokes of their letterforms. These fonts tend to be easy to read and are great for bodies of text. Common examples of serif fonts are: Times New Roman, Garamond, and Georgia.

Sans-Serif typeface

Sans-Serif fonts are good for grabbing attention in the title, headers, and other distinguishing places. Common examples are sans-serif fonts are: Arial, Helvetica, Gotham.

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