Creating Scholarly Posters in PowerPoint: Design Tips

A poster is a visual presentation - you need a good paring of text and graphics that support each other.

Use visual illustrations of your research - as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Readability is the key. Large font is necessary (so brevity is a must).

• Font:  Sans Serif - aka: no fancy letters with designs on the ends of letters.

Your layout should help guide people in how to read your poster.

• Have a logical arrangement for how Americans read -- left to right, up to down.

Your poster is a large document, but it is composed of small bits of information .  It is difficult to read a long line of text.

• Breakdown your text into small sections that are easy to visually scan.

Use of colored background and colored text boxes

• Muted colors or grays are best for the background.  
• Use more intense colors as borders or for emphasis - but don't overuse color, it is distracting
• Use of related background colors help to unify the poster

Planning out your poster is a must.  

• Explore other posters
• Make a sketch of your expected layout
• Arrange the contents in a series of 3 or 4 columns
• Plan the flow of information in a logical, easy to follow sequence

• Look critically at the layout.  "Experts" suggest the following is a good balance.
  • 20 - 25% text
  • 40 - 45% graphics
  • 20 - 30% empty space.

• Plan your photos, figures, and tables to help tell your story
• Design your poster to address one central question and state it clearly.  

• Keep in mind the following about:
  • Title
  • Text
  • Graphics & Illustrations

• Heed other's advice:
  • 5 Pointers For a Better Poster, from GradHacker
  • Designing Conference Posters, from Colin Purrington

Head Starts for Poster Designs  

Not sure how to begin or what colors to choose?  Poster templates are available for free from a couple of different sources.  Use those to get a head start on your design.

Notes about Title:

• Not ALL CAPS
• Describe your project but make it short - use only essential words.  It is okay use humor to capture attention 

Writing advice:

• Use active voice when writing the text
• Use short sentences, simple words, and bullets to illustrate discrete points.
• Use left justification of text - not full justification
• Size of text -- it should be large enough to be read from 6 feet away
• Edit ruthlessly!  There is almost always too much text in a poster
• Delete all redundant references & filler phrases
• A poster is not a manuscript - no extra details about methods or huge data tables.  They are good dicussion topics for those stopping by, for a handout, or for a formal manuscript

The success of a poster is related to the clarity of its text, illustrations, and data.

• Graphics should be self-explanatory
• Text should supplement the graphic material
• Use empty space between poster elements to differentiate and accentuate these elements.
• Graphic materials should be visible easily from a minimum distance of 6 feet
• Restrained use of 2 - 3 colors for emphasis is valuable; overuse is not