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Make sure the title and author name(s) are prominent and eye-catching.
Remember to include contact details.
Tell a story: provide clear flow of information from introduction to conclusion
Focus on your major findings – a common fault is to try to cover too much. Few delegates are going to read everything on your poster, so get to the point.
Use graphs, tables, diagrams and images where appropriate. Consider the use of boxes to isolate and emphasise specific points.
Always follow the conference guidelines, which may be specific about what you are expected to present.
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Use all the space at your disposal, but do not cram in the content – white space is an important part of the layout, and good use of it can make a poster elegant and arresting.
Use colour sparingly – limited use of a few colours is more striking than a ‘rainbow’ approach. Think about why you are using colour; it is especially useful for emphasis and differentiation.
Avoid colour combinations that clash (e.g. red on blue) or cause problems for people with colour-blindness (e.g. red and green in proximity). Use white or muted colour background (e.g. pastel shades)
The flow of information should be clear from the layout; if you have to use arrows to indicate the flow, the content could probably be arranged better.
Clearly label diagrams/drawings and provide references to them in the text where necessary.
Follow the conference guidelines, which may be quite specific about paper sizes, font sizes etc.The title text should be readable from 6 metres away – at least 48-point text. (Note that if you are creating your poster in A4 format, to be blown up to A1 format later, the final printed font size will be approximately 3 times the size you are working with.)
The body text should be readable from 2 metres away – at least 24-point text
Choose a clear font with large inner space (i.e. the space inside the loops of letters such as ‘o’, ‘d’, ‘p’). Good examples are Arial, Verdana, Georgia or Helvetica.
Serif or sans-serif text? Short answer: it doesn’t matter, as long as it’s legible. This short article by Alex Poole “Which Are More Legible: Serif or Sans Serif Typefaces?” (2006) still holds and punctures a few of the myths surrounding this subject.Keep the word count as low as possible.
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