Presentations in Medicine & Science: Poster Design Tips

Layout:

Your layout will help guide users through the poster. Your poster should be a good balance of text, images, and white space. Poster layouts work better when there is symmetry.

• Use visual hierarchy to guide readers to the important parts of your poster.
• Use a column format to make your poster easier to read in a crowd.
• Use organization cues (arrows etc). to guide readers through your poster.
• Use "reader gravity" which pulls the eye from top to bottom and left to right.
• Use headings intelligently to help readers find your main points and key information.
• Balance the placement of text and graphics to create visual appeal.
• Use white space creatively to help define the flow of information.

Tips for Readable Posters:

• Use dark text on a light background
• Avoid garish colors and complicated backgrounds
• Use one font and style for the whole poster
• Leave space between columns
• Try to use bullet points and pictures instead of text
• Label figures clearly

Text:

• Keep the lettering simple.

Font Size:

A good rule to follow on font size:

• Title-72 pt
• Section heading - 48 pt
• Figure heading -30 pt
• General text -28 pt
• Text for labels- 20 pt

Useful Rules:  

• Present data from top to bottom, left to right
• Maintain empty space between rows
• Poster should be ~40% graphics, 20% text, and 40% empty space
• It may take 1-2 weeks to put  together an outstanding poster