Designing a Professional Poster Guaranteed to Turn Heads

By Diana Latypova, WSU Vancouver Neuroscience

Imagine that you have a research convention coming up where you are required to present a professional poster containing a summary of a year’s worth of your research. How do you possibly fit all of your data into a 42’’ by 44’’ poster? The answer is… you don’t. When designing a poster, it is important to choose the most important data and figures that will convey the major points of your research. The next part consists of choosing what information to include in each section (introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion) and what captions to use for each figure. Since the poster is meant to be a visual aid and not a substitution for your own explanations, it is crucial not to have an entire presentation on the poster. Nobody wants to read full paragraphs when they are looking at a poster; therefore, it can be helpful to use bullet points. If there is a specific take-home message that you want to draw the viewers attention to, either put that information in bold or in a separate text box. After deciding on the information that will be included, the next part of designing consists of manipulating the font size, figure sizes, color scheme, and the layout to make the poster visually appealing.

Usually the first two aspects someone will notice about a poster are the colors and the title. You can use this to your advantage by creating a poster that will draw the attention of someone on the other side of the room. To create a visually aesthetic design, it is important to have an interesting title and to include some color; however, bright/neon colors should be avoided because it can be hard on the eyes. Instead, opt for neutral colors or even a relevant image to use as your background. Is it also important to create contrast between the colors and the text so that the information is easy to read. When choosing the font and size of the text, use a font that is easy to read, such as “Times New Roman”, and make it large enough to see from a reasonable distance. Use larger font for headings and subsections to guide the eyes. Additionally, it is generally a rule-of-thumb to use the same font for everything as too many font combinations can be distracting and appear disorganized. By manipulating these features, the poster can be created into an attractive piece of art.

The last details of designing a poster are attributed to the layout. When coordinating the layout of your sections, it is ideal to organize the sections vertically (reading from left to right) and symmetrically. By arranging the material vertically, more than one individual can view the poster at a time without being confused as to which section they should look at first. Also, by aligning the sections symmetrically, the viewer’s eyes will be guided through the material. If the sections resemble a collage, it will be difficult to identify which section to look at first. Lastly, place the most important figure in the top-center of your poster to be the center of attention. This center-piece will be another tool to draw in viewers.

By using these tips when constructing your next poster, you can create a head turning poster while maintaining the professional stature of your research.

Overall tips for creating a great poster:

1. Only include the most important data/figures
2. Do not use full paragraphs, use bullet points
3. Organize material into sections: introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion
4. Label discrete sections and subsections
5. State a take-home message in a caption of the figures
6. Use color, but do not use bright or neon colors
7. Create contrast between the colors and the text
8. Use a center-piece image or figure
9. Use one, readable font
10. Draw attention to captions and headings by using a larger font
11. Arrange sections vertically
12. Use symmetrically aligned sections
13. Do not arrange the material in the format of a collage