Posters: Home

DO

• Consider your audience
• Have a focused, succinct message
• Determine size requirements (how big should the poster be), what layout (square, landscape rectangle, etc)
• Use text sparingly with no large blocks of text
• Text size matters! Must be readable from 10 ft away. Approximate recommended sizes:
  • 85+ pt for Title
  • 56+ pt for Authors
  • 36+ pt for Subheadings
  • 24+ pt for Body text
  • 18+ pt for Captions
• Group author names and affiliations
• Use images/tables/graphs to tell the story and engage reader
• Use images at least 150 dpi
• Include your contact information
• Have peers give you feedback prior to printing

DON'T

• Use dark or heavy backgrounds
• Use more than 2-3 colors
• Forget to leave white (blank) space to keep your poster readable and uncluttered
• Use someone's else image without seeking permission or crediting your source
• Mix and match content boxes...most people start reading from the top left
• Have images that seem too small or blurry (will look worse once enlarged)
• Order too late!
• Rely only on the poster to tell your story, make sure you have 3-5 min verbal explanation ready

Software commonly used to design posters:

• PowerPoint (free download for Duke affiliates)
• Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign (discounted download for Duke affiliates)
• Inkscape (free public download)
• Gimp (free public download)

Poster Design Tutorial outlines a 5-step approach: Plan - Design - Review - Print - Present

Content adapted from:

• NYU Poster Basics
• Cornell's Scientific Poster Design
• Hess, G.R., K. Tosney, and L. Liegel. 2014. Creating Effective Poster Presentations. http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters.

Image credit:

create your narrative icon by Vicons Design from the Noun Project