Poster Design: Where to start?

Have a look online for some inspiration

Follow the brief / guidelines you have been given for your poster

• What are the size parameters?
• Orientation: should my poster be portrait or landscape?
• When is the submission deadline?
• Do I need to get my poster professionally printed or mounted?

Who is the intended audience?

• Think about what information you need to include to get your message across to your target audience
• Your poster should tell a story without having too much text
• Does the audience have any prior knowledge of the topic?

Think about including leaflets to accompany your poster and make sure that your contact details are on them so that any interested parties can take one with them if they want to.

• Start with a good Idea / interesting topic
• Keep the title concise and to the point
• Do a mockup of your poster to try different ideas
• Carefully select your information and visuals
• Use language that your audience will understand
• Word count should be between 300 – 800 words approximately
• Your poster should flow and be easy to read
• Choose a font that is simple and clear
• Using bullet points, numbering and colour make it easier to read
• Make sure there are no spelling mistakes
• Avoid using acronyms
• Include acknowledgements, your name and institutional affiliation

The following are usually included in a poster:

• Title
• Author, affiliations and contact details
• Introduction or background
• Materials and methods
• Results
• References (cite key references integral to your study and use a smaller font to the main body text to save space).
• Acknowledgements