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Poster Presentation Design

Layout

Font size and lettering

  • Title should be legible from a distance of 5 -10 feet. Text should be legible from 1- 2 feet.
  • Try to establish a hierarchy of importance using the font size: 

        -Title:  Largest font size  - 65 -108.pts
        - Subtitles:  Next largest font size : 36- 45 .pts

        - Body text:  18-27 pts

       -  Avoid using  all caps 

  • Font selection is critical.  Sans serif fonts work well for titles and labels because of the clarity and simplicity 
  • All text should be at least between 18-27 (Preferably  24) font size 
  • Refrain from using more than two font styles 
  • Use bold, italics or underline to emphasize a word.

Colors and white space

  • Colors should be limited to 2 or 3 - If you choose to use multiple colors, use them in a consistent manner
  • Use consistent spacing between each element of the poster.

Formatting

  • Map out the sections of the poster. Consider using gray-filled boxes as a placeholders for graphics or text. 
  • Most people read left to right and top to bottom.
  • Avoid the common mistake of including too much information. Additional information can be included in handouts or on websites.

​Statistics and graphs (illustrations, photographs, charts and graphs) 

  • Make sure the lines on any graphs are labeled correctly.
  • Graphs and figures should be the same size for consistency.

Ron Gilmour

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Ron Gilmour
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