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.