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How to Design a Winning Poster Presentation: Quick Guide with Examples & Templates

How are research posters like High School science fair projects? Quite similar, in fact.

Both are visual representations of a research project shared with peers, colleagues and academic faculty. But there’s a big difference: it’s all in professionalism and attention to detail. You can be sure that the students that thrived in science fairs are now creating fantastic research posters, but what is that extra element most people miss when designing a poster presentation?

This guide will teach tips and tricks for creating poster presentations for conferences, symposia, and more. Learn in-depth poster structure and design techniques to help create academic posters that have a lasting impact.

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

• What is a Research Poster?

Why are Poster Presentations important?

Overall dimensions and orientation, separation into columns and sections, scientific, academic, or something else, a handout with supplemental and contact information, cohesiveness, design and readability, storytelling.

• Font Characteristics
• Color Pairing
• Data Visualization Dimensions
• Alignment, Margins, and White Space

Scientific/Academic Conference Poster Presentation

Digital research poster presentations, slidemodel poster presentation templates, how to make a research poster presentation step-by-step, considerations for printing poster presentations, how to present a research poster presentation, final words, what is a research poster .

Research posters are visual overviews of the most relevant information extracted from a research paper or analysis.   They are essential communication formats for sharing findings with peers and interested people in the field. Research posters can also effectively present material for other areas besides the sciences and STEM—for example, business and law.

You’ll be creating research posters regularly as an academic researcher, scientist, or grad student. You’ll have to present them at numerous functions and events. For example:

• Conference presentations
• Informational events
• Community centers

The research poster presentation is a comprehensive way to share data, information, and research results. Before the pandemic, the majority of research events were in person. During lockdown and beyond, virtual conferences and summits became the norm. Many researchers now create poster presentations that work in printed and digital formats.

Let’s look at why it’s crucial to spend time creating poster presentations for your research projects, research, analysis, and study papers.

Research posters represent you and your sponsor’s research 

Research papers and accompanying poster presentations are potent tools for representation and communication in your field of study. Well-performing poster presentations help scientists, researchers, and analysts grow their careers through grants and sponsorships.

When presenting a poster presentation for a sponsored research project, you’re representing the company that sponsored you. Your professionalism, demeanor, and capacity for creating impactful poster presentations call attention to other interested sponsors, spreading your impact in the field.

Research posters demonstrate expertise and growth

Presenting research posters at conferences, summits, and graduate grading events shows your expertise and knowledge in your field of study. The way your poster presentation looks and delivers, plus your performance while presenting the work, is judged by your viewers regardless of whether it’s an officially judged panel.

Recurring visitors to research conferences and symposia will see you and your poster presentations evolve. Improve your impact by creating a great poster presentation every time by paying attention to detail in the poster design and in your oral presentation. Practice your public speaking skills alongside the design techniques for even more impact.

Poster presentations create and maintain collaborations

Every time you participate in a research poster conference, you create meaningful connections with people in your field, industry or community. Not only do research posters showcase information about current data in different areas, but they also bring people together with similar interests. Countless collaboration projects between different research teams started after discussing poster details during coffee breaks.

An effective research poster template deepens your peer’s understanding of a topic by highlighting research, data, and conclusions. This information can help other researchers and analysts with their work. As a research poster presenter, you’re given the opportunity for both teaching and learning while sharing ideas with peers and colleagues.

Anatomy of a Winning Poster Presentation

Do you want your research poster to perform well?  Following the standard layout and adding a few personal touches will help attendees know how to read your poster and get the most out of your information. 

The overall size of your research poster ultimately depends on the dimensions of the provided space at the conference or research poster gallery. The poster orientation can be horizontal or vertical, with horizontal being the most common.  In general, research posters measure 48 x 36 inches or are an A0 paper size.

A virtual poster can be the same proportions as the printed research poster, but you have more leeway regarding the dimensions. Virtual research posters should fit on a screen with no need to scroll, with 1080p resolution as a standard these days. A horizontal presentation size is ideal for that.

A research poster presentation has a standard layout of 2–5 columns with 2–3 sections each. Typical structures say to separate the content into four sections; 1. A horizontal header 2. Introduction column, 3. Research/Work/Data column, and 4. Conclusion column. Each unit includes topics that relate to your poster’s objective.  Here’s a generalized outline for a poster presentation:

• Condensed Abstract 
• Objectives/Purpose
• Methodology
• Recommendations
• Implications
• Acknowledgments
• Contact Information 

The overview content you include in the units depends on your poster presentations’ theme, topic, industry, or field of research. A scientific or academic poster will include sections like hypothesis, methodology, and materials. A marketing analysis poster will include performance metrics and competitor analysis results.

There’s no way a poster can hold all the information included in your research paper or analysis report. The poster is an overview that invites the audience to want to find out more. That’s where supplement material comes in. Create a printed PDF handout or card with a QR code (created using a QR code generator ). Send the audience to the best online location for reading or downloading the complete paper.

What Makes a Poster Presentation Good and Effective? 

For your poster presentation to be effective and well-received, it needs to cover all the bases and be inviting to find out more. Stick to the standard layout suggestions and give it a unique look and feel. We’ve put together some of the most critical research poster-creation tips in the list below. Your poster presentation will perform as long as you check all the boxes.

The information you choose to include in the sections of your poster presentation needs to be cohesive. Train your editing eye and do a few revisions before presenting. The best way to look at it is to think of The Big Picture. Don’t get stuck on the details; your attendees won’t always know the background behind your research topic or why it’s important.

Be cohesive in how you word the titles, the length of the sections, the highlighting of the most important data, and how your oral presentation complements the printed—or virtual—poster.

The most important characteristic of your poster presentation is its readability and clarity. You need a poster presentation with a balanced design that’s easy to read at a distance of 1.5 meters or 4 feet. The font size and spacing must be clear and neat. All the content must suggest a visual flow for the viewer to follow.

That said, you don’t need to be a designer to add something special to your poster presentation. Once you have the standard—and recognized—columns and sections, add your special touch. These can be anything from colorful boxes for the section titles to an interesting but subtle background, images that catch the eye, and charts that inspire a more extended look. 

Storytelling is a presenting technique involving writing techniques to make information flow. Firstly, storytelling helps give your poster presentation a great introduction and an impactful conclusion. 

Think of storytelling as the invitation to listen or read more, as the glue that connects sections, making them flow from one to another. Storytelling is using stories in the oral presentation, for example, what your lab partner said when you discovered something interesting. If it makes your audience smile and nod, you’ve hit the mark. Storytelling is like giving a research presentation a dose of your personality, and it can help turning your data into opening stories .

Design Tips For Creating an Effective Research Poster Presentation

The section above briefly mentioned how important design is to your poster presentation’s effectiveness. We’ll look deeper into what you need to know when designing a poster presentation.

1. Font Characteristics

The typeface and size you choose are of great importance. Not only does the text need to be readable from two meters away, but it also needs to look and sit well on the poster. Stay away from calligraphic script typefaces, novelty typefaces, or typefaces with uniquely shaped letters.

Stick to the classics like a sans serif Helvetica, Lato, Open Sans, or Verdana. Avoid serif typefaces as they can be difficult to read from far away. Here are some standard text sizes to have on hand.

• Title: 85 pt
• Authors: 65 pt
• Headings: 36 pt
• Body Text: 24 pt
• Captions: 18 pt

If you feel too prone to use serif typefaces, work with a font pairing tool that helps you find a suitable solution – and intend those serif fonts for heading sections only. As a rule, never use more than 3 different typefaces in your design. To make it more dynamic, you can work with the same font using light, bold, and italic weights to put emphasis on the required areas.

2. Color Pairing

Using colors in your poster presentation design is a great way to grab the viewer’s attention. A color’s purpose is to help the viewer follow the data flow in your presentation, not distract. Don’t let the color take more importance than the information on your poster.

Choose one main color for the title and headlines and a similar color for the data visualizations. If you want to use more than one color, don’t create too much contrast between them. Try different tonalities of the same color and keep things balanced visually. Your color palette should have at most one main color and two accent colors.

Black text over a white background is standard practice for printed poster presentations, but for virtual presentations, try a very light gray instead of white and a very dark gray instead of black. Additionally, use variations of light color backgrounds and dark color text. Make sure it’s easy to read from two meters away or on a screen, depending on the context. We recommend ditching full white or full black tone usage as it hurts eyesight in the long term due to its intense contrast difference with the light ambiance.

3. Data Visualization Dimensions

Just like the text, your charts, graphs, and data visualizations must be easy to read and understand. Generally, if a person is interested in your research and has already read some of the text from two meters away, they’ll come closer to look at the charts and graphs. 

Fit data visualizations inside columns or let them span over two columns. Remove any unnecessary borders, lines, or labels to make them easier to read at a glance. Use a flat design without shadows or 3D characteristics. The text in legends and captions should stay within the chart size and not overflow into the margins. Use a unified text size of 18px for all your data visualizations.

4. Alignment, Margins, and White Space

Finally, the last design tip for creating an impressive and memorable poster presentation is to be mindful of the layout’s alignment, margins, and white space. Create text boxes to help keep everything aligned. They allow you to resize, adapt, and align the content along a margin or grid.

Take advantage of the white space created by borders and margins between sections. Don’t crowd them with a busy background or unattractive color.

Calculate margins considering a print format. It is a good practice in case the poster presentation ends up becoming in physical format, as you won’t need to downscale your entire design (affecting text readability in the process) to preserve information.

There are different tools that you can use to make a poster presentation. Presenters who are familiar with Microsoft Office prefer to use PowerPoint. You can learn how to make a poster in PowerPoint here.

Poster Presentation Examples

Before you start creating a poster presentation, look at some examples of real research posters. Get inspired and get creative.

Research poster presentations printed and mounted on a board look like the one in the image below. The presenter stands to the side, ready to share the information with visitors as they walk up to the panels.

With more and more conferences staying virtual or hybrid, the digital poster presentation is here to stay. Take a look at examples from a poster session at the OHSU School of Medicine .

Use SlideModel templates to help you create a winning poster presentation with PowerPoint and Google Slides. These poster PPT templates will get you off on the right foot. Mix and match tables and data visualizations from other poster slide templates to create your ideal layout according to the standard guidelines.

If you need a quick method to create a presentation deck to talk about your research poster at conferences, check out our Slides AI presentation maker. A tool in which you add the topic, curate the outline, select a design, and let AI do the work for you.

1. One-pager Scientific Poster Template for PowerPoint

A PowerPoint template tailored to make your poster presentations an easy-to-craft process. Meet our One-Pager Scientific Poster Slide Template, entirely editable to your preferences and with ample room to accommodate graphs, data charts, and much more.

Use This Template

2. Eisenhower Matrix Slides Template for PowerPoint

An Eisenhower Matrix is a powerful tool to represent priorities, classifying work according to urgency and importance. Presenters can use this 2×2 matrix in poster presentations to expose the effort required for the research process, as it also helps to communicate strategy planning.

3. OSMG Framework PowerPoint Template

Finally, we recommend presenters check our OSMG Framework PowerPoint template, as it is an ideal tool for representing a business plan: its goals, strategies, and measures for success. Expose complex processes in a simplified manner by adding this template to your poster presentation.

Remember these three words when making your research poster presentation: develop, design, and present. These are the three main actions toward a successful poster presentation. 

The section below will take you on a step-by-step journey to create your next poster presentation.

Step 1: Define the purpose and audience of your poster presentation

Before making a poster presentation design, you’ll need to plan first. Here are some questions to answer at this point:

• Are they in your field? 
• Do they know about your research topic? 
• What can they get from your research?
• Will you print it?
• Is it for a virtual conference?

Step 2: Make an outline

With a clear purpose and strategy, it’s time to collect the most important information from your research paper, analysis, or documentation. Make a content dump and then select the most interesting information. Use the content to draft an outline.

Outlines help formulate the overall structure better than going straight into designing the poster. Mimic the standard poster structure in your outline using section headlines as separators. Go further and separate the content into the columns they’ll be placed in.

Step 3: Write the content

Write or rewrite the content for the sections in your poster presentation. Use the text in your research paper as a base, but summarize it to be more succinct in what you share. 

Don’t forget to write a catchy title that presents the problem and your findings in a clear way. Likewise, craft the headlines for the sections in a similar tone as the title, creating consistency in the message. Include subtle transitions between sections to help follow the flow of information in order.

Avoid copying/pasting entire sections of the research paper on which the poster is based. Opt for the storytelling approach, so the delivered message results are interesting for your audience. 

Step 4: Put it all together visually

This entire guide on how to design a research poster presentation is the perfect resource to help you with this step. Follow all the tips and guidelines and have an unforgettable poster presentation.

Moving on, here’s how to design a research poster presentation with PowerPoint Templates . Open a new project and size it to the standard 48 x 36 inches. Using the outline, map out the sections on the empty canvas. Add a text box for each title, headline, and body text. Piece by piece, add the content into their corresponding text box.

Transform the text information visually, make bullet points, and place the content in tables and timelines. Make your text visual to avoid chunky text blocks that no one will have time to read. Make sure all text sizes are coherent for all headings, body texts, image captions, etc. Double-check for spacing and text box formatting.

Next, add or create data visualizations, images, or diagrams. Align everything into columns and sections, making sure there’s no overflow. Add captions and legends to the visualizations, and check the color contrast with colleagues and friends. Ask for feedback and progress to the last step.

Step 5: Last touches

Time to check the final touches on your poster presentation design. Here’s a checklist to help finalize your research poster before sending it to printers or the virtual summit rep.

• Check the resolution of all visual elements in your poster design. Zoom to 100 or 200% to see if the images pixelate. Avoid this problem by using vector design elements and high-resolution images.
• Ensure that charts and graphs are easy to read and don’t look crowded.
• Analyze the visual hierarchy. Is there a visual flow through the title, introduction, data, and conclusion?
• Take a step back and check if it’s legible from a distance. Is there enough white space for the content to breathe?
• Does the design look inviting and interesting?

An often neglected topic arises when we need to print our designs for any exhibition purpose. Since A0 is a hard-to-manage format for most printers, these poster presentations result in heftier charges for the user. Instead, you can opt to work your design in two A1 sheets, which also becomes more manageable for transportation. Create seamless borders for the section on which the poster sheets should meet, or work with a white background.

Paper weight options should be over 200 gsm to avoid unwanted damage during the printing process due to heavy ink usage. If possible, laminate your print or stick it to photographic paper – this shall protect your work from spills.

Finally, always run a test print. Gray tints may not be printed as clearly as you see them on screen (this is due to the RGB to CMYK conversion process). Other differences can be appreciated when working with ink jet plotters vs. laser printers. Give yourself enough room to maneuver last-minute design changes.

Presenting a research poster is a big step in the poster presentation cycle. Your poster presentation might or might not be judged by faculty or peers. But knowing what judges look for will help you prepare for the design and oral presentation, regardless of whether you receive a grade for your work or if it’s business related. Likewise, the same principles apply when presenting at an in-person or virtual summit.

The opening statement

Part of presenting a research poster is welcoming the viewer to your small personal area in the sea of poster presentations. You’ll need an opening statement to pitch your research poster and get the viewers’ attention.

Draft a 2 to 3-sentence pitch that covers the most important points:

• What the research is
• Why was it conducted
• What the results say

From that opening statement, you’re ready to continue with the oral presentation for the benefit of your attendees.

The oral presentation

During the oral presentation, share the information on the poster while conversing with the interested public. Practice many times before the event. Structure the oral presentation as conversation points, and use the poster’s visual flow as support. Make eye contact with your audience as you speak, but don’t make them uncomfortable.

Pro Tip: In a conference or summit, if people show up to your poster area after you’ve started presenting it to another group, finish and then address the new visitors.

QA Sessions 

When you’ve finished the oral presentation, offer the audience a chance to ask questions. You can tell them before starting the presentation that you’ll be holding a QA session at the end. Doing so will prevent interruptions as you’re speaking.

If presenting to one or two people, be flexible and answer questions as you review all the sections on your poster.

Supplemental Material

If your audience is interested in learning more, you can offer another content type, further imprinting the information in their minds. Some ideas include; printed copies of your research paper, links to a website, a digital experience of your poster, a thesis PDF, or data spreadsheets.

Your audience will want to contact you for further conversations; include contact details in your supplemental material. If you don’t offer anything else, at least have business cards.

Even though conferences have changed, the research poster’s importance hasn’t diminished. Now, instead of simply creating a printed poster presentation, you can also make it for digital platforms. The final output will depend on the conference and its requirements.

This guide covered all the essential information you need to know for creating impactful poster presentations, from design, structure and layout tips to oral presentation techniques to engage your audience better . 

Before your next poster session, bookmark and review this guide to help you design a winning poster presentation every time. 

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University Libraries

Creating an academic poster.

• Introduction to Academic Posters
• Fundamentals of Effective Poster Design
• Communicating Technical Data
• Review & Refine
• Finalize & Print

Delivering a compelling poster presentation requires careful attention to engaging your audience and effectively addressing their questions. We’ll cover these essential strategies to help you captivate viewers, prepare thoroughly, and handle discussions with confidence. 

Techniques for Engaging Viewers and Sparking Interest 

Capturing your viewers' attention and maintaining their interest ensures your audience remains engaged and absorbs your key messages. 

Use eye-catching colors, bold fonts, and high-quality images to draw viewers in and create a strong visual impact. 

Tell a story by structuring your poster to guide the viewer through your research journey, from problem statement to conclusion. 

Incorporate interactive features like QR codes linking to videos or additional resources. 

Preparing for Poster Presentations 

Effective preparation for your poster presentation can make a significant difference in how confidently and clearly you convey your research. 

Practice explaining your poster multiple times to refine your delivery and timing. 

Be prepared to discuss any part of your poster in detail, including methods, results, and implications. 

Think about potential questions your audience might ask and prepare concise, informative answers. 

Answering Questions and Discussing Your Poster with Peers and Judges 

Handling questions and engaging in discussions about your poster can enhance your audience's understanding and demonstrate your expertise. 

Actively listen by paying attention to the question being asked and taking a moment to formulate your response. 

Answer questions calmly and confidently, even if you don’t immediately know the answer. 

Invite further questions and discussions to create an interactive presentation environment. 

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• Last Updated: Aug 17, 2024 10:54 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.unt.edu/academicposter

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CAUSE AN EFFECT

Blog on science communication

How to design a poster presentation that makes your research stand out

Presenting a poster at a conference is an amazing opportunity to showcase your research, get valuable feedback, advance your career and make lasting connections. But we often see boring posters filled with unclear graphs, crammed with too much text and uninspiring images.

Let us help you create a beautiful award-winning poster with this blog and our extensive Poster Guidelines.

What is the goal of your poster presentation?

A quick reminder: The main goal of a poster presentation is not to share your research results. If that were the case, you could just publish it, email it to colleagues in your field or hand out copies of your paper during conferences. Instead, the goal of standing next to your poster is to have interaction with other researchers in your field , learn from their critical questions, feedback, and suggestions, and make connections for future collaborations.

Your new goal is to present your work clearly and make sure that people stop to talk to you about your work. To achieve this goal, you and your poster need to STAND OUT. If you do it well, presenting your poster is an incredible learning opportunity.

Collect feedback with your poster

Viviam participated in our poster design workshop and decided that her main goal was to collect feedback since she was running into obstacles with her PhD. She was very clever to create a poster around these obstacles and ask visitors to put post-its up with their tips. With this approach she won two poster awards!

“It was an amazing experience and the outcome was exactly what I wanted, a lot of interaction with the public, feedback, questions, many post-it notes, lots of connections in LinkedIn and possibly new collaborations. Also, my supervisors are extremely proud and happy. I couldn’t ask for more! THANK YOU!”

See her poster in our Hall of Fame .

Read more about the goal of your poster and how to write a good pitch in our blog Define the goal & pitch for your poster presentation

Your title is your main message

The one thing all your poster visitors are looking for is your main message. That’s why we want your main message to be visible at a glance! So make it easy for people to find it and make sure the largest text on your poster is your main message. Usually your title will be the text that stands out the most. Usually your main message is your research conclusion. But it doesn’t have to be! You can decide what you think is your main message. Is it a recommendation, a warning or a method to use? You can choose what you think is most interesting about the research.

Whatever you do, do not copy the descriptive title of your paper to your poster. Descriptive titles are horrible: they only show the topic and do not give the main conclusion. Let’s have a look at this generic title from this article on air pollution as an example: “Urban Air Pollution and Greenness in Relation to Public Health”. If we read it, we still don’t know anything. In other words, you’re delaying communicating the main message.

The best format for your title a conclusive statement. This way, even if people only read your title, they have already seen the most important message. This is what a conclusive statement looks like:

CONCLUSIVE STATEMENT: Expanding green spaces and enforcing low-carbon policies can effectively combat health risks from air pollution in Addis Ababa.

Write a conclusive title, so people can read your main message at a glance!

If it’s hard to write a clear conclusive statement or you don’t have results yet, a question would be a good alternative for your title. What about “Mental health in hospitals: what can health professionals do to ease the pain?”. It’s the perfect start to a conversation. Imagine what the first question would be that you can ask a person approaching you. It does not tell the whole story but makes people curious enough to walk up to your poster to read the answer or have a discussion with you.

For more examples and tips on how to formulate your title, read our blog Write a compelling title about your research . Learn why descriptive titles are the worst for good science communication and try out different main messages to see which one works best for your research.

The 5-second science communication rule

In general, you only have a few seconds to grab attention with your poster. People will only stop at your poster if they are drawn in by an interesting title or a stunning design. When they decided to slow down and start reading more, it takes them about 30 seconds to read your poster. This is not reading in a traditional sense, but more skimming the titles. This means that if your titles are words such as Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusion they will still have no idea what your research is about!

Reading your poster should not be a chore. Test it with some friends or colleagues. Show them your poster for 30 seconds, and ask them what they think is your main message, and what result/word/graph/design piqued their interest.

Write down your research as a story

In our workshops, we ask participants to write down their research in a single paragraph or a one-minute speech and then shorten it until you have a few sentences. Those sentences are then used to write the headings of your poster (we call them chapters). This way, your audience doesn’t have to read each the paragraphs to find what they’re looking for, but can scan the headings of your poster and immediately understand the core message from your research.

Answering the following questions help you get started:

Why are you doing your research? What is your ultimate goal?

What is the underlying problem? When your research is about urgent topics that people know about, like curing cancer or stopping climate change, you won’t have to elaborate on the topic in a lengthy introduction. Then you can just start with “We want to find a better way to diagnose breast cancer”.

e.g. We want to slow down Alzheimer’s disease / find a cure for small-cell carcinoma / find out which cells are responsible for skin cancer. | We want to improve patient care in hospitals. | We want to understand the environmental causes of obesity. | We aim to study the best way to lose weight. | We want to develop a new standard for research outcomes. (Just a few examples from our clients)

However, your research might be about a problem or observation people don’t know about yet. If that’s the case, you have to explain the problem AND the goal or solution to the problem with a longer sentence:

e.g. Crucian carp can survive in ice-covered lakes without oxygen for months. We want to know if DNA methylation acts as a switch to transition from summer to winter months.

What exactly are you looking at in your research? How are you executing your research?

e.g. you are studying human behavior, performing cell microscopy, literature research in the national archives, interviews in local communities.

e.g. you are doing epidemiology, meta-analysis, RCT, in-vitro cells, computer modeling, AI, fieldwork, (online) questionnaires.

What makes your research, approach, or team unique?

e.g. We’re doing the first multi-disciplinary research into obesity prevention / We have an international team with over 20 participating countries / We developed a unique new technique or methodology / We combine all available data to date / We have a specific breed of mice that might answer the question better / This is the first time anyone has ever looked at X or used method Y.

This would result in a sentence like this:

To find out how to slow down Alzheimer’s disease, we are using new metabolomic profiling techniques to find pathways to prevent beta-amyloid proteins from forming harmful plaques in the brain.

This can be the new subtitle or large quote of your poster! It’s the main summary of what you’re trying to achieve.

Example of a story-based poster

Let’s have a look at this poster example we created from a paper on microbes in the Antarctic. We’ve written out each section (Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusion) as a conclusive statement. This makes it easy to scan and read for your audience. You can add more details in the paragraph text or graphs. But don’t overcrowd your poster, if people want all the details, handing out your actual peer-reviewed journal article is a better way to show these.

Since most people are afraid that leaving out the traditional structure will be confusing, we’ve included them as eyebrow headings. Learn about eyebrow headings and text design in part 3 of our Poster Guidelines )

Learn how you can write an engaging research story for your poster in our blog How to write a story from your research for posters & infographics .

Poster prep-time!

• Think about what you want to get out of this poster presentation. Do you want to connect with at least 3 senior researchers? Do you want to get feedback on a specific result? Do you want to discuss your methods and ask others how they would do this?
• Prepare what you want to say when someone approaches your poster. Or better yet, what you want to ask them.
• Think about what critical questions people may have about your poster and prepare a short answer. Is your research about dairy and it is funded by the dairy industry? Expect some critical questions. Be grateful you get these questions, it’s what proper scientific discussion is all about!

Do not conform to “standards” imposed by the conference

We know that you often have to adhere to guidelines for your poster presentation. Maybe you have to abide by a standard template from your institution, or have huge logos from every single collaborator (and even pictures of their locations!) on it. We advise that you do NOT give in to these demands without a fight. Remember: these guidelines are not made by science communication experts, but often by the press officer with a desire for a uniform look or by more senior scientists who think design is something achieved by rainbow-colored text effects in Word. You get our frustration…

Of course, it’s good to adhere to the physical format of the poster mount and have large and legible text, but we’ll try to push you out of your comfort zone here a bit. You will not get punished by anyone for using different colors than your institution, use a different font, and use design in a way that makes your research pop. Remember: you can not stand out if your poster looks like all the other boring posters in the room!

TEXT: How to make sure your main message stands out

Don’t structure your presentation like a paper.

Ditch the abstract/introduction/results/conclusion/acknowledgments structure and create your own interesting titles. Instead: write conclusive titles that people can skim. This means that you should make sure that your titles (the largest texts on your poster) tell your story.

Turn headings into conclusions & quotes

Instead of the vague descriptive title “Costs of diabetes” you can turn it into the main conclusive message: “Total costs of diabetes have increased to $245 billion.” Which one do you prefer?

This means that you do NOT highlight the least interesting words on your paper, but let the MESSAGE stand out. We cringe when we see the words “Background” highlighted in huge bright blue text, and the main message obscured in smaller text.

An example: How to structure your research (based on https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32023777 ).

Which behavioral and nutritional factors are targets for stomach cancer prevention programmes?

A meta-analysis and systematic review of 14 behavioral and nutritional factors in 52,916 studies.

Helicobacter pylori infection, smoking, alcohol, high salt intake were identified as the main factors contributing to stomach cancer.

These results may be utilized for ranking and prioritizing preventable risk factors to implement effective prevention programs.

As you can see, with the new structure, it’s already a short explanation of your entire research! Way to go!

TIP: Does your research show negative results? Shout it from the rooftops! Don’t be disappointed, your research is just as important as anyone else’s. Do not hide it, show it, so other people can learn from it.

Check out part 3 of our Poster Guideline for tips on structure, and writing texts:

DESIGN: Keep it clean and simple

How do you think you will come across if you use different backgrounds, colors and fonts for every slide? Does that really make you look creative and professional? We know it’s tempting, but don’t use every tool PowerPoint has given you to design with. Don’t use gradients, drop-shadows, text effects if you don’t know how to use them.

The design of your poster should support your story, provide structure, and make your presentation more effective. Design can also help distinguish between the main message and supporting information. By using different designs for your main thread and quotes, anecdotes, or examples you make sure people don’t lose sight of your most important messages.

We love to show bad examples, so check out this poster presentation dissection:

Get inspired by creative posters in our Poster Hall of Fame

We’re so proud of our workshops participants when they create a beautiful poster or win a poster award! So we created a hall of fame to showcase great posters. As you will see, there is no one standard, you can create any type of poster and still attract attention. Each poster is made under different circumstances and conference requirements.

Only use bullet points for actual lists

If there is one piece of advice we would love for you to remember from this post: do NOT use bullet points for sentences! It transforms them into weird short sentences and doesn’t make your messages any clearer. Please, only use bullet points for actual lists. Like countries or disease outcomes you are measuring. Disregard your instinct to put bullets before sentences and just write a nice readable paragraph instead. People will love you for it! If you’re feeling creative you can always ask yourself the question of whether there are better ways to visualize your bullet points. Showing the countries you’ve gathered data from in an actual map is MUCH more informative than a list (anybody knows where Kyrgyzstan is located exactly?). We often use https://mapchart.net/world.html for creating maps.

COLOR: When in doubt, start with white and grey, and add a single pop of color.

We’re not going to explain color theory here. And don’t be afraid to use ANY color you want. Just make sure to check whether it has enough contrast with the background to be legible (with the WebAIM contrast checker ). Don’t waste your time on this. When in doubt, choose 1 single color (or shades of the same color) and combine it with black for text and white and light grey for backgrounds, boxes, and borders. Add a single pop of color to create focus where you want the audience to look, e.g. important keywords, arrows, and your main message. We have added some color scheme examples in our Poster Presentation Template (see below).

Check out part 5 of our Poster Guideline for tips on the use of colors.

IMAGES: Only use images that contribute to your message

Text alone can be a bit uninspiring sometimes. We encourage the use of images but make sure they contribute to your message. Either use them to show which topic you are researching (e.g. plane aerodynamics, body fat distribution, or the history of women’s rights), or when they have intrinsic value and show something that you cannot point out in words (e.g. the location of an aorta stent, or the flow of information between low-orbit satellites). Don’t add cute images of people, landscapes, university buildings or flower patterns to spice up your poster. Check out our favorite resources for good free copyright-free images and design tools.

So please don’t use random useless stock photo’s like these in your presentation! #facepalm

GRAPHS: Make sure people can read a graph without having to consult a legend or description.

A graph is better than a table. It’s much easier to understand relationships in your data when presented visually in a graph than as numbers in a table. However, a conclusion drawn from the data, presented as a main conclusion with a single number (e.g. alcohol consumption is 23% higher in France than in Sweden) is better than your run-of-the-mill graph with a vague description of the two axes.

Write graph titles as a conclusion of your result.

Which title do you think is better?

Projected disease prevalence and mortality reduction over 20 years for the population aged 18 to 95 years in nine European countries with lower salt intake.

Lower salt intake reduced the prevalence of stroke in Poland by 13.5%

Don’t use separate legends in your graph (e.g. those boxes on the side of the graph). If possible, put the text/label explaining what a line represents next to the line. This prevents people from having to go back and forth between the graph and legend to understand its message.

Check out part 5 of our Poster Guideline for tips on datavisualization.

• Do not copy your complex research paper title as the title on a poster. Create a short and snappy poster title that draws people in.
• Don’t include any text, graph, or image that does not contribute to your main points. If people can understand your main message without them, leave them out.
• Never apply chart junk in your graphs, remove all unnecessary lines/gradients/grids.
• Don’t use high-contrast boxes with rounded corners: this creates weird arrows between boxes that draw your eye to the area in between text.
• Avoid unclear QR codes, people will have no idea what happens after they scan it and it’s often being used for fraudulent purposes.
• Rewrite the title into an intriguing question or statement, so people know what to talk to you about.
• Your main purpose/unique proposition/interesting result should be the largest text on the poster. You should be able to read it from five meters away.
• Ensure that everything on the poster is self-explanatory. Avoid abbreviations and acronyms.
• Make sure it’s clear from the poster who you are. Highlight one of the authors, or add a (recent, professional) portrait, so people can also find you later if they visited the poster when you were away.
• White. Space. Scientists seem to think that white space is wasted space that needs more text crammed in. The opposite is true. More white space makes your poster seem less daunting, and easier to approach.
• Have a call to action on your poster. Who do you want people to contact, and what would you want to talk about in future communications? Include your Twitter, LinkedIn, email if possible.
• When in doubt about the colors: choose white and light grey and add a single pop of color. It’s the safest bet!
• Avoid jargon. You can get into jargon and details AFTER people have approached you and your poster.
• Use enough contrast between the background and letters so people can actually read it. You can check your contrast at: https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/

Creative ideas for those who are ready to conquer the world with their research:

• Laminate your poster and give people a whiteboard marker to write things on it or highlight sections they think are important. This is not only a nice gimmick that people will remember, but can be good for you as a reminder of the feedback you were given. As an added bonus it gives visitors a chance to interact with each other.
• Bring a prop related to your research to the stand. Do you research fat cells? Bring a pound of lard with you. Do you research tooth health? Bring a plastic jaw with you that people can look at.

Tip: Print on textiles instead of paper. Easier to take with you on a plane without tearing or creasing. However, do this only when you are going to use the poster multiple times, it’s a waste of material otherwise.

To hand out or not to hand out?

A hand-out is a great way to get into depth without cramming every single detail into your poster. But you might just have printed 20 copies and nobody to hand it out to. Also, who reads all the things they collect when they get home? In other words: we do not advise you to bring hand-outs.

As useful as it may seem, we think that making the connection is more important than sharing the details of your research right then and there. So instead, give out your LinkedIn or ResearchGate details or your personal website URL, so you are instantly connected and they will see any new updates you post in their timeline. If they are still interested in the details, you have their contact information to send them your paper when it’s published!

POSTER PRESENTATION – A CASE STUDY

Have you read all our tips but still don’t know how to implement them in your poster? Don’t worry, we will go over a case study of an existing poster presentation.

For this case study, we worked together with Joseph Diab , a PhD candidate in bioanalytical chemistry at The Arctic University of Norway (UiT) doing research into Ulcerative Colitis. He wanted to update his poster for his next poster presentation and volunteered with us to make it better.

The BEFORE poster

The poster he made was a typical poster, not bad at all actually, we’ve seen much, much worse… But there was plenty to improve. Let’s go over the poster to find out what could be improved.

The good thing about the poster was that the main title was written in big text, and he even emphasized the most important words. This is a great way to have it stand out more. He did not fall into the trap of having his paper title as the main title, and put it in smaller text below. He was right to make the conclusion bigger as well.

However, there is room for improvement. When you look at the poster while squinting your eyes, only the main title jumps out at you. There is not much larger text to scan to get a feel for what he’s trying to tell us. We’re also missing the reason he is doing this research. Why is it important to reveal the metabolomic signature? If the urgency is missing, people might walk past your poster.

So, to make his poster better we’ve given Joseph some homework questions about his research. These are his answers:

What do you want to get out of this poster presentation?  Joseph: I want to get feedback on how to proceed and validate these finding, and how to unravel the role of microbiota in IBD (Inflammatory bowel disease).

Can you tell me in your own words what the main purpose of your research is? Joseph: IBD is an untreatable nasty disease. The only available treatment just makes the patients go from active inflammation into remission. Most of these patients will develop inflammation again. Moreover, 20-30% of the patients develop very severe outcomes and need surgery, and they might die from complications or from cancer (caused by the treatment failure). In my research, we aim to find a biomarker to predict the outcome from the moments the patient gets the diagnosis.

Why is your research unique? Joseph: This is the first study to determine the full proteomic and transcriptomic profile in treatment-naïve and deep-remission UC patients.

What is the relevance of your results in the real world? Joseph: We are using metabolomics to improve the patient’s stratification in IBD.

We love it when researchers explain something in their own words, it’s so much clearer than when written as a paper! Here are the steps we took to improve his poster:

Step 1: Create an engaging main message.

We’ve rewritten the main message of his poster to include the main goal of his research (to improve IBD treatment) and made it a bit more interesting by adding part of his research results stating that he has found the “first clue”. This is a great way of showing that each research project is just one small step towards final answers, and this can make your audience a bit more curious. Who doesn’t like to figure out clues? This way the title also gives away a part of the results, which makes it easier for people to understand what you’ve accomplished.

Before: Ulcerative Colitis is characterized by altered tryptophan and fatty acid metabolism.

After: Finding biomarkers to improve the personalized treatment of Ulcerative Colitis. Altered tryptophan and fatty acid metabolism provide the first clue.

Step 2: Put the most important messages first.

In Joseph’s poster, like in so many, the conclusion is hidden away at the end of the poster. We’ve moved it up next to the title. In addition, we’ve moved the author affiliations to the bottom of the poster. They were taking up too much prime real estate, and it’s not very relevant for your audience.

Step 3: Create an effective design

We were lucky that Joseph was doing research in a field that is easy to visualize. Ulcerative Colitis is a disease of the large intestines, so we used an illustration of one to enhance the design. This was not just to “make it pretty”, but also to visually show the topic and draw your eye towards the most important message: the conclusion. People recognize an intestine much faster than reading the text.

We stayed away from the boring academic blue. Everybody is using it, which is a good reason to not use it yourself (the easiest way to stand out!). In this case the best choice was to just use the colors from the image. With this bright pink as an accent color, and whites and greys as main colors, you generate a nice cohesive color scheme in a snap!

TIP : If you can find a relevant image for your poster, always use that color in your color scheme! PowerPoint now has an eyedropper tool that enables you to pick any color from an image and use it in texts or boxes.

We wanted to separate the different paragraphs, but not draw too much attention to it by using dark backgrounds, thick borders or lots of contrast, so we used subtle shadow which divides the main sections but does not distract.

Step 4: Emphasize your most important messages

Our advice is to de-emphasize words such as methods and background . However, this might be a bit scary, since it deviates so much from what posters have looked like for years. So we decided to keep it, but use a smaller font size. We used the pink color to emphasize the most important sentences and draw your eyes towards them. If you squint and just read the larger pink text, you should be able to understand the research. We wanted to make it stand out more and make it bigger, but there was not enough space on the poster to increase the font size. An important lesson in working with limitations!

Step 5: Make it engaging and easy to understand for your audience

To make sure the answers to Joseph’s homework were included in the poster, we came up with the “What’s new” section. Just reading this section gives you a very good grasp of the main goal and why the research is unique.

The “How can you help?” section prompts the visitor to have a conversation and invites them to share their ideas about this topic. This is the conversation starter you need for a successful poster presentation.

Step 6: Kill your darlings

There is never enough space on a poster, so we needed to scrap some of the texts and graphs. For each graph, we asked whether it was really necessary to include. Did this graph really contribute to the main message, or could anyone at the conference understand the research perfectly fine without it?

As you can see, we ditched one of the two almost similar multivariate analysis graphs. They showed almost the same thing. We also removed the Venn diagram. It contained some very detailed information that was not essential for the main message and therefore took up too much valuable space.

We also wrote new titles for the graphs in the results section. Instead of a descriptive title (Pathway analysis), we wrote a concluding title (Integrated pathway analysis provides a unique and detailed snapshot of the metabolic changes in the onset of UC.). You want to give away your conclusion from the graph, not have people spend 5 minutes trying to figure it out themselves from looking at the dots.

In the graphs we made the outlying pathways more prominent with the dark blue background, so you can immediately find these pathways without having to read all of them.

Step 7: Background information & call to action

There is always some boring information you have to include, or your supervisors won’t be happy. Logos of your institutions, affiliations, the title of your paper. We put them where they belong: on the bottom of the page in smaller font. Very few people will be interested in this at first glance.

We do want to show who the person is behind the poster, so we kept the headshot of Joseph and added a call to action: Connect with Joseph Diab for more details and a discussion of this paper.

This lowers the threshold for people to connect with Joseph later. After all: he invited them to email him already! Since Joseph is active on Twitter we included his Twitter handle as well as his email address. This is very important. If you want to keep in touch with people who pass by, you have to give them your contact information.

A QR code might sound very hip, but we advise against using it. For starters, it’s not really telling anyone where you will end up. Are you linking to the paper, to Joseph’s personal website, his Twitter account, or his University’s website? People might not even have a smartphone or QR reader. The best thing is to ask people on the spot to connect with you on LinkedIn, Twitter, or send you an email, so you’re sure they will keep in touch.

The result:

Check out Joseph attracting attention with his new poster at the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) 2020 annual congress:

A poster presentation template to not take too seriously

Want to get a head-start on designing your poster? We’ve developed a simple template for your poster to get you ahead of the curve. But don’t take this template too seriously! In fact, we usually advise against using templates, if everybody starts using them, nobody will stand out. It’s your job to make it interesting and fit your needs and limitations.

Check out our extensive Poster Design Guidelines

The ultimate guide for good poster presentation design. Use it to create a well-designed poster that stands out and effectively communicates your research. We’ve created this together with conference organizers, scientists and universities. It’s based over a decade of experience with (visual) science communication.

Submit your poster design

Are you proud of your poster, did you win an award, or do you think it can serve as inspiration for others? Send over your poster, with a quote, your name and a link to your LinkedIn page. An we might just feature it! Send your poster with a short description and link your your LinkedIn profile to me at [email protected] .

Want to learn how to create amazing posters? Check out our workshop on Poster presentation & Infographic design .

About the Author: Liesbeth Smit

Search for more scicomm tips:, read more about science communication:.

Write a compelling title about your research

How to write a story from your research: structure for posters & infographics

Tool to create your own data visualisation with icons

Increase the visibility of your research project website and reach your target audience

Find inspiration for your design & create a unique style for your research website

Define the goal & pitch for your poster presentation

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Impact through creative science communication

Do you want to have a positive effect on the world? We'll make you think about your goal, audience, and message and ensure you know what it takes to create impact! Also available as a keynote lecture.

Basics of science communication, pitch your research to any audience

By understanding your audience and aligning your message to their needs, you can really get your point across. In this workshop you’ll create a short pitch or article to practice just that.

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• A Complete Guide on Mastering Poster Presentations

Introduction to Poster Presentations

Understanding Poster Presentation Essentials

Aayush Jain

The history and evolution of poster presentations.

Poster presentations have become a cornerstone in academic, scientific, and professional communities, offering a unique platform for the succinct and visual dissemination of research, ideas, and projects. Originating from the need to share scholarly work in an accessible and engaging format, the evolution of the art of poster presentations reflects broader changes in communication, technology, and educational practices. By blending textual information with visual aids, posters serve not only as a method of presenting complex ideas but also as an art form in itself, balancing aesthetic appeal with informational clarity.

Tracing the Origins

The history of poster presentations can be traced back to the 19th century, when the advent of mass printing technologies made it possible to produce posters in large quantities. Initially used for advertising and public announcements, the potential of posters to attract attention and convey messages quickly became apparent. The academic adoption of posters for presentations began in earnest in the mid-20th century, as conferences and symposiums sought more interactive and dynamic formats for sharing research findings. This period marked a significant shift from traditional oral presentations to a more inclusive and visually engaging method of scholarly communication.

Real-world Evolution and Impact

Throughout the decades, poster presentations have undergone significant transformations, influenced by advances in digital technology and changing academic landscapes. The introduction of digital design tools and software has expanded the possibilities for creativity and precision in poster design, allowing researchers to incorporate multimedia elements and interactive content. Moreover, the global push towards interdisciplinary collaboration and public engagement has elevated the role of poster presentations in facilitating conversations across diverse fields and audiences. Notable examples include the use of poster sessions at international conferences to foster global dialogue on pressing issues such as climate change, public health, and technological innovation.

Supporting Evidence

The significance and evolution of poster presentations are well-documented in academic literature and historical analyses. For instance, studies published in Educational Researcher highlight the increasing adoption of poster sessions in academic conferences as a means to enhance participant engagement and knowledge exchange. Similarly, a review in The Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine emphasizes the role of visual aesthetics and advertising in improving the effectiveness of scientific posters. These sources underscore the dual function of posters as both educational tools and objects of visual interest, validating their continued relevance in the academic, classroom, and professional discourse.

Defining the Purpose of Poster Presentations

Exploring the Core Objectives

At its heart, the purpose of a poster presentation extends beyond merely displaying information on a large sheet. It is a strategic communication tool designed to capture the essence of research or a project in a manner that is both accessible and engaging to a diverse audience. Poster presentations serve a multifaceted role: they facilitate the concise summary of complex ideas, foster interactive dialogue between the presenter and the audience, and promote networking opportunities within the academic and professional communities. This unique format allows for the visual representation of data, theories, and conclusions, making abstract concepts more tangible and understandable.

Historical and Educational Context

The educational foundation of poster presentations is deeply rooted in the principles of active learning and visual literacy. By compelling presenters to distill their work into the most essential elements, poster presentations encourage clarity of thought and the ability to prioritize information effectively. Historically, this format has enabled a more democratized form of knowledge sharing, where students, researchers, and professionals, regardless of their stage in their career, can contribute their findings and insights to a wider discourse. The educational benefits of engaging with poster presentations are well-documented, highlighting improvements in critical thinking, design skills, and public speaking.

Real-world Applications and Benefits

In practice, poster presentations have proven invaluable across a multitude of disciplines—from science and engineering to humanities and arts. They offer a platform for early-career researchers to showcase their work, for interdisciplinary teams to present collaborative projects, and for seasoned academics to share their findings with peers and the public alike. Notable real-world applications include poster sessions at major international conferences, where cutting-edge research is introduced, sparking discussions that can lead to new collaborations, funding opportunities, and advancements in the field.

Academic and Professional Endorsements

The effectiveness and importance of poster presentations are reinforced by numerous studies and professional guidelines. For instance, The Chronicle of Higher Education emphasizes the role of poster presentations in enhancing scholarly communication and professional development. Additionally, guidelines published by leading academic institutions offer comprehensive advice on designing impactful posters, underscoring the importance of visual elements, concise content, and a clear message. These resources not only validate the significance of poster presentations within the academic community but also provide practical insights into maximizing their potential.

Different Formats and Styles of Poster Presentations

A Diverse Landscape of Presentation Formats

The realm of poster presentations is characterized by a rich diversity of formats and styles, each tailored to suit the specific needs of the subject matter and the audience . From traditional print posters to interactive digital displays, the evolution of technology and design principles has expanded the possibilities for presenting research and projects. This adaptability not only enhances the visual appeal of posters but also broadens their accessibility and potential for engagement. Understanding the variety of available formats is crucial for presenters aiming to convey their message effectively and captivate their audience.

Historical Evolution and Trends

Traditionally, university poster presentations were predominantly print-based, utilizing paper or fabric as the medium. These printed posters relied heavily on graphic design principles to organize text and images in a visually pleasing manner. However, the advent of digital technology has introduced new formats, such as electronic posters (e-posters) and interactive displays, which allow for dynamic content, including animations, video clips, and hyperlinks. This shift reflects broader trends in digital communication and multimedia, offering presenters innovative ways to illustrate their findings and engage with viewers.

Illustrating Through Examples

The impact of diverse formats and styles can be seen in various fields. For instance, in scientific conferences, e-posters have become increasingly popular, facilitating more in-depth discussions through embedded data visualizations and interactive elements. In the arts and humanities, posters often incorporate a blend of textual analysis and visual artistry, showcasing creative approaches to design and page layout. Examples of standout poster presentations can be found in academic journals and online platforms, where award-winning designs are shared as inspiration for future presenters.

Guidance from Experts

The choice of format and style should be guided by the content of the presentation and the context in which it will be displayed. Experts in visual communication and academic presentation, such as Edward Tufte and Nancy Duarte, offer valuable insights into effective design principles. Additionally, scholarly articles in journals like The Design Journal and websites dedicated to academic poster design provide practical advice, emphasizing the importance of clarity, coherence, and visual impact. These resources underscore the critical role of format and style in enhancing the effectiveness of poster presentations.

Essential Components of a Poster

Crafting a Compelling Visual Narrative

The effectiveness of a poster presentation hinges on its ability to communicate a complex narrative through a blend of visual and textual elements. Identifying and integrating the essential components of a poster are critical steps in crafting a presentation that not only captures attention but also conveys the intended message clearly and succinctly. These components typically include the title, abstract, introduction, methodology, results, conclusions, references, and acknowledgments. Each element plays a pivotal role in the poster's overall narrative, guiding the viewer through the research journey in a logical and engaging manner.

Building on a Solid Foundation

The foundation of a successful poster presentation lies in its structure and content organization. The title should be concise yet descriptive, offering a clear indication of the poster's focus. The abstract provides a brief overview of the study, inviting further exploration. Introduction sections set the stage, outlining the research question and its significance, while the methodology and results sections detail the research process and findings. Conclusions highlight the implications of the study, and the references and acknowledgments sections give credit to the sources and contributors. This structured approach ensures that viewers can easily navigate the poster and grasp the key takeaways.

Real-world Examples and Design Strategies

Examining real-world examples of effective poster presentations reveals common design strategies that enhance readability and viewer engagement. These strategies include the use of bullet points for concise information delivery, graphical abstracts to summarize findings visually, and the strategic placement of visuals to complement the text. For instance, a poster in the field of environmental science might use infographics to illustrate the impact of pollution on ecosystems, while a medical research poster might include charts and graphs to display clinical trial results.

Expert Insights and Resources

The importance of these essential components and design strategies is echoed in literature and resources aimed at guiding poster designers and creators. Edward Tufte's principles of information design emphasize the balance between visual and textual elements, advocating for clarity, precision, and efficiency. Similarly, resources like The Craft of Scientific Posters provide practical advice on selecting and organizing poster components to maximize impact. Peer-reviewed articles in academic journals also offer case studies and analyses of successful posters, serving as valuable references for those looking to create their own.

The Lifecycle of a Poster Presentation

From Concept to Display: Navigating the Journey

The lifecycle of a poster presentation encompasses a series of stages, from the initial concept to the final display and beyond. This journey begins with the identification of a research question or project theme, followed by the meticulous planning and design of the poster. Key milestones include the development of the poster's layout, the selection of visual elements, and the refinement of textual content. The culmination of this process is the presentation itself, where the poster is displayed to an audience, serving as a visual anchor for discussion and engagement. Understanding each phase of this lifecycle is crucial for presenters aiming to maximize the impact of their work.

Foundational Steps and Planning

The early stages of a poster's lifecycle are marked by brainstorming sessions, where ideas are generated and objectives are set. This phase involves extensive research and gathering of information, laying the groundwork for the poster's content. Decisions regarding the poster's format, style, and essential components are made, informed by the presenter's goals and the expectations of the target audience. Effective planning at this stage ensures a coherent structure and a focused message, setting the stage for a successful presentation .

Design, Development, and Delivery

The design and development phase is where the poster takes shape. Presenters employ various software and tools to create visual representations of their data and ideas, paying close attention to layout, typography, and color schemes. This phase is iterative, often involving multiple revisions to fine-tune the poster's aesthetic and informational elements. Once the design is finalized, the poster is produced—either printed or prepared as a digital display—and readied for presentation. The delivery stage is a critical opportunity for presenters to engage with their audience, field questions, and gain feedback, adding a dynamic dimension to the poster's lifecycle.

Post-Presentation Impact and Archival

After the presentation, the poster's lifecycle continues through the dissemination of its content in digital repositories, academic websites, or social media platforms, reaching a wider audience and extending its life beyond the initial event. This phase may also involve reflecting on feedback, making adjustments, and repurposing the content for future presentations or publications. Proper archival and sharing practices ensure that the knowledge and insights conveyed through the poster remain accessible and continue to contribute to scholarly dialogue and public discourse.

Incorporating Expert Guidance and Best Practices

Throughout the lifecycle of a poster presentation, adherence to best practices and expert guidance is paramount. Resources such as The Effective Scientist's Guide to Poster Design and academic blogs on presentation skills offer a wealth of tips and strategies for each stage of the process. These resources stress the importance of clarity, engagement, and adaptability, advising presenters to anticipate audience questions and be prepared to discuss their work in-depth. By navigating the lifecycle with intention and expertise, presenters can significantly enhance the visibility and impact of their research.

Selecting the Right Software and Tools

Charting the Digital Landscape for Poster Creation

In the era of digital communication, selecting the right software and tools is a pivotal decision in the lifecycle of a poster presentation. This choice can significantly influence the design process , the effectiveness of the final product, and the ease with which information is conveyed. From graphic design software to specialized scientific visualization tools, the range of available options caters to the diverse needs and skill levels of presenters. Navigating this digital landscape requires an understanding of the functionalities and features that best complement the objectives of the poster, ensuring that the chosen tools enhance rather than hinder the creative process.

The Foundation of Effective Design

The foundation of an effective poster design lies in the seamless integration of text, images, and data visualizations. Software such as Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, and Canva offers a spectrum of design capabilities, from basic layout and typography to advanced graphic elements and illustrations. For presenters focused on data-rich subjects, tools like Tableau or R with ggplot2 provide sophisticated options for creating compelling data visualizations. The selection process should consider factors such as user-friendliness, compatibility with other platforms, and the specific requirements of the presentation format, whether it be print or digital.

Real-World Applications and Choices

In real-world scenarios, the choice of software often reflects the discipline and objectives of the poster presentation. For instance, researchers in the sciences may gravitate towards tools that offer precision in data representation, such as MATLAB or Python for generating plots. In contrast, professionals in the arts and humanities might prioritize software with strong typographic and layout capabilities, such as Adobe InDesign. Notable examples of well-designed posters, often shared in online forums and design communities, illustrate the impact of software choice on the effectiveness of visual communication.

Guidance from Experts and the Community

For those navigating the selection of software and tools, guidance from experienced designers and presenters can be invaluable. Online tutorials, user forums, and academic workshops provide platforms for sharing insights and tips on maximizing the potential of different software. Additionally, reviews and comparisons in design publications and blogs offer an overview of the latest features and capabilities, helping presenters make informed decisions. Leveraging these resources can demystify the digital tools landscape, empowering creators to produce posters that are not only visually appealing but also rich in content and easy to understand.

Timeline Planning for Your Presentation

Setting the Stage for Success

Effective timeline planning is essential for ensuring the success of a poster presentation. This process involves allocating sufficient time for each phase of the poster's lifecycle, from initial research and design to printing and practice for the presentation itself. Establishing a detailed timeline helps in managing tasks efficiently, avoiding last-minute rushes, and ensuring a polished final product. By breaking down the project into manageable milestones, presenters can maintain a steady pace of progress, allowing for creativity to flourish within a structured framework.

Understanding the Key Milestones

The key milestones in the timeline of a poster presentation typically include the conceptualization of the idea, in-depth research, initial design drafts, feedback collection, final revisions, and printing or digital preparation. Additionally, presenters and event organizers should factor in time for rehearsing their explanation of the poster, as this verbal component is crucial for engaging with the audience during the presentation. Each of these stages requires careful consideration and allocation of time, taking into account the complexity of the topic, the availability of resources, and potential challenges that may arise.

Learning from Examples and Best Practices

Examining successful poster presentations provides valuable insights into effective timeline planning. For example, a presenter who begins the design process several weeks in advance can incorporate feedback from peers and mentors, ensuring a more refined and impactful poster. Academic journals and conference websites often feature timelines and planning guides, illustrating best practices for managing time efficiently. These resources highlight the importance of flexibility within the timeline, allowing for adjustments based on feedback and iterative improvements.

Expert Advice and Strategic Approaches

Experts in academic and professional presentation emphasize the importance of starting early and setting realistic deadlines. Resources like The Chronicle of Higher Education and Nature's guide to scientific posters recommend backward planning—starting from the presentation date and working backward to determine when each task should be completed. This approach ensures that all aspects of the poster, from content accuracy to design aesthetics, are given due attention. Additionally, leveraging project management tools and software can aid in tracking progress and maintaining focus on the ultimate goal: delivering a compelling and informative poster presentation.

Understanding Poster Size and Orientation

Navigating Dimensions and Design Impacts

The size and orientation of a poster presentation are critical factors that significantly influence its design, readability, and overall impact. Choosing the right dimensions requires a balance between the amount of information to be presented, the visual appeal of the poster, and the practical considerations of the venue where it will be displayed. Orientation—whether portrait or landscape—also plays a key role in how content is organized and perceived. Understanding these aspects is essential for creating a poster that effectively communicates the intended message while being visually engaging and easy to navigate.

Historical Context and Evolving Standards

Historically, the standard sizes for academic posters have evolved, influenced by printing capabilities, conference requirements, and disciplinary conventions. Common sizes range from A0 (33.1 x 46.8 inches) to A3 (11.7 x 16.5 inches), with variations based on specific event guidelines. The choice between portrait and landscape orientation has traditionally been guided by the nature of the content and the aesthetic preferences of the designer. As digital displays become more prevalent, new standards are emerging, accommodating a wider range of sizes and formats, and offering greater flexibility in poster design.

Real-World Considerations and Decisions

In practical terms, by contrast, the decision on poster size and orientation often depends on the venue's space constraints, the expected audience flow, and the method of presentation (e.g., hanging, digital screens, or stands). For instance, a larger poster in landscape orientation or standing might be more suitable for detailed data visualizations that require a wider format, while a portrait orientation could be preferred for posters that aim to communicate findings in a more linear, straightforward manner. Successful examples from various fields demonstrate how these decisions are integral to enhancing the poster's readability and audience engagement.

Expert Guidelines and Resources

Design experts and academic guidelines offer valuable advice on selecting the appropriate size and orientation for poster presentations. Recommendations typically emphasize the importance of clarity, audience engagement, and the effective use of space. Resources such as the American Psychological Association and The Royal Society of Chemistry provide specific guidelines on poster dimensions, aligning with the standard practices of academic conferences. Additionally, design software often includes templates and tools specifically tailored for poster creation, helping presenters visualize and plan their layouts in accordance with these dimensions.

Print vs. Digital Posters: A Comparative Analysis

Exploring the Mediums' Unique Advantages

The choice between print and digital posters presents a crucial decision for presenters, each medium offering distinct advantages and considerations. Print posters, traditional staples of academic conferences and public spaces, excel in delivering a tactile, permanent visual experience. Their physical presence allows for easy viewing in various settings, from gallery walks to outdoor displays. Digital posters, on the other hand, leverage technology to offer dynamic, interactive elements such as animations, videos, and hyperlinks, enhancing the engagement and accessibility of the content. This comparative analysis explores how both mediums cater to different presentation goals and audience expectations.

The Evolution of Poster Presentations

The evolution from print to digital posters mirrors broader technological advancements and shifts in communication preferences. Initially, the poster's role in disseminating information was predominantly served by print formats, favored for their simplicity and wide reach. However, the digital era introduced new possibilities for interaction and information sharing, challenging the traditional poster model. Today, digital posters can be easily updated, shared online, and integrated into virtual conferences, extending their reach beyond physical boundaries. This transition highlights the adaptability of poster presentations to changing technological and societal trends.

Practical Implications and Considerations

Choosing between print and digital formats involves practical implications regarding production, distribution, and presentation. Print posters require consideration of printing costs, materials, and logistics, particularly for large-scale or high-quality prints. Digital posters, while eliminating printing costs, may necessitate access to screens or devices for viewing and interactive features that require specific software or platforms. The decision often depends on the context of the presentation, the target audience, and the desired level of interaction and engagement. Real-world examples illustrate how presenters navigate these decisions, opting for the medium that best aligns with their objectives and the capabilities of their venue.

Expert Perspectives and Future Directions

Experts in visual communication and educational technology offer insights into the strengths and limitations of both print and digital posters. Studies and articles in academic journals, such as The Journal of Digital Learning, suggest that digital posters may enhance learning outcomes and audience engagement through interactive elements. Conversely, advocates for print posters highlight the value of a tangible, distraction-free medium that encourages in-depth, focused interaction. The future of poster presentations likely involves a hybrid approach, leveraging the advantages of both mediums to meet diverse needs and preferences.

Checklist for Poster Presentation Preparation

Crafting a Comprehensive Preparation Strategy

A well-organized checklist is indispensable for preparing an effective poster presentation , serving as a roadmap that guides presenters through each critical step of the process. From initial research and design to the final touches before presentation, a thorough checklist ensures no important detail is overlooked. This tool not only aids in structuring the preparation timeline but also helps in maintaining quality and coherence throughout the poster. Incorporating key tasks such as defining the poster's objectives, selecting appropriate software and tools, and practicing the presentation can significantly enhance the poster's impact.

Essential Checklist Components

The cornerstone of a poster presentation preparation checklist includes tasks such as:

Identifying the main message and target audience.

Researching and gathering relevant data and literature.

Selecting the right software and tools for design.

Drafting the layout and organizing content effectively.

Incorporating visual elements (graphs, images, charts) to complement the text.

Revising and refining the content for clarity and impact.

Ensuring adherence to the specific size and orientation requirements.

Printing or finalizing the digital version of the poster.

Preparing to create a concise and engaging oral synopsis for interaction with the audience.

Scheduling rehearsals to refine delivery and anticipate answers to questions.

Leveraging Real-World Examples

Examining real-world examples of successful poster presentations can provide valuable insights into effective preparation strategies. For instance, award-winning posters often demonstrate meticulous attention to detail, innovative use of visual aids, and clear communication of complex ideas. Academic institutions and professional conferences frequently share such examples, offering a practical glimpse into the preparation process that led to their success. These cases underline the importance of thorough planning and the impact of a well-prepared presentation.

Guidance from Experienced Presenters and Educators

Experienced presenters and educators emphasize the significance of early and thorough preparation. Resources like The Effective Poster Presentation Guide and The Academic's Handbook to Presentations offer comprehensive checklists and tips, covering every aspect of poster design and presentation. These resources advocate for a proactive approach, suggesting that presenters seek feedback during the preparation process and adapt their posters based on constructive criticism. Following a detailed checklist not only facilitates a smoother preparation experience but also increases confidence, ensuring presenters are well-equipped to engage their audience effectively.

Thanks for reading and be sure to share this guide if you enjoyed it!

Hungry to read more guides? Here are a few guides you might like:

Strategically Crafting Headlines and Titles

Mastering Data Visualization Skills Effectively

FAQs on Poster Presentations

What is a poster presentation format.

A poster presentation format involves a visual and textual summary of research or a project displayed on a large poster. This format is designed to facilitate interactive discussions between the presenter and the audience, often in an academic or professional conference setting. Key components include the title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, and conclusions, strategically arranged for readability and impact.

What are the rules of poster presentation?

The fundamental rules include clarity in design and content, succinctness in text, effective use of visuals (such as graphs, charts, and images), adherence to specified size and orientation guidelines, humor and preparedness for an engaging discussion with the audience. Additionally, respecting copyright laws and citing sources accurately is essential.

How to prepare a poster?

Preparing a poster involves identifying the main message, gathering and organizing content, designing the layout using appropriate software, incorporating visual elements to support the text, and revising content for clarity. Following a detailed checklist can ensure a comprehensive preparation process.

How do I make my poster presentation stand out?

To make a poster stand out, focus on creating an eye-catching design, concise and impactful content, high-quality visuals, and a clear, logical flow of information. Interactive elements, such as QR codes for digital posters, can also enhance engagement. Practicing your pitch to communicate and sell your message effectively during the poster session will further distinguish your presentation.

What is the definition of a poster?

A poster is a visual tool used to communicate information concisely and attractively, combining text and graphical elements. It serves various purposes, including advertising, education, and information dissemination in both public spaces and specialized settings for events like academic conferences.

What is the purpose of a poster?

The purpose of a poster is to present information in a way that is accessible and engaging to a wide audience. In academic and professional contexts, for example, posters aim to summarize research findings or project details, facilitating discussion and knowledge exchange.

What makes a good poster?

A good poster effectively communicates its message through a clear, coherent design, concise content, impactful visuals, and a viewer-friendly layout. It engages and interests the audience, encourages interaction, and conveys the essence of the research or project succinctly.

How do you write a poster?

Writing a poster involves drafting text that is clear, concise, and focused on the key messages. Use bullet points for easy reading, integrate visuals to explain complex ideas, and ensure the content is organized logically, with distinct sections for the introduction, motivation, methodology, results, and conclusions.

What do you mean by poster presentation?

A poster presentation refers to the process of summarizing research or a project on a poster and presenting it to an audience, typically at academic, scientific, or related professional events. It allows for direct interaction with viewers, offering opportunities for feedback and discussion.

How do I make a poster presentation?

Making and selling a poster presentation involves several steps: selecting the right content and visuals, designing the poster layout, printing or preparing the digital display, and finally rehearsing an engaging synopsis of your work for presentation to the audience.

Discover how we can create magic in your communication

Creating a Poster Presentation Template

Methodically Creating a Poster Template

Establishing a Flexible Template Structure Introduction: Foundations of Versatility Creating a flexible poster template structure is essential for adapting to various content needs and presentation contexts. This adaptability allows users to customize their presentations while maintaining a coherent and professional design aesthetic. Background: The Importance of Flexibility In the realm

The Future of Poster Presentations

Predicting Emerging Trends in Poster Design

The Impact of New Technologies on Poster Design Introduction: Revolutionizing Visual Communication The landscape of poster design is undergoing a radical transformation, driven by the advent of new technologies. These innovations not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of posters but also extend their functionality, making them more interactive and impactful.

Poster Presentations in Virtual Environments

Adapting Posters in Virtual Environments

Best Practices for Virtual Poster Presentations Introduction: Mastering the Art of Virtual Presentation Virtual, poster boards and presentations have become a staple in the academic and professional landscape, offering a unique platform to showcase research and ideas remotely. Mastering this format requires understanding best practices that cater to digital environments.

How to Create a Research Poster

• Poster Basics
• Design Tips
• Logos & Images

What is a Research Poster?

Posters are widely used in the academic community, and most conferences include poster presentations in their program.  Research posters summarize information or research concisely and attractively to help publicize it and generate discussion. 

The poster is usually a mixture of a brief text mixed with tables, graphs, pictures, and other presentation formats. At a conference, the researcher stands by the poster display while other participants can come and view the presentation and interact with the author.

What Makes a Good Poster?

• Important information should be readable from about 10 feet away
• Title is short and draws interest
• Word count of about 300 to 800 words
• Text is clear and to the point
• Use of bullets, numbering, and headlines make it easy to read
• Effective use of graphics, color and fonts
• Consistent and clean layout
• Includes acknowledgments, your name and institutional affiliation

A Sample of a Well Designed Poster

View this poster example in a web browser .  

Image credit: Poster Session Tips by [email protected], via Penn State

Where do I begin?

Answer these three questions:.

• What is the most important/interesting/astounding finding from my research project?
• How can I visually share my research with conference attendees? Should I use charts, graphs, photos, images?
• What kind of information can I convey during my talk that will complement my poster?

What software can I use to make a poster?

A popular, easy-to-use option. It is part of Microsoft Office package and is available on the library computers in rooms LC337 and LC336. ( Advice for creating a poster with PowerPoint ).

Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign

Feature-rich professional software that is good for posters including lots of high-resolution images, but they are more complex and expensive.  NYU Faculty, Staff, and Students can access and download the Adobe Creative Suite .

Open Source Alternatives 

• OpenOffice is the free alternative to MS Office (Impress is its PowerPoint alternative).
• Inkscape and Gimp are alternatives to Adobe products.
• For charts and diagrams try Gliffy or Lovely Charts .
• A complete list of free graphics software .

A Sample of a Poorly Designed Poster

View this bad poster example in a browser.

Image Credit: Critique by Better Posters

• Next: Design Tips >>
• Last Updated: Jul 9, 2024 5:34 PM
• URL: https://guides.nyu.edu/posters

Reference management. Clean and simple.

The key parts of a scientific poster

Why make a scientific poster?

Type of poster formats, sections of a scientific poster, before you start: tips for making a scientific poster, the 6 technical elements of a scientific poster, 3. typography, 5. images and illustrations, how to seek feedback on your poster, how to present your poster, tips for the day of your poster presentation, in conclusion, other sources to help you with your scientific poster presentation, frequently asked questions about scientific posters, related articles.

A poster presentation provides the opportunity to show off your research to a broad audience and connect with other researchers in your field.

For junior researchers, presenting a poster is often the first type of scientific presentation they give in their careers.

The discussions you have with other researchers during your poster presentation may inspire new research ideas, or even lead to new collaborations.

Consequently, a poster presentation can be just as professionally enriching as giving an oral presentation , if you prepare for it properly.

In this guide post, you will learn:

• The goal of a scientific poster presentation
• The 6 key elements of a scientific poster
• How to make a scientific poster
• How to prepare for a scientific poster presentation
• ‘What to do on the day of the poster session.

Our advice comes from our previous experiences as scientists presenting posters at conferences.

Posters can be a powerful way for showcasing your data in scientific meetings. You can get helpful feedback from other researchers as well as expand your professional network and attract fruitful interactions with peers.

Scientific poster sessions tend to be more relaxed than oral presentation sessions, as they provide the opportunity to meet with peers in a less formal setting and to have energizing conversations about your research with a wide cross-section of researchers.

• Physical posters: A poster that is located in an exhibit hall and pinned to a poster board. Physical posters are beneficial since they may be visually available for the duration of a meeting, unlike oral presentations.
• E-posters: A poster that is shown on a screen rather than printed and pinned on a poster board. E-posters can have static or dynamic content. Static e-posters are slideshow presentations consisting of one or more slides, whereas dynamic e-posters include videos or animations.

Some events allow for a combination of both formats.

The sections included in a scientific poster tend to follow the format of a scientific paper , although other designs are possible. For example, the concept of a #betterposter was invented by PhD student Mike Morrison to address the issue of poorly designed scientific posters. It puts the take-home message at the center of the poster and includes a QR code on the poster to learn about further details of the project.

• Anticipate who your audience during the poster session will be—this will depend on the type of meeting. For example, presenting during a poster session at a large conference may attract a broad audience of generalists and specialists at a variety of career stages. You would like for your poster to appeal to all of these groups. You can achieve this by making the main message accessible through eye-catching figures, concise text, and an interesting title.
• Your goal in a poster session is to get your research noticed and to have interesting conversations with attendees. Your poster is a visual aid for the talks you will give, so having a well-organized, clear, and informative poster will help achieve your aim.
• Plan the narrative of your poster. Start by deciding the key take-home message of your presentation, and create a storyboard prioritizing the key findings that indicate the main message. Your storyboard can be a simple sketch of the poster layout, or you can use digital tools to make it. Present your results in a logical order, with the most important result in the center of the poster.
• Give yourself enough time to create a draft of your poster, and to get feedback on it. Since waiting to receive feedback, revising your poster, and sending the final version to the printers may take a few days, it is sensible to give yourself at least 1-2 weeks to make your poster.
• Check if the meeting has specific poster formatting requirements, and if your institution has a poster template with logos and color schemes that you can use. Poster templates can also be found online and can be adapted for use.
• Know where you will get your poster printed, and how long it typically takes to receive the printed poster.
• Ensure you write a specific and informative poster abstract, because specialists in your field may decide to visit your poster based on its quality. This is especially true in large meetings where viewers will choose what posters to visit before the poster session begins because it isn’t possible to read every poster.

➡️ Learn more about how to write an abstract

The technical elements of a scientific poster are:

• Images and Illustrations

Don’t be tempted to cram your entire paper into your poster—details that you omit can be brought up during conversations with viewers. Only include information that is useful for supporting your take-home message. Place your core message in the center of your poster, using either text or visual elements. Avoid jargon, and use concise text elements (no more than 10 lines and 50 words long). Present your data in graphs rather than in tabular form, as it can be difficult for visitors to extract the most important information from tables. Use bullet points and numbered lists to make text content easy to read. Your poster shouldn’t have more than 800 words.

Poster sections should have a logical visual flow, ideally in a longitudinal fashion. For example, in an article on poster presentations published in Nature , scientific illustrator Jamie Simon recommends using the law of thirds to display your research—a 3-column layout with 3 blocks per column. Headings, columns, graphs, and diagrams should be aligned and distributed with enough spacing and balance. The text should be left-aligned while maintaining an appropriate amount of "white space' i.e., areas devoid of any design elements.

To ensure the title is visible from 5 meters away, use a sans serif 85pt font. The body text should use a minimum of 24pt serif font so that it can be read from a one-meter distance. Section headings and subheadings should be in bold. Avoid underlining text and using all capitals in words; instead, a mixture of boldface and italics should be used for emphasis. Use adequate line spacing and one-inch margins to give a clean, uncluttered look.

Appropriate use of color can help readers make comparisons and contrasts in your figures. Account for the needs of color-blind viewers by not using red and green together, and using symbols and dashed lines in your figures. Use a white background for your poster, and black text.

Include no more than 4 figures, with a prominent centerpiece figure in the middle of the poster of your study system or main finding. Dimensions for illustrations, diagrams, and figures should be consistent. When inserting charts, avoid gray backgrounds and grid lines to prevent ink consumption and an unaesthetic look. Graphics used must have proper labels, legible axes, and be adequately sized. Images with a 200 dpi or higher resolution are preferred. If you obtain an image from the internet, make sure it has a high enough resolution and is available in the public domain.

Tools for poster design include Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Publisher, Adobe Illustrator, In Design, Scribus, Canva, Impress, Google Slides, and LaTeX. When starting with the design, the page size should be identical to the final print size. Stick to one design tool to avoid formatting errors.

Have at least one proofreading and feedback round before you print your final poster by following these steps:

• Share your poster draft with your advisor, peers, and ideally, at least one person outside of your field to get feedback.
• Allow time to revise your poster and implement the comments you’ve received.
• Before printing, proofread your final draft. You can use a spelling and grammar-checking tool, or print out a small version of the poster to help locate typos and redundant text.

Before giving a poster presentation, you need to be ready to discuss your research.

• For large meetings where viewers of your poster have a range of specialties, prepare 2-3 levels for your speech, starting with a one-minute talk consisting of key background information and take-home messages. Prepare separate short talks for casual viewers with varying levels of interest in your topic, ranging from "very little" to "some".
• Prepare a 3-5 minute presentation explaining the methods and results for those in your audience with an advanced background.
• Anticipate possible questions that could arise during your presentation and prepare answers for them.
• Practice your speech. You can ask friends, family, or fellow lab members to listen to your practice sessions and provide feedback.

Here we provide a checklist for your presentation day:

• Arrive early—often exhibition halls are large and it can take some time to find the allocated spot for your poster. Bring tape and extra pins to put up your poster properly.
• Wear professional attire and comfortable shoes.
• Be enthusiastic. Start the conversation by introducing yourself and requesting the attendee’s name and field of interest, and offering to explain your poster briefly. Maintain eye contact with attendees visiting your poster while pointing to relevant figures and charts.
• Ask visitors what they know about your topic so that you can tailor your presentation accordingly.
• Some attendees prefer to read through your poster first and then ask you questions. You can still offer to give a brief explanation of your poster and then follow up by answering their questions.
• When you meet with visitors to your poster, you are having a conversation, so you can also ask them questions. If you are not sure they understand what you are saying, ask if your explanation makes sense to them, and clarify points where needed.
• Be professional. Stand at your poster for the duration of the session, and prioritize being available to meet with visitors to your poster over socializing with friends or lab mates. Pay due attention to all visitors at once by acknowledging visitors waiting to speak with you.

A scientific poster is an excellent method to present your work and network with peers. Preparation is essential before your poster session, which includes planning your layout, drafting your poster, practicing your speech, and preparing answers to anticipated questions. The effort invested in preparing your poster will be returned by stimulating conversations during the poster session and greater awareness of your work in your scientific community.

➡️ How to prepare a scientific poster

➡️ Conference presentations: Lead the poster parade

➡️ Designing conference posters

A scientific poster can be used to network with colleagues, get feedback on your research and get recognition as a researcher.

A scientific poster should include a main heading, introduction, methods, results, conclusion, and references.

An e-poster is a poster fashioned as a slideshow presentation that plays on a digital screen, with each slide carrying a sliver of information.

A handful of tools can be used to design a poster including Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Publisher, Illustrator, In Design, Photoshop, Impress, and LaTeX.

Start the conversation by introducing yourself and requesting the attendees' names, affiliations, and fields of interest, and offering to explain your poster briefly. Alternatively, you can give attendees ample time to read through your poster first and then offer to explain your poster in 10 seconds followed by questions and answers.

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Open Access

Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentation

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected]

• Philip E Bourne
• Thomas C Erren, 

Published: May 25, 2007

• https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030102
• Reader Comments

Citation: Erren TC, Bourne PE (2007) Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentation. PLoS Comput Biol 3(5): e102. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030102

Copyright: © 2007 Erren and Bourne. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this article.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Posters are a key component of communicating your science and an important element in a successful scientific career. Posters, while delivering the same high-quality science, offer a different medium from either oral presentations [ 1 ] or published papers [ 2 ], and should be treated accordingly. Posters should be considered a snapshot of your work intended to engage colleagues in a dialog about the work, or, if you are not present, to be a summary that will encourage the reader to want to learn more. Many a lifelong collaboration [ 3 ] has begun in front of a poster board. Here are ten simple rules for maximizing the return on the time-consuming process of preparing and presenting an effective poster.

Rule 1: Define the Purpose

The purpose will vary depending on the status and nature of the work being presented, as well as the intent. Some posters are designed to be used again and again; for example, those making conference attendees aware of a shared resource. Others will likely be used once at a conference and then be relegated to the wall in the laboratory. Before you start preparing the poster, ask yourself the following questions: What do you want the person passing by your poster to do? Engage in a discussion about the content? Learn enough to go off and want to try something for themselves? Want to collaborate? All the above, or none of the above but something else? Style your poster accordingly.

Rule 2: Sell Your Work in Ten Seconds

Some conferences will present hundreds of posters; you will need to fight for attention. The first impressions of your poster, and to a lesser extent what you might say when standing in front of it, are crucial. It is analogous to being in an elevator and having a few seconds to peak someone's interest before they get off. The sad truth is that you have to sell your work. One approach is to pose your work as addressing a decisive question, which you then address as best you can. Once you have posed the question, which may well also be the motivation for the study, the focus of your poster should be on addressing that question in a clear and concise way.

Rule 3: The Title Is Important

The title is a good way to sell your work. It may be the only thing the conference attendee sees before they reach your poster. The title should make them want to come and visit. The title might pose a decisive question, define the scope of the study, or hint at a new finding. Above all, the title should be short and comprehensible to a broad audience. The title is your equivalent of a newspaper headline—short, sharp, and compelling.

Rule 4: Poster Acceptance Means Nothing

Do not take the acceptance of a poster as an endorsement of your work. Conferences need attendees to be financially viable. Many attendees who are there on grants cannot justify attending a conference unless they present. There are a small number of speaking slots compared with attendees. How to solve the dilemma? Enter posters; this way everyone can present. In other words, your poster has not been endorsed, just accepted. To get endorsement from your peers, do good science and present it well on the poster.

Rule 5: Many of the Rules for Writing a Good Paper Apply to Posters, Too

Identify your audience and provide the appropriate scope and depth of content. If the conference includes nonspecialists, cater to them. Just as the abstract of a paper needs to be a succinct summary of the motivation, hypothesis to be tested, major results, and conclusions, so does your poster.

Rule 6: Good Posters Have Unique Features Not Pertinent to Papers

The amount of material presented in a paper far outweighs what is presented on a poster. A poster requires you to distill the work, yet not lose the message or the logical flow. Posters need to be viewed from a distance, but can take advantage of your presence. Posters can be used as a distribution medium for copies of associated papers, supplementary information, and other handouts. Posters allow you to be more speculative. Often only the titles or at most the abstracts of posters can be considered published; that is, widely distributed. Mostly, they may never be seen again. There is the opportunity to say more than you would in the traditional literature, which for all intents and purposes will be part of the immutable record. Take advantage of these unique features.

Rule 7: Layout and Format Are Critical

Pop musician Keith Richards put the matter well in an interview with Der Spiegel [ 4 ]: “If you are a painter, then the most important thing is the bare canvas. A good painter will never cover all the space but will always leave some blank. My canvas is silence.” Your canvas as poster presenter is also white space. Guide the passerby's eyes from one succinct frame to another in a logical fashion from beginning to end. Unlike the literature, which is linear by virtue of one page following another, the reader of a poster is free to wander over the pages as if they are tacked to the poster board in a random order. Guide the reader with arrows, numbering, or whatever else makes sense in getting them to move from one logical step to another. Try to do this guiding in an unusual and eye-catching way. Look for appropriate layouts in the posters of others and adopt some of their approaches. Finally, never use less than a size 24 point font, and make sure the main points can be read at eye level.

Rule 8: Content Is Important, but Keep It Concise

Everything on the poster should help convey the message. The text must conform to the norms of sound scientific reporting: clarity, precision of expression, and economy of words. The latter is particularly important for posters because of their inherent space limitations. Use of first-rate pictorial material to illustrate a poster can sometimes transform what would otherwise be a bewildering mass of complex data into a coherent and convincing story. One carefully produced chart or graph often says more than hundreds of words. Use graphics for “clear portrayal of complexity” [ 5 ], not to impress (and possibly bewilder) viewers with complex artistry. Allow a figure to be viewed in both a superficial and a detailed way. For example, a large table might have bold swaths of color indicating relative contributions from different categories, and the smaller text in the table would provide gritty details for those who want them. Likewise, a graph could provide a bold trend line (with its interpretation clearly and concisely stated), and also have many detailed points with error bars. Have a clear and obvious set of conclusions—after the abstract, this is where the passerby's eyes will wander. Only then will they go to the results, followed by the methods.

Rule 9: Posters Should Have Your Personality

A poster is a different medium from a paper, which is conventionally dry and impersonal. Think of your poster as an extension of your personality. Use it to draw the passerby to take a closer look or to want to talk to you. Scientific collaboration often starts for reasons other than the shared scientific interest, such as a personal interest. A photo of you on the poster not only helps someone find you at the conference when you are not at the poster, it can also be used to illustrate a hobby or an interest that can open a conversation.

Rule 10: The Impact of a Poster Happens Both During and After the Poster Session

When the considerable effort of making a poster is done, do not blow it on presentation day by failing to have the poster achieve maximum impact. This requires the right presenter–audience interaction. Work to get a crowd by being engaging; one engaged viewer will attract others. Don't badger people, let them read. Be ready with Rule 2. Work all the audience at once, do not leave visitors waiting for your attention. Make eye contact with every visitor.

Make it easy for a conference attendee to contact you afterward. Have copies of relevant papers on hand as well as copies of the poster on standard-sized paper. For work that is more mature, have the poster online and make the URL available as a handout. Have your e-mail and other demographics clearly displayed. Follow up with people who come to the poster by having a signup sheet.

The visitor is more likely to remember you than the content of your poster. Make yourself easy to remember. As the host of the work presented on the poster, be attentive, open, and curious, and self-confident but never arrogant and aggressive. Leave the visitors space and time—they can “travel” through your poster at their own discretion and pace. If a visitor asks a question, talk simply and openly about the work. This is likely your opportunity to get feedback on the work before it goes to publication. Better to be tripped up in front of your poster than by a reviewer of the manuscript.

Good posters and their presentations can improve your reputation, both within and outside your working group and institution, and may also contribute to a certain scientific freedom. Poster prizes count when peers look at your resume.

These ten rules will hopefully help you in preparing better posters. For a more humorous view on what not to do in preparing a poster, see [ 6 ], and for further information, including the opportunity to practice your German, see [ 7 ]. 

Acknowledgments

Thomas Erren's contributions to this piece are based on [ 7 ] and were stimulated by exchanges with Michael Jacobsen. Thanks also to Steven E. Brenner for useful input.

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• 5. Tufte ER (2001) The visual display of quantitative information. Cheshire (Connecticut): Graphics Press.
• 6. Wolcott TG (1997) Mortal sins in poster presentations or how to give the poster no one remembers. Newsletter Soc Integr Compar Biol Fall. pp. 10–11. Available: http://www.sicb.org/newsletters/fa97nl/sicb/poster.html . Accessed 23 April 2007.
• 7. Erren TC (2006) Schau mich an! Ein Leitfaden zur Erstellung und Präsentation von Postern in der Medizin und den Naturwissenschaften. München/Wien/New York: W. Zuckschwerdt Verlag.

• Jul 11, 2023
• 11 min read

How to deliver an engaging scientific poster presentation: Dos and Don’ts!

You've spent hours meticulously designing an award-winning scientific poster that beautifully showcases your research findings and stands out from the crowd. 🔬🧫

Now it’s time to talk to an actual human being!!

The thought of presenting can be nerve-wracking, and the real challenge lies in simply and effectively communicating your novel research findings.

But fear not!

In this blog, we've got you covered with expert tips and strategies to help you confidently nail your poster presentation. Get ready to conquer your fears and showcase your research with finesse and confidence. ✨

Let’s run through the dos and don’ts of presenting your poster at a conference, ensuring you leave a lasting impression on your audience.

So dive in and discover how to deliver an exceptional poster presentation! 👇

Scientific Poster Presentation Dos:

Ahhh, you made it! 💪

Maybe it felt like a mad dash to the finish line, 🏃‍♀️ or a long time coming. Either way the conference is here. After weeks designing your award-winning poster - picking a cohesive colour scheme , an attention-grabbing font and perfecting the layout , you and your scientific poster are ready to stand out !

But you hadn’t given any thought to the actual presentation, until now…

…Cue freak out!

Poster presentations are the perfect way to showcase your recently published work, to have more intimate conversations with your peers, and to foster collaborations.

So let’s give you a run down to make sure you get off on the right foot.

You can breathe again, you got this! 😮‍💨 💪

Number 1: Start a conversation

Seems simple enough! But the power of a conversation is unparalleled.

So how do you start a conversation with a stranger? And in a loud and busy poster hall?

Well let’s find out.

Once you spot somebody eyeing off your poster, smile at them and allow 5 or so seconds for them to read your title and digest your research topic, before asking them "Would you like me to run you through my poster?". Think of it like window shopping, giving them time to decide whether they are interested and want to know more.

You can also use body language as a great indicator to determine if someone is interested.

For example, if someone beelines to your poster, conference booklet in hand, opened to your conference abstract, it's safe to assume they want to know more. If they barely pause at your poster, and avoid eye contact, that’s okay. Not everyone will be interested in your research!

To set a positive tone, start with a genuine smile and a warm greeting. Don’t forget to introduce yourself. Here are some conversation starters to get you going. 👇

To encourage interaction and foster a meaningful conversation ask open-ended questions.

"Have you encountered similar challenges in your own work?”

"What are your thoughts on this approach?"

Listen attentively and show genuine interest in their response, delving deeper into their perspectives where appropriate.

By having a two-way conversation you are more likely to get valuable input on your research topic and make meaningful connections. 🙌

But to have a successful conversation, you need to know who you are talking to, which leads us to our next point.

Number 2: Tailor your presentation

Once you have lured them in, it's time to provide a concise overview of your research. Keep it brief. Focus on the key point to pique their interest, and tailor your delivery according to their knowledge base.

The key here is to ask more questions.

It is a great idea to gauge your audience's background before you start with your spiel. A great question to start with is “How familiar are you with topic X?”.

Then continue to ask your audience simple yes/no questions interspersed throughout your presentation to further gauge their background knowledge and understanding.

For instance:

Are you familiar with this concept?

Have you heard of X technique before?

Do you know about XYZ?

Once you have an answer you can adjust the level of detail and terminology accordingly. This will help you adapt your explanations and avoid unnecessary complexity or oversimplification.

Some people are interested in the nitty-gritty details of your research and others might only be interested in an overview. Let the conversation guide you!

For example, a professor who has been working in the breast cancer field for 30+ years, will need very minimal background and will comprehend complex concepts, technical jargon and specialised methodologies with very little explanation required.

In contrast, someone that has no prior experience in cancer, or possibly even science, will require a more detailed explanation. Using layman's terms and analogies to simplify complex concepts will ensure a clear understanding.

Remain flexible, be prepared to tailor your delivery to your audience on the spot.

If you are unsure if you are hitting the mark, it is perfectly fine to ask “Is that clear?” or “Feel free to stop me if you are not following.” This way you are encouraging a conversation, and opening up the opportunity for them to ask you questions, rather than just solely presenting information to them.

Even though you are the presenter, don’t think that you should be the only one talking. Good networking looks like a well-balanced conversation between two people exchanging value and ideas.

The entire goal of a poster presentation is to make sure everyone who visits your poster leaves invigorated with a comprehensive understanding of your research, which in turn means they are more likely to remember your work, and remember YOU! 😍

Number 3: Employ storytelling

Research shows that people are more likely to remember information that is presented to them in a narrative form compared to dry facts or statistics. 📊

This is because stories engage multiple regions of the brain and activate sensory and emotional processing, which enhances memory retention.

If you’re a loyal reader of ours, you would know that we love all things storytelling ! 🤩

📖 Stories naturally follow a structure, typically involving a beginning, middle, and end.

Or as Randy Olson prefers to refer to it the And - But - Therefore framework:

‘And’ provides the context (or background if you will).

‘But’ provides drama, hooking in the reader (most likely your knowledge gap)

‘Therefore’ brings your story to a resolution (ie results and conclusions).

By creating a logical flow to your presentation, it makes it easier for your audience to follow along and understand the progression of your research.

To create a memorable story and leave a lasting impression, try sharing personal experiences, challenges, or triumphs, things your audience can relate to which will evoke an emotional connection. 💛

Facts and figures alone are easily forgotten, the approach of storytelling means your audience is more likely to remember long after the presentation is over.

Number 4: Use open body language

Non-verbal language also speaks volumes!

Use your body language to your advantage. Engage with your audience by maintaining eye contact, smiling, and displaying open body language. 🙂 For example:

Exude a confident, relaxed posture. Stand tall with your shoulders back, arms down and face your audience.

Smile. Genuinely. 😉 A fake smile doesn’t have the same warm and welcoming feel. But a genuine smile conveys friendliness and approachability, whilst creating a positive atmosphere. We suggest smiling both whilst your audience is perusing the posters as well as during your presentation.

Use natural gestures. Try to use gestures that complement your words. Point to your poster, use open hands, and purposeful, controlled gestures to emphasise key points or convey enthusiasm.

Maintain eye contact. 👀 Eye contact is a powerful way to establish a connection. It conveys attentiveness and interest. Try using the 50/70 rule. Maintain eye contact for 50 percent of the time while speaking and 70% of the time when listening. This helps to display interest and confidence. 4-5 seconds is the sweet spot. Be mindful of cultural differences, for example many Western cultures tend to value eye contact, but some Eastern ones see it as a form of disrespect. Be perceptive to cues of discomfort.

All of these small things might seem small, but they all add up. The more open you are with your body the more likely you are to have people come up to you and consequently hold their attention for longer during your presentation.

But it’s not just about you, be attentive to others' body language. Notice their gestures, posture, and facial expressions.

Pay attention to these cues, you can gauge their level of engagement, understanding, or potential discomfort. If they lean in, it indicates interest and engagement. If you notice a change in body language or eyes beginning to glaze over, it may indicate confusion or disinterest. 😬

Consider adjusting your content, providing more context, or shifting your body language to create a more comfortable and receptive atmosphere.

Scientific Poster Presentation Don'ts:

So now that we have what to do down pat. ✔️

Lat’s talk about some things to avoid! 🙅‍♂️🚫

Number 1: Try not to overcomplicate

This seems like a simple enough concept.

However, when you are so intimately familiar with a topic, the lines between simple terminology and technical jargon become blurry . You start to forget what words are niche to your topic and unfamiliar to those outside your field. 🙈

While it's important to convey the depth and accuracy of your research, we recommend you always:

Avoid excessive technical jargon

Minimise the use fancy words or writing-style language

Restrict unnecessary detail

Strive for a balance between scientific accuracy and accessibility.

If your research is complicated, analogies and relatable examples are a powerful way to help simplify the complexity — bridging the gap between overtly technical concepts and common knowledge, makes the ideas easier to grasp.

Next, stick to the main ideas. You want to clearly and concisely communicate your key message in just a minute. Identify your main research finding and nut out the real-world applications or implications, these are your main messages! Avoid overwhelming your audience with excessive details or venturing off on irrelevant tangents.

✨ Less is best! ✨

Everyone can understand your explanation when you use simple clear language, but only a small proportion will follow when riddled with technical terms and excessive jargon.

Number 2: Avoid being over-rehearsed

Whilst practising your presentation can provide you with confidence, being over-rehearsed can be a detriment, hindering the flow of conversation and the ability to tailor your presentation.

Your aim is to generate a memorable and genuine conversation. Being over-rehearsed can make your presentation feel robotic, rigid and devoid of authenticity.

Let’s be clear, we absolutely encourage practising. After all, practice makes perfect, but the aim is not to deliver a memorised scripted poster presentation! Save that for the 3MT . 😉

An excessively scripted presentation can ironically lead to increased stress and anxiety, causing you to appear tense and nervous. This is because you feel pressured to deliver a flawless presentation, and a single interruption, deviation or mistake from the rehearsed script can throw you off.

You become fixated on sticking to your rehearsed script, that instead of actively listening, you are preoccupied with remembering your lines. 🙈

As a result your presentation lacks connection, the conversation may feel stiff, if even present, and you may struggle respond naturally to questions, or pivot according to your audiences cues.

Instead of rehearsing a perfectly written script, try practising each section separately.

Familiarise yourself with the story structure, know the key ideas and work on improvisation. Become comfortable with strong introductory sentences to each of your sections, prepare some useful analogies and free flow from there.

This more balanced approach, allows you to:

Feel comfortable discussing your material in any order

Adapt and adjust your delivery based on your audience

Be present in the moment

Deliver a more authentic and flexible presentation

Stay attentive and develop meaningful exchange

So avoid the trap of reciting your perfectly crafted script and learn to improvise and converse! ✨

Number 3: Don't neglect your audience or your poster

We are not talking about maintaining eye contact, asking open-ended questions or paying attention to your audience. 👀❓

We are talking about the most important point… actually being there.

Be present beside your poster for the entire duration of your scheduled session.

An interested collaborator can’t talk to you if you are at the buffet the whole time, a potential employer can’t gauge your interest if you are hanging out at your friends' poster.

Waiting by your poster is crucial!

Now we aren’t saying you can’t grab a bite to eat, or go to the bathroom. But perhaps ask a friend to stand in for your, or better yet ask them to grab you a plate of food.

Came alone to the conference? No problem make friends with the presenter next to you and help each other out! The potential for meaningful connections are endless, make sure you are present!

Remember the advice I got from a big shot professor at my first national conference? It was in our blog Beyond publication: 5 science communication tips to maximise your research impact.

Well it doesn’t have to be you seeking out a connection, you could make a connection with someone who approached you at your poster. 😉

While we are talking about connection, connecting with your poster is almost as important as connecting with your audience!

As you deliver your presentation, point to key parts of your poster, guide your audience through it with you. Your presentation should complement the content on your poster and reinforce your key message(s) . Avoid skipping large sections of your poster, jumping around or talking about data not present on your poster (unless you are answering their question).

Your poster is a visual aid, use it to helps enhance your explanations and reinforce the key ideas with the help of visuals.

By giving attention to both your audience and your poster, you create a balanced and engaging presentation. Prioritising connection, interaction, and clarity to ensure your audience gets the most out of your research.

Number 4: Minimise bad presenting habits

You are so close to delivering an effective poster presentation, now let’s cover some poster presentation traps you want to avoid falling into!

There are lots of small habits you can avoid when presenting that can make the biggest of difference.

Reading directly from your poster 🚫 Try not to read the text verbatim of your poster. Your audience can likely read and therefore your presentation provides no value add. It can also make your delivery monotonous and disengaging for your audience. We recommend a natural conversation instead with explanations beyond what is presented on your poster.

Overuse of filler words 💬 Strive to minimise or eliminate filler words such as "um," "uh," "like," or "you know" from your speech. These words used in excess can detract from your message and make you appear less confident and knowledgeable. Try pausing briefly instead to gather your thoughts. It’s okay to not fill every silence, a meaningful pause allows your audience time to digest the information they just received.

Misdirecting your voice 🗣️ It can be easy to continue talking whilst you are looking at your poster. However, conference poster halls can be loud places, and it can be difficult to hear. When you are looking at your poster you are projecting your voice in the wrong direction, and you are not making eye contact. Instead, allow yourself to pause look at your poster to orient yourself or emphasise a point and then look back at your audience projecting your voice towards them at an appropriate level whilst maintaining eye contact.

Avoid closed body language 🙅‍♂️ So simple and yet for many of us our default stance is a closed posture. Avoid crossing your arms or hunching over. Try not to constantly turn you back to your audience by staring at your poster. These can create barriers and convey a defensive or disinterested attitude. Try open body language which is much more inviting.

Ignoring time constraints ⏳ Showing a lack of consideration for your audiences time can come across as rude. Over explaining or going off on irrelevant tangents are easy traps to fall into. But respecting your audiences time is crucial. They may have several other posters they want to get to, or maybe they need to leave to catch a flight. Practice your presentation to ensure that you can effectively convey your key points within 1-2 minutes. Of course the duration of your spiel can change depending on how much detail our audience is after, there is no one size fits all approach here! Just be mindful of the clock and watch for cues of discomfort. If you are unsure, it’s okay to ask “Would you like to know more about X?”

With these tips you can deliver a more engaging, and confident presentation that leaves a positive and lasting impression on your audience. ✨

BONUS TIP: 😉 Be prepared

Okay here are some bonus tips to level up your delivery:

Keep a pen on hand to quickly note down contact information if someone wants to collaborate or stay in touch.

Poster presentations are the perfect networking tool and business cards are the perfect networking tool, and yet so many researchers don’t have them. We think business cards are a must.

You could have some other handouts , such as are an A5 poster handout, or other memorable tokens like a keychain, or wrist band something related to your research. This will make you stand out and allow your audience to take something physical away from your presentation.

Anticipate and prepare for general questions and potential gaps in your research. Have concise points ready for missing experiments, alternative experimental design choices, and additional research avenues that may arise during discussions.

So there you have it, our top tips for making the best out of your poster session.

Remember, don’t present your poster, present yourself!

The conversation is more important than a perfectly planned speech, and these are not a rigid set of rules to follow, just be yourself. Be approachable, adaptable and engage with your audience through a genuine conversation and enjoy the experience.

Want more tips to nail your poster presentation?

Our online or in-person science communication workshops are perfect!

With a focus on science communication, storytelling , and communication you will hone all these skills and be competent to present your research to both expert and lay audiences. But we need your help by recommending us to your institution!

Here’s what one of our satisfied universities have said about our workshops:

"I submitted my first ever poster at a technical conference and not only received many compliments, but also won two poster prizes! I am sure that I will continue to make good use of all the information for many years to come." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Eleanor Bilogrevic, Australian Wine Research Institute, Australia

If you’re interested in becoming a confident presenter, get in touch with us now!

Related Posts

Why are analogies and metaphors crucial for science communication?

How to create a science experiment video

Scientific posters: a step-by-step planning guide

104: How to Give a Perfect Poster Presentation

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It’s a tragic fact: many jaw-dropping, eye-opening, and heart-pounding research results never makes an impact on the scientific community.

And it’s partly your fault.

By “your,” of course,  I mean all of us.  Because when we waste the opportunity to share our results in their best light at a scientific conference or poster session, our viewers may overlook this valuable insight.

But we can do better!  With a little planning, collaboration, and hard work, we can make even a humble poster presentation a vehicle for inspiring the next discovery and building our scientific network.

Let’s get started!

Poster Perfect

A poster session is a unique opportunity for a young scientist.

As a viewer, you get the chance to engage in a casual conversation with other scientists, often one-on-one, about a topic that interests you.  It’s an opportunity to ask for clarity, pose a question, or offer ideas without an audience of 200 staring at the back of your head.

As a presenter, you get all of those benefits, as well as an opportunity to build your network and identify collaborators.  You also get many chances to practice your ‘pitch’ as new visitors step up every few minutes.  It will sharpen both your skill as a communicator and your research plan.

And while there are probably some guidelines for being a good poster-viewer, in this episode, we focused our discussion on the best ways to prepare and present a poster.

Before You Begin

As with any presentation, answering a few questions before you get started will save you hours in front of the computer.

Know Your Audience

If you are presenting to the Microbiology Conference, you may want to include more detailed background information than if you’re presenting to other experts in your sub-field at a Malaria Symposium.  Space is limited, and thinking ahead about what your audience may, or may not, know will help you prepare for the proper range of visitor experience.

Start Early

You may be a wizard of poster creation and can put off your design until the night before you fly to the conference, but that’s a bad idea.  Instead, leave extra time before printing share your file with collaborators for review.  They need time to look over your work and offer feedback before it’s committed to (gigantic) paper.

Practice, Practice, Practice

You’ll also need time to practice presenting the poster.  More on this later, but sometimes the act of presentation lets us see where we have gaps or mistakes in the logic or design.  It’s a good idea to practice with people from outside your lab because if they are already familiar with your work, they won’t notice when you skip steps or fail to explain a concept clearly.

Find Your Story

It may sound odd, but poster presentation is a form of story-telling.  The best posters make that story clear and concise.

Even if you have multiple projects in the lab, choose ONE to present in your poster.  Start by jotting down a central question you’re trying to answer, or a hypothesis your lab is testing.  Keeping this key idea in mind as you prepare the presentation will give you a firm structure on which to hang the other elements.

Making a Poster

There are a couple of broad guidelines to keep in mind as you create your poster.

First, remember that the poster is a visual form, and space is limited.  That means you should avoid printing long paragraphs of text.  Instead, use the space to display graphs, images, and figures, with a few bullet points or figure legends to help the viewer track the story.

Second, stick with a ‘standard’ layout.  Your viewers have been trained for years to look for titles at the top and conclusions on the bottom right.  You make viewing your poster harder by moving these elements around.

Third, maintain consistency within your poster.  Stick with one or two fonts, and be sure that headings, bullets, and figures are matched in style, weight, and size.

Finally, give your work some breathing room.  White-space is important, and will make the poster more readable.

Poster Pieces

Manuscript titles are often formulaic and a bit dull as they describe the basic findings of the research paper, but your poster title can be more creative.  The goal is to catch a viewer’s attention while also letting them know what they’ll see when they visit.

Again, remembering your audience, include enough information to help them understand your main question or hypothesis.  Avoid paragraphs, and include a figure or diagram if you can.

Hypothesis / Main Question

This section is an absolute must, so don’t forget it!  It lets the viewer instantly understand what the poster is about and what they can expect to learn if they follow you through to the conclusion.

Again, a diagram or figure works great here.  Use this section to help the viewer understand your experimental approach to the question.  You don’t need to detail every last step – save that for the paper you publish!

This is where the action is.  Remember – you don’t need to include every experiment you’ve ever done.  Just describe the results that help address the main question/hypothesis.

Use descriptive figure titles that help the viewer understand your conclusion.  “Gel of Protein X” doesn’t help anyone, but “Protein X is Up-Regulated After Drug Treatment” tells them what they should expect to see in the scan. 

Cut out extraneous information or parts of the image, and use arrows or boxes to help direct attention to the relevant parts.

Double check this section for readability – axes and labels can often be too small to read from a four-foot distance.

Conclusions

Another chance to draw a diagram!  Or use 2-3 bullet points to help summarize what you’ve found.

Other Sections

Some posters include acknowledgements or future directions.  These are optional and might make sense on a case-by-case basis.

Every poster should include the author’s contact info, though!  This allows people to reach out even if you’ve stepped away from the poster, and helps collaborators keep in touch after the meeting.

Presenting a Poster

Crafting the perfect poster is only half the battle, now it’s time to describe that work from start to finish.

Timing is Everything

Walking a viewer through your presentation should take roughly five to seven minutes.  That doesn’t seem like a long time, but it’s an important target.  Many presenters take too long to share the poster, leaving the audience bored, uncomfortable, and searching for a way out.

By telling your story in five minutes, you let the audience guide the conversation.  If they’re satisfied with your description, or bored out of their minds, they can move on to another poster.

If they’re excited and want to learn more, they can ask questions or probe the results more deeply.

Act Like an Actor

As you present, remember that you mustn’t turn your back on your audience!  You’ll be tempted to turn to look at the poster yourself, closing off the conversation.  Instead, keep an open stance and point out relevant sections off to your side.

Also, check your enthusiasm.  Too many poster presenters seem bored, tired, or listless.  If they don’t think their work is exciting, why should their audience?! 

Stop a moment to notice your energy level, and try to step it up as you present.  Make eye contact, welcome new viewers as the approach, and modulate your voice. 

Your enthusiasm for your work can be contagious.

Tailor Made

Because most poster presentations occur one-on-one, it’s imperative that you actively tailor your pitch to the person standing in front of you.

When they step up, you can briefly ask about their background or interest in the subject.  If they’re a neophyte, you’ll want to avoid jargon and check that they’ve understood each section before moving on. If they’re an expert, they may want to skip straight to the results!

Be aware of their cues and body language, and let them help steer the conversation.

That’s it! Now you’re a poster-presenting-pro!  Go make a splash at your next poster session, and be sure to share YOUR tips and ideas for poster presentation in the comments below.

For more information on attending conferences, check out Episode  097: Conference Like the Pros – How to Plan, Network, and Win

I’m Getting Seasick

This week, we sample a very special ethanol that has probably traveled farther than we have. 

Jefferson’s Ocean Bourbon  spends its time in a barrel bobbing around on a research ship as it sails around the world!  Supposedly, all of that rocking, equatorial heat, and sea spray mimics the way bourbon tasted when it was shipped back from the New World.  

Best part: you get to read the Captain’s Log of each batch’s journey!

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• Academic skills

Presentations: posters

Effective poster presentations.

An effective poster presentation and a good oral presentation share many qualities: it's important to know your audience and their needs, be confident of your purpose, and to convey your key message with impact. Poster presentations challenge you to communicate your research in a different way to oral presentations or written assignments.

Before you start, make sure you read the marking and assessment guidelines and follow them.

Here are some key things that make an effective poster:

• Attractive visual impact to entice people to read it
• A compelling title, interesting and intriguing enough to compel your audience’s attention
• A clear message that differentiates your research poster from others
• Good use of images and diagrams – a picture paints a thousand words in a restricted space
• An obvious reading order
• Audience interaction – is there something you want your audience to do, or think about, as a result of reading your poster?

This guide will cover planning and designing your poster presentation. We will also consider how poster presentations are assessed.

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• Library Home

How to Prepare for a Poster Session

• Introduction to Poster Sessions
• Components of a Poster Presentation
• Designing Your Poster
• Printing Your Poster
• Archiving Your Poster
• Additional Resources

Components of a Poster Session

Presentation.

Prior to the poster session, you should prepare and practice a 1-2 minute "elevator pitch" or "lightning talk" about your research project. In preparing for your presentation, think about how much information can reasonably be conveyed in 1-2 minutes. Since your poster already contains a lot of information, your presentation should aim to complement and highlight the information on the poster, not repeat it. Present information that provides context for the information on your poster, while following the organizational structure of the poster. 

One simple approach is to think about a unique experience or insight that adds a human element to your research. What makes your project interesting? How did you become involved in this work to begin with? A brief anecdote may be useful, and can serve as a way to catch people's attention and get them interested in learning more about your research.

In preparing your presentation, it's important to think about your anticipated audience. Are you presenting at a conference likely to be attended by specialists in your field, or are you presenting at a multidisciplinary event that will be attended by people with different backgrounds and levels of expertise? In either case, a good rule of thumb is to minimize your use of jargon or overly technical language, and this is particularly important for events that will draw a more general audience. Try practicing your presentation for a friend who doesn't have any background in your area of research. If they find your presentation difficult to follow, this is a good indicator that you should work on simplifying your language to make the information more accessible. 

Finally, think about what sorts of questions people may have for you. If you are able to practice in front of someone, encourage them to ask you questions about your research. And don't worry if you don't know the answer to someone's question. Thank them for your question, and offer to the follow up with them later after you've had some time to think it over. 

While your presentation is arguably the most important element of a poster presentation, the poster itself is generally what catches people's attention. This portion of the guide discusses the role that your poster plays in presenting your research. For information about formatting and designing your poster, see the Designing Your Poster page . 

The role of the poster is to provide a visual outline of your research project. It should not aim to represent the project in full detail. It may be helpful to think of your poster as a highlight reel of your research project. It is important to strike a balance between including enough information so that the poster is informative, while avoiding including too much information as this can make your poster difficult for people to take in, or create information overload. Aim to strike a balance between text and visuals. The question of what types of visuals are appropriate will depend on the details of your project, but some possibilities are data visualizations (e.g. charts or graphs) or photographs. 

The best approach may be to think of your poster as a visual aid for your presentation. So in preparing your poster, consider what you can cover in your presentation, and how this might be enhanced by visual material that you can include on the poster. What might it be useful to refer to on your poster in the course of giving your presentation? Visuals are especially useful when they can convey information that is difficult to express with text alone. 

The final component of a successful poster presentation is a handout. While handouts are generally not required, they can be beneficial for a number of reasons. First, they provide you with more space with which you can convey additional information, information that may be important to convey, but not quite important enough to include on your poster. Handouts also serve as a way to help attendees remember you (so be sure to include your name and contact information!). 

In most cases you should limit your handout to a single sheet of paper which can contain information on both sides. On one side, consider including an image fo the poster. This will help attendees associate the handout with their interactions with you during the session. Color printing can be expensive, so it's alright to use a black and white image of the poster so long as it's clear and legible. You can always include a URL to a full color image of the poster online. In addition to supplementary information, you can use the handout to list URLs for your website, or any place online where people can learn more about your research. 

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How to make an academic poster

Buket gundogan.

a University College London Medical School, London, UK

Kiron Koshy

Langhit kurar.

b Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, UK

Katharine Whitehurst

Academic posters are an excellent way to showcase your work at conferences and meetings. They can be used in poster presentations and serve as a summary of your project. In this how to article, we demonstrate how trainees can make and deliver a successful academic poster.

• • Academic posters are an excellent way for trainees to showcase their work at conferences and meetings.
• • When done effectively they provide a succinct and attractive summary of your project.
• • This guide aims to provide trainees with a practical and concise method to prepare their academic poster.

Academic posters, when done effectively, are a succinct and attractive way to showcase your work at conferences and meetings. Unlike oral presentations, your audience may not be static so clear design and distilled content are all the more important. Similarly to oral presentations, successful posters can generate discussion amongst the audience members therefore its important to have a clear plan of what to say when stood alongside your poster. In this article, we highlight the important aspects to creating an effective academic poster.

1. Why make an academic poster?

A poster presentation allows you to summarise your project into a concise and aesthetically pleasing format. It is one of the main ways you will present your work when at conferences [1] , [2] . For this reason, you need to make sure your poster is of good quality. This guide will serve to help you with this.

2. How to prepare a poster

There are many computer programs you can use to create your poster. Many use Microsoft Publisher or PowerPoint. It is important that you are comfortable using these programs as you will likely be doing a lot of editing. If you are not familiar with these programs, librarians that are present in most universities will be able and usually willing to help you out.

2.2. Design

It is useful to attend a variety of scientific meetings to collate ideas on how to create an informative and aesthetically pleasing poster. The most important concept for the overall design is not to overly embellish the poster with formatting and pictures, as this may distract from the content. The information should be minimal, as in a slide presentation, stating only key points rather than complete sentences.

The colour system should have effective contrasting backgrounds (e.g. blue and yellow, black and white) to ensure the text is easy to read. The flow of the poster should also be logical and ideally follow a longitudinal algorithm. This should begin with aims and objectives and flow downwards in columns to methods, results, conclusions and finally references. The same format is also adopted when writing scientific abstracts. Once the poster is drafted, it is important to adhere to the instructions provided by the congress you are attempting to submit to. Failure to comply to guidelines may result in your poster not being considered for a poster award, or perhaps even result in expulsion from the meeting altogether.

Prior to submission it is also important ask as many senior colleagues for feedback on your poster as possible. They will be able to provide feedback on the overall readability of the poster, including formatting. Start preparing your poster early – one month is sufficient time to allow for revisions to be made [3] .

3. Information to include in the format – our top tips

3.1. headings.

This should be clear in bold and grab the reader's attention. It is recommended you use a short, sharp heading relevant to your study. Long scientific titles can often bore the reader and distract from the main body of text. The heading should also include the centre at which the study was conducted and the main contributory authors (as per the authorship critera of International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)). Logos for the trust you are working at, as well as the conference/congress you are attending can be placed on either side of the title.

• • Title: this needs to have the largest font size of your entire poster to be eye catching. Keep the title as short as possible – it doesn't need to be a paragraph long [1] , [3] .
• • Type of manuscript: whether systematic review, research article or another manuscript type.
• • Authors: include everyone who has contributed [4] .
• • Affiliations: should come directly under authors. This should show which organisations are represented by the authors and/or where the research took place and also contact details.

3.2. Main body

This should follow a logical structure guiding the reader through the poster. The more concise your poster, the better – approximately 100 words per section is ideal [5] , [6] . It is very important that your poster is not wordy. Too much text can be off-putting for the audience. The structure should follow a simple abstract outline.

These are the following sections we recommend as a rough guide, but do check the requirements at your specific conference:

• • Introduction

This should include a short background of the topic to set the context and state the main aims and objectives of your piece of work. What differentiates your work from your competition? Why is your work novel in the field?

• • Methods

The methods section (poster space permitting) should include basic parameters including target sample, setting, duration of study, inclusion/exclusion criteria, statistical techniques, key interventions assessed and primary outcome measures.

• • Results

The results section should include data analysis and stratification and should only include the results which answer the stated hypothesis. Moreover, essential to the results section is the inclusion of pertinent and key graphs, graphics, images and tables. These need to be large enough for the audience members to see and be as attractive and clutter-free as possible.

• • Conclusion

The conclusions must derive directly from the results section and answer solely what has been proposed at the start of the paper. Obvious confounders and limitations should also be acknowledged. Key improvements as well as potential for project expansion should also be considered.

• • References

Only cite key references integral to your study, as references are wordy and space consuming. Use a smaller font to the main body text to reduce this.

3.3. Templates

Your host institution or the conference may require you to use a specific template for the poster. This may include a logo, colour scheme or a certain layout. You should check this before you start designing your poster.

Numerous templates for designing poster exist online and within your local trust library. Computer software may also have inbuilt templates to assist with the design process.

3.4. Tables and figures

It is a good idea to include graphs/images/tables as this will make your poster look more aesthetically pleasing [1] , [6] , [7] . They can also provide more information without crowding the poster with text. Make them colourful, though avoid colours that clash with the text colour [8] . Tables and figures can add new information or graphically present what has already been said in the poster. The arrangement of figures and tables varies and there is no universal rule, however figures interspersed within text is popular and looks attractive. Furthermore, ensure that the figures and images chosen are of a good resolution to avoid blurring when printed and presented.

3.5. Font size

The conference may specify this, however, generally for the main body, size 24 is used for text and size 32 for titles. The introduction section at the top of the poster should have a larger font than this [2] .

3.6. Colour

It is a good idea to stick to one or two colours for main text; anymore and your poster may look too busy. It is also important to check colours in advance at the place you wish to print your poster, as certain colours may come out in a different way to that expected [9] .

3.7. Printing

Make sure to factor in the time (and cost) of printing the poster if this is required. Some companies will print the same day, while others may take longer. Check with your host institution/conference if they use a specific company, as they may be able to provide a discount.

3.8. Electronic posters

A growing number of conferences are using electronic posters (e-posters), which are screens that display an electronic copy of your poster, rather than a paper version. These can either be static images which are laid out similarly to a paper poster, or they can be slide shows of your work, which are displayed like a PowerPoint presentation which then go on rotation at the conference. They may also include videos and animations, so bear this in mind when you are selecting content for your poster [7] , [8] .

4. On the day

Poster presentations are generally more relaxed than oral presentations. You will need to arrive on time to put your poster up – bring extra pins or Velcro tabs as these aren't always in supply. Many presenters also place a plastic pocket to the bottom or side of their poster on the day which provides a small version of their poster for readers to take away – this can be useful.

Delegates of the conference will usually be able to look at the posters throughout the day or during tea/lunch breaks. However, there will usually be a set time when judges will inspect the posters. During this time, you will need to stay with your poster, perhaps present it and answer the questions which the judges or audience members will have.

4.1. Presentation

While presenting, the intention is to guide the reader through your poster which if organised in a logical order, should not be read off but simply used to illustrate your point. What you say can then be substantiated by pictures which you can refer to for emphasis. Do keep your presentation succinct and highlight the salient points of your study. Moreover, its good practice to provide some background to your work at the start – it may sound obvious, but the audience may not necessarily know why this work is important and it is up to you to set the scene on the relevance of the project.

It's a good idea to refresh your memory on your project and be familiar with it before the presentation as the audience will likely have questions and there are often prizes for the best posters. Examples of common questions to prepare for include: how your work may be relevant to current clinical practice, how can it be developed further and what the limitations of your study were.

Attire is also often overlooked. You must maintain a professional appearance throughout and this can often add hidden points to your poster score under presentation. Be friendly and approachable and if there are any questions left unanswered, acknowledge this and offer to develop your study further.

• • Academic posters are a good way to showcase your work.
• • Preparing posters in advance is vital.
• • Stick to a clear format which is easy to read from 1 m away.
• • Practice your presentation in advance and think about questions you may be asked after your presentation.

Sources of funding

No funding received.

Author contribution

BG, KK, LK, KW contributed to writing the paper.

Conflicts of interest

Buket Gundogan.

How to Make a Good Poster Presentation

• First Online: 02 February 2019

Cite this chapter

• Baris Kocaoglu 8 ,
• Paulo Henrique Araujo 9 &
• Carola Francisca van Eck 10  

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Poster presentations are a key component of any scientific conference. They are an excellent platform for a researcher to present their study to a large audience. Therefore, it is important to prepare the presentation in a way that catches the eye of the people attending the meeting while presenting the key data in an easy to interpret format. This will encourage the audience to engage in an academic discussion, which is vital for the researcher to obtain feedback on their study. This chapter aims to help orthopedic researchers in preparation and presentation of a scientific poster. After reading this chapter, the reader should know the various different types of poster presentation, be familiar with the technical aspect of how to make their own poster, and understand what to do at the scientific meeting to get the most out of presenting their research in poster format.

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How to Prepare a Poster

Poster Presentation at Scientific Meetings

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Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Acibadem University Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey

Baris Kocaoglu

Santa Luzia Hospital, Clínica COB, Brasília, Brazil

Paulo Henrique Araujo

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Kocaoglu, B., Araujo, P.H., van Eck, C.F. (2019). How to Make a Good Poster Presentation. In: Musahl, V., et al. Basic Methods Handbook for Clinical Orthopaedic Research. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-58254-1_23

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5 Minute Overview

At its core, a scientific poster is a visual representation of data that has been organized and consolidated into an easily-digestible format. A good poster should be able to be understood in a few minutes, so it’s of the utmost importance to make sure your poster is logical, consistent, and designed well.

Sections and Organization

It’s easiest to break down all the information you want into distinct sections, such as Background , Objectives , Methodology , Results , and Recommendations . A typical poster will have 4-8 of these sections laid out in 3 or 4 columns , but the specifics of your research will dictate which sections are important to include. Posters are read from left-to-right and top-to-bottom, so make sure to lay out your sections so they can be read in order.

We have many free scientific poster templates to get you started, and you can also check if your school or organization has a standard template they can provide you. Otherwise, you can come up with your own layout for your information.

Design Guidelines

When it comes to design, there are a few basic rules to follow:

Simple is Good

Your background should be plain white or a very subtle gradient/pattern that is not distracting and your text should be clear and easy to read. Any charts or graphics should be able to be understood quickly and not include unnecessary elements.

Make Important Information Stand Out

Section headings should be obvious and important research should draw attention.

Line Things Up

Try to fit everything to a basic grid and align each section with another. If you have a set of charts or photos, it looks best to have them equally-sized and distributed evenly.

Don't Make it Crowded

A viewer may only spend a minute or two looking at your poster so they should immediately be able to make sense of the organization and be able to identify the distinct sections.

Layout and Design »

Final Check

Before giving us your poster to print, it’s helpful to do one last check of everything to make sure your poster will look as good as possible. Here are 5 questions to answer:

• 1 Do my poster sections flow logically? The sections of your poster should be organized and follow the general structure of introduction → data → conclusion.
• 2 Is all my text readable? All the text on your poster should stand out against its background, use a legible font, and be large enough to be read from a reasonable distance. Also, check for spelling mistakes!
• 3 Are all my graphics good quality? Zoom in on your file to 100% and make sure all photos, charts, and illustrations look clear and crisp. (If you are going to be ordering a poster that is larger than your file, zoom in farther).
• 4 Is my data understandable? All your tables, charts, and graphs should be able to be looked at and understood in a few seconds.
• 5 Does the most important information stand out? When skimming over your poster, the most important parts should catch your eye and be very obvious. If someone reads your poster for a minute or so, they should be able to fully understand your presentation.

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How to Make a Successful Scientific Poster

Published on 18 Apr 2023

Good science goes nowhere if it’s not communicated well.

Poster sessions at scientific conferences are a hub for knowledge dissemination and research networking. So, knowing how to design a good conference poster is a big part of becoming a successful scientific communicator and sharing your work with a larger community.

Making a scientific poster can be an exciting and rewarding experience. A well-designed poster can help you showcase your research to attract the attention of fellow scientists and potential collaborators or sponsors.

So, to help you get started, this scientific poster guide covers all the bases. From a step-by-step poster creation process to useful examples and templates, you’ll find everything you need here to put together a successful scientific poster.

Students discussing during a scientific poster session.

What is a scientific poster?

A scientific poster is a visual representation of research or scientific work presented at a conference or other professional gathering. The goal is to present complex research information in a way that is easy to understand and visually engaging for conference attendees. You want to concisely tell the story behind your science, all while making it accessible to non-expert audiences.

Scientific posters can include text, figures, tables, graphs, infographics, charts, and images to convey the key findings of a research project (these elements may also be used to highlight the significance or implications of the research). A scientific poster typically consists of a large, printed sheet of paper or fabric, on which the presenter displays the results of their research in a clear, concise, and visually appealing manner. If you’re presenting at a virtual poster session , your “poster” might be a digital file, a presentation, or a recorded video.

During a conference poster session, a researcher usually stands by their poster display while other conference participants wander through the room, viewing presentations and interacting with various authors as they go.

What is a good size for a scientific poster?

The ideal size for a scientific poster will vary depending on your conference or event requirements. However, the most common size is 48 inches (122 cm) wide by 36 inches (91 cm) tall. This size allows for easy transportation and can fit on most poster boards or display areas.

Regardless of the common size given here, it's still important that you check the specific requirements of the event where you will be presenting, as they may have different size limitations or guidelines (the event or conference website is usually a good place to find this information). Resizing a finished poster can be a real pain. So, it’s best to check the conference requirements first thing so you can start your poster off on the right track.

One important thing to keep in mind when designing your academic poster with any digital software: It’s better to start bigger (when it comes to pixels). Also, make sure to send a high DPI image (eg. 300 DPI) for printing to ensure a high quality print.

What is the best software to make a scientific poster?

Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides are two of the most common and easy-to-use programs for making scientific posters. Adobe Illustrator is sometimes used by individuals with more advanced design skills. The best software to make an effective poster will depend on your personal preference and/or familiarity with the tools available.

Here’s a handful of popular software options for making scientific posters (and their benefits):

Microsoft PowerPoint : PowerPoint is a widely used software for creating presentations, and it can also be used to create scientific posters (by designing an entire poster on a single presentation slide). It also offers a variety of design templates and tools to create visually appealing posters. Many university computers give students and staff access to the Microsoft suite of tools, so this can be a good free option.

Google Slides : Similar to PowerPoint, Google Slides is a popular software for creating presentations (with the added ability to create scientific posters). It’s free to use which makes it one of the preferred options for early-career researchers.

Adobe Illustrator : Illustrator is a vector-based design software that is ideal for creating high-quality graphics and images. It offers advanced features for typography, color management, and image editing. However, using any Adobe software often comes with a hefty subscription price (and a steep learning curve if you’re unfamiliar with the tools).

Canva : Canva is a web-based graphic design platform that offers a variety of templates and tools for creating posters and other visual media. It is user-friendly and requires no design experience. You can get a free personal account (or pay for upgraded features).

LaTeX : LaTeX is a document preparation system that is often used for scientific publications and presentations. It offers advanced features for typesetting equations and mathematical symbols.

Mac Pages : I made 3 posters during my PhD using Mac Pages. I found it quite easy to work with to add text boxes and colored sections. It’s very similar to PowerPoint in many ways. This is an excellent option for Mac users since it’s free.

InkScape : InkScape is a great tool for students on a budget (it’s free). It offers a simple and efficient way to create vector designs or scientific illustrations.

If you’re attending a virtual conference, you may have additional options for creating a virtual scientific poster. In this case, recording on Zoom, adding audio to a slideshow on PowerPoint, or recording on Quicktime are all good options to consider. Check out our article on guidelines for a virtual poster presentation for more advice.

How to make a good scientific poster for a conference

A well-designed and informative poster that effectively communicates the key findings of your research is your primary goal.

You’ll want to make sure you tailor your poster to the context you’ll be presenting in (i.e. the size of the space, your presentation format, and the level of knowledge your audience is likely to have about your research topic). You’ll also want to give yourself enough time to finish your poster (anywhere between 5 days to a few weeks depending on how much experience you have).

Before we dive into the details of the scientific poster creation process, here’s a highlight of what makes a great scientific poster (and common mistakes to avoid):

So, keeping the above highlights in mind, here’s our step-by-step guide to help you make a scientific poster that will stand out at any conference:

1) Decide on the poster narrative and key messages

Before you begin designing your poster, plan the core content. Start by considering the purpose of your poster and the key message that you want to convey. Identify the main findings of your research and the most important conclusions that you want your audience to take away from your poster. Keep these messages in mind and then think of the varied ways you could weave them into a connected narrative (both visually and verbally) when presenting your poster. This is a great exercise to help you get better at storytelling in science in general.

Later on, when you design your poster and format it, these key messages will need to visually stand out so that someone walking by or scanning your poster can pick them up without stopping to read the full thing.

2) Decide on the sections of your scientific poster

Once you’ve determined your key message(s), you’ll need to organize your research content into sections that make logical sense. Like the abstract in a scientific paper, your poster should have sections summarizing the background and rationale, methodology, results, and the implications of your work. Some common sections included in a scientific poster include:

Title, Key Finding or Takeaway - Highlight the core message in a catchy way.

Introduction - Provide background information and a clear research question or hypothesis. Introduce only what’s necessary to address any knowledge gap.

Methods - Explain the methodology used in your research. This is often the easiest section to skip (or merge with the results to save space and tell your story better).

Results - Present the key findings of your research in a visually appealing way in the results section. Use graphs and tables with legends and titles.

Discussion - Interpret and discuss the implications of your findings.

Conclusion - Summarize your research and its significance. Comment on possible future research. This section can easily be combined with the discussion section.

Citations & Acknowledgements - Reference important materials, your institutional affiliation and thank individuals for specific contributions to your research. This can be smaller than other text so as not to distract from the core message, but it should be included somewhere.

Prompt to Find Out More - Give interested readers an easy option to dive further into your research. Include a resource link (or a QR code) to additional materials.

Keep in mind: these are common sections included in a poster, NOT required sections. Feel free to get creative with more descriptive headings or combine sections if it helps you communicate your message better (and in fewer words). And, wherever possible, think of ways to tell your story through figures and illustrations rather than through text. Biorender and the Noun Project are both great resources to help you find and create visuals for your poster.

3) Create your poster layout and structure

Once you have a clear idea of the content that you want to include, create a rough layout of your poster. Decide on the overall structure of your poster and the placement of each section. This is a great time to pull out a sketchbook and a pencil to mess around with a few different ideas. Or, if you prefer a digital drafting process, you can start making your layout in your software of choice right away.

To make the design process easier, you might want to choose a poster template to customize. There are heaps of useful scientific poster templates available online that you can use ( this collection is a good starting point). Some universities and research centers even provide poster templates that use a specific color scheme and already include the necessary logos. Check whether your institution has a template like this and consider using it if they do - it will save you a lot of time!

Your poster layout should be well-organized, with each section following clearly from the previous one, creating a visual path that tells a coherent story. Decide what will be the direction that the information flows (i.e. left to right and then down? OR top to bottom and then to the right?). Someone who is looking at your poster should not have to jump from one side to the other in order to understand your work. Consider the use of numbers or arrows to indicate the flow of what comes next. Or get creative with eye-catching visuals that naturally draw the reader's eye through the sections in a logical order.

4) Spruce up your scientific poster with a bit of style

The visual design elements (especially colors and fonts) that you choose for your poster can have a big impact on its effectiveness. When choosing a font, consider both the font type and the font size. Picking to read and size is important to help to structure the poster content.

Choose a color scheme that is visually appealing and easy to read (free generators like Material Palette are handy for this if you don’t have an eye for design). Be sure to use high-contrast colors to make important information stand out and to help visually impaired visitors.

Choose fonts that are easy to read and make sure your chosen font size is readable from a distance. Also, consider using a pattern of varying font sizes and/or types to help visually differentiate between poster title, body text, headings, and poster highlights. Use no more than two or three different fonts in your poster overall to avoid clutter and confusion.

If you’re planning to feature a specific image or illustration in your poster, consider using it for inspiration for your color scheme or fonts. It will ensure that your final poster has a more cohesive and less cluttered look.

5) Put all the pieces of your poster together

If you’re using software like Powerpoint: First, choose your page size. Then, start to create content blocks and insert text where appropriate.

If you’re uploading pictures of any sort to your poster design, be sure to use high-quality, high-resolution images. Only import images with 300 dpi resolution (saved in PNG or TIFF formats) to your poster. Double-check to be sure you’ve uploaded good pictures: a high-quality image should not appear blurry or pixelated at 100% zoom.

Once you have your template and design elements in place, it's time to add your content. Begin with the main sections of your poster, such as the introduction, results, and discussion. Use graphs, charts, tables, and images to present your data in a clear and visually appealing way.

When adding text, use short sentences and bullet points to make it easy to read. Use headings and subheadings to break up the content and make it more visually appealing.

6) Print your scientific poster and get ready to present it

Once your poster is complete, it's time to print it so it’s ready to present at the conference. Again, it’s important that you read the conference guidelines very carefully and print your poster in the correct size and orientation. Make sure you print in the highest-quality as well.

Some institutions have dedicated printing facilities, but you can also visit a copy shop that has a large-format printer. If you haven’t had to get a poster printed before, it’s worth asking a colleague for recommendations on a good local spot. Or, if you are feeling creative, you might want to go a different route and print your poster on fabric (this gives you the option to reuse it as a unique table cloth or picnic blanket in the future).

Whatever your printing format, make sure you budget enough time for a reprint if disaster strikes (a week or more of buffer time is a good bet). It’s also worth testing printing out with a “dummy poster” on a small piece of paper. This will allow you to check that everything looks okay when printed before you spend a good chunk of change on the final, full-sized poster.

Finally, when preparing for the conference, be sure to bring all of the necessary materials with you, such as pins or velcro strips, to hang your poster. It doesn’t hurt to also have a digital copy of your poster on a thumb drive just in case something happens to yours in transit. Many conferences have onsite printing services that you could resort to in the event of a mishap.

A few extra tips to help you make a scientific poster

Just a few more helpful things to keep in mind when designing your scientific poster:

1) Quality over quantity

A little bit of text goes a long way on a poster - in fact, the fewer words the better. Posters with less text are more inviting and easier to absorb. Don’t forget that you will be there to explain your work, so there is no reason to try to include everything in the text. Shorten your text by summarizing sections with bullet points and highlighting the key messages.

As mentioned in this article on designing conference posters: If all of your text is kept to a minimum (500 words), an average person could fully read your poster in about 5 minutes. Think about how long you’d want to spend reading through a poster, and use that as motivation to chop your content down to even less than that 5-minute reading mark.

2) Use color, visuals, and white space strategically

Great posters maintain a good amount of white space around the text boxes and figures. A cramped poster is hard to read (and intimidating to passing attendees looking for catchy, quick takeaways). A safe bet is to always include more white space than you think you’ll need.

As much as graphics and visuals can help, they should only be used if they truly are helpful. Don’t get too wrapped up in “decorating your poster.” Get rid of any images or illustrations that aren’t directly related to your research and that don’t help you highlight the key messages you want to deliver.

Finally, resist the urge to use a blown up photo as your poster background. All it adds is confusion and clutter. You’re better off using a light, neutral tone in the background and adding interest with relevant, informational graphics.

This image from brightcarbon shows how good visuals and spacing can make a poster catchier and better at quickly delivering information. They’ve also got great templates for posters if you’re looking.

3) Get picky about your poster fonts and formatting

After you’ve looked at the big picture design and made sure your key message is coming across clearly, dive into the details to perfect your poster:

• Try to make all of your text boxes the same width. It keeps things visually consistent.
• If possible, keep paragraphs to 1-2 sentences rather than big blocks of text.
• Use italics instead of underlining. Underlining draws too much attention to a word.
• Don't use fancy fonts. They make your poster look busy and can make it harder to read (especially for people with dyslexia). In general, sans serif fonts are easiest to read.
• Except for a few words that you might want to highlight, ensure that all of your text is black or a dark color to create better contrast and readability.

4) Don’t be afraid to get a bit creative

We’ve listed some common poster elements and templates in this article, but that doesn’t mean you should hesitate to be creative. Think about design elements or images that are relevant to your research and that could make your poster stand out from the crowd. A few ideas to get your creative brainstorming started:

• Add hidden informational panels behind paper flaps on your poster to make the experience more interactive.
• Attach objects or physical things to add some dimension/interest to your poster.
• Bring props or handouts to supplement your poster beyond what exists on it.

The same goes for your poster layout. Don’t be afraid to completely switch things up in a way that suits your research. A twitter-famous example of this was Mike Morrisons take on the best conference poster layout:

Mike displays his poster layout (Image Source: NPR )

Mike’s innovative take on the research poster template prompted other researchers to think about how to reinvent the wheel. His video on poster sessions captures the need for this kind of creative approach perfectly. A few conferences even adopted it as their required template.

5) Get a second (and third) opinion on your scientific poster

Before you finalize your poster, make sure to review it carefully for accuracy, completeness, and visual appeal. Check for spelling and grammar errors and make sure that all of your data is presented accurately.

Print out a draft of your poster and ask a colleague or mentor to review it and provide feedback. It’s also worth getting feedback from someone with limited understanding of your research topic (they’ll be able to give you an idea of how accessible the wording is and a good review on your design without being bogged down in the technical details). Based on the feedback you receive, make any necessary revisions before finalizing your poster.

Some scientific poster examples (and reviews)

So far, this article has outlined the theory behind making a great poster. But, putting it into practice isn’t always as simple as a 6-step process. You might still be having difficulty visualizing what a good poster looks like (or thinking of ideas for your own). So, take this next section as a bit of creative inspiration. I’ve gathered a handful of posters from my network and given them a quick review based on the design recommendations above.

POSTER ONE - A Fine Figure (or a Few)

Made with: Mac Pages Shared by: Matthieu Chartier (Founder, Fourwaves)

Poster highlights:

• The use of figures and visuals helps to explain the method developed.
• Paragraphs are short and highlight key information.
• The poster isn’t divided into the classic scientific poster sections (let that creativity through!). Instead, because it’s describing a newly developed method, it’s divided into an introduction, method, validation, and applications.

Pieces to improve:

• There are a lot of different colors used. This makes it hard to identify the different sections and the structure of the poster at a glance. Converting the figures and fonts to a more uniform color scheme could help with the visual appeal to people walking by.
• The use of white space could be better (it feels a bit cramped). It would be better to leave some text out and simply mention that information when speaking with visitors during the poster session.

POSTER TWO - An Effective Contrast

Made with: Powerpoint (and figures with BioRender) Shared by: Simon Fournier (Business Development, CQDM)

• The poster contains clear sections with headings that have good contrasting colors to draw the eye (dark blue on white).
• The figure generated with Biorender is clear and is a good support material to use during the actual poster presentation.
• The use of bullet points helps distinguish the key messages.
• The title of the poster could be a bit more punchy to attract attention.
• Figures could be incorporated more to illustrate the data and draw the eye to the poster.

POSTER THREE - Colorful

Made with: Inkscape Shared by: Vincent Nault (CEO, Lumed)

• The use of figures helps to illustrate the data and break up the paragraphs.
• A good amount of information is delivered with a relatively small amount of text.
• The combination of colors is distracting at times. It’s not a complementary palette.
• The font sizes seem to vary widely and the bright yellow font is difficult to read.
• Sections don’t flow in a continuous logical order (gives the sensation of jumping around a bit when you’re trying to find the next section).

POSTER FOUR - Beauty in Simplicity

Made with: Adobe Illustrator (contains 3D rendered images created in Autodesk Maya). Shared by: Mouhanad Babi (PhD, Microscopist and Scientific Illustrator)

• The best thing about this poster is its simplicity. It only has 3 main sections.
• It’s not cramped with text and data and has a lot of white space.
• Easily read and understood in a short period of time.
• Bullet points are used well to share key information.
• The title could be a tad bit catchier.
• There is no contact information if someone wanted to reach out to the presenter.

FUN FACT: This poster was presented at the Biophysical Society of Canada in Montreal in 2017 and won the best poster prize 🏆!

POSTER FIVE - Room to Breathe

Made with : PowerPoint Shared by: Maxime Descoteaux (CSO at Imeka, Research chair in neuroinformatics)

• This poster really breathes! It’s mostly white with only darker colors used to clearly delineate the different sections.
• The content is straight to the point. It highlights the problems with existing compression formats then goes straight into the developed method and results.
• A short sentence to summarize the key conclusions would be helpful. However, leaving it out could also encourage the reader to ask the presenter and spark a conversation!

POSTER SIX - Curiosity and QR Codes

Made with: PowerPoint Shared by: Natália Teruel (from the Najmanovich Research Group )

• The presenter used small lines to link each bordered section. This guides the viewer well from one section to the next.
• The quality of the figures is high and gives a good first impression.
• The use of QR codes with a small label is a handy way to get people to dive deeper.
• A larger font-size or unique section header style would help make the structure clearer.
• The font color is far too light. It’s hard to read.

Conclusion: Making a great scientific poster

You’ve read the advice. You’ve reviewed the examples. You’ve heard what NOT to do.

What’s next?

As daunting as the task may seem, creating a scientific poster can be a lot of fun. It’s extremely rewarding to set up on the day of the poster session and see your work summarized and displayed in one big, visually appealing package.

So, plan your content carefully, choose a template that works for you, experiment with design elements, and present your research in a clear and visually appealing way. And, as always, don’t be afraid to get creative as you work toward your finished poster!

Acknowledgements

I'd like to thanks all those who contributed some tips and poster examples: Maxime Descoteaux, Natália Teruel, Rafael Najmanovich, Mouhanad Babi, Vincent Nault and Simon Fournier.

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Blog Data Visualization 12 Scientific Poster Examples [And How To Create One]

12 Scientific Poster Examples [And How To Create One]

Written by: Ivonna Cabrera Jul 02, 2023

Truth be told, scientific posters are effective at piquing interest. It’s incredible how graphics and presentation style can attract audiences.

Want to make a scientific poster but don’t know how? Well, you no longer need to be a design guru if you use Venngage’s Poster Maker .

You can speed up the process even more by using our scientific poster templates.

Before I dive right into scientific poster examples, let’s discuss what scientific posters are in the first place.

Click to jump ahead:

What is a scientific poster?

Best examples of scientific posters, how to create a scientific poster, what makes a good scientific poster.

• What you need to make a scientific poster
• What’s the purpose of a scientific or research poster?

A scientific poster is a visual presentation of research findings or scientific information shared with audiences at conferences, symposiums, and academic events. Scientific posters generally provide information on topics their authors are currently discussing.

Many scientists, researchers and medical experts use scientific posters to explain their findings in a simple and easy-to-understand format.

Of course, text isn’t the best way to show how scientific posters work.

So, I’ll let these examples do the talking.

Academic scientific poster examples

An academic scientific poster presents complicated information in a visually appealing manner.

Choosing the right poster layout is important here. Generally, sections such as an introduction, use, process, and takeaways allow students to understand a process or concept in a step-by-step method.

Here’s a great example of a scientific poster that discusses distillation:

Just so you know, some of our scientific poster templates are free to use and some require a small monthly fee. Sign up is always free, as is access to Venngage’s online drag-and-drop editor.

Often, it’s also important to separate information into categories and develop data in a clear and concise manner.

Is your scientific poster focused on environmental issues? Explore our gallery of environmental poster templates for inspiration and designs tailored to your topic.

Chemistry poster examples

Chemistry posters play a vital role in the scientific community by highlighting the importance of chemistry as a subject.

They also promote a deeper understanding of its principles and applications.

Here’s a great example:

A chemistry poster is usually organized in a logical and structured manner to effectively convey information.

Here are some common elements you can find in chemistry posters:

• Introduction

Here’s another example of a chemistry poster that displays only the abstract to hook the reader.

Lab poster examples

Lab posters are effective at sharing scientific knowledge, promoting discussion and collaboration, and disseminating research findings.

They provide a visual platform to showcase research efforts and contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge in various fields of study.

In the lab poster below, the impact of overeating and binge drinking on the health of college students is presented in a format that anyone can understand the takeaway in a single glance.

Now that you know everything about scientific posters, it’s time to create your own.

Step 1 – Sign up for a free Venngage account

Start the process by  signing up  for Venngage with your email, Gmail or Facebook account.

Step 2 – Select a template from our library

Besides the examples above, you’ll find a sizeable collection of poster templates and specifically scientific posters to choose from.

There’s a template for every need, from a scientific poster for a case study review to templates focused on presenting complex data.

Step 3 – Edit your scientific poster with our editor

All our scientific poster templates can be edited using a simple drag-and-drop interface.

Feel free to change the colors, text, icons, or illustrations to make the design your own or simply input your data to have an optimized scientific poster in minutes.

Step 4 – Bring your scientific poster to life with icons, illustrations and branding elements

Venngage offers 40,000 icons and illustrations to help you visualize and bring a scientific poster to life.

If you upgrade to a  Business  account, you can also enjoy  My Brand Kit  — the one-click branding kit that lets you upload your logo and apply brand colors and fonts to any design.

Step 5 – Share a link to your scientific poster or upgrade to download

Once you upgrade to a  Business  account, you can download your scientific poster as a PNG, PDF, or interactive PDF.

But you can always share your scientific poster online for free.

Searching for a tech poster template? Explore these tech poster designs for useful and innovative templates.

A good scientific poster is often an attractive and easy-to-read presentation of scientific research .

They may include images, diagrams, graphs and tables, and they often focus on one or two main points.

Combining data and design together makes it easy for readers to dissect information easily, thanks to an attention-grabbing layout, simplified language and easy-to-follow jargon explanations where necessary.

A lot of layouts allow you to prioritize information and separate it into circles or boxes, like in the template above.

This type of poster design allows the reader to consume less time when reading the full context of a situation.

What do you need to make a useful scientific poster?

This is the section you’ve been waiting for — the best way to make a scientific poster from scratch.

Read on to learn about the steps below, and they come with easy-to-follow examples, too.

Study good scientific or academic poster examples

Venngage has great scientific poster templates for your first scientific poster. You can customize these templates using Venngage’s drag-and-drop editor.

Let’s take a look at each of them below.

The sparse but surgically precise use of text here contrasts the lush use of plants to explain photosynthesis.

Short explanations can be accompanied by explainer text in corner resource boxes that discuss the other details of photosynthesis.

Good science poster examples are readable from 10 feet away

There are many reasons why posters should be readable from 10 feet away.

The main reason is to allow readers to fully understand the concept from where they stand or walk.

For example, in a school or office hall, bulletin boards are usually 5 to 10 feet away from potential viewers. A poster that can be viewed within this range entices the audience to come closer and read the details.

School posters effectively engage students by presenting visual content that reinforces learning objectives or communicates important information. Browse our collection of school poster templates for inspiration and ideas.

The second reason is to allow readers to quickly comprehend the poster.

People usually don’t have time to stop and read a poster. In a school or office, everyone’s walking to do something urgently.

Thus, you don’t want to take up too much of your time reading jargon and difficult concepts that even academic peers can take hours to read and interpret.

Being readable from 10 feet away makes it easy for readers to understand your research.

You can use varying font sizes to create great posters. For digital campaigns, make sure that your posters are suitable for modern browsers.

Venngage’s  My Brand Kit  feature allows you to create posters that help your audience understand valuable info.

This is a special tool for Business accounts that allows you to upload logos, choose fonts, and set color palettes to your scientific posters .

Use our real-time collaboration feature to invite team members and work together. You can also leave comments and get feedback instantly.

Alternatively, share your design online, on social media, or via email completely for free.

Make an attention-grabbing, short headline

Attention-grabbing headlines are easy for science articles and posters.

It’s always thrilling to find out about a new plant species or discoveries that debunk old theories.

It’s a good idea to use best practices in making attention-grabbing headlines, even if it is just casual scientific content for social media.

Titles that draw attention and engagement include:

• Trending topics Create headlines according to what is trending. For example, if your study discusses climate change , align your headline to this topic to engage readers.
• Controversial developments An old textbook fact being false is a controversial and surprising topic which you can easily sum up in a headline.
• Issues that address curiosity Humans are naturally curious, so tickling the audience’s curiosity is a great way to create a compelling and attention-grabbing headline.

Use bullets and numbering to make a list easier to read

Bullets, lists and clear language are all tools that improve readability.

Even without fancy graphics and poster backgrounds , a short-sentence, simple-worded post with bullets and lists makes it easy to understand any topic.

Bulleted lists make each subtopic of your scientific poster easy to read. Plus, it allows readers to jump from one subtopic to another without feeling like they missed information along the way.

Designers of scientific posters find it easier to design bulleted and list content because they can place every bullet in different sections, making the poster easy to read.

If you used bullets instead of boxes to explain each subtopic in this poster, you could still read it easily — just not from 10 feet away.

Ensure layout consistency

Layout consistency is the uniform appearance of elements within a design.

It is achieved by employing the same layout, color and typography throughout an entire design.

For example, if a web page uses a consistent layout, each page will be uniform in appearance but not necessarily in content.

Layout consistency is achieved by employing the same pattern, color and typography throughout an entire design. This uniform appearance helps readers navigate for better organization. 

Creating layout consistency is of crucial importance in scientific poster design because coherence creates a familiar mood and attachment for readers.

This template uses the same fonts and complementary colors that give the scientific poster its own coherent, attention-grabbing and informative personality

Related:  Stay ahead of graphic design trends that can help you with your scientific poster design!

Include acknowledgments, names and affiliations

Lastly, all scientific posters include their acknowledgments, researcher names and affiliations underneath the poster.

You can use a footnote to include these details or a resource box. Plus, if you used any links as references in your research, add them to this section.

If you were the researcher involved in this scientific poster , you could include all the information I’ve mentioned underneath the last paragraph using a line to indicate that they are acknowledgments and author information.

Searching for a research poster? Browse through our collection of research poster templates in to get started!

What is the purpose of a scientific poster?

Academics are the only ones who can read and understand a technical scientific paper.

To a normal reader, a research paper’s language and syntax are challenging. Scientific papers don’t prioritize reading flow in their outlines or exposition of data, methods and results.

But with a well-made and creative poster , reading a technical paper becomes easier.

For example, effective scientific posters include images that explain complicated terms.

At the same time, the poster layout makes data and text easy to read. Lastly, scientific posters use simple language that allows even young children to understand concepts.

FAQ about scientific posters

I know you’re all set to make your own designs, but you might want to have these questions answered too.

What should a scientific poster include?

A scientific poster should include an easy-to-follow layout, graphics and color schemes that don’t take away from the reading experience. Successful scientific posters also use short sentences, simple language and bullet points.

How do you write a good scientific poster?

Researchers must focus on the evidence behind the research. Afterward, they can concentrate on using simple language and short sentences to explain their point. Short text and simple words make it easier for graphic designers to create posters with an intuitive layout.

How do you write a scientific title for a poster?

Focus on aligning your title with human emotions and curiosity. Outside human emotions, you can align your titles toward controversial or trending issues. This article dedicates an entire section to writing a great scientific title for a poster, so you should head there to learn more!

Our  Poster Maker guarantees that you’ll make the most intuitive and well-designed scientific posters in a single session.

Make the best scientific posters within minutes today!

Now, you’re ready to make your own scientific posters for print or website use!

If you’re short on ideas, you can use Venngage’s scientific poster templates for inspiration. Besides access to scores of templates, you also get a free drag-and-drop web-based editor by signing up for a FREE Venngage account today. Register now!

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How to Make a Poster: Beginner’s Design Guide (& Templates)

Written by: Mahnoor Sheikh

Posters are excellent marketing tools that can be used to advertise movies, events, fundraisers, sales, businesses and more.

If you’re looking for an easy way to make a poster online, you’re in the right place.

In this article, you’ll learn how to create a poster in 7 simple steps.

We’ve also handpicked 25 stunning poster templates for various purposes that you can edit and download right now.

Ready? Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

What are the dimensions of a poster, 7-step process for making an eye-catching poster, bonus: make your digital poster interactive, 25 poster templates to help you get started, poster faqs.

• A poster is a printed or digital design that promotes business-related activities like events, grand openings, special promotions, etc.
• Posters have a set of standard sizes, but it’s best to check with your printing service or home printer first before starting on the design.
• The poster-making process includes identifying its purpose, choosing a template, adding text and visuals, customizing colors and fonts, adding a call to action or online form, and sharing with your audience.
• Poster design for beginners is easy when you have Visme as your content creation tool. Not only can you design using professional poster template s, but you can also create a myriad of client-facing and branded content.
• If you're running short on time and need to create eye-catching posters quickly, try out our AI poster generator !

When designing a poster, there are no set rules for the poster size or dimensions.

However, some printing companies use the same, consistent poster sizes, so it’s always a good idea to ensure your poster fits those dimensions.

Here’s an infographic summarizing the standard poster sizes used by printing companies worldwide. Keep reading for a brief explanation about each poster size.

• A4 Paper: 8.5” x 11” (21 x 29.7 cm). These posters are ideal for printing at home or at your local printing shop for personal use or for sticking on your shop window.
• Small Poster: 11” x 17” (28 x 43 cm). These posters are normally used as flyers or for sticking on street lights and bulletin boards. You can also use these posters for decorating offices, as they don’t take up a lot of space.
• Medium Poster: 18” x 24” (46 x 61 cm). These posters are mostly used in places like clinics, offices, shop windows and university walls. They can hold more information than small posters, but you should still keep the text minimal.
• Large Poster: 24” x 36” (61 x 91 cm). These posters are used by organizations for advertising businesses, films, events, fundraisers and promotions. You can usually find these posters outside malls, events and clubs.

The poster size that’s best for you will depend on your poster’s purpose and how you plan to use it. Make sure you ask your printer about the sizes and formats before designing one.

If you’re creating a digital poster that you plan to share online on social media or your website, you can check out this blog post on the best image sizes for different social media platforms .

Now, let’s get to the fun part: creating a poster!

Follow this poster making tutorial in order or jump ahead to a section of your interest.

Step #1: Identify the Purpose of Your Poster

Step #2: choose a poster template, step #3: add in your text content, step #4: add photos and graphics, step #5: customize colors and fonts, step #6: include a call-to-action, step #7: share and download your poster.

The first step of making a poster is to identify its purpose.

Answer the following questions before moving on to poster design:

• What’s the goal of your poster?
• Who is the audience?
• Where do you plan to share your poster?

Addressing these questions will help you determine the right poster size, draft appropriate poster content and find the right poster template.

For example, if you’re designing a poster to advertise an event, you need to understand what you want your audience to do after they see it.

Do you want them to register online? Do you want them to go to a physical place to buy tickets? Do you want them to scan a QR code ?

Knowing this will help you pick a poster size that fits in all the important information without looking cluttered or difficult to read.

If your audience is female students, for example, you’d want to start with a poster template with colors and a design style that appeals to them.

This leads us to the next step.

Once you’ve identified the purpose and audience of your poster, it’s time to choose a template that best fits your needs.

The first thing you need to do is log in to your Visme account. If you don’t already have an account, you can create one for free here .

Inside your dashboard, click on Create New . In the drop down menu, select Project then Printables .

This will open up the templates library. Click on Posters to browse through the various options and designs that appear below. When you find a poster template you like, hover on it and click on Edit to open it in the Visme editor and start customizing it.

Poster Templates

Conference Poster

Social Distancing Poster

Life is Like Riding a Bicycle Quote Poster

Restaurant Poster

Real Estate Poster

Fundraiser Poster

Create your poster View more templates

Alternatively, you can also search for relevant templates by typing in a keyword in the search bar at the top, such as “university poster” or “art poster.”

You can also browse through other template categories, such as flyers and social graphics, to find a design you like and customize the dimensions.

If you don’t want to move forward with a pre-designed template, you can also start from scratch by clicking on Custom Size at the right side of the screen. Then, simply add in your size requirements to open a blank canvas in the editor.

If you don’t want to move forward with a pre-designed template, you can also start from scratch by clicking on Create from Blank at the left side of the screen, above Generate with AI. Then, input content boxes, design elements and images.

And if you’re short on time, another option for creating your poster is to use the Visme AI Poster Generator . This AI-powered tool can design a visual poster from a single text prompt. In the template library, click on Generate with AI and a chatbot will open. Write your prompt in the text box, select one of the suggested styles and let AI do its magic.

Now, it’s time to customize your poster.

The first thing you need to edit in your poster template is the text.

Visme has realistic placeholder content written by professionals in almost all of the templates, and you can use it to inspire your own content.

For example, this minimal template already has a title and subtitle. You can replace this text with your own, and even add more text boxes.

If you’ve already written the content for your poster separately, you should add it to your poster in this step.

Double-click on any text box to edit it, and copy and paste your content. To add more text, click on the Header & Text in the left sidebar to choose from pre-designed text blocks.

Make sure you use separate text boxes for different parts of your content so you can move them around and so your content doesn’t end up looking like one big block of text.

Don’t forget to add details like event timing, contact information, location and more depending on the nature and purpose of your poster.

A part of the poster-making process is ensuring that the text is not too long or has any grammar mistakes. If you need some help, use the AI Writer to help you finesse your poster text by editing and proofreading it. Additionally, craft headlines that really grab the attention of your audience.

Once you have all your text content in place, it’s time to add some visuals.

This is the fun part! Make your poster speak volumes with eye-catching visuals.

Whether it’s a meaningful photograph, an illustration that sets the mood, an AI generated graphic, or bright and colorful icons that balance out the text — visuals can bring your poster to life.

In Visme, you have several options to add photos and graphics to your poster design:

• Browse millions of free stock photos in the built-in image library. Search for relevant keywords and scroll to look for options. When you find an image you like, drag and drop it onto your poster.
• Upload your own images by clicking on Photos and then on Upload. Your images will be saved in your Content library.
• Use the AI Edit Tools that help you unblur and upscale legacy photos, and remove pesky backgrounds or unwanted objects from photos.
• Generate unique, branded images and graphics with Visme AI Image Generator . Choose from the suggested output styles: photos, illustrations, paintings, and more.
• Add free vector icons, illustrations, shapes and more by browsing through the graphics library inside the editor.

Regardless of how you add visuals into your poster, you can edit them using Visme’s photo editor .

Resize your photos and graphics, crop them into shapes, apply filters, color overlays and borders, tweak the opacity settings and more.

When you’re happy with the text and visual content of your poster, it’s time to adjust the design style to pull everything together.

Great, your poster is almost ready.

All you need to do now is adjust the colors and fonts in the template so they are aligned with your brand style, theme, topic or vision.

If you have set design guidelines to stick to, you can easily set up your Brand Kit in Visme — upload your logo, color palette and fonts to use in your poster and any other Visme design project.

If you’re designing a poster for personal purposes, or if you don’t have any brand guidelines in place, you can always choose from the preset color themes that come built-in with the editor.

Simply click through the themes to change the entire color scheme of the poster in one go. Pick the color theme that works best with your poster topic, mood and visuals.

You can also use the color picker tool to adjust the colors of the background and each individual object.

The next thing to pay attention to are your fonts. Make sure you keep font pairing best practices in mind when designing your poster.

You don’t want to use a font style that clashes with your poster idea. Also, you want the font to be clear and easy-to-read, depending on where you plan to use the poster.

Woah — you’re almost done with your poster design! This takes us to the last step, adding a call-to-action. This ensures your poster is as effective as it’s good-looking.

For business and advertising purposes, adding a call-to-action (CTA) to your poster is one of the most crucial parts of poster design.

Before adding a CTA, go back to the first step and think about the goals and purpose of your poster. What do you want your audience to do when they see it?

Do you want them to register for an event, buy tickets for a movie, or visit your website or store in person? Whatever it is, articulate it into concise and compelling copy, and place the CTA where it’s prominent and doesn’t interfere with the design.

That’s it! You’re done with your poster design. When you’re happy with the result, it’s time to get your poster ready for printing or publish it online and share it with the world.

Finally, with Visme, you can share or download your poster in multiple formats, including high-quality JPG, PNG, PDF, HTML5 or social media posts.

The format you choose will depend on your printing and distributing needs. It’s better to ask your printer what format they prefer to use. They will typically accept a PDF file, which you can download from Visme with or without bleed marks.

If you’re planning to share your poster digitally, you can also download it as an HTML5 file (offline web), or share it via a live URL or embed code.

Additionally, when you share your poster as a live link , you have the ability to track its performance thanks to Visme's analytics dashboard . View data about who opened the file, saw the poster, from where, for how long and more.

And finally, from inside the Visme editor, you can also share your poster as a social media post. Use the integrated content calendar to schedule your poster design for your favorite social media platform.

If you’re working on a digital poster rather than a printed one, we’ve got great news for you — Visme lets you make your posters animated and interactive!

Other than photos, you can also add audio clips, video clips, animated backgrounds, animated illustrations and characters, animated icons, special effects and more from the built-in library.

You can also enable hover effects and pop ups on click, and add links into your poster to make it interactive.

For example, if you’ve added a CTA to register for an event in your digital poster, you can link it to your registration page to direct the viewer!

Furthermore, you can include a form on your poster, turning it into lead generation content . Use Visme Forms to create branded sign up forms you can then embed on posters; as well as websites, newsletters and more.

It’s easy to share your animated or interactive poster in Visme by generating an embed code and adding it to a web page or sharing it via a public or private URL.

Now that you know how to create a poster in Visme, let’s look at some beautiful poster templates to give you a head start.

Create beautiful posters in minutes with Visme!

• Choose from our fully customizable templates
• Customize fonts and colors to match your theme
• Access built-in photos and graphics that tell your story

Visme comes packed with dozens of pre-designed, customizable poster templates that you can edit and download right away.

Just pick a template that works best with your topic, industry or design style, and click on the button below it to start editing it in Visme.

Alternatively, create your poster with AI using our AI Poster Generator . In the template gallery, click on Generate with AI and input your text prompt into the chatbot window. This tool doesn’t just for creating posters, it also helps you make first draft versions of plenty of other documents and printable designs.

Template #1: Social Distancing Poster

This social distancing poster is informative and attractive.

It can be used by doctors, health organizations, nonprofits, schools, universities and anyone who wants to communicate guidelines, best practices and important information to the public.

Customize this social distancing poster with your own information or use it as it is to spread awareness about the pandemic and prevention measures.

Template #2: Real Estate Poster

This real estate poster is ideal for advertising property listings of all kinds, such as offices, apartments, villas, shops and commercial land. Put the features of your property front and center and showcase them in an attractive way.

Make this poster template your own by changing the image, editing the text and color scheme, customizing the fonts and adding more information.

Save time before every open house and reuse templates for new real estate listings. Make them even more practical by adding dynamic links for the realtor’s name or the home’s address. With this feature, you can edit multiple templates without messing with the design.

Template #3: Conference Poster

The professional conference poster will make everyone want to attend your business events. With an eye-catching color scheme and a modern layout, this poster design puts focus on the things that matter — the topic, the speakers and the dates.

Personalize this template with your own text, colors, fonts, images and more. Swap the icons for other, relevant ones from Visme’s built-in icon library.

If you’re planning to share this poster online, you can even add animations and interactive links to take your audience immediately to the event registration page.

After you’ve finished the poster, complete the marketing stack and start working on your conference flyer using the same fonts, colors and information.

Template #4: Fashion Sale Poster

A trendy, colorful picture and the word “Sale” in big, bold letters is everything you need to catch your shoppers’ attention.

With this poster template, you have the perfect layout and design ready-to-go — all you need to do is plug in your own content and download your poster in high-quality for printing.

Template #5: Inspirational Education Poster

Inspire students and teachers alike with this quote poster with a saying by Malcom Forbes. Use icons and design elements to create a composition with the text and make it more memorable.

Change the colors of this poster template using Visme’s preset themes or upload your own brand colors. Personalize each and every detail so your poster is unique and engaging.

Template #6: We’re Hiring Poster

Get applications pouring in from the right candidates with this hard-to-miss we’re hiring poster template. If you have a job opening at your company, you need to ensure as many potential candidates know about it as possible.

Customize this poster with your own brand colors and fonts, add your logo, edit the text, and share it on social media or print it out and stick it in areas where your audience spends their time.

Template #7: Garage Sale Poster

Announce a garage sale with style using this poster template. The clean and modern layout puts all the important information front and center, and you can always move things around, remove elements or add more content to personalize this poster.

Make this poster your own by swapping the image with one from our stock library or by uploading from your computer. Change the color scheme, modify the fonts and do much more in Visme’s powerful drag-and-drop editor.

Template #8: Business Poster

Create a sleek and professional poster for your business with this customizable template. A poster like this is ideal for businesses of all sizes, and you can get it printed in large, medium, small and even A4 sizes, depending on how you plan to use it.

Personalize this poster with a photo of your own business, products or office building. Change the text, colors, icons and more in minutes using the drag-and-drop poster editor. Download it in high-quality image or PDF format when you’re done.

Template #9: Brand Promotion Poster

This conceptual geometry poster is a great pick for architectural firms or other business organizations with an eye for design. The photos in the triangles are easily replaced with another from your media library, or generated with AI.

Use shapes and frames to emphasize the visual aspect of your poster. You can also customize this poster template with your own colors, text, fonts, images and more.

Template #10: Yoga Class Poster

Spread the word about your yoga, meditation and fitness classes with this sophisticated poster template. This poster has a serene, calming design that can work for any topic related to health and wellness.

You can also customize it extensively to fit practically any theme. Change colors, fonts, photos, icons and more in a flash with Visme’s drag-and-drop editor. Download your finished poster in JPG or PNG format, or save it as a PDF to send off for printing.

Template #11: Fitness Gym Poster

Motivate your audience to join your gym and meet their fitness goals with this clean and modern poster template. This poster works as both an advertising tool and as an aesthetically pleasing addition to your gym’s exterior.

Customize this template with your own colors, fonts, text and photos. Add more information and text boxes by dragging and dropping from the left sidebar. Emphasize key points and visualize contact details with vector icons.

Template #12: Social Studies Research Poster

Get more eyes on your research with this social studies research poster. Use this design to share your findings with students and members of the faculty.

This poster template is super easy to customize with your own data. You can even animate the charts and add interactive links to it if you plan on sharing the poster digitally. Download your poster in high-quality to get printed in virtually any size.

Template #13: Restaurant Poster

A classy restaurant deserves a classy poster. And that’s exactly what you get with this restaurant or cafe poster template.

Personalize this template with your own images, food photos, text, colors, fonts and more. Drag and drop icons, cutouts and more onto your poster from the built-in editing panel.

Template #14: Poverty Foundation Poster

This poverty poster is thought-provoking and can easily be used by nonprofits to raise awareness for their campaigns. Even for-profit organizations looking to draw attention towards their social projects can take advantage of this template.

This poster is fully customizable, so make it your own by adding your own brand’s images, logos, fonts, colors and more.

Template #15: Elephants Poster

This inspiring poster is a great pick for all individuals, professionals and nonprofits looking to raise awareness and funds for their social campaigns.

It comes with stylish fonts that go well with the high-resolution stock photo in the background. Use this poster template as is or customize it by adding your own logos and fonts.

Template #16: Class Rules Poster

This fun-looking class rules poster can work well in most educational settings. It includes basic etiquette and manners expected from students in the class and promotes positive behavior.

It can easily be used as is by educators, or customized with different content and for other purposes, such as for employee rules in organizations.

Template #17: Music Workshop Poster

The music workshop poster template immediately draws attention and encourages the audience to read further, thanks to the colorful graphic and eye-catching fonts.

It can easily be used by all kinds of musicians, schools, community centers and more looking to promote their events or music classes.

Template #18: Scientific Research Poster

Looking for the perfect science poster to present at your next symposium? This scientific research poster is just what you need. This poster design is ideal for medical research purposes, but you can also customize it for any other health industry. Edit the text, colors, fonts, images and more in minutes using Visme’s drag-and-drop poster maker.

Template #19: Motivational Graffiti Poster

Looking for a fun, artistic poster to inspire students or colleagues? This poster template might be just what you’re looking for. Customize this motivational quote poster with your own colored font, background image and bold design elements.

In the template the background is of a man walking in front of captivating graffiti, but you can easily swap it for another image by uploading from your computer or choosing one from our free stock library.

Template #20: Photography Art Exhibition Poster

Advertise your art and photography events with this beautiful, clean and modern poster template. The best part about this template is it’s so versatile, you can use it for practically anything.

Get started with this template by customizing it with your own brand colors, logo, fonts and images. No brand assets? Choose from our preset color themes, built-in premium fonts and millions of free stock photos.

Template #21: Psychology Study Research Poster

This sleek and sophisticated poster template is ideal for presenting a research project on the rise of depression in New York City. But you can use for any type of research by customizing it in Visme’s drag-and-drop editor

Change the colors, fonts, images, icons and any other elements used in this poster template. You can also add animation and interactivity if you plan to share your poster digitally.

Template #22: Learning Quote Poster

If you’re looking for a quote poster to motivate your students, employees and any other audience, your search has come to an end. This quote poster is highly engaging, colorful and versatile — it will look just as good with any quote of your choice!

Customize this poster template with your own colors, fonts, text and more. You can also add an image in the background if you want to give this poster a thematic look.

Template #23: Political Finance Research Poster

This political research poster template is a great choice for you if you’re working with financial research and fundraising statistics. Likewise, it’s the ideal template for presenting any type of research that needs visualizing.

The design of this poster is minimal and versatile, and you can replace the charts easily from within the chart and graphs settings. Choose from bar graphs, line graphs, histograms and more.

Template #24: Farmer’s Market Poster

This colorful farmer’s market poster is an excellent pick for anyone looking to organize a local community event, such as one for local grocers and farmers to sell fresh fruits and vegetables.

The delightful font selection and color scheme of this poster immediately attracts the reader’s attention. Stick to the existing design or customize it extensively in Visme’s drag-and-drop editor with ease.

Template #25: Education is Essential Poster

If you're looking for a modern poster template with beautiful colors, fonts and icons, then get started with this education poster template.

This poster template is ideal for private organizations and nonprofits looking to promote a cause they believe in, and even for schools and colleges aiming to raise awareness for education for all.

Curious about other poster making topics? Here, these FAQs might help.

What Is the Best Tool to Make a Poster?

The best tool to make posters is Visme, the all-in-one content authoring tool. Not only can you use Visme to design a poster, you can also manage brand assets, collaborate with team members and create content for internal and external communications effortlessly.

Alternatively, you can use any of these other poster making tools like Canva but you can imagine which one we’re partial to.

Can I Print Posters Myself?

Yes, you can print your own posters. All you need is:

• A Visme account
• A computer, tablet or phone
• A printer with ink
• Poster paper

If you don’t have a printer at home, you can take your Visme designed poster in a USB stick to a printing shop or send it to them via messaging service or email. Finally, you can take your design to a self-service printing store like FedEx Office and print them there.

Can You Turn a Picture Into a Poster?

Yes, you can turn a picture into a poster. But first, make sure you have permission to use said image. When you create posters with Visme, you can use any of the millions of high resolution and royalty-free stock photos without worrying about licensing rights. Another option is to use photos you’ve taken yourself or that you’ve got the rights to use. Simply upload those to Visme and create your poster.

What Paper Do I Need to Make a Poster?

Depending on your needs, you can print a poster on glossy paper, matte paper, satin paper or vinyl paper.

• Glossy is shiny and is ideal for images and graphics.
• Matte is best suited for text heavy posters
• Satin is a combination between glossy and matte.
• Vinyl is durable and ideal for outdoor use.

How to Make Posters at Home?

Poster making at home is straightforward if you have a Visme account, and optionally, a printer. With Visme, you can make a poster at home in no time. All you need is a template and your ready-to-use information .

Now Over to You

Congratulations! You’re ready to create your own poster!

Whether you’re making a poster for personal purposes, business advertising, sticking on your shop window or sharing digitally on social media, Visme has what you’re looking for.

You can find the perfect poster template in the dozens of ready-to-go options in the template library.

Access design tools like preset color themes, built-in stock photos, icons, shapes and graphics, premium fonts, resize, cropping and editing tools, AI-powered tools and much more to create your poster in minutes — no design skills needed!

Sign up for a free Visme account today and start creating your stunning poster.

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About the Author

Mahnoor Sheikh is the content marketing manager at Visme. She has years of experience in content strategy and execution, SEO copywriting and graphic design. She is also the founder of MASH Content and is passionate about tea, kittens and traveling with her husband. Get in touch with her on LinkedIn .

Category 11 minutes read

What Is Good Poster Design? 5 Fundamentals For The Best Poster Design

January 4, 2022

Posters are one of the oldest forms of advertising that remain popular to this day. From product ads to movie promotions, a good poster design can turn any business into a crowd magnet. Unfortunately, not all posters manage to do this and forgettable posters flood our feeds and walls. So how do you get the best poster design? 

It’s not just about creating a beautiful poster, you need to evoke the right emotions with it. If you’re struggling to find the right poster design for your business, there are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind. We’ll share five of them below.

If you want to learn how to make a poster or are simply looking for poster design inspiration, then you’re in the right place. Knowing how challenging it can be to create visually aesthetic but memorable posters, we have carefully curated the fundamentals of poster design for designers of any level. By the end of this guide, you’ll have all the knowledge and the tools necessary to make good poster designs . 

History of Graphic Design Posters

Graphic design posters are one of the oldest forms of advertising. One of the earliest examples of posters, a public hand-drawn notice, can be traced back to 1477. Posters were then used to advertise various products and businesses, and were heavily focused on typography . Bold texts were a staple in early the posters as they were meant to be readable from a great distance, much like a billboard today.

For a very long period of time, the majority of posters were hand-drawn, but the invention of lithography at the close of the 18th century turned things around. Over the following decades, lithography became more commercially popular and designers experimented with more poster design styles such as Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Slowly, posters were used not only to advertise products, but also political ideologies and parties.

With the advent of the digital age, it became easier than ever before to design posters. Artists were no longer forced to manually carve out designs, instead creating digital tools that dramatically quickened and simplified the design process. Nowadays graphic designers have all the tools necessary to create mesmerizing posters in a matter of minutes. 

Benefits of Good Poster Design

As you may have noticed by now, graphic design posters have a rich history of popular use. You can likely recall at least one eye-catching poster design you’ve seen before. But beyond helping you remember a product being advertised, there are several other benefits of poster design. 

A good poster design can stop people in their tracks. Graphic designers adhere to design principles that ensure that posters can be spotted from afar or in the middle of rapid movements. Whether people are driving or are simply far away from the ad, a good poster will spark their curiosity. Big bold typefaces along with deliberate color palettes ensure that posters are legible and visually appealing no matter the circumstances. 

Spreading Brand Awareness

A good poster design can spark a potential customer’s curiosity, making it a great marketing tool for brand awareness. It’s easy to share posters both online and in real life, which helps drive high impressions on your poster content. When done right, memorable poster designs not only help sell a product, but also give a lasting impression about your brand. 

If people like your posters, they are more likely to remember the name of your business. Even if they don’t purchase the product you advertised, they might purchase something else under your brand name or simply spread the word around about your company. It’s a win-win situation for you. 

Targeting the Right Audience

What differentiates a good poster from a bad one is how successfully it manages to communicate a message to the right audience. A good poster design targets a specific group of people and succeeds in grabbing their attention. It also has a clear call to action. It may seem alluring to try to grab the attention of every passerby, but it’s better to successfully grab the attention of a small key group than fail to attract anyone from a larger pool. 

High Recall

Let’s try something, close your eyes and try to remember a poster design that you’ve seen before. You likely found it visually appealing or there were some other elements that caught your eye and made you remember it. Chances are you could come up with at least one or two examples of famous posters alone. A good poster design is more likely to be remembered by viewers.

Call to Action

When done well, a poster campaign can drive people to take action. The action can vary – anything from purchasing a product to recycling more, donating to the school fundraiser or voting in an election. A well designed poster can not only help you easily communicate a message to your target audience, it can also spark action.

What are the Types of Poster Design? 

There are a huge variety of types of poster designs, based on the placement, target audience, and actions they intend to drive. While there are too many for us to cover here, we have compiled a list of poster design types that you should definitely check out. 

Advertising Posters

Advertising is one of the main reasons posters were created in the first place, so it’s no surprise that it has a design category of its own. Typically, the design elements in these posters are focused on selling a specific product or a brand. 

Movie Posters

Movie posters can have a huge impact on pop culture. They’re used not only to advertise movies before their release, but also to spark a nostalgic feeling long after becoming a blockbuster favorite. 

Political Posters

Political posters have earned a special design category in the design community. They developed their distinct visual style during World War I and became especially popular during World War II. Even if you’re not interested in creating political posters, they are still a great source for poster design inspiration. 

Educational Posters

Educational posters aim to provide useful information in an easy to understand, hyper-memorable way. You may remember a handful of posters that fall under this category from when you were in school. 

Event Posters

From concerts to block parties, you have definitely encountered at least one event poster before. They are generally easy to spot, leverage festive colors, and provide a lot of information through minimal text.

5 Fundamentals of the Best Poster Designs

So what goes into making a good poster? Here are the five fundamentals of good poster design. 

1) Contrast

Like with flyer design , one of the fundamental rules of good poster design is to grab attention. And the best poster designs leverage contrast to help guide the eye of the viewer. You want your audience to look at specific places within the poster for full effect. For example, if there’s text on your poster, you need to make sure the font and colors contrast with the background, making it legible from far away. 

2) Location

Always take into consideration the location where your poster will be posted. If you’re designing a physical poster that will be plastered on walls across town, then you need to keep in mind the backdrop color of the wall the poster will stick to. 

If you’re designing a digital poster, then make sure to consider the layout of the website the poster will be uploaded to. You can either incorporate the color scheme of the website into the layout of your poster, or create something in full contrast to it to attract more attention.

3) Typography

Most poster designs incorporate text as part of the call to action. Luckily, there are so many beautiful, catchy, and most of all, effective fonts to use. Check out this guide to font pairing for an eye-catching poster design.

4) Adaptable

If your poster is going to live both online and in person, then you need to make sure that the design is adaptable into both.

Keep in mind that sometimes, less is more. Don’t put anything in your poster that can’t be adapted across both digital and physical mediums. Keep the call to action clear and your typography large, so it’s readable across any medium.

Don’t forget about the resolution of your poster if you’re designing one asset that will live both on small social feeds and in large print in a subway station. You can easily resize poster assets in Picsart for the perfect dimensions. 

5) One Glance

Viewers are likely very busy and distracted. Just think about how much time you spend looking at your phone, listening to podcasts, and more while in public or commuting. There’s so much going on at any given time that one of the biggest problems that your poster will face is for someone to actually dedicate the time it takes to read it.

This is where the “one glance” rule comes into play. It’s very important that your poster design is able to deliver its message with a single, quick glance. Whether the reader is passing by in a car, walking past, or scrolling through their social feeds, the “one glance” rule helps your poster achieve your marketing goals.  

How to Make a Poster Using Picsart

Now that you’ve mastered the fundamentals of poster design, it’s time to start designing. Luckily, it’s easy to make a poster in Picsart. You can do that from scratch following the below steps, or you can start with customizable Picsart poster templates . It’s up to you. Here’s how.

Designing a poster on your laptop using Picsart Web Tools?

1) Start a new project in Picsart by clicking on New Project or select a preset template size (here we went with Socials and Portrait ). Don’t worry, you can always change the canvas size later.

2) Set the background color of your poster by clicking on the color dropper in the top panel. Then select a color or type in the RGB color. 

4) Once you have your final poster design, click Export and Download to save your work to your laptop. Name your file, select the file size and type. You can also opt to upscale your image in this step to get the optimal printing size. 

Alternatively, if you prefer to design on mobile, you can create a cool poster design in the Picsart mobile app . Here’s how:

1) Open the Picsart app and tap the plus (+) button to start a new project. Scroll down to Color Backgrounds and select a plain color background to start your project. You can also select from tons of cool pattern backgrounds in the Background section.

2) Tap on Draw in the Editor toolbar, then select Shape . Here we added a circle and turned the opacity all the way up.  Tap the check mark in the upper corner to save your work. Now you have a white circle on a colorful background, which helps draw a viewer’s attention to the text you’re about to add to your poster.

3) Tap on Text in the Editor toolbar and type your text. Here you can adjust the text color, text styles, font, and more. Tap Next in the upper corner to save your work so far.

Pro tip: You can also add stickers, change the background, add filters, and more to your poster design using other tools in the Editor toolbar.

4) After tapping Next , you’ll get to the export and save screen. Tap to Save your final project and/or tap Post  to share your creation with the Picsart community.

Create at the Speed of Culture

Picsart is a full ecosystem of free-to-use content, powerful tools, and creator inspiration. With a billion downloads and more than 150 million monthly active creators, Picsart is the world’s largest creative platform. Picsart has collaborated with major artists and brands like BLACKPINK, Taylor Swift, the Jonas Brothers, Lizzo, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Lopez, One Direction, Sanrio: Hello Kitty, Warner Bros. Entertainment, iHeartMedia, Condé Nast, and more. Download the app or start editing on web today to enhance your photos and videos with thousands of quick and easy editing tools, trendy filters, fun stickers, and brilliant backgrounds. Unleash your creativity and upgrade to Gold for premium perks!

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