Creating an Academic Poster: Tips and Tricks

Why Make a Poster?

A poster is a visual representation of your research. Your poster should:

• be eye-catching
• tell the story of your research - concisely
• enable the viewer to engage with your research

The viewer should walk away remembering you and your work, not the way the poster looked.

Orientation and Size

A typical academic poster will have a three- or four-column layout, with variations of course. 

The first example below is a typical academic poster in landscape format (wider than it is high), including a header with three columns. Many landscape format posters have four columns--the format will depend on the requirements for a particular conference and discipline. 

The second example below shows an academic poster in portrait format (higher than it is wide).

The recommended size for printed academic poster is size A1.

Font Choice

Avoid using more than 2 or 3 different fonts in one poster. Stick with basic fonts like Times New Roman or Georgia for serif, or Arial or Helvetica for sans-serif. Avoid elaborate, difficult-to-read, or cartoon-like fonts.

Text alignment

In general, left-align your text boxes (with the possible exception of your title and any image captions). Avoid centering the text on your whole poster.

Text size

The body of your poster should have a minimum 24 point font. Viewers should be able to read your smallest text from a few feet away.

The title of your poster should have a 50+ font size, depending on the size of your poster and the length of the title.

Do not use all uppercase letters for the title or body of the poster.