The purpose of a poster is to "show" as much as to "tell." How you choose to employ graphics -- whether font choices, images or backgrounds -- is very important. The following sections aim to help you make decisions about your look and feel of the poster.
Font
- Titles should be a minimum of 72pts in bold, san serif fonts. Although the use of intricate fonts can be eye-catching, be careful; the goal is for people to easily read your poster so simpler is usually best.
- Subheadings should use the same font as your title and subtitle, just smaller. Try between 36-72pts.
- Body text should be between 24-48pts and be sure all body text in all text boxes is consistent throughout the poster.
- Quotes that support your content can be used much like a graphic; in a separate text box, with a different background or font they can be very compelling.
- Do not use all capital letters which are harder to read.
Images
- Images should enhance your text content, not distract the reader.
- Use the highest resolution images possible so that when the poster is printed the image is not grainy. To check how your images will look upon printing, zoom in to 100%.
- When you resize the images in PowerPoint, use the handles in the right-hand corner to retain the original ratio.
- Charts and tables are valuable, especially for displaying scientific data, but should be kept simple and explained in the text.
Background
- In PowerPoint, there are countless pre-made backgrounds to choose from. Be sure to use contrast to your advantage: if you have a dark background, use light fonts and textboxes, and if you use a light background use dark fonts/textboxes.
