Design Elements

Content | Design and Layout | Graphics | Evaluation Checksheet | Examples

Design and Layout

Banner: A poster should include a banner at the top which includes the title of the poster and the author(s) and their affiliations. The title needs to be large enough to be read from several feet away (typically a point size of 100 points or more). The authors and affiliations should be a smaller font than the title, but larger that the text in the body of the poster.

Below the banner, a poster usually includes three or four columns of content. There are exceptions; in some cases you may opt not to break the content into columns.

An effective layout should consider:

Alignment: Headings, columns, and graphics should be aligned whenever appropriate. For example, a poster is typically broken into columns. the tops of the columns should be aligned with each other, and the sections in each column should be left justified so that each paragraph is exactly at the left edge of the column.

Align graphics where possible. For example, you could align the top edge of a photo in one column with the bottom edge of a diagram in another column.

Balance and spacing: Distribute the content and images in the poster so that it looks balanced. Strive to acheive an aethetically pleasing, uncluttered look. Include a margin of about an inch along all edges of the poster.

White Space: Be sure to include enough white space. If everything is jammed together it will make the poster difficult to read and less appealing aestheitcally.  How much white space is enough? This is difficult to say. It is a judgment call. If the poster is too dense, delete nonessential material too allow for white space.

Consistency: Use the same fonts throughout the poster. Use similar dimensions for illustrations and photographs.  Use similar color and design elements throughout the poster.

Color: Use color judiciously to add to the visual appeal of your poster. Consider using one or two accent colors (such as for shadows or or thin lines separating columns) or using a pale background color.  But too intense or too many colors can be distracting and annoying. Use either black or dark-colored text.

Headings and Fonts: Use either serif or sans serif fonts, but be consistent in your use of fonts, and do not use too many fonts (usually only one) in your poster. 

Divide the poster into parts with major headings for each part, and where appropriate, minor headings within the major sections. Make heading for each level distinct and consistent, so that the viewer can easily see the structure of the content. You may also choose to add color to a level to set it apart. For example:

Let's Practice!

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Here's an example of a poster that needs improvement.

Using the checksheet, evaluate the poster.

Here's a better version to compare with the first version. 

Here are our comments on the first version of the poster.