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Poster Presentations

How to create and present an academic conference poster.

Common Elements

Traditional academic posters include the following elements:

  • Title
  • Introduction
  • Materials and Methodology
  • Results
  • Conclusions
  • Works Cited/References
  • Acknowledgments

Organize Content Symmetrically

graphic of four posters, reads horizontal symmetry, horizontal and vertical symmetry, diagonal symmetry, and asymmetry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Content on this page was adapted from the University of Michigan Library's guide, "Designing Presentation & Research Posters with Illustrator."

Example Research Posters

See Example Posters with Critique, created by Hess et al. at NC State University.

Design Tips

  • Remove unnecessary text. Describe main points succinctly.
  • Make sure the font is readable from 5-7 feet away.
    • Title should be around 85-120 points.
    • Body text should be anywhere between 24 and 36 points.
    • Use headings to organize content. Double your body text size for any headings.
  • For readability, use consistent font in a high contrasting color (e.g. black font on white background).
  • Include visuals that illustrate points from the research.
  • Use white/negative space to create a clean, streamlined design.
  • Consider using a color palette generator to identify complementary colors.