Characteristics of a Good Scientific Poster
- Textual forms
- Short expanse of text. Complete sentences are not always necessary. Use bullets (·) or lists of things whenever possible. Your audience needs to be able to see the main points immediately.
- Type
- Big, dark, block style. Audience needs to be able to read poster from 1.5 to 2 m away.
- Color
- Attractive but not too flashy (no fluorescent colors). The simpler the better. Too many colors can be distracting. Use color to organize sections or draw attention.
- Spacing
- Use spacing to organize sections, or group items on the poster. Do not crowd objects. Leave a lot of space. Avoid clutter: too many edges, too many small objects, too many narrow spaces.
- Illustrations
- Large data points and figures. The simpler the better. Graphs and plots are better than tables. Schematic diagrams are better than textual descriptions of a procedure. Use pictures or diagrams from clip art in computer programs, pictures in magazines, etc.
- Further Information
- Davis, M.; Davis, K.J.; Wolf, D. C. “Effective Communication with Poster Displays”, J. Nat. resour. Life Sci. Educ. 1992,32, 156-160.