Column-wise orientation
Divide a horizontal poster into 3 columns and a vertical one into 2 columns. The information should flow from top to bottom, and continue to the next column. It would be easy to explain for you and easy to follow for your audience.
Big enough to see
Text font: min 14 points for footnotes, main title ~ 78 pt, section titles ~ 66 pt, text ~44 pt
Images: 5 cm X 5 cm
Easy to find
Logos of institutions
Poster ID assigned by the conference if not provided by the organization
Follow your abstract
The content of a poster reflects the ideas in the abstract. Put the main idea in the middle and then, work on the rest and their design.
Stay away from visual overload
Explain theories, experimental paradigm, results, conclusion … everything in a figure whenever it is possible. Stay away from long paragraphs. Prefer bullet points.
Don’t put too much figure and/or text. You don’t have to explain every detail. Focus on explaining the main message with solid supportive arguments.
Follow the same color coding for figures if there are repetitive variables. Be aware of color blindness and don’t use colors that might look similar.
Strong conclusion
Give the main message even to those who may not talk to you personally. Visualize if possible.
Present your poster as a performance
Ask those who read your poster “Would you like me to walk through the poster with you?”
Ask your visitor about their preference for the level of detail:
- Level1: Sell your work in 10 sec
- Level2: “Elevator pitch”, 1-2 min summary
- Level3: shorter talk ~ 5 min for an overview
- Level4: longer talk ~ 10 min for an in-depth talk
Practice a lot until you know your talks by heart!
Prepare yourself for networking
Invite those who scan posters to listen to a summary of your poster.
QR code link to your webpage, digital poster, preprint, webpage of your group, etc, depending on your purpose.
Follow up your visitors.
Resource
How to Make and Present a Poster for Neuroscience 2023 (sfn.org)