14 American Nurse Today Volume 5, Number 9 www.AmericanNurseToday.com
ters to use a specific template. Today many posters
a
re designed with Microsoft PowerPoint templates,
but you can also lay out the sections of your poster
on a large piece of poster board (available at art sup-
ply or office supply stores) before finalizing it. Or
you might consider using an Internet vendor (such as
www.makesigns.com). Many vendors not only guide
you through poster design but also can print and
ship your poster.
Use a “less is more” design
The maxim “less is more” is good advice to follow for
a poster. Although you may be tempted to include
every detail of your project or research, you won’t
have enough space to do this. What’s more, you
shouldn’t do this; it would make your poster too busy.
Here are some design tips to follow:
• Leave adequate white space. Some empty space is
critical to readability and legibility. Without it, the
reader has no visual pauses.
• Convey your message clearly. The poster should
capture the attention of attendees and convey at
least one significant idea they’ll remember. Most
people spend 3 to 5 minutes viewing a poster,
so use plain, descriptive language that leaves no
doubt what your poster is about. Generally, posters
are read from left to right; organize the content
with this in mind. When possible, lead the viewer
through the logical flow using bold take-home
points or arrows.
• Use a visual image. People retain visual images
longer than the written word, so aim for at least one
visual image—a photograph, an illustration, a graph.
•
Make it readable. Design the poster so it can be
read from a distance of 4' to 6'. To accomplish this,
lettering has to be at least 1" high. The title should
be readable from 15' to 20' away, with letters 2" to
3" high. Try to have high contrast between the back-
ground and text. Generally, a lighter background
with darker text is easier to read.
• Pick fonts carefully. Arial and Tahoma are examples
of nonserif fonts that work well for poster titles. Serif
fonts, such as Times New Roman and Courier, are
easier to read at smaller sizes and work well for
body text. Having too many font types on a poster
can be distracting, so use at most two to three fonts,
with bold or italics for emphasis only. Avoid all up-
percase letters (capitals) in your poster, as this
makes material harder to read.
• Use color sparingly. Although most presenters want
colorful posters, color must be incorporated careful-
ly. Blue and green are popular because they’re con-
sidered calming.
•Ask colleagues for help. If this
is your first time designing a
poster, ask an experienced col-
league for help. Before the
poster is printed, have col-
leagues familiar with your sub-
ject area review it for clarity and
possible errors. Proofread the
poster carefully before you
transport it to the conference.
Transporting and setting up
your poster
Posters can be delivered to the
conference site by overnight
services, such as FedEx or UPS,
but many presenters prefer to
hand-carry them in poster can-
isters or portfolios. Normally,
posters are set up just before
the conference begins. You
should receive advance guide-
lines from conference organizers telling you how to
set up your poster. If the poster will be attached to
corkboard, find out if you’re expected to bring the re-
quired materials (usually pushpins or Velcro strips) to
adhere it.
Most professional meeting agendas set aside specific
times for poster presentations. Many organizations offer
continuing education credit for poster session atten-
dance. Be aware that if your poster is accepted at a
conference, a presenter familiar with the project or re-
search is expected to be available during poster ses-
sions to answer questions.
P
resenting a poster is a
chance to learn from
attende es about aspects of
your work th at particu la rl y
resonat e with your aud ie nc e.