Poster Presentation Dos & Donts

DONT write an overlong title. Save it for the abstract. Titles that use jargon, have colons or that are too cute are all a bore. DO keep you title short, catchy, and focused. The title needs to highlight your subject matter, but does not state your conclusion. Some good titles ask a question, while others offer the answer. DO keep your title to two lines (respectably). If things dont fit, shorten the title; dont reduce the font size. REMEMBER that tiles in ALL CAPS are harder to read. DONT use anything smaller than 10-12 pt font. Anywhere! Not for captions, legends, annotations, footnotes, subscripts, nothing! DO make your poster readable from approximately four feet. 24 point and above work well. DONT vary the size of type and font throughout the poster. For example, dont use something different after every heading. DO spread your text and graphics in separate areas. See the Possible Layouts handout for some ideas. DONT use gratuitous colors. Colors attract attention but can equally take away from content. Fluorescent (neon) colored borders are not to be used for posters. Stick to 2-3 colors. Forget intricate designs such as tie-dye, stripes, polka dots, etc. Remember those who are red/green colorblind. DONT expect anyone to spend more than 3-5 minutes at your poster. You should have been able to convey your message pictorially within this amount of time. DO have reprints of any of your own relevant papers, plus extra copies of any handouts. Have business cards read or slips of paper with your contact information. DONT leave out acknowledgments. Be sure to include sources of financial support. DONT leave out references. Supply a context for your work. Poster references are not like paper reference lists. Be sure to display citation(s) of works closely related and that have been published. Try to avoid footnotes. Dont make your viewer jump around the poster.
Adapted from Dos and Donts of Poster Presentation by Steven M. Block. Biophysical Journal. 71, pg 3527-3529.