PowerPoint is a reliable and functional tool for designing posters, there are other software options, but if you are new to design, learning a new tool in addition to developing your poster can be an extra time burden!

Use Templates to help you get started!

Tips:  most templates default to 4ft x 3ft - student posters are sometimes required to be 3ft x 2ft.  You can change the size in PowerPoint by going to Design > Slide Size > Custom Slide Size.  Resize and select "maximise" rather than "ensure fit".

You can also apply an advanced Google search tip to find other templates simply search for the size you need and add "site:.edu" in order to find examples from the websites of other Colleges and Universities:

2 by 3 foot poster template site:.edu

Tips

Grab your audience with a clear and legible title - physical posters in poster hall exhibits should invite your audience in to come and find out more about your research.

Keep fonts legible and large enough for readers to engage with:

• Title between 80-120pt font size
• Author or presenter's name about 48pt font. 
• Headers 36pt font or larger.
• Body text should use at least a 24pt font.

Avoid being too text-heavy.  Most posters should aim to keep the word count to under 1000 words.

Look for visual ways to convey your findings:  graphs, charts, flow charts, info graphics.

Remember Accessibility

Use large clear fonts

Use color contrast that has been checked for readability

Use Alt-text to describe images and figures for screen-readers

Sections of a Poster

• Introduction or Background (100 words)
  • Most academic posters will include a short introduction paragraph; in health science this will often clearly state the PICO question, or the research topic, and give a 1-2 sentence summary of the existing research on that topic.
• Methods (100 words)
  • Describe briefly what you did to collect the data or study the topic.
• Results (200-300 words)
  • Use graphs, charts and infographics to present the results when possible.
• Conclusions (100-200 words)
• Recommendations/Impact/Future areas for study (100-200 words)
• References/Acknowledgements (50-100 words or use a QR code if presenting a physical poster)