Welcome to the Designing & Creating Effective Research Posters Workshop!
In this workshop we will discuss:
- Elements of an effective poster
- How to design your poster
- Fair-use/creative commons images
- Using citations on your poster
- Poster Layout OrganizerPractice organizing your research in poster format by printing this slide to brainstorm!
- Poster Layout OrganizerFillable PDF option
Explore past award winning posters
- Campus Portfolio CollectionInvestigate past Undergraduate Research Award at Berks award student entries & award winners.
- University Libraries Undergraduate Research Award: Excellence in Information Literacy WinnersSearch winners of the University Libraries Undergraduate Award winners from across the commonwealth.
Design Tools and Poster Layout
Templates
- PosterPresentations.comDownload 36" x 48" templates with instructions
- PosterSession.comGeneral poster templates
- Penn State College of Engineering, Leonhard CenterPoster samples, templates, links, and advice
- Penn State Population Research InstituteCreate your own layout in PowerPoint by following these instructions
Layout Software
- PowerPointPowerPoint is often the go-to program for research poster design. It is familiar to most people and many templates are available online. Penn State students can freely download Microsoft Office programs including PowerPoint.
- CanvaA web-based layout program with free and paid options. Quick to use and learn, but some elements are limited to paid accounts and may not be standard to other programs, like font sizes and styles.
- InDesignInDesign is a high-powered layout tool from Adobe available for free to all Penn State students through Creative Cloud. This program has a learning curve, but you can access free lessons from Lynda.com. InDesign gives you complete control over all aspects of design and formatting of your poster and can help you creat a high-quality poster with crisp graphics. Activate your license and download the program.
*Pro Tip: Use https://linkedinlearning.psu.edu/ to search for InDesign tutorials.
Graphic Creation
Design Tools
Color
- ColorBrewerExplore color palettes and select colors.
- Color OracleEvaluate color choices for visual accessibility from the perspective of color blindness.
- Design SeedsColor palettes for design inspiration.
Font/Typeface
Locating Images
Consider the resources below for images. Make sure to attribute all images you use.
Stock Photos
- Flickr Creative CommonsImages found in Flickr's creative commons gallery can be used for almost any project that is related to education with nothing more than a credit to the original photographer. Be sure to read over the photographer's rules before reusing images, and cite the license in your work.
*Pro Tip: Filter your search results by creative commons license to save time. - Getty ImagesBest for online presentations, embeddable versions of Getty photos are available royalty-free and without the Getty watermark.
- VecteezyImage search engine that makes it easy to use images with Creative Commons licensing.
Media Guides
- Wikimedia CommonsBe sure to read the Reusing Content Outside Wikimedia page before reusing any images.
- Free Media Resources (PSU Media Commons)Published and maintained by the Media Commons initiative at Penn State.
- Digital Image Sources by SubjectLinks to digital image collections in over 80 subject areas.
- Image DatabasesA guide to image databases available through the University Libraries.
- Digital Public Library of AmericaSearch images from libraries, museums, and archives available for educational use.
Poster Design: Font Best Practices
Font Selection
- Use only 2-3 fonts
- Select easy to read fonts
- Vary serif and sans serif fonts
Font Sizes
- Title - 100+ point font
- Headings - 32+ point font
- Subheadings/author - 20+ point font
- Body text - 16-18 point font
- References 12-16 point font
University Branding: Use of Penn State Marks
- The Brand BookGuidance on using Penn State branding and access to University, College, and Campus image downloads for use in presentations.
- Design EssentialsOur visual identity, colors, fonts, and photography are fundamental to every design. The intentional use of these design essentials will align all our communications in a recognizable and visually consistent way.
- Mark Usage ExamplesIn order to maintain a strong visual identity system, it’s important to understand both proper and improper mark usage. The following examples provide explanations on how to use our mark effectively as well as what to avoid.
- Penn State Visual & Editorial StandardsThis website serves as the guide for editorial and general marketing/communications standards of the University.
Please be sure you understand the proper use of these images!
Self-Evaluation
- Better Posters BlogDevoted to posters and offers a lot of constructive criticism for those who have submitted them.
- Score Your Poster (U. Texas @ Austin)This rubric can be used to grade your poster.
Additional Guides
Penn State Guides
General Guides
- Designing Conference PostersColin Purrington offers excellent advice on effective layout and presentation of your research poster.
- Designing Communications for a Poster FairThis is a very clear, easy to read and understand guide developed by Pennsylvania State University for the McNairs Scholar Program.
- Designing Effective PostersA very nice guide from UNC Health Sciences Library, this guide walks the reader through design elements, the design process, and tips for using Microsoft PowerPoint or Adobe InDesign to create a poster.