Legacy Preparation

Posters generally include the following elements:

• Title
• Author (and class name)
• Research Question or Thesis 
• Method or Focus
• Results or Argument
• Conclusions
• Sources

Your professor's instructions always take priority, however. 

• Posters usually have a title section and 2-5 columns, divided into sections.
• Use blank space (Your reader needs some “breathing room” while looking at your poster).
• Generally, organize posters so they can be read from top to bottom (with columns) and left to right
• Line things up
• Keep your word count low (< 600 total words)
• Use sentence lists or bullets, not paragraphs
• Stay away from ALL CAPS, use sentence case, it’s easier to read
• Keep line spacing at 1.0 (this avoids line intrusion even if there are superscripts or subscripts)
• Make the most important information stand out
• Avoid dark or patterned backgrounds
• Make sure that your poster is readable from 6 feet away and that your reader can go from beginning to end in 5 minutes or less

• Do not use more than two font styles
• Avoid using whimsical or fancy fonts.
• Color can provide font variety. 
• Use Serif styles when the font is small
• Use Sans-serif when the font is large
• Use bold or italics for emphasis, not underline. 

Title: 85pt

Author: 56pt

Section Heading: 36pt

Text: 24pt

References and Labels: small is okay - 18pt