Embedded Files
Virtual Poster Guidelines
Virtual Poster Guidelines
Posters must be submitted in PPT or PDF format via email to the conference coordinator, Dr. Julie Slowiak, at jslowiak@d.umn.edu, no later than 12:00 pm (noon) Central Time on Friday, April 16, 2021. Please include the phrase “TPUP POSTER FILE” in the subject line. Please include the poster title, student author names, and faculty advisor name(s) in the body of the email. All posters and abstracts will be accessible on the TPUP website for future reference and for those who are unable to attend the live event.
General Guidelines
General Guidelines
Less is more. Be clear and concise with poster design and content. Overcrowding a poster makes it difficult to read.
Include the title and name(s) of the presenter(s) and faculty advisor(s) in a larger, bolder font than the rest of the poster.
Consider including an email address for attendees to use to obtain more information about your poster and research.
Images
Images
Use high-quality images that will look good on screen.
Small images should not be stretched to make them larger.
If you take an image from the Internet, be sure it does not have copyright restrictions.
Do not use images that have watermarks as it looks unprofessional. There are many sources for royalty-free images including The Noun Project, Unsplash, Pixabay, Pexels, and more.
Tables and Charts
Tables and Charts
Audiences appreciate charts that illustrate main points and are easy to read. Avoid using small charts with many crisscrossing lines and small type, as the audience will not be able to read them.
Designing for Accessibility
Designing for Accessibility
Poster presentations are highly visual, and people who are blind or have low vision can understand them more easily if you create your poster with accessibility in mind. Some general tips are included below. Virtual poster presenters should consider their audience may view the poster from various devices (monitor, laptop, tablet, cell phone).
For thoughts on poster and presentation design from someone who is legally blind, check out Kira McCabe’s “Posters & Talks: Can You Read Me Now?”
Font
Consider font size and the amount of text on your poster; less text is preferred.
Use sans serif fonts such as Helvetica, Arial, or Calibri.
Use a font size of at least 24 point, but 32 point and larger is recommended.
Do not use all capital letters for emphasis.
Italics, underlining, shadows, outlines, etc., are difficult to read. Bold can be effective if used consistently and simply.
Color and Contrast
Background and foreground colors should offer good contrast for people with low vision. Red/yellow, red/green, and red/black are particularly difficult to distinguish and should not be used as background/foreground combination. White text on a deep blue background or black text on a white background are better combinations.
Text over a photo or image background is very difficult to read. If you must use a background image, decrease the brightness, and increase the opacity.
Use this tool to check the legibility of your planned color combinations.
Poster Resources
Visual and UX Design Principles Can Improve the Effectiveness of Poster Sessions
How to Design an Award-Winning Conference Poster
How to Design an Effective Scientific Poster
The Scientist’s Guide to Poster Design
Source Note: Permission to share the above information was granted by the the Association for Behavior Analysis International (personal communication, ABAI, 2021).
Page updated
Report abuse