How can a person give the best presentation possible, if all they had to worry about was the poster? We’ve dared to ask that question, and our answers can be seen in detailed, step-by-step format here.

Note that as we go closer to the end, we expanded our definition of “poster presentation design” to mean how the presentation is composed as a whole, and not just its visual aspects. This is by no means a comprehensive guide; if you feel I missed anything at any part of this post, please note them down and share your thoughts with us in the comments!

In case you’re interested, we’ve also blogged previously about poster presentations here and here.

Make the Best Presentation Poster Design You Can: A Step by Step Guide

• Know the print specs, file setup, and presentation/conference guidelines you have to work with.

Find out, or decide on, the required poster size of your presentation. If you are going to present at a conference, exhibit, or trade show, chances are that your posters need to be in a size the organizers specify. If you’re going to present in a more private setting, though, check the location where you’ll be presenting in advance, and find the measurements of the wall or presentation board you’ll place your poster on. This way, you avoid problems and/or last-minute adjustments on the day you present.

Then, open your image editing software and set your file’s settings and dimensions accordingly. This file preparation checklist goes into some detail on how you should prepare your file. This file format guide lists the most accepted file types for printing, as well as quick facts about bitmap and vector images. Also check out this image size calculator, which can help you easily extract the size in pixels you need to specify for your file. Remember to set the resolution to around 300-400 dpi for the best print results.

About the program you’ll be using to create your presentation poster, if Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator is not available or outside your comfort zone, you can try a free image editing program like Picasa or Pixlr. Tutorials in these programs abound online for almost any effect you may want to achieve. You can also use Microsoft PowerPoint or Word, but I personally wouldn’t advise it, since converting .doc or .ppt files to .pdf can be problematic.



In worst case scenarios, get help from the professionals. This is where a printer’s expertise, specifically one that can review and proof your file free of charge before printing, can help you the most.

• Filter/Break down your presentation to its core idea, and decide its visuals early.

It may be tempting to put everything you know about your topic on the poster; but before you settle on microscopic text to fit all that in, resist! Whittle your concept down to its central ideas – preferably, just one central idea so you’re sure you’re focused. Then imagine the best central image, graphic or visual of this central idea, and find (or make) the best specimen for it.

• Draft it!

Drafting out your presentation on pencil and paper gives you more flexibility to adjust, remove, replace, etc., than if you went ahead with designing it directly on your computer. Using a blank poster canvas that’s the same size as your final presentation poster will also let you simulate font sizes, styles, etc., and how much of your poster is visible/understandable/readable at different distances.



Here are some design tips while you’re in this stage of planning your presentation design:

• Color: Opinions are still mostly divided on whether light text on a dark background or vice versa is easier to read, but dark text on a light background has been said to be easier on fatigued eyes. Also take into consideration the possibility that some people in your audience might be colorblind (red/green, or completely).
• Flow: If you have to use arrows to tell people what to look at next, you might be doing something wrong – unless you’re only emphasizing an intuitive visual progression of elements, like clockwise or left to right. Use boxes sparingly, and only to highlight key examples or details.

Don’t let your presentation look clunky or trigger claustrophobia. Connect the fragments, and let people’s eyes transition as easily and naturally as possible from one section to another.

• Font: If you’re presenting in public, your title should be visible from afar, as well as readable above milling bodies. Use only two font sizes/styles/faces at most (except maybe for footnotes, but only in size), and then those that are relatively similar to each other, simple and easy to read. Adjust line spacing so that it’s uniform throughout your presentation, and to further enhance readability.

Choosing whether to use a serif font (“tails” at the end of strokes, e.g., Times New Roman) or a sans serif one (e.g., Arial) may depend on your presentation’s topic (e.g., historical/formal/traditional topics may fit a serif font more), but usually a serif font is easier to read on printed material, as opposed to sans serif for text viewed on a computer screen.

Remember that your poster is a visual representation of the ideas you want to express. Amidst a sea of presentation designs that force too much in too little space, less is more. Be ruthless when deciding what to include in your poster content; if you can’t completely defend even the smallest word or graphic’s place in your presentation draft, take it out. A healthy ratio of 20-30% blank space is good for visual flow, and brings to focus your main points even better.

• Enhance clarity to the point that your presentation can stand alone.

Your posters should be understandable on their own, even if you’re not there to explain it. As a presenter, your role is to enhance the basic idea of your presentation, but that means your poster must present the gist of your ideas the best way possible first!



• Make the language you use clear to someone who’s not familiar with your topic.
• Address doubts and “elephants in the room”.
• You can use humor, controversy, etc., as a hook to some degree, but be careful of going overboard.
• Present your case logically, with an opening statement at the beginning, and a conclusion or presentation of results/further work at the end.
• Have a good, honest critic go over your presentation once you finish it to check for spelling, grammar, and consistency.
• Remember to include your most important contact details or a URL at the bottom of your presentation.

• Sell your idea, and the details will follow.

Making your audience ask for more information encourages discussion about your presentation. This is great, because you find out how your audience understands your presentation so far, and you can expand your case from there. You have to be sure, though, that every part of your presentation coincides with how you understand the topic you’re presenting yourself. Make your presentation poster sell your idea as strongly and concisely as possible, and your audience will give you more than enough room to expound after.

Here’s an illustration of how an effective presentation poster design can significantly influence your audience impact. The University of Liverpool Graduate School’s Poster Day 2009 page features some very engaging and informative examples of presentation posters. Still, there’s one design among all of them that trumps the rest; could you guess which poster I’m referring to?

Bonus tip: Get your poster presentations done with a guaranteed printing expert! An online poster printing company is an especially convenient choice, plus you can easily research the best choices through printing reviews online. You’re also more likely to get cheap poster printing that doesn’t sacrifice quality that way.

That’s about it! If I missed anything, I’d love for you to share your insights with our readers in the comments. If you have or know examples of great presentation posters we can all discuss, let’s give them some link love here! For more information about posters and design, get the Large Format Posters Blog’s latest posts via email or RSS.