# Academic posters

**Source**: https://learningessentials.auckland.ac.nz/presenting-your-work/academic-posters/
**Parent**: https://learningessentials.auckland.ac.nz/learning-at-university/

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# Academic posters

- [Developing oral presentations](https://learningessentials.auckland.ac.nz/presenting-your-work/developing-oral-presentations/)
- [Practising your presentation](https://learningessentials.auckland.ac.nz/presenting-your-work/practising-presentation/)
- [Delivering a great presentation](https://learningessentials.auckland.ac.nz/presenting-your-work/delivering-great-presentation/)
- [Academic posters](https://learningessentials.auckland.ac.nz/presenting-your-work/academic-posters/)

Learn how to design effective posters that appeal to your audience and highlight the important aspects of your research.

## What you need to know before making your poster

An effective poster will communicate a clear idea or a take home message. Before designing your poster: you will need to

- Understand your audience: a general audience or specialized audience – what are their academic knowledge level?
- Consider structure – a balanced combination of visual content and text. What image/s would powerfully convey your message? How can the text grab audience attention?
- Focus on the important information to get across to your audience.
- Know your presentation requirements – any mandatory content inclusions or design requirements/presentation details; poster dimensions; method of display.

## What goes into a poster?

The features and content of each poster will vary depending on the purpose and the topic, e.g. assessment task, research conference. The main message of a poster needs to be clear and understandable without a verbal explanation.

Remember to include academic references to meet the requirements of your discipline area.

## What makes a visually effective poster?

Your poster’s appearance should enhance its content. Following some basic design principles will make your poster visually effective and viewable within a 2-metre distance.

- **Layout** – Remember, we read left to right, top to bottom. Your poster layout should be easy for your reader to navigate.
- **Visual elements** – Include graphs, photos, illustrations and flowcharts that are easy to understand and will contribute to getting your message across quickly.
- **Color** – Pick a color scheme and use it throughout to create a cohesive poster. Use color to highlight important information. Also consider if there is a color associated with the topic of your poster.
- **Text** – Be concise and to the point. Keep text formats simple, professional and viewable from a distance.

Once you’ve decided on the important elements that will appear on your poster, it might be useful to sketch out your design on a piece of paper before you start using a computer application.

## What software can you use?

To design your poster, two easy-to-use applications are Microsoft PowerPoint or Publisher. Advanced users might prefer to use graphic design or layout software for greater creative control: e.g. Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesign. There are more tools, e.g. Inkscape, Poster Genius, to use, though learning and costs might be involved.

## What to learn more?

- For more in-depth information visit the [Designing research posters](https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/69130/pages/overview-designing-research-posters) module in the [Postgraduate Research Skills hub](https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/69130)

### Related topics

- [Writing effectively](https://learningessentials.auckland.ac.nz/writing-effectively/)

### Workshops

See all [available workshops](https://auckland.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/tetumuherenga).

Have any questions?

[Ask us](https://www.forms.auckland.ac.nz/en/public/library/ask-us.html)