Summer Undergraduate Research Program - Fred Hutchinson ...

13 . To add a figure legend, create a text box above, below or beside the image, chart, table, or graph,
and write the figure number and a brief title/description of the figure in bold. It is important that
the figure legend placement (whether above, below or beside) is consistent throughout your poster.
14 . When inserting logo(s), make sure the background color is consistent with the poster . To create
a consistent background color, insert the logo image(s) (see instruction #10 above) and a Picture
Toolbar will appear near the logo(s) . Place the mouse over the toolbar and click the image that looks
like a pen and reads “Set Transparent Color .” Next, click the logo background that does not match
the poster background and it will automatically match the background color of your poster .
Poster Design Considerations
A poster should describe interesting aspects
of your project and tell a clear story . Most
people spend three to five minutes (or less)
looking at a poster; therefore the poster needs
to deliver your message quickly. Choose
ONE essential concept to address in your
poster . Before you begin selecting charts, graphs,
and photos to include, ask yourself this question:
If the viewer remembers only one idea
about my work, what do I want that idea
to be?
Your answer will determine the theme of your
poster; therefore everything included on your
poster needs to support this theme .
• Tell your story with graphics as much as possible. An efficient way to structure a poster is to
choose the graphics first and then write the “story” and arrange the spatial flow of the poster around
the graphics .
• Make graphics large enough so that viewers can read them from a distance .
Formatting Basics
Your poster should look simple and uncluttered . Someone standing three feet away should quickly
understand what each component is and why it is there . Illustrations and photographs should be clear
and properly proportioned . Use high-resolution (between 200 – 300 dpi) images – images with a higher
resolution than that will only waste file size and slow down the printing process. TIFF or GIF images are best.
• Use left justification, which has been shown to be the easiest to read .
• Keep text to a minimum .
• Diagrams and a bulleted list are more efficient than words or paragraphs.
• Apply a 1.5 line spacing to everything except the Acknowledgements and References (if included)
sections .
• Viewers cannot read small type from a distance . Use the appropriate font size per section header
(Title fonts should be between 80 - 96 points; section headers should be between 45 - 50 points; text
fonts should be between 24 - 28 points) .
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